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GBJ 9 Broad Street, #7 Glens Falls, NY 12801
VOL. 36 NO. 8
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HH The Business Newspaper of Warren and Washington Counties HH
www.glensfallsbusinessjournal.com
OCTOBER 2024
Ground Will Be Broken Soon For A New The New Owners Of Union Square Have Warehouse For Arnoff Global Logistics Ambitious Plans To Improve The Building
Arnoff Global Logistics saves its clients time and money through its warehousing and shipping operation in Malta.
New owners Ryan and Erin Connor are set to revitalize Union Square in Glens Falls with commercial and residential spaces. Their plans aim to contribute to the city’s ongoing growth and transformation.
Courtesy of Arnoff Global Logistics
BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL At headquarters in Malta, Arnoff Moving & Storage has built an enhanced logistics and delivery system for clients who need warehousing, packing and shipping services as their inventory is transferred or sold. According to Daniel Arnoff, chief relationship officer and fifth-generation member of the family-owned business, the Arnoff Global Logistics division has outgrown its warehousing space and will soon break ground on a new 100,000-120,000-square-foot facility to suit their expansion trajectory. Arnoff said the new warehouse is necessitated by the growth their clients are experiencing and by the influx of new clients who need a streamlined and cost-effective way to store and ship goods. “The goods could be retail items purchased on
the internet or parts we stock that a local manufacturer might need if their machine goes down,” he said. Arnoff said companies can better focus on their core business if they outsource to this division the kinds of logistic services they specialize in. Doing so is more flexible and cost effective than maintaining inventory and handling shipping themselves for two main reasons: outsourcing eliminates certain fixed costs, and it allows economies of scale clients cannot achieve on their own. “We charge clients based on actual storage space used and volume of orders they give us any given month,” he said. “Otherwise the client would have the fixed overhead of a warehouse whether they use all or a part of it, a staff to pack and ship products, and a processing system in Continued On Page 4
Glens Falls Business Journal
BY PAUL POST Ryan and Erin Connor are just the right people to develop a property ideally located for taking advantage of Glens Falls’ ongoing economic rejuvenation. The couple, both RPI grads, recently purchased the three-story, 45,000-square-foot Union Square building at 9-15 Broad Street, just around the corner from South Street, a cornerstone of the city’s revitalization. The acquisition, financed by NBT Bank, was for approximately $1.6 million. “The prior owner, Tom O’Neil, did a lot of capital improvements,” Ryan said. “He upgraded gas service, installed an elevator. The building’s got great bones. We’re going to further that a bit, focusing on the roof and grounds. From there we’ll be looking to add
a mix of commercial and residential space depending on where it is in the building.” There’s currently an eclectic mix of business and professional tenants such as a day spa, chemical firm, mortgage group, legal and architectural firms occupying spaces ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 square feet. But the building, including a spacious basement in addition to three overhead stories, is only half full and the wide-open top floor is completely vacant. This space, with a separate Pine Street entrance and ample parking, is most suitable for apartments and it’s within easy walking distance of downtown shops and restaurants. “We’re looking to develop the building to best suit the community, but apartments are Continued On Page 11
Stewart’s Shops To Purchase Jolley Associates Uncommon Grounds Expands North And S.B. Collins Operations By End Of Year To Queensbury With Its Fifth Location Stewart’s Shops has signed an agreement to purchase the assets of Jolley Associates convenience store chain and S.B. Collins, including its heating oil business Clarence Brown of St. Albans, Vermont. The acquisition, which requires federal regulatory approval, is expected to close by the end of 2024. Terms of the deal remain confidential. The transaction includes the purchase of 45 Jolley stores including five in New York, two in New Hampshire and 38 locations in Vermont. “We are thrilled to have this opportunity to acquire a company with such an impressive reputation in a market that we’ve been watching for many years,” said Stewart’s Shops president Gary Dake. “One of the primary reasons we were drawn to this deal is because of the quality and the character of Jolley’s employees.” The acquisition also brings together two longtime family businesses. Jolley Associates was founded 50 years ago by brothers Bruce and Robert Jolley. Through the years, their business developed a reputation as a market leader throughout Vermont. Stewart’s Shops, a family- and employee-owned business, was founded in 1945 and grew to 360 convenience stores throughout upstate New York and western Vermont. “We are proud of what we have accomplished
Stewart’s Shops is acquiring the assets of the Jolley Associates chain as well as S.B. Collins. Glens Falls Business Journal
over the years and we are happy to know that Stewart’s is providing our employees an opportunity to have ownership in the business and will continue to treat them well,” said Bruce Jolley, president and co-founder of Jolley Associates.
BY PAUL POST Emily Ellenbogen has done just about everything at Uncommon Grounds, from baking and kitchen prep work to set-up and hiring for the company’s newest store at 751 Upper Glen Street in Queensbury. The site has quickly caught on with students, young professionals and small groups of seniors; anyone looking for a quiet place to work or simply relax and enjoy delicious fresh-roasted coffee and tempting baked goods, made on site from scratch. “Uncommon Grounds is the ‘third place’ for customers,” Ellenbogen said. “You’ve got home, you’ve got work. Uncommon Grounds is the third place. We like people to feel comfortable here, sitting doing work or just relaxing where they don’t have to be pressured to do things at home or work. They’re here to do whatever they want.” The spacious, 8,000-square-foot tastefully designed location fills a retail venue previously occupied by a Recovery Sports Grill restaurant whose walls were adorned with huge television screens and all sorts of sports memorabilia. That noisy atmosphere has been replaced by a much more cozy setting with handsome wood paneling, a dropped tin ceiling and hanging plants The store opened on September 4 and occupies a corner space in the Glen Square plaza building
Uncommon Grounds opens its fifth location at 751 Upper Glen Street in Queensbury. Glens Falls Business Journal
owned by Albany-based Nigro Retail Properties. The large strip-mall type building is also home to Tractor Supply and Dollar Tree, and a Big Lots retail store that’s in the process of closing. The plaza Continued On Page 11