BST & Co. CPAs, LLP, an accounting and management consulting firm, has merged with O’Connor & O’Connor CPAs, an Albany-based accounting firm that has served clients in the Capital Region and beyond for more than half a century.

O’Connor & O’Connor CPAs offers a variety of professional accounting, financial and tax services to businesses and nonprofit organizations. The team, comprised of four CPAs and administrative staff, counts small businesses, professional service firms, professional athletes, medical practices, real estate agencies, and individuals among its clients. 

As the business has grown, its needs have evolved, prompting leadership to seek a like-minded business partner poised for exceptional future growth.

“BST is thrilled to join forces with O’Connor & O’Connor CPAs, whose culture, clients and reputation are second to none. John and I have known each other professionally and socially for 35 years and we are excited for our firms to come together at this time,” said Ron Guzior, BST & Co. managing partner. “We are confident that the many years of expertise the veteran tax specialists from O’Connor & O’Connor bring to our team will benefit our existing clients and enable us to cultivate deeper relationships through expanded solutions for O’Connor & O’Connor clients.”

O’Connor & O’Connor CPAs was originally established more than five decades ago as a part-time practice under the sole leadership of John V. O’Connor Sr., a full-time professor of accounting and taxation at UAlbany and Siena College. After earning his degree from St. Bonaventure University and getting licensed as a Certified Public Accountant, his son John V. O’Connor Jr. joined the firm in 1981. 

By Jill Nagy

Breanna Chiarello calls herself a “jewelry concierge.”  

She is in the business of helping people turn their jewelry ideas into reality at Her Rock Jewelry, recently opened at 10 Lake Ave. in Saratoga Springs.  

Chiarello interviews prospective customers about their preferences and price range and then meets with them in person. At the meeting, she presents some stones and sample settings that meet the customer’s specifications. After the customer chooses the desired combination, the jewelry is made to order and delivered in three to four weeks. 

The shop sells about 30 rings monthly, Chiarello estimates.

She tries to provide a quiet intimate setting for the meetings. Her suite of offices includes a conference room, a showroom, and her office.

Her Rock specializes in diamond engagement rings, most of them sporting “lab diamonds,” which are manufactured in New York City, not dug out of the ground. 

By Jill Nagy

Memories of teenage skin problems were part of the motivation for Andrew Kelly to become an aesthetician specializing in skin care. He recognized the need to de-stress and take time for self-care and the importance of diet in treating skin problems. 

Today, he is the proprietor of Skin by Ask, a new medical spa at 29 Church St. in Saratoga Springs.

Kelly has been in business as an aesthetician for six years. He has clients in the Saratoga area and in New York City. He has also continued offering virtual treatments, something he developed during the COVID lockdown but has continued for clients who prefer to do their own care under his guidance.

He terms his business a combination of a day spa and a medical spa. He offers facials, nonsurgical facelifts, laser treatment, skin tightening, microneedling, and other treatments. In microneedling, a matrix of tiny pulsating needles are intended to stimulate the production of collagen. 

Two common problems Kelly deals with are hyper pigmentation, a skin discoloration, often following pregnancy, and rosacea, a condition that causes the skin to redden, especially on the nose.

Zobel & Co. Kitchens, a custom kitchen design firm, received the Best Kitchen Design $80,000-$119,000 and Best Kitchen Design $120,000-plus awards from the Capital Region Builders and Remodelers Association (CRBRA) .

The awards were presented at the annual Best of Building awards night in November at the Canfield Casino, Saratoga Springs.

The first project recognized was a Malta kitchen that features rich walnut cabinetry, Calacatta Arno Quartz slab back splash and counter tops, and a stunning Vermont Verde Antique countertop on the island. The new kitchen features generous amounts of light, storage and organization, floating shelves, and a closet converted into a pantry.

The second project awarded to Zobel & Co. Kitchens is a Saratoga kitchen that combines the working side of a kitchen with a large six-person dine-in island and completed with a large wet bar area featuring wine storage and a beverage refrigerator. White cabinetry defines the cooking and eating area, while smokey grey cabinets showcases the bar. The design incorporates the family’s desire to entertain comfortably while having ample room for food prep and cooking.

By Christine Graf

When longtime friends and business partners Michael Dubb and Larry Roth began redevelopment of the historic Rip Van Dam in downtown Saratoga Springs, they planned for the 200,000-square-foot building to include 84 apartments. 

They are now considering marketing the units as condominiums. 

“Nothing about the building is changing,” said Michael Dubb who is also the owner of Beechwood Homes on Long Island. “The only question is whether it will be rental or sale on the apartment side of it.”

As part of the redevelopment project, The Adelphi and the former Rip Van Dam will be connected and operate as one entity. The building that housed the Rip Van Dam is being expanded and renovated, and the exterior façade has already been updated. In addition to the 84 apartment or condominiums, the building will feature 31 hotel rooms, underground parking, a spa, a state-of-the art gym, meeting rooms, and a business center. 

Saratoga Springs city officials and SiFi Networks celebrated the official groundbreaking of the Saratoga Springs FiberCity project on Oct. 25, a fiberoptic network being built citywide to improve digital connectivity in the city. 

Once complete, the $32 million venture, being funded privately, will see high-speed fiber infrastructure available to every household, business, and institution within city limits, officials said. 

Work to construct the network began earlier this year with the first homes scheduled to go-live in the fall of 2023. The entire city is slated for completion in 2024. Officials also announced that the internet service provider GigabitNow has signed on to be first provider on the network, offering speeds up to 10 Gigabits per second—among the fastest internet speeds in the United States, according to SiFi.

“This is a once-in-a-generation infrastructure project that will usher in a new era of high-speed connectivity, digital inclusion, digital readiness, and new opportunities to expand and innovate in our local economy,” said Jason Golub, city commissioner of Public Works.

The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce is running its Love Our Locals $20.22 promotion at local restaurants through the remainder of the year.

The campaign supports local businesses and nonprofit organizations throughout Saratoga County.

“When the pandemic hit, we were focused on saving our locals,” said Todd Shimkus, president, Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. “The outpouring of support to help boost the county’s economic recovery over the last few years has been monumental and we want the momentum to continue. Our community is so vibrant thanks, in part, to our local businesses and nonprofit organizations. We want to continue to show them the love.”

Residents and tourists can support a Saratoga County business or nonprofit by spending or donating $20.22 or more at participating eateries. They will be eligible to enter a gift card giveaway. Individuals are encouraged to email a photo of their receipt of $20.22 or more to loveourlocals@saratoga.org for entry.

By Jill Nagy

A 5,520-square-foot lumberyard, building supply, and design center has been added to Saratoga Quality Hardware at 110 Excelsior Ave. in Saratoga Springs.

The new addition was partially opened in July and now is fully expanded.

“We had some kinks we wanted to work out,” said Louise Eddy, who owns Saratoga Quality Hardware and its sister store in Hudson Falls, Burgoyne Quality Hardware.

“This lumberyard has been on the drawing board for a long time,” Eddy said. “We are excited to expand our selection for our Saratoga area customers and bring them the same premium lumber and high quality building materials we have been selling in our Hudson Falls lumberyard.”

The Hudson Falls store added a drive-through lumberyard—consisting of two flatbed trucks with forklifts—in 2002. The Saratoga yard is a conventional store, not a drive-through. In addition to lumber, it sells roofing materials, siding, and other building materials.

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame recently named Jessica Cloer as its new museum curator.

Cloer comes to the museum with more than a decade of experience working in museums. She began her career sharing the story of America’s founding as a park ranger at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Since 2013, she has been a registrar at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University, Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge, Mass., Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., and the Stanley Museum of Art at the University of Iowa.

Also, Matt Reichel was hired as museum educator.

A graduate of Smith College in Northampton, Mass., where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in History, Cloer went on to earn a Master of Liberal Arts from Harvard University. In her free time, she enjoys visiting museums and historic sites, exploring the outdoors and traveling.

“Jessica and Matt are great additions to our team at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame,” said Cate Masterson, museum director. “Both are talented and proven professionals in their respective disciplines and will be tremendous assets to the museum in their new positions.”