North Country Janitorial Inc. is located at 188 Dix Avenue in Glens Falls. It was founded in 1974, by Ron and Rosemary Montesi… It’s now a second-generation family-owned business, currently run by Ron and Rosemary’s son, Matt Montesi, as the President and Owner; while  Chris Barden is the Chief Operating Officer, and has been part of the North Country family for almost 12 years. North Country Janitorial Inc. has about 230 employees, and over the last few years has found new and innovative ways to fulfill their employment needs, build community, and provide opportunities and services to their employees.

North Country Janitorial has continued to grow over its almost 50 years in business: “When I started, we didn’t have clients above Warrensburg, and now we go to the Canadian border… However, the majority of our customers are 15 to 20 miles from our offices here in Glens Falls,” Chris said.

North Country Janitorial has recently expanded into cleaning healthcare facilities and medical manufacturing plants: “Here in Glens Falls, we’re in the center of it… There are medical manufacturing facilities all around us, and it has taken hard work and opportunities to build those relationships,” Chris said.

Chris is aware of the importance of a reliable workforce to fulfill the needs of their clients: “We are a business that lives and dies by the availability of labor. Finding labor, retaining labor and training labor is key,” he said.

It was with this aspect of their business in mind that they kept working to expand their labor pool… About three years ago, the labor expansion that they had been looking for became a reality! The addition of a bilingual territory manager to the North Country family was the catalyst for this change – the ability to communicate with a new group of potential employees has helped bridge the gap between North Country Janitorial, and the hispanic labor market.

“The work is not easy. Finding people was a challenge, and about three years ago, we hired our first bilingual manager. That opened up the opportunity to recruit and talk to folks that we had previously not had access to. These folks are Spanish-speaking… They have gotten here legally to work, and to live and to support their families. So that opened up the ability to start recruiting from a larger demographic than we had been able to before… For us, that is huge, and has grown and has been part of our success. We have been able to work and take on more work and staff properly,” Chris said.

To support this new workforce, North Country Janitorial had to create infrastructure – the pool of labor that they would be drawing from mostly lived in Albany, and therefore, transportation was an issue: “Living in Albany and working in Glens Falls created some logistical challenges for a lot of these folks. Transportation was an issue. A lot of these folks didn’t have cars… Getting them from point A to point B was something that we had to figure out. Getting them to come up from Albany made us get creative and create systems for housing and transportation. We spent a lot of money on Uber for many months transporting our workforce. We needed to get our employees where they needed to go to support our customers. We went out and bought a minivan a little over a year ago, and we use that to shuttle people to some of the larger accounts. That’s worked well,” Chris said.

To help support their employees, North Country Janitorial has used innovative thinking to create real world solutions for their work force – they have reached out into the community and helped their employees find housing and services in the area. They have provided simple solutions like translating the bus schedule into Spanish… They have also relied on technology to translate information when needed: “The phones are great. They translate information so that everyone can communicate,” Chris said.

However, as they hire and support this new labor market, human interactions are important as well. The HR team at North Country Janitorial are enrolled in Spanish language classes, so that they can more effectively communicate with employees: “The HR team is the underpinning of the program. We really only wish we had done it sooner! Our customers are happy to have competent people, and that has helped strengthen some relationships,” Chris said.

For more information about North Country Janitorial, please visit northcountryjanitorial.com

The Warren County Board of Supervisors voted Thursday to join the Capital District Transportation Authority, to allow CDTA to provide public transportation services in Warren County. With upcoming retirements, Greater Glens Falls Transit did not appear viable going forward, and CDTA will replace GGFT to provide bus and trolley service in the Glens Falls area.

“Warren County is looking forward to its new relationship with Capital District Transportation Authority, a well-run and well-respected organization that has been providing public transportation around the Capital District for more than 50 years. We have appreciated the service provided by Greater Glens Falls Transit for the last 40 years, but amid changes that have occurred with the local and national workforces, joining with CDTA is in the best interests of Warren County residents and businesses,” said Kevin Geraghty, Chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors.

The new arrangement will require a change to NY Public Authorities Law by the NY State Legislature, which Warren County will seek in light of Thursday’s board vote.

The merger is expected to include expanded bus route offerings, and connections to other CDTA counties, including Saratoga County and other points in the Capital District. It will require Warren County to pay CDTA between $800,000 and $1.5 million annually, depending on Warren County mortgage tax revenue.

The mission of Southern Adirondack Independent Living (SAIL) is to promote independence, equality, and dignity of people with disabilities in all aspects of personal and community life. SAIL provides core services including information services, referrals, peer services, independent living skills, advocacy and provides help with transitions into independent living situations. 

Tyler Whitney is the Executive Director of SAIL, and works out of the Queensbury location, which has been located at 71 Glenwood Ave in Queensbury since 1998. The land for the facility was donated by a local family that had first-hand experience being helped by SAIL… SAIL helped a woman who had a memory disorder live independently. This inspired the family to donate the land to SAIL. 

SAIL’s mission to “help people live more independently” is broad and basic for a reason… Having a broad mission enhances their ability to offer the expansive services that are needed in the community. In the last five years, SAIL has experienced a tremendous amount of growth, and currently runs 13 different grant programs out of the Queensbury location; these grants are federal, state, and local grants. Each grant adds services to the programs that are offered.

The equipment loan program, which is officially called the Technological Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities (TRAID), is the most forward-facing program that SAIL offers. Every day, dozens of people come to the SAIL offices to borrow medical equipment – the equipment can be loaned out for 30 to 90 days. The people who borrow the equipment have the opportunity to try out the medical equipment at a time when they need it most… People who participate in this program have recently had surgery or an injury, and they need equipment to make their home accessible while they are healing. As part of the service, a specialist will help explain how to adjust and use the equipment correctly.

SAIL also offers health insurance enrollment services to anyone who needs it: “We enroll people in health insurance through the marketplace and through the Affordable Care Act. We have a Medicare specialist on site. That program is usually a ‘gateway for us’. People come in to enroll in benefits and then they become aware of the expansive services that we provide. We want to keep people out of institutionalized care, out of nursing homes, for as long as they can live safely and independently. For each individual that includes different tools and services and each case is different,” Tyler said.

When an individual goes into a nursing home, there is a survey that is provided… One of the questions on the survey is “If you could live safely at home, would you like to?” Many people answer yes to that question, and that triggers a referral to the SAIL office; at that point, a social worker has 10 days to connect with that person and start the process of exploring if a safe discharge from the facility will be possible, and what support that person would need to live independently. 

The nature of SAIL is to continue to grow and add programs that are needed in the community. As people transition into independent living, the services that can help them succeed are identified… SAIL now offers technology classes. Technology can open so many doors to help people live independently! The technology classes take place on the second and fourth Thursday of each month; on the second Thursday of the month, the class takes place at 3:00 PM at the Queensbury SAIL office, and on the fourth Thursday of the month, the class takes place at the Saratoga SAIL office at 5:00 PM.

An aspect of offering the technology classes is to provide the skills needed for an individual to enter the workforce: “SAIL is a hiring world for people with disabilities. There are barriers to breakdown when it comes to integrating a person with disabilities into the workforce. These classes are an example of how we provide the support needed for a person with a disability to take the next step and expand their independence. Not only in the workforce but in day to day life,” Tyler said. 

The technology classes also broaden the services and reach that SAIL has to offer businesses: “When hiring a person with a disability, there is fear on both sides… The person with the disability may be a qualified candidate but may need support. SAIL can provide that support so that the candidate can accept the job and expand their independence,” Tyler said.  SAIL can work with the employer to make reasonable accommodations for the employee. This expands the independence of the individual with the disability and fills a necessary role within a company.

SAIL works to break down barriers that stand between an individual and their independence. For more information about the services that SAIL provides, please visit sailhelps.org

The half-acre property located at 920 Route 9 in Queensbury – previously known for Gambles Bakery – is currently under contract to be purchased by Real Estate developer and Dunkin franchisee Tom Burke III. John Jarosz’s family owned and operated Gambles Bakery for about forty years, but recently, the bakery had struggled to find employees, and closed in early January of 2023.

This location is a well-traveled, high-capacity section of Route 9 in Queensbury, and a variety of franchises have recently invested in this highly visible location.

The developer is currently seeking approvals to build a WellNow Urgent Care facility; WellNow Urgent Care has been expanding to provide better access to quality healthcare for more patients in more communities. The mission of the company is to provide quality convenient urgent care services to individuals and families. 

In 2012, WellNow (formally Five Star Urgent Care) was founded by Dr. John Radford, a former emergency room Physician. WellNow employs very few Physicians, instead opting to primarily employ mid-level providers: Physician assistants, Medical Assistants, and LPNs as clinical staff.  The services provided include treatments for non-life threatening illnesses and injuries. WellNow Urgent Care is growing exponentially – the Albany area had five locations three years ago, and now has over twelve, with five more in the planning stages… And this former bakery may well become their sixth.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced free lifeguard-qualifying procedures to begin Saturday, February 4, 2023. Individuals 15 years and older interested in lifeguarding positions at DEC facilities this summer are eligible to register.

The qualifying procedures consist of two parts: a cardio-pulmonary (CPR) skills component, and a water skills evaluation. Candidates may attend the qualifying locations most convenient to them, and the results will be forwarded to their preferred work location. 

Seasonal lifeguard positions are available at DEC campgrounds throughout the Adirondacks and Catskill parks. The current hourly starting rate for New York State lifeguards is $20 an hour, and most DEC facilities offer free housing or site accommodations.

At the time of employment, all DEC lifeguards must:

• Be at least 15 years old
• Possess a valid certificate in waterfront skills, lifeguarding, first aid, and CPR for Professional Rescuers or equivalent
• Have successfully completed the NYS lifeguarding qualifying procedure
• Submit a current NYS DEC medical form stating the candidate’s physical ability to perform lifeguarding duties
• Meet the vision requirements of 20/70 uncorrected in both eyes and be correctable to the 20/40 standard. Candidates tested at a vision level below 20/40 in either one or both eyes must correct to a minimum of 20/40, with 20/20 preferred
• Complete a personal interview with the DEC 
• Attend lifeguarding orientation

2023 Lifeguarding Qualifying Dates & Locations:

Qualifying procedures will begin on time, and late arrivals will not be accepted. Candidates must bring photo ID, current certifications (if available), and their own CPR mask and one-way valve. DEC reserves the right to cancel, and is an equal opportunity employer. 
For more information, updates or to pre register, call (518) 457-2500 Extension 1, email DEC at info.Lifeguarding@dec.ny.gov, or visit the employment opportunities on summer recreation webpage on the DEC’s website.