GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2026 • 1
GBJ 9 Broad Street #7 Glens Falls, NY 12801
GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL
VOL. 38 NO. 05
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TickDetect Brings AI-Powered Tick Glens Falls Weighs East Field Improvements Screening To Warren County Residents As Dragons Keep Baseball Alive BY CAROL ANN CONOVER When Tim Montgomery’s daughter made three visits to the emergency room in a single week, the diagnosis wasn’t the flu. It was babesiosis, a tick-borne parasite that attacks red blood cells. “She ended up spending three visits to the emergency room over a week with a temperature of north of 103 for the whole week,” Montgomery said. His sister also has battled Lyme disease for years, and his brother has been infected twice. “It’s just an awful thing,” he said. Those family experiences, along with a tick Montgomery recently had removed from his back at Hudson Headwaters, led the Queensbury entrepreneur to build TickDetect, a free artificial intelligence tool that helps people — and their pets — check for ticks and tick-related rashes before the bites become more serious. Montgomery founded TIMIT Solutions in January 2012 after a 20-year career at GE and a series of executive roles running global technology, health care and staffing businesses. The Queensbury-based firm primarily serves midsize companies, generally those with $10 million to $1 billion in revenue, by building custom software, modernizing legacy systems and offering chief information officer coaching and mentoring, Montgomery said. TickDetect, the company’s newest project, runs entirely in a phone’s web browser — no app store download is required. Users photograph their skin or a pet’s fur, and the tool uses Claude AI Vision to identify tick species, attachment status and rash patterns, generating a private report users can bring to a doctor or veterinarian. “There’s no reason to download an app at all,” Montgomery said. Privacy was central to the design, Montgomery said. Photos are analyzed and then discarded rather than stored, and the tool collects no names or other identifying information unless a user opts in to share anonymous usage data. “It records no personal information. Nothing is ever stored. It’s totally
Tim Montgomery demonstrates TickDetect, an AI tool that screens for ticks and rashes. Courtesy TickDetect
encrypted,” he said. The platform is built to comply with European and California privacy regulations, according to Montgomery. The idea grew out of a simple frustration, he said: It is nearly impossible to check hardto-see spots such as the scalp or the middle of the back for a tick bite. “I thought, gee, it’s so hard to, you know, for example, look at the top of my scalp or the back of my neck or my back,” he said. TickDetect also works for dogs, cats and even horses, whose fur can make a bite easier to miss. The tool is free during its public beta rollout in Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties, and Montgomery said a paid tier is planned at $4.99 a month for an individual or $9.99 a month for a family of five, with a limited free option remaining available. Montgomery said he also is considering developing Continued On Page 11
A pitcher delivers during a baseball game at East Field, home of the Glens Falls Dragons, as city officials consider a long-range plan for extensive stadium and recreation complex improvements. BY PAUL POST “That guy’s got a lot of potential,” a young baseball fan remarked. “Yeah, most of it’s unrealized,” his sports sage uncle replied wryly. He might have been talking about East Field, too, which has hosted professional and collegiate league baseball almost every summer for nearly the past half-century. Dozens of future big leaguers honed their skills there, including an American League Rookie of the Year (Ron Kittle) and two Cy Young Award winners (Doug Drabek and John Smoltz); Smoltz is enshrined among baseball’s all-time greats in Cooperstown. The cozy ballpark is now home to the Glens Falls Dragons, which team owner Ben Bernard has kept alive for the past 10 years while operating on a shoestring budget. It’s a labor
Courtesy Glens Falls Dragons
of love for everyone involved. Team members pay to play, and ticket takers, concession stand workers and the public address announcer are all volunteers. “See the kids here tonight? That’s what it’s all about, this is the way it’s supposed to be,” Bernard said. Every foul ball sparks an exciting race to see who can come up with the ball first. Kids who turn it in are rewarded with a hot dog, drink and a dollar. McDonald’s can’t beat that deal! The entire atmosphere is grassroots baseball at its best, a great way to spend a summer evening. But aging East Field has seen better days. New LED lights and comfortable stadium seats behind home plate were installed a Continued On Page 11
Siena University Reports New York Consumer South Glens Falls Butcher Shop Confidence Remains Above National Level Blends Imported And Local Offerings New York consumer sentiment edged up in the second quarter of 2026 and remained well above the national reading, according to the latest Siena Research Institute poll. The New York State Index of Consumer Sentiment stood at 66.5, up 0.9 points from the first quarter and 17 points above the national index of 49.5, which fell 3.8 points. New York’s current conditions index declined 1.5 points to 61.8, while future expectations rose 2.4 points to 69.6. For the sixth consecutive quarter, the state’s overall index remained below the breakeven point between optimism and pessimism. Travis Brodbeck, SRI’s associate director of data management, said New York moved in the opposite direction from the nation, where consumer sentiment fell to a 50-year low. He attributed the state’s slight increase to stronger expectations for the future, even as confidence in current economic conditions declined. Buying plans increased for most items. Plans to purchase consumer electronics rose to 46.7% from 41.6%, while vehicle-buying plans increased to 20.8% from 18.3%. Home improvement plans rose to 23.9%, and intentions to buy a home increased to 10.7%. Furniture purchase plans slipped slightly to 29.8%. “Consumers are continuing to spend, but cautiously,” Brodbeck said. Compared with last summer, vehicle-buying plans rose three percentage points, while plans for home improvements, electronics, furniture and homes were largely unchanged.
Concern about gasoline prices rose sharply. Sixtythree percent of New Yorkers said gas prices were having a somewhat or very serious effect on their finances, up 12 percentage points from the previous quarter. Food prices remained the top concern at 78%, followed by utilities at 72% and housing at 69%. Entertainment and streaming services were cited by 48%, and cell phone costs by 40%. Fifty-eight percent said both gas and food prices were seriously affecting their finances, while 53% cited food, utility and housing costs. Twenty-four percent said all six expenses measured were weighing heavily on their finances, up from 19% in the previous quarter. Brodbeck said six in 10 residents reported gasoline prices were squeezing their budgets for the first time since 2023, adding to pressure from food, utility and housing costs. He said the strain is especially severe for New Yorkers with the lowest incomes and fewest resources. The Siena University Poll was conducted July 1-8, 2026, among 814 New York state residents by telephone, text-to-web and an online panel. The sample included 365 telephone respondents and 449 members of a proprietary online panel across New York state. Data was weighted to match state population estimates and party registration patterns. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. For details visit www.siena.edu/sri/. Provided by Siena University; edited for style and length.
BY PAUL POST “I’ve always wanted to open an Italian meat market event though I’m not Italian,” Mark Monahan said, smiling. “I’m Irish and French.” The Hudson Falls native’s dream came true recently with the opening of Monahan’s Meats, adjacent to Massie’s Restaurant, at 67 Main St. in South Glens Falls. Guanciale, soppressata and speck Alto Adige are just a few of the long line of fresh meats available, much of it from famed Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, renowned as New York City’s “Real Little Italy.” Monahan, 52, has been a professional butcher for most of his adult life, having worked for Grand Union, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Hannaford and the well-known Fred the Butcher in Clifton Park. But he got the idea for launching his own business during a stint at Tops Friendly Markets in Bolton Landing. “That’s where I was working when Covid was in full swing,” he said. “A lot of people have sold their house and moved up here from Long Island, New York and New Jersey since then. I’m offering things they could get in the city, but can’t find up here.” Monahan makes meat snack sticks inhouse along with sausage rings. One is made of sweet sausage, provolone and parsley; another is made of sweet sausage, cheddar and parsley.
Mark Monahan stands beside a meat and cheese case at Monahan’s Meats in South Glens Falls. Courtesy Monahan's Meats
There’s also smoked ham, smoked turkey and marinated chicken, but meats aren’t the only things on hand. Coolers, display cases and shelves are stocked with all kinds of Italian fare, such as Continued On Page 10