Category Archives: Entrepreneurship

By Maureen Werther

There are a lot of reasons why people decide to open a business. For the Evans brothers and their father, ReWire Energy Group is the result of a strong love of family combined with a commitment to develop renewable and sustainable energy solutions for homes, businesses and municipalities.

In 2012, Milton Evans, a former technology and product-development professional, lost his wife, Corella Brown Evans, and his five sons lost their mother. The lessons she taught about the importance of family stuck with them.

“We vowed to support each other and stay in touch,” said son Lee Evans. They started holding weekly phone calls and during one of them the idea of starting a business together began to form.

Each brother had already amassed an impressive business portfolio, working for companies such as GE, Albany Nanotech, Deutsche Bank, YMCA, Motorola, Glaxo Smith-Kline and others. They brought their combined skill sets to each phone conference, discussing how best to leverage their talents and incorporate them into a viable business model.

By 2015, their business model was ready and ReWire Energy opened for business.

By Maureen Werther

Tom and Cynthia Eletto’s company, Empire Foam Solutions, gives new meaning to the phrase, “a rising tide lifts all boats.”

Founded in 2008, the company began manufacturing and installing polyurethane foam as insulation in commercial buildings and residences.

However, as an entrepreneur Tom soon began “tweaking” his manufacturing formulations and developed an ultra-high density foam that is resistant to water, making it a valuable product for the maritime industry.

Large boats and barges—many of them up to 300 feet in length—can’t simply be lifted out of the water and re-welded when they begin to rust and deteriorate from age. By analyzing each problem as it arises, Eletto develops solutions that will keep large boats and barges afloat, he said.

Today, Empire Foam Solutions is busy installing high density foam as flotation on barges in several locations, said Eletto. Winning a bid to install foam as flotation on barges working on the Erie and Champlain systems for the state Division of Canals back in 2012 launched the company into the maritime market. They have stabilized vessels in Boston, Rhode Island, Peoria and St. Louis and opportunities are percolating across the country.

By Margaret MacDonald

The husband-and-wife team Tami and John Demers celebrated the two-year anniversary of their business, the Perfect Noodle, in May.

Located at 205 Park Ave., Mechanicville, between Dunkin Donuts and McDonald’s the store offers homemade pasta and a sense of community as well.

Growing up in Mechanicville before relocating to Stillwater, Tami remembers an Italian corner store “on every corner,” family-owned operations where larger grocery chains have now taken over.

As a child, her grandmother and mother made fresh homemade pasta – something Demers did for her kids, too.

Having wanted to open a business for some time (being a stay-at-home mom), she sought to recreate that sense of community that nourished her as a child.

She proposed the idea to her husband, who conceded with a challenge: If Tami bought pasta from Arthur Avenue in New York City to compare to her own—and he couldn’t tell the difference—they would open the store.

By Sarah Jean Worden

The tri-county area is well decorated with the names Mazzone Hospitality and Prime Business Dining, companies owned by restaurant mogul Angelo Mazzone.

Many area residents, business people and tourists of the area enjoy meals and meetings prepared by teams of his 1,000 employees.

In Saratoga County, his ventures include Angelo’s Prime Bar + Grill in Clifton Park; Prime at Saratoga National at the renowned Saratoga Springs golf club; and the dining facility at the historic Hall of Springs in Spa State Park. Soon, he will run the restaurant at Pavilion Grand Hotel in Saratoga Springs.

Mazzone’s name became established in and around the area long before he invested in the Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia in 1988. In the early 1970s, he attended Hudson Valley Community College and then transferred to Schenectady County Community College to complete the hotel and restaurant management program. He “met a girl” who later became his wife and the mother of his children. The couple left New York briefly but ultimately came back to the area for work and to open Peggy’s Restaurant on State Street in Schenectady at a time when that city was starting to rebuild its downtown.

“I was part of the redevelopment,” Mazzone said. At that time, Peggy’s was expanding its catering. While he was developing that project, he saw an opportunity at the Glen Sanders Mansion.

“This is the place,” he said. And the decision was made to purchase the property on the Mohawk River. He added two ballrooms and a dining hall to the smaller historic house.

Michael Brown, owner of Death Wish Coffee, has seen a huge boost in production and sales of his product in the wake of a 30-second TV commercial that aired during the Super Bowl.

©2016 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jill Nagy

What a difference 30 seconds can make. Since a 30-second advertisement was televised during the NFL Super Bowl on Feb. 7, Death Wish Coffee in Round Lake has seen its sales multiply three to four times, has increased its staff, ordered new equipment, added new products and rented an additional warehouse, according to company owner Michael Brown.

Current sales volume is now 1,500 pounds per day, said Brown. Before the ad ran, it was less than 500 pounds per day.

After an initial surge, things leveled off somewhat but “it’s been holding pretty steady.” The company has more than 2,000 recurring customers and a mailing list of 250,000.

Consequently, Brown said, “I have a lot of big plans.”

He is looking for a larger location so that he can bring all the company’s activities under one roof. Currently, they have four separate warehouses. Most sales now are online but the new location will include a retail outlet. In addition, the coffee is sold at Price Chopper, Hannaford, Healthy Living Market, and Saratoga Coffee Traders.

Christel and Colin MacLean have run several businesses in Saratoga Springs and its Saratoga Juice Bar products can now be found in over 100 independent grocery and specialty markets.

©2016 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Maureen Werther

Christel and Colin MacLean are not ones to wait for opportunity to knock on their door. The success of their newest business venture, Saratoga Juice Bar, shows their strength as an entrepreneurial team.

The area first got to know the MacLeans as restaurant owners. Christel was living in Manhattan and working on Wall Street when she had a serendipitous encounter with Auntie Moseley, the famous owner of Hattie’s in Saratoga Springs. A year later, Christel became the owner of Hattie’s. Together with Colin, they remained true to the vision and legacy of Hattie’s.

Over a 20 year span they sold Hattie’s and opened Circus Café on Broadway in Saratoga Springs. They also started a “boutique” realty company, purchased and helped revamp Sperry’s restaurant in Saratoga Springs, then opened a new restaurant, the Crowne Grille.

Soon thereafter, they introduced the community to Saratoga Juice Bar, just a few doors down from Circus Café.

Christel calls it another instance of Saratoga serendipity. She and Colin had just completed the purchase of the Crowne Grill and were absorbed in getting that restaurant running, when, to their surprise, the storefront a few doors down suddenly became available.

“I went to Colin and said, ‘Guess what?’ We’re going to open a juice bar,'” she said.