Category Archives: Business News

By Jennifer Farnsworth
Since the beginning of the “NY on Pause” shutdown brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, Katie Camarro, owner of Sundaes Best Hot Fudge Sauce, started thinking about what she could do to help.
At first, she provided gift baskets to first responders which, she said, served as a pick-me-up that reminded them that they are recognized for all they are doing.
Soon after, Camarro decided to reach out to her community’s healthcare workers. Sundaes Best donated chocolate to medical staff at the Wilton Medical Arts and Urgent Care, as a way to honor those who work on the front lines, facing the challenges of the virus outbreak.
“We simply thought it would be a nice thing to do, and it was so well received by the staff,” said Camarro.
Next, Camarro plans to deliver Chocolate Farmer dip and pretzels to each hospital department, with the help of her husband and co-owner Jeff Shinaman.
The two have had to adjust the business after realizing that they would not be able to market the product in venues that would normally bring in revenue. Camarro said she is thankful for her wholesale business.

By Rachel Phillips
In an effort to help first responders who daily put themselves at risk during the coronavirus pandemic, a local restoration company is disinfecting area firehouses and police stations free of cost.
Kennedy Property Management (KPM) restoration is primarily a water damage company, but when the pandemic hit Saratoga County owner James Kennedy decided to expand services to help the community.
The company sends cleaners each week to perform the services. After wiping down each surface using industrial strength, CDC-approved disinfectants, they use an aerosol fog machine loaded with another sanitizing solution. According to Kennedy, he is deploying OSHA-certified technicians, who are trained specifically to deal with hazardous conditions.

By Jennifer Farnsworth
Saratoga Saddlery and International Boutique closed its shop at 506 Broadway in Saratoga Springs will operate, when businesses are allowed to re-open in New York state, at 392 Broadway.
“We loved where we were. It was a beautiful store, but this is a spot with much better foot traffic. We are very happy with it,” said owner Sabine Rodgers.
The current state regulations have forced her to close her “new” doors, so Rodgers has turned her focus to online orders. She said the first two weeks after the shutdown were devastating.
“For two straight weeks we had no orders, nothing. Now we have started to receive some business, but not what we are used to,” she said.
Rodgers acknowledges this is a challenging time to keep any small business open, including her own where she has had to layoff 12 employees. She said she wants to get them back to work as soon as possible.
“I worry about them. I want to get them back. As soon as I get the green light I am hoping to be able to,” said Rodgers.

By Todd Shimkus
It seems kind of ominous now. But on Friday, March 13, the leaders of the Saratoga County Economic Development Corp., Discover Saratoga, the Saratoga City Center, Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership, the Downtown Business Association and the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce all met at Wheatfield’s, in downtown Saratoga Springs.
It was clear on that Friday that the world was about to change. Gov. Cuomo was starting to shut things down to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The six of us gathered at this meeting decided that from this point forward that we would work collaboratively to do whatever it took to protect Saratoga County’s economy and to help local employers through the crisis.
Since that time, we’ve communicated relentlessly among ourselves and with everyone in our database. We decided that it didn’t matter if an employer was a member, an investor, or not. We were going to help every business and nonprofit in Saratoga County. We would help as many organizations as we could and hope than when times were better that they’d help us too.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center has canceled the 2020 Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision was made to ensure the health and safety of the artists, ticket buyers, and the community, officials said. The two-day event, originally scheduled for June 27-28, was to present a rich roster of artists including Eliane Elias, Tiempo Libre, Kurt Elling, the Brubeck Brothers, Cassandra Wilson and Taj Mahal.
“The cancellation of the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival is heartbreaking to us, the artists, the production crew and our dedicated audience but within the larger context of what we are dealing with personally, nationally and globally, is something we can ‘manage,’” said Danny Melnick, the festival producer and president of Absolutely Live Entertainment. “This festival began in 1978 and has been the longest continuously running jazz festival in the northeastern part of North America. We are working to create an online festival experience and looking forward to returning to ‘the Hang’ in 2021.”

By Jill NAgy
ECS Psychological Services already had a platform to connect with patients remotely before the COVID-19 restrictions, according to clinical supervisor Dana Jacobs. Clinicians communicated remotely with patients in cases of illness or inclement weather.
Now, all their work is remote.
While many businesses are losing clients and customers because of the health emergency, ECS is actually taking on new clients, she said.
“Of course, our preference is to see patients personally, face to face,” said Jacobs. “But we are doing a very good job and so are our patients. People are very resilient.”