Category Archives: Business News

The Northeast Construction Trades Workforce Coalition, Inc. (NCTWC) announced the success of its Membership Mixer held Wednesday, November 19, at Rivers Casino & Resort. The sold-out event brought together 350 attendees, including construction trade professionals, labor partners, school counselors and administrators, workforce development organizations, and other stakeholders committed to strengthening the region’s construction trades workforce pipeline.

Mike Nelson of Blue-Collar StartUp and Five Towers Media served as emcee, and WRGB News (CBS 6) participated as the event’s media sponsor. One of the evening’s standout moments came from student speaker Lilly Anne Springer, an alumna of NCTWC’s Girls Construction Summer Camps offered in partnership with Whitbeck Construction and WSWHE BOCES. Springer spoke about discovering her interest in the trades and her intention to pursue a construction career, offering a powerful example of NCTWC’s mission in action.

Sarah Landers, a high school counselor at Warrensburg Central School, also offered insights for student career pathways into the trades, energizing attendees and advancing the coalition’s workforce goals.

The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce  kicked off its Love Our Locals $20.25 campaign, an initiative that emphasizes the importance of supporting local businesses and nonprofit organizations.

The campaign began Oct. 30 and continues throughout the remainder of the year. During this time, residents and tourists who support any business or nonprofit in Saratoga County by spending or donating $20.25 or more are eligible to enter a gift card giveaway.  

Individuals are encouraged to submit their receipts of $20.25 or more online at www.saratoga.org/love-our-locals to enter. Each week, the Chamber will randomly select winners for $100 in gift cards to businesses across the county.

While the campaign takes place during the holiday shopping season, it is designed to support a wide variety of businesses and organizations from the retail, dining, service, entertainment and nonprofit sectors. Eligible purchases can include a chiropractor adjustment, teeth cleaning, eye exam, hair care appointment, car repairs, home improvement projects, dry cleaning, hotel stays, dining at restaurants, concert tickets, landscaping, snow removal, fitness club memberships, floral deliveries, toys and holiday decorations. Donations made to area charitable organizations are also eligible for entry. Spending $20.25 or more at any locally owned Saratoga County business or nonprofit gives folks a chance to win in this months-long giveaway campaign with unlimited entries, multiple weekly winners and a variety of gift card prizes!

Love Our Locals $20.25 is generously sponsored by many area businesses that donate gift cards as the prizes.

Now in its fifth year, this campaign started during the pandemic as Save Our Locals $20.21, which resulted in more than 2,000 entries from locals whose purchases directly aided in the county’s economic rebound from COVID-19 restrictions. In 2022, the Save Our Locals program was recognized with a New York State Tourism Excellence Award from the New York State Tourism Industry Association. 

By LEE COLEMAN

West Mountain ski center in Queensbury is preparing to open early this season with a larger variety of trails to offer skiers.

“We are really going to try to open early, but it depends on the weather,” said Spencer Montgomery, co-owner and managing member.

He said 4,000 feet of new snowmaking pipeline has been added on the Frolic trail to replace older piping that was in disrepair. The goal is to open more terrain on the Northwest Base area along with the Main Base, which traditionally opens first. The mountain also offers a large snow-tubing park for young people.

Ski center workers have been running compressors on the snow guns, testing pipelines, checking power and lighting for the popular night skiing, and cutting back the trail edges. All is ready to make snow when the temperature allows.

In recent years, West Mountain has offered year-round programming, with adventure courses, mountain-biking trails and scenic rides to promote use of the mountain in spring, summer and fall.

Saratoga Springs will soon welcome a new entertainment destination built around teamwork, storytelling, and immersive problem-solving. Saratoga Escape Rooms, founded by local entrepreneurs Tess and Brian Goodge, will officially open Nov. 14 on Gardner Lane in downtown Saratoga Springs.

The concept grew naturally from the couple’s complementary strengths. “We realized Brian had the engineering talent to bring these rooms to life, and I had the business acumen to make the venture possible, so we decided to take the leap,” said co-owner Tess Goodge. “Saratoga is home for us, and after visiting other cities with escape rooms, we were surprised no one had brought one to downtown yet.”

The Goodges have spent the past year designing themed adventures that blend atmospheric sets, engineered automation, and interactive puzzles. Each 60-minute experience is built for groups of two to eight players, who must work together to uncover clues, decipher riddles, and solve layered challenges before time runs out.

“We’re very proud of how automated and interactive the rooms are,” Goodge said. “Guests will be pleasantly surprised by the level of engagement our games require. Our third room will feature custom props we’re building ourselves, which is a whole new adventure.”

The venue opens with two completed rooms and a third scheduled for summer 2026. Saratoga School of Magic immerses players in a spell-casting challenge, while Echoes of the Lost Jungle uses hand-painted props and vibrant scenery to transport guests into an uncharted wilderness. A third room, Whispers Beneath Broadway, is under development and will introduce a more detective-style experience.

Ray O’Conor, Chief Executive Officer; Jeffrey Reale, Chief Financial Officer; and Lori Eddy, Administrative Secretary of the Saratoga County Capital Resource Corporation (SCCRC) were recognized recently by the SCCRC board of directors for their twelve years of service. All three members of the management team will retire from their respective roles at year end 2025.

During their years of service, the SCCRC has supported several Saratoga County not for profit organizations by issuing more than $400 million in tax exempt bonds for capital projects related to health care, education and affordable housing. The organization provides grants to local not for profit organizations as well.

Succeeding O’Conor as CEO will be Matthew Veitch, long time Saratoga County Supervisor from Saratoga Springs, who chose not to run for reelection this year. Michael Sharp will serve as the new CFO and Katherine Tiedemann has been appointed to the position of Administrative Secretary.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Whoever coined, “Life is Short. Eat desert first,” knew that a little sugar is good for the soul.

That’s a philosophy of Elise Soto, new owner of Indulgence Bakery at 63 Putnam Street in Saratoga Springs.

Members of the Saratoga Chamber, family and friends, former associates from Putnam Market, Mayor John Safford, and Senator James Tedisco all attended the bakery’s grand opening and ribbon cutting on November 6th. 

It’s a full-circle moment for Soto. She was a pastry chef at Putnam Market on and off for 10 years, she said. Now her shop occupies the original site of the gourmet deli.

Soto left Putnam Market and started a custom cake business, Yours Truly Cake Designs, in 2021, she said. She had been employed there since 2008 as an intern after culinary school and had been promoted to kitchen manager by the end of the pandemic.

By Rod Bacon

A hospitality venue that was once part of a larger hotel complex that included the now-demolished United States Hotel has undergone a complete renovation and rebranding.

The St. Charles Motel, which was purchased in March 2024 by Saratoga Springs-based Weekender Hotels, opened in September with a new look and amenities.

“Saratoga is a continually growing market and we liked the urban nature of the property’s proximity on South Broadway to what downtown has to offer, as well as the Saratoga Race Course, mineral springs, and SPAC,” said Keir Weimer, founder/CEO of Weekender Hotels. “We had the vision to take it from what it was, which was a bit of a distressed, older, under-optimized property to Weekender Hotel standards.” 

Renamed The Ambler, the building was completely gutted and reimagined to what Weimer described as “a Palm Springs desert retro feel with pops of color and layouts that bring in sunlight.”

“We wanted to achieve a creative concept that was something different and unavailable in the local and regional areas,” he said.  

The two-story building has 18 guest rooms that were given new floors, bathrooms, and unique color schemes. State-of-the-art technology provides voice enabled Wi-Fi, thermostats, and streaming televisions. There are also two suites, one of which has an Alaskan king bed. The exterior brick has been painted white.

Weimer said rooms are priced from $160 per night to $500-$600 for suites during the summer season.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Through Hewison Aviation, Christopher and Maura Hewison extend their passion for flight to help people of all ages become pilots in a safe, professional, and pleasant atmosphere.

Chris founded Hewison Aviation 11 years ago, originally as a Part 61 flight school instructing in private pilot, instrument, commercial, and certified flight instructor (CFI) designations, as well CFII for teaching instrument reading to other students, said Maura Hewison, the company’s chief operating officer.

Their flight instructors currently teach out of five airports, the closest in South Albany until the newly renovated Saratoga County Airport welcomed them a year ago. The timing coincided with FAA approval for Hewison’s Part 141 school, she said.  

In October, with staff and members of Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, a representative of Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh’s office, and others, the Hewisons hosted a grand opening ribbon cutting and accepted a citation from a representative of Senator James Tedisco’s office. They also received congratulations from the Chamber and sponsor Arrow Bank.

“It was cool to hold those big scissors,” Maura Hewison said.

Where Part 61 is more flexible, the more regimented Part 141 classes are for students who want to get into professional flight, commercial airlines, or charter services. In addition to training on the ground, this designation requires more time in the air than when qualifying to fly recreationally, Hewison said.

“I’ve been surprised at the number of our students looking to make a career change and fly professionally,” she said.

By Ann Donnelly

Stark Tech helps businesses run their large buildings more efficiently by making them “smarter” and more sustainable. The company connects heating, cooling, lighting, and security systems into one easy-to-manage platform. This allows companies to save money on energy costs, lower their environmental impact, and simplify building management.

Stark Tech specializes in energy solutions, building systems integration, and maintenance services. The company expanded its reach in 2021 with the acquisition of Technical Building Services (TBS), headquartered in Ballston Spa, NY, and founded in 1981. TBS served a wide Upstate New York territory—from Lake Placid to Utica, south to Binghamton, and east to the lower Hudson Valley—providing temperature-control and mechanical maintenance services. The acquisition enabled Stark Tech to build on TBS’s strong reputation while expanding into advanced solutions such as access control, security integration, and protective systems.

Today, Stark Tech employs more than 1,000 people across 16 offices in New York, with additional operations in Florida, Massachusetts, Georgia, and New Jersey.

In Eastern New York, Market Lead Jason Tyler manages operations from Stark Tech’s Ballston Spa office. His territory stretches from the Canadian border to Westchester County, where he oversees client accounts and coordinates with a technical team of union technicians, engineers, and designers.

Tyler draws on more than 15 years of experience in hospitality, real estate, and property management to help clients plan for both capital (CAPEX) and operational (OPEX) expenses. He said he once looked for companies like Stark Tech to help reduce costs and modernize facilities. “I was looking for a true mission and purpose behind what I was doing,” he said. “It’s nice to see the results of the projects you support. What we’re doing now is making an impact not only locally but throughout the state.”