The Stewart’s Holiday Match collection season ended in December, raising $1.88 million to help area children’s charities.
Company officials said that more than $941,207 was donated by customers and the rest matched by the company. The total was $43,000 higher than last year.
Donations were collected at all Stewart’s Shops from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day.
Holiday Match has zero administrative fees. The program only accepts cash donations which eliminates credit card processing fees and 100 percent of the donations are allocated for children’s charity groups.
Applications for Holiday Match opened on Thanksgiving day. Nonprofit organizations benefiting children are able to apply for funds through Jan. 31. Applications are reviewed, and allocations are made in March. Applications can be found online.
T&J Electrical Associates Moves To New 15,000-Square-Foot Facility In Clifton Park
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By Christine Graf
Commercial electrical contractor T&J Electrical Associates has moved to a newly-constructed, 15,000-square-foot headquarters in Clifton Park.
The $2.2 million building is located at 419 Route 146. T&J Electrical was started by brothers Tony and Joe Sestito, out of Tony’s home, in 1977.
During the early years of the business, T&J Electrical performed residential and small-scale commercial work. Over time, the company focus shifted toward large commercial jobs. The company has grown to 80 employees and no longer performs residential work. Tony retired from the business several years ago.
“The scale of jobs they were taking on became larger and larger and they became a union contractor,” said Nick Sestito, son of Joe Sestito, who joined the family business in 2009. He worked his way up to partner and now manages the company along with his father, who is semi-retired.
“They performed a lot of retail work for companies like CVS, Price Chopper, and Shop Rite. Forty years later, we still have a lot of those customers,” he said.
Sestito has spent the last several years growing the company’s electrical lighting and maintenance division which represents approximately 25 percent of its revenue. The remaining 75 percent is generated by the new construction and remodeling division.
“When I came into the office in 2015 with the intent to grow that, we had one service van on the road,” he said. “We now have a fleet of over 20 and we cover the entire northeast. We repair anything electrical or lighting related.”
Two Friends Involved In Pharmacy Getting Closer To Opening Active Ingredient Brewery
Courtesy Active Ingredient Brewery
By Jennifer Farnsworth
Nathan Rogers and Brian Fox are on the brink of becoming both pharmacists and brewery owners, an unlikely combination that they say is nothing short of a dream come true. The two are anticipating a spring opening of Active Ingredient Brewing Co. in Malta.
Rogers and Fox will soon be scaling down to part time in their pharmacist positions at Walmart in order to make their dream a reality.
“We will be incorporating our science background into the chemistry of making our craft product and you will notice a science theme’ throughout the decor as well as in the names of our products. We have been working hard on planning this brewery for over three years now and it feels good to finally see the finish line in sight,” said Rogers.
When choosing 2443 Route 9, Malta, as a location, Rogers said they looked at the potential of the village and all it has to offer.
“We felt Malta was a town that is bound for tremendous growth and saw an opportunity to open up here as it continues to expand. In a community where the residential population far outnumbers commercial establishments to support them, we’d like to offer a place to have fun and drink beer in a relaxed and fun atmosphere,” said Rogers.
Noble Gas Solutions Opens A Facility In South Glens Falls, Adding Warehouse Space, Offices
Courtesy Noble Gas Solutions
By Christine Graf
Albany-based Noble Gas Solutions is planning to open a third location at 15 Third St. in South Glens Falls.
The wholesale distributor of gasses and welding supplies also has a location in Kingston. Noble Gas was founded in 1940 as Albany Welding Supply Co. and owner J. David Mahoney worked there for 10 years before purchasing the business in 1986.
Approximately 60 percent of the company’s sales are generated from the gas arm of the business, he said. Noble Gas sells medical, specialty, industrial, and consumer gasses as well as gas and cryogenic packaging. Their packaging product line includes cylinders, tanks, manifolds, and liquid cryogenic dewars.
“We started by getting into selling specialty gasses for universities and for laboratories, and it just evolved. We sell so many different gasses. We sell helium to florists, gasses to veterinary clinics and pharmaceuticals. It’s very diverse,” said Mahoney.
Noble Gas also carries a full line of welding, metalworking, soldering, brazing, and fume elimination supplies.
The company sells, rents and repairs welding machines.
Popular Chowderfest In Saratoga Replaced By Weeklong Event With Safety Guidelines
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Chowderfest is not going away, it is just going to look a little different this year, organizers announced.
For the safety of everyone, Discover Saratoga has altered the highly anticipated annual event for 2021, introducing Saratoga Chowder Tour.
The group has developed a week-long event, running from Saturday, Jan. 30, through Saturday, Feb. 6, where patrons can get a cup or bowl of chowder at participating Saratoga County restaurants and vote for their favorite online.
Participants businesses will also have pints and quarts of chowder to-go.
“Due to COVID-19, we had to reimagine Chowderfest this year,” said Discover Saratoga President Darryl Leggieri. “To ensure the safety of everyone, Saratoga Chowder Tour will be a social distance-friendly event spanning over a week. There will be no crowds, no vendors serving samples outside, no shuttle service this year, and no blocked off streets, but there will still be lots of delicious chowder to enjoy inside our local restaurants or to-go.”
Saratoga Chowder Tour will allow customers to sample chowder at multiple restaurants throughout the week, avoiding overcrowding of restricted space. They can safely vote online in the comfort of their homes.
Area Electrical Contractor Serving Northeast And Beyond Reports Record Sales In 2020
Courtesy Gross Electric
By Christine Graf
Queensbury-based electrical contractor Gross Electric reported record breaking sales of $65 million in 2020.
The company was founded in 1994 by Joseph Gross. He started the business out of his garage and had 40 employees by the end of his first year. Today, Gross Electric has 300 employees and satellite offices in Virginia and Florida. The company performs work along the entire East Coast and as far north as the Canadian border.
“I cut my teeth in the paper industry,” said Gross, noting that Finch Pruyn was his first major customer. “The paper industry was very good to us, but unfortunately, that industry has faded.”
Gross Electric was able to find new opportunities in the cement industry and has performed work at Glens Falls Cement and Lafarge Ravena Cement Plant. The company also works in the food processing industry, and customers have included Beech-Nut Nutrition Company in Amsterdam. Their biggest break came about five years ago when they were hired to do the electrical work for the Global Foundries administrative offices in Malta.
“After that, we earned their trust and picked up quite a lot of work at Global Foundries,” said Gross. “With them giving us the opportunity, that opened up other opportunities in the industry.”
SUNY System Launches Online Program To Give All New Yorkers A ‘Gateway’ To College
The State University of New York has launched a free Online Training Center to give more New Yorkers a gateway to college, no matter where they live across the state.
The center, announced by SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras, features high school equivalency, college prep, and employment certification programs.
As phase one of Malatras’ new SUNY For All campaign to expand access to higher education, the center will prepare eligible students for college and post-COVID careers with training and success coaches to guide them. Eligible students must be a New York state resident from a low- or moderate-income household, without a post-secondary degree, who may be unemployed or recently laid off.
Those interested can contact SUNY about the spring semester, which is scheduled to start on Feb. 1.
The Online Training Center is designed to give more New Yorkers in every region of the state -from rural communities to urban centers – another opportunity to go to college. Students who complete any one of the training certificates with a high school diploma or high school equivalency credential will be automatically accepted to any of SUNY’s 30 community colleges or SUNY Empire State College. The application fee is also waived.
Officials said that even before the pandemic, it was projected that 65 percent of jobs in the U.S. would require post-secondary education through 2020, and recent projections show that increasing to 70 percent by 2027.
Owner Of Cleaning Business Opens New Boutique In Burnt Hills For Gift Shoppers
Nicole Wilson recently opened Life Made Simple Boutique in Burnt Hills.
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By Susan Elise Campbell
Nicole Wilson has two messages for shoppers at her new Burnt Hills boutique: She helps make people’s lives simple and it is safe to shop there.
“After all, I do own a cleaning company,” said Wilson, who started Life Maid Spotless and Simple about 15 years ago. “Cleaning prevents COVID.”
The retail shop— called Life Made Simple Boutique—recently opened in Suite 5 at 772 Saratoga Road, the Dollar Tree Plaza. It had been a dream of Wilson’s for many years, partly because she has “a fire and a passion for shopping,” she said.
“I live on a farm and sell eggs and crafts,” said Wilson. But opportunity knocked for a boutique with home décor and gifts as she planned moving her cleaning business to Route 50.
“For the last five years I ran Spotless out of my home and with the pandemic, I thought we would be safer,” she said. “But I needed more room for the washer and dryer and to store supplies.”
Gearing Up For Tax Season, CPAs Handle Challenges And Changes On The Horizon
By Susan Elise Campbell
The fourth quarter of any fiscal year is a busy time for CPAs. But this year, advising clients is posing more than the usual challenges.
“It is difficult enough for CPAs to get out of 2020, much less plan for 2021, when passing laws pertaining to deductions, depreciation and taxes is delayed,” said Laurie A. Stillwell, a CPA in Saratoga Springs.
“My biggest fear professionally is that it is difficult to advise clients on how to move forward from a business and personal tax perspective,” she said. “I have never been busier, but I want to be proactive and that is nearly impossible.”
“It has been the busiest year-end in 10 years because of uncertainty with taxes and the economy,” said Paul A. Curtis, CPA, a founding partner of CMJ, LLP in Queensbury. “Our firm was in a rush to close business sales because the new administration is thinking of eliminating the maximum 20 percent capital gains rate and raising personal income tax rates.”
“A company that has grown to a million dollar business pays $200,000 under the current tax code but may have a $400,000 tax bill if they wait to cash in next year,” he said, which is why CMJ closed six major transactions in December. Uncertainty scares businesses to death.”
One issue that was clarified when the CARES Act and supplemental appropriations were signed on Dec. 27 is what would happen if small businesses were unable to repay their loans under the Payroll Protection Program.
Technological Innovations Will Continue To Revolutionize Functions In Every Day Life
By Stephen Kyne, CFP
There is an old curse that reads, “May you live in interesting times.” I think we can all agree that we are certainly in interesting times. From the pandemic and the economy, to the political climate, 2020 (and so far, 2021) will long be remembered as a consequential year. The question now: Where do we go from here?
2020 was a tale of two economies. Small businesses experienced a very different reality last year than large businesses. We all know local business owners who are struggling, or who have gone out of business, altogether. We know service sector workers whose financial lives are in complete collapse. Yet, on the other side, many large national businesses are booming. It’s a travesty, and our hearts go out to those suffering.
Things will get better.
For investors who stayed invested during 2020, it turned out to be a surprisingly positive year, especially in the technology sector.
This pandemic would have been untenable without recent technological innovations. Not only has technology allowed us to stay connected to loved ones during shutdowns, it has also allowed more people to work productively from home than ever before. As a result, non-tech companies, their employees and customers, have been direct beneficiaries since these companies have not had to shut down, could retain their employees, and consumers could still gain access to products and services which are essential to modern life. Imagine how much worse things would be if this had struck in the ‘90s.
What do we see for 2021?