In this episode, our host Mike Nelson and visionary founder Derek Foster interview Mike McGrath, the head honcho at 1-800-Paint-Job! Mike overcame plenty of struggles to get where he is, and faces more every day… But no challenge is too great for a Blue Collar worker! Hear about his struggles and successes here, in this stellar episode! Listen to the episode HERE!
Welcome to Buying Local!
Saratoga, Warren, and Washington County have no shortage of fantastic goods and services to offer! In this podcast, our host Mike Nelson will clue you in on the amazing gems hidden in your very own community!
Episode 37
00:21 – Introduction: Service Around 9/11
03:37 – Renua: A History
08:05 – What Renua Offers
10:45 – How EV Charge Stations Work
12:45 – Industry Standards
13:53 – Five Years of Service
14:53 – Not Just Employees
16:46 – Ending Up Upstate: Calling South Glens Falls Home
19:50 – Your Buddy’s Boat
20:29 – Commercial Break: Visit Bogey’s Pub & Grill Today!
21:04 – Dave’s Biggest Challenge: Finding Help!
23:50 – Want vs. Need: Salesmanship Closes the Gap, But It’s Not Easy!
26:52 – Cold Calling: A Mike Nelson Tale
27:58 – Shoutout to Kate Haggerty, our Star Reporter!
28:51 – The Adirondack Chamber of Commerce: Hit Up Those Events!
30:21 – Sell Us a Salesperson: Hunting Down the Hunter
33:13 – Closing Deals is a Great Feeling!
35:43 – Shoutout to Whiteman Chevrolet!
36:41 – Can You Make Money on EV Chargers?.. Yes; Over Time
38:33 – A State-Level Deal
40:04 – Closing Remarks: How to Get in Touch
PRODUCTION NOTE: The opinions reflected in this podcast are not indicative of the views of Saratoga Business Report, SaratogaBride.com LLC, Saratoga TODAY, Glens Falls TODAY, Spa City Digital, or Five Towers Media.
Michael Nelson
David Byrne
42 min, 17 sec
July 31st, 2023
Glens Falls, NY — The Hyde Collection has received funding from long-time supporters of the arts community and museums – Stewart’s Shops and The Dake Family. Representatives from Stewart’s Shops recently visited The Hyde in Glens Falls to present a donation of $25,000 that will fund the 2023 educational offerings.
As lead education sponsors for the season, Stewart’s Shops and The Dake Family are the signature underwriters of the overall programming calendar for 2023, which is designed to offer enriching opportunities to all guests, from children and families to art enthusiasts of all interests.
Kate Wilkins, Director of Development at The Hyde Collection commented, “Our educational programs affirm The Hyde’s commitment to enriching the lives of children of all ages and backgrounds throughout our region, and we are thrilled to celebrate Stewart’s Shops and The Dake Family as champions of these efforts.”
Susan Dake, President of Stewart’s Foundation, commented, “Stewart’s Shops is committed to supporting and giving back to all our Shops’ communities. We are proud to be supporting the educational programs at the Hyde Collection which provide opportunities for local children and families to participate in painting and performing arts classes. At Stewarts, we like to say the arts are an important part of all of us!”
Highlights of 2023 programming underwritten by Stewart’s Shops and The Dake Family, which will occur on-site and off, include:
About The Hyde Collection
The Hyde is one of the Northeast’s exceptional small art museums with distinguished European and American art collections. The core collection, acquired by Museum founders Louis and Charlotte Hyde, includes works by such artists as Sandro Botticelli, El Greco, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Edgar Degas, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and American artists Thomas Eakins, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, and James McNeill Whistler. The Museum’s Modern and Contemporary art collection features works by artists including Josef Albers, Dorothy Dehner, Sam Gilliam, Adolph Gottlieb, Grace Hartigan, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, George McNeil, Robert Motherwell, Ben Nicholson, Robert Rauschenberg, and Bridget Riley. Today, The Hyde offers significant national and international exhibitions and a packed schedule of events that help visitors experience art in new ways. Visit www.hydecollection.org
Press Contact: Katie Alessi – KAlessi@trifectacollaborative.com
LAKE GEORGE — Fort William Henry will begin renovations on the historic Carriage House in November, converting the building into a new venue for wedding receptions, business meetings, and performing arts programs.
The Carriage House will have a capacity of 460 people in theater-style seating, and 300 people for banquets upon the expected completion in May 2023, according to a press release. The Carriage House will continue to host the Lake George Music Festival, stage productions, and more, along with receptions and meetings.
The renovations are part of a reinvestment into Fort William Henry. $5 million has gone to create premium rooms and renovating rooms and public areas of the Grand Hotel, including the kitchen and bar, the release says. $1 million went into renovating the Fort’s Conference Center, while the Carriage House renovations will cost $3 million according to the release.
“What we are really investing in is the extraordinary beauty of Lake George,” Fort William Henry chairwoman and CEO Kathryn Flacke Muncil said in the release. “There is no place on Earth like Lake George. We are so fortunate to be stewards of this lake and this historic property.”
The Carriage House will be part of over 16,000 square feet of rentable space at the Fort, the release says. Other spaces include the Conference Center (400 capacity theater-style, 250 banquet-style), the White Lion Room (200 capacity theater-style, 150 banquet-style), the Village Blacksmith Restaurant, and Tankard Taverne.
HBT Architects of Rochester created the design for the Carriage House renovations, the release says. BBL Construction Services Inc. of Albany will handle the renovations.
“For both weddings and business meetings, the Carriage House and the surrounding Fort property offer guests nice options to socialize both inside and outside,” said Fort William Henry Corp. president Sam Luciano in the release, mentioning that customer demand for meetings and conferences has rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first Fort William Henry hotel opened in 1855, the release says. Its Carriage House sheltered horses and carriages of visitors reaching the resort by primitive roads and by rail. It was later used as an early car rental business for visitors arriving via train, and has also housed Fort employees and equipment. Since the 1970s, it has hosted musicals, plays, and concerts under the name Towers Hall.
GLENS FALLS — The Glens Falls Symphony will return to the Glens Falls High School Auditorium for the 2022-23 season, kicking off with Brahms Violin Concerto and Symphony No. 9 by Dimitri Shostakovich on Oct. 9.
“To return to our home, to be together onstage, to be one with our audience? That is the best,” said Symphony music director Charles Peltz in a press release.
The Glens Falls Symphony will also perform a piece co-commissioned with the New Music for America Consortium, ‘Cold Mountain Suite.’ It is based on an opera and novel of the same name by Pulitzer and Grammy-winning composer Jennifer Higdon, who will be in residency during the performances, according to the release.
Three local students will perform solos with the orchestra on Dec. 18, during the ‘Shining Lights’ Holiday Pops concert. Paige Eaton of Warrensburg High School, Carter Sano of Queensbury High School, and Madison Gaiser of Queensbury High will all perform solos during the Dec. 18 performance.
The Symphony will perform with local students again on March 19, with students from Saratoga Springs, Guilderland, Hudson Falls, Queensbury, and Glens Falls High Schools joining the Symphony in playing Gustav Mahler’s string orchestra transcription of Franz Schubert’s String Quarter 14 ‘Death and Maiden’.
The final performance of the season will take place on May 7, ‘An Evening of Classic Broadway.’ It will include music by Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, and more, according to the release. Lindsay Roberts, currently performing in the Broadway company production of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, will join the Symphony for this performance.
“Our season is designed for everyone in our community: the lover of classics will be thrilled with the Brahms concerto, the new music aficionados will thrill with the Higdon premiere, those inspired by our youth will delight in the young voices at holiday time and our side by side in March, and everyone loves Broadway – America’s music loved around the world,” Peltz said in the release.
“Let’s all get out of the house and rekindle the special experience that makes a Glens Falls Symphony concert a ‘must-do’ event.”
Visit theglensfallssymphony.org or call the Symphony office at (518) 793-1348 for information on ticket prices and seating.
See the full list of concerts below:
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga-Warren-Washington Workforce Development Board (SWW WDB) is joining forces with local trucking companies to host the first Truck Rodeo on Saturday, Sept. 24 at SPAC in Saratoga Springs.
The event will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be multiple categories of vehicle classes, highlighting the variety of truck fleets across the region, according to a press release. The event will provide “a realistic job preview of roles and responsibilities of drivers,” the release states.
The event will also include a Touch-a-Truck corral and will have representatives from the Workforce Development Board on hand to discuss the industry.
Truck driving “encompasses a variety of skills and responsibilities that provides options for driving vehicles of various sizes across diverse business sectors,” according to the release. The event is being held to help combat a regional shortage of CDL truck drivers.
Estimates from the American Trucking Association say there will be a need for 160,000 truck drivers nationwide by 2028. Federal training dollars and other funding opportunities are available to those seeking financial support, the release says, also noting that the qualification age to obtain a commercial driver’s license was lowered from 21 to 18 in May.
“The perceptions of driving a truck for a living are changing. We want to educate and inform our communities, demonstrate the skill level and professionalism of our trucking community, and highlight the regional opportunities and significant earning potential of this career path,” states the release.
For more information, contact SWW WDB Executive Director Gretchen Steffan at gsteffan.sww.wdb@gmail.com or 518-824-8883.