By Maureen Werther

Dawn Morrison, owner of the Kar-Ma LLC, refers to herself as a “motor head” and confesses that she has loved cars her entire life. So, when she experienced what she calls “an early mid-life crisis,” she figured out a way to turn a passion into a viable business.

The Kar-Ma LLC is a mobile automotive maintenance, detailing, and service business, offering monthly “mini” detailing, auto shuttling service to and from the dealership, emergency automotive assistance and more.

Morrison, who has a degree from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communication, started Kar-Ma in 2009. After working for several years in the trade publication industry in Manhattan, she returned to the upstate area sold advertising for Valpak and air time for radio station WGNA. She reached a point in her career where she decided it was time for a change.

The business began informally at first, with Morrison taking care of cars for her friends. It morphed into a membership service, with Morrison charging a flat monthly rate.

The new Rexford Bridge, carrying Route 146 over the Mohawk River between the towns of Clifton Park and Niskayuna, will open to traffic this fall, state officials said.

Work on the $32.5 million project resumed in the last week of March. The bridge carries approximately 22,000 motor vehicles per day.

“The Rexford Bridge is a vital link for commuters and visitors to the Capital Region and, as we resume construction this spring, we help ensure that the new bridge opens to traffic on time this fall,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “The safety improvements and structural upgrades to this bridge will help ease congestion while also ensuring its continued viability for years to come.”

The work is being done under a design-build contract that calls for a single team of contractors to be responsible for both designing and building an entire project in order to ensure that coordination is seamless, and that work is completed in the shortest possible time frame, officials said. Design-build also provides cost certainty for the state with contractors assuming the risk for project delays and cost overruns.

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.