Month: March 2017

Saratoga Raceway’s 76th season of live harness racing began in February, with officials at Saratoga Casino Hotel looking to build off the success of 2016, where a record all-source parimutuel handle exceeded $78 million.

“We recognize the importance of delivering an exceptional harness racing product to our guests, as that entertainment option can only be offered regionally here at Saratoga Casino Hotel,” said John Matarazzo, director of racing operations at Saratoga Casino Hotel. “We look forward to welcoming back all of our racing fans as we gear up for another exciting season.”

A top highlight of the upcoming racing season will include the ninth annual Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial Pace, which will feature one dash for $260,000 on July 22. Last year’s Gerrity Champion and 2016 Harness Horse of the Year, Wiggle It JiggleIt, will receive an automatic invitation into this year’s race.

GlobalFoundries announced in February plans to expand its global manufacturing footprint in response to growing customer demand for its comprehensive and differentiated technology portfolio.

The company is investing in its existing leading-edge fabs in the United States, including the Fab 8 plant in Malta, and Germany, expanding its footprint in China with a fab in Chengdu, and adding capacity for mainstream technologies in Singapore.

“We continue to invest in capacity and technology to meet the needs of our worldwide customer base,” said company CEO Sanjay Jha. “We are seeing strong demand for both our mainstream and advanced technologies, from our world-class RF-SOI platform for connected devices to our FD-SOI and FinFET roadmap at the leading edge. These new investments will allow us to expand our existing fabs while growing our presence in China through a partnership in Chengdu.”

In the United States, GlobalFoundries plans to expand 14nm FinFET capacity by an additional 20 percent at its Fab 8 facility in Malta, with the new production capabilities to come online in the beginning of 2018.

Shelters of Saratoga will have a permanent Code Blue shelter built on its property at 14 Walworth St. in Saratoga Springs, the result of a donation in February by Ed and Lisa Mitzen.

Ed Mitzen is the founder of Fingerpaint Marketing on Broadway. Both are shelter volunteers.

The new shelter is expected to be open by next winter.

For the past few years, the shelter has had temporary residence at St. Peter’s Parish Center, the Salvation Army building and the Soul Saving Station Church in downtown Saratoga Springs.

Michael Finocchi, executive director of the nonprofit group, said initial plans call for a two-story building with large kitchen, laundry room, men’s and women’s sleeping rooms, multiple showers and bathrooms, a large storage area for donated food and clothing, and a small Code Blue office.

Bonacio Construction will be handling all the construction and appropriate permits, with assistance from the LA Group. Finocchi said both have agreed to forego any profits to keep the costs as low as possible.

By Maureen Werther

Crafters Gallery re-opened on Feb. 25 after being closed for renovations. The new owner, Christina Lowes, and her crew gave the nearly 25-year-old business a fresh new look.

The refurbishing of the 427 Broadway location included  “barn wood” flooring, additional lighting, a fresh coat of paint on the walls, and innovative displays of recently added inventory.

Lowes purchased the gallery from Roger Goldsmith in January. She plans to continue offering unique art and gifts created by local artists. She will also be introducing new items, including women’s clothing, home accessories, hand-crafted pottery and Saratoga-and Adirondacks-inspired gifts and crafts.

She said Crafters Gallery will also continue to be a “go to” place for framing, with the shop’s lower floor dedicated entirely to custom-framing services. Store employees, some of whom have been there for nearly a decade, will continue to provide the high-quality service to which customers have become accustomed.

The gallery offers local artists, jewelry designers, and other craftspeople and artisans the opportunity to rent space and display their work for sale. Many also rent space in the retail cooperative, Artique, with locations in Clifton Park and the Colonie Center Mall.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

What started as a small printing business in the basement of a residential home is now a growing business that husband and wife Robert Chadwick and Wendy LaFountain Chadwick envisioned just over 30 years ago.

ARCA Ink screen printing relocated to South Glens Falls on Bluebird Road just after the new year, a move that Robert Chadwick said will allow the business to continue to grow.

Chadwick said the decision to move into a larger location immediately improved the ease of production for the business.

“The move has helped us so far by giving us the ability to expand our production. We have the space to set up production equipment to meet the needs being generated by sales. This, in turn, is giving us the opportunity to place ads for new jobs as a result of production requirements.”

At ARCA, they never turn away an order based on size, Chadwick said. No order is too small or too big. They offer services like screen printing and embroidery in-house. They also print coffee mugs, pens, business cards, almost anything that needs a logo.

By Margaret MacDonald

MLS-Saratoga Home Inspections is a new certified home inspection company operated by Chris Sorell.

Sorell was a landlord for 10-12 years and has owned property for 20. Necessarily, he’s dealt with home-related issues over the years. Last year, he went through the CATS of Albany Home Inspection Training School in Albany to take the necessary courses and eventually got licensed by New York state.

MLS-Saratoga Home Inspections offers complete home-buyer and home-seller inspection services in the greater Capital District area, including Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Clifton Park, Saratoga Springs, Queensbury, and Lake George.

Since his company hinges on the real estate market, Sorell tries to maintain good contacts and relationships with real estate agents in order that he may be more readily referred.