SBJ P.O. Box 766 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL
VOL. 29 NO. 8
★★ The Business Newspaper of Saratoga County ★★
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OCTOBER 2024
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Ground Will Be Broken Soon For A New Stewart’s Shops To Purchase Jolley Associates Warehouse For Arnoff Global Logistics And S.B. Collins Operations By End Of Year
Arnoff Global Logistics saves its clients time and money through its warehousing and shipping operation in Malta. 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 familyowned business, the Arnoff Global Logistics division has outgrown its warehousing space and will soon break ground on a new 100,000-120,000-squarefoot 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
Courtesy of Arnoff Global Logistics
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 place.” Noting that some companies have seasonal businesses and could even deplete their inventories during the year, Arnoff said clients are charged less as Continued On Page 5
Stewart’s Shops is in the process of acquiring the assets of the Jolley Associates convenience store chain as well as S.B. Collins. 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
Saratoga Business Journal photo
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. Th rough the years, their business developed a reputation as a market leader throughout Vermont. Stewart’s Shops, a family- and employeeowned 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 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.
Affordable Housing Is Becoming An BuonaSera On Saratoga Lake In Malta Is Increasingly Serious Issue In The Region Operated By Experienced Restaurateurs BY PAUL POST In the iconic film “Field of Dreams,” a mysterious otherworldly voice tells Ray Kinchella (Kevin Costner), “If you build it, he will come.” But unlike rural Iowa, Saratoga Springs doesn’t need a baseball diamond. The issue is lack of affordable housing for middle-income people such as teachers and healthcare workers whose talents are critically important to essential local employers. “I would say the two biggest challenges to Saratoga County’s continued economic growth are the need for more workforce housing and expanded public transportation,” said Todd Shimkus, Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce president. “We continue to have job openings across every sector of our local economy, and for many the applicant pool is limited by the fact that more and more people are being priced out of living close to these jobs or lack convenient and reliable transportation to travel to work consistently.” “The median sales prices of a home year to date in Saratoga County is now over $400,000 and it is over $600,000 in Saratoga Springs so we are pricing ourselves out of the competition for talent at all levels of income,” he said. Several obstacles stand in the way of providing more workforce housing. These include, but aren’t
limited to: 1) the cost of land, building materials and labor; 2) costs associated to complying with local zoning requirements; 3) occasional local opposition to such housing in certain neighborhoods and communities. Katherine Tiedemann, the city’s community development planner, said traditional low-income affordable housing is easier to address and navigate because there’s a set income cap. Anybody who makes below this figure is eligible to apply. Middle-income employees typically aren’t enrolled in other types of assistance programs and are less familiar with affordable housing opportunities, she said. Under the city’s Workforce Housing Program, there are currently 11 two-bedroom condominiums on Jefferson Street (unrelated to the Housing Authority’s Jefferson Terrace), reserved for buyers at 80 percent of the median income, ranging from $59,400 (one person) to $84,800 (four persons). But there are currently no vacancies and under the life cycle of any property, people typically stay at least 15 years before moving somewhere else, Tiedemann said. “It’s a very contemporary issue that we’re all facing,” she said. “ A lot of people in the city are talking about it. I don’t know if there’s a direct answer Continued On Page 11
BY HELISE STAMOS BuonaSera, an Italian restaurant, opened in Malta in July. Owned by Jimmy and Danielle Hartwyk, it occupies the building that formerly housed the Nostalgia Ale House & Wine Bar on Saratoga Lake. The building was completely renovated by Jimmy and Kevin LaPorto, his uncle, who is a retired New York state corrections officer. Jimmy, the executive chef, has 30 years of experience in the restaurant business. He and Danielle previously owned Biscotti Brothers Cafe and Saluti in Lake George as well as a restaurant in New Hampshire. Danielle is one of the hostesses in the new enterprise. “What I love about running a restaurant is seeing people gratified by every plate I prepare,” said Jimmy. The menu includes pan seared diver scallops over homemade grilled bread with pancetta, red onions and roasted peppers. There is also chicken francese, veal or chicken parmesan, sautéed muscles with red peppers, red wine and herbs. Satma Guermraoui, a baker, is also on staff. She has been creating delicious cakes and pastries for diners. The restaurant has seating indoors for 175 diners and 40 outside, weather permitting. They also cater parties and weddings at times when they are not normally open.
Chef Jimmy Hartwyk and his wife, Danielle, recently opened BuonaSera, an Italian bistro. Saratoga Business Journal photo
The restaurant is open The restaurant is open Sunday-Tuesday 4p-9p, Thursday-Saturday 4p-10p and closed Wednesday. To view the complete menu go to buonaseraonthelake.com.