PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
GBJ 9 Broad Street, #7 Glens Falls, NY 12801
VOL. 36 NO. 1
PAID
GLENS FALLS, NY 12801 PERMIT #600
★★ The Business Newspaper of Warren and Washington Counties ★★
www.glensfallsbusinessjournal.com
MARCH 2024
The Common Roots Brewery Expands With ARCC Celebrates Robert Nemer As The 35th New Sister Location Dubbed Albany Outpost Annual J. Walter Juckett Award Honoree
South Glens Falls-based Common Roots Brewery has expanded its reach into the Capital District with the opening of its Albany Outpost. BY CHRISTINE GRAF Common Roots Brewery of South Glens Falls has opened its long-anticipated sister location, the Common Roots Brewery Albany Outpost, at 19 Quakenbush Square in Albany. Located in the former home of the Albany Pump Station, the restaurant and taproom is owned by father and son Bert and Christian Weber. The Weber’s purchased the Albany property from the late Cornelius “Neil” Evans, the founder of the C.H. Evans Brewing Albany Pump Station. About 18 months ago, Evans reached out to the Webers, asking if they would be interested in purchasing the building as well as additional business assets. “The deal was in the works for a while,” said Christian Weber. “We completed the details of the sale in May but didn’t close on it until
Courtesy of Common Roots Brewing
November.” Evans died just one month after the deal was finalized, passing away in June at the age of 78. After assuming ownership of the Pump Station, the Webers totally gutted the facility, installing a new kitchen, taproom, and bar. They also added new bathrooms and purchased new furniture for the facility. “We reopened at the end of February, rebranded as the Common Roots Brewery Albany Outpost,” said Weber. “We’re really excited because we’ve always wanted to have an outpost facility in the Capital Region. We feel like we’ve created and cultivated this wonderful experience at Common Roots, and we want to create that same experience in Albany.” The Albany Outpost serves food sourced Continued On Page 14
James Towne (left), joined by ARCC President Tricia Rogers, presents the 35th Annual J. Walter Juckett Award to Robert Nemer of Nemer Motor Group at the Sagamore Resort. On the evening of Friday, March 8th at the beautiful Sagamore Resort, the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) celebrated Robert Nemer with their 35th Annual J. Walter Juckett Community Service Award. Over 330 friends, family, and community members joined the celebration. Nemer is a founding member of the Adirondack Civic Center Coalition, Inc. that was responsible for the acquisition of the Glens Falls Civic Center/Cool Insuring Arena from the City of Glens Falls. He also started the Kids with Packs Program, in partnership with The Post Star and the Tri-County United Way, to provide school supplies to children in need in 14 schools in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, and other counties. Nemer also serves as a board member for Hudson Headwaters Health
Photo by Andy Camp
Network, and the SUNY Adirondack Foundation. Mr. Nemer is a major and regular contributor and sponsor for many community organizations and their events. Through the Nemer Motor Group, he has made considerable contributions to Glens Falls Hospital, Saratoga Hospital, St. Peter’s Hospital, and Hudson Headwaters Health Network. Nemer and his wife Franny (Francine) have also personally donated time and funding to these health centers. The two have also contributed to the youth education efforts of The Hyde Collection. “Mr. Nemer humbly lives his life with the same passion as J. Walter Juckett did,” said ARCC President & CEO Tricia Rogers. “I feel so fortunate to have gotten to know him over the Continued On Page 7
The Controversial Biochar Facility Faces Legal Local Tourism Officials Work To Replace The Battles And Numerous Environmental Concerns Revenue Lost From Basketball Tourney’s Move BY PAUL POST Developers of a proposed, highly controversial biochar facility anticipate a fall groundbreaking, pending approval of required permits by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. But the Moreau Town Board is seeking a moratorium on all new construction within industrial zones, which could block the project. Saratoga Springs-based Saratoga Biochar Solutions says it will take legal action if the town succeeds with such efforts. “We would absolutely file an Article 78 complaint if it comes to that because it’s unlawful, it’s arbitrary, it’s capricious; it’s targeting one company,” said Ray Apy, CEO, founder and owner of the Saratoga Springs-based firm. “It’s absolutely illegal.” However, opponents concerned about potential environmental hazards, say they’ll file suit to prevent construction if the company obtains the air quality and solid waste handling permits it needs from DEC. “Yes, that is definitely a consideration,” said Tracy Frisch, chair, Clean Air Action Network of Glens Falls. She said her organization has already retained San Francisco-based Earthjustice, a high-profile national non-profit
that’s dedicated to litigating environmental issues. Frisch said 55 local, state and national organizations are supporting efforts to stop construction of the proposed $45 million facility at Moreau Industrial Park, in the northeast corner of town. Plans call for processing 225,000 tons per year of wet biosolids and chipped waste wood, to produce biochar fertilizer used on lawns and farm fields. Because of its high carbon content, biochar is sometimes also used as an alternative material in asphalt. The company says most processed material would be municipal sewage sludge trucked from within a two-hour’s drive of Moreau from Vermont, western New Hampshire, northwest Massachusetts, the Hudson Valley and Central New York. City of Glens Falls sewage sludge is currently incinerated at the large waste-to-energy plant on River Street in Hudson Falls, across the Hudson River about a mile from the industrial park. But this is only a small percent of the material brought there, comprised mostly of municipal solid waste. Apy said the biochar facility would create Continued On Page 12
BY PAUL POST “It stings. We rent hundreds of hotel rooms just to the athletes, let alone all the fans that come from all over New York state, so it’s a big hit for the local economy.” -- Jeff Mead, Cool Insuring Arena general manager. “Four hundred room nights in any month is a blow, especially March. The bigger economic impact for the county is sales tax. Everything from Stewart’s to The Bullpen, Raul’s, and all the other great restaurants downtown. Before and after games, everybody goes to lunch, goes to dinner and fills up their gas tanks. That’s where you’re going to see the biggest loss.” -- Tyler Herrick, Queensbury Hotel general manager. “This setback is a significant loss. The tournament not only generates a direct economic impact, but also serves as a means to promote Lake George and Warren County for prospective future tourism visits.” -- Gina Mintzer, Lake George Chamber of Commerce executive director. These are among the many impacts that will be felt locally following Glens Falls’ loss of the New York State high school basketball championships from 2025-27. Glens Falls hosted the weekend-long event, held each March, for 35 years from 1981 to 2016
Center court display at Cool Insurance Arena for the Boys Basketball Championships. when Binghamton was awarded a three-year contract. Glens Falls won it back and hosted this year’s Continued On Page 4