Author: Saratoga TODAY

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Druthers Brewing Company is expanding its reach again, signing a lease to take over operations at 550 Waterfront on Saratoga Lake.

John Boyle, managing partner at 550 Waterfront, said the lease runs for 10 years. He called it “a nice, synergistic opportunity” for both companies. “It really is a merging of the best of both of our companies,” Boyle said.

Boyle said that Druthers are “phenomenal operators,” saying they bring strong infrastructure and expertise to the restaurant. He said the dining experience will be “very similar in terms of the vibe.”

“We’re going to have the lakeside dining vibe that we’ve always had,” said Boyle. “75 to 80% of the food that is going to be served there will be different than the other typical Druthers fare.”

The menu will remain similar to past 550 Waterfront offerings, and also feature some new items, Boyle said. He named fish and chips and lobster rolls as two examples of items that will remain on the menu.“

I mean, there’ll be definitely some new items, some new, fun items on there,” said Boyle. “But there’ll be the standard stuff that people got used to.”The restaurant will also offer Druthers’ selection of beer, with Boyle saying they will offer “the whole Druthers beer package.”

The restaurant is targeting mid-April for an opening, which Boyle said is in line with last year’s opening date. The staff will remain intact, and Boyle emphasized that not much will change in terms of the customer experience.“

It’s going to be very, very similar,” said Boyle. “Besides the fact that you’re going to have Druthers beer on tap, I think the experience is going to be very similar to what it was previously.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Capital Region-based startup Helios Life Enterprises continues to make waves, earning an invitation to the 2023 South By Southwest Conference and Festivals to showcase technology that can analyze voice tones.

Helios CEO and co-founder Sean Austin said the invitation is “the biggest nod” the company has received, saying roughly 800 companies apply before the field is narrowed down to 40.

“Just being in that company is totally humbling,” said Austin. “It’s a very large platform for us to get out there, an international platform. Totally excited that we’re in the AI category, because that is right now probably the hottest type of startup.”

The honor comes on the heels of some very strong months for the company. Helios has recently presented at the TechCrunch Battlefield 200 and the Eagle Alpha Alternative Data Conference, and Austin said that more hedge funds are beginning to test Helios’ data and products.

“All of last year, we had, I want to say six total. We’re almost at that right now to start this year,” Austin said. “The fact that we will probably edge last year’s total account by mid-February or the end of February is a pretty good signal that we’ve elevated our brand.”

Helios’ technology can analyze audio and voice tones to find a relationship between the words that are spoken and the tone in which they are spoken with.

“If you win an award, you can say words that don’t actually sound super positive, like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe it,’ like you’re in disbelief. That’s made true by voice tone,” explained Austin.

Helios will showcase its technology as part of the Artificial Intelligence category, one of eight different categories at the South By Southwest Pitch competition. Austin said the company will have roughly three minutes to pitch.

The first part of the pitch will consist of a personal story that connects to Helios’ work, said Austin. 

As a high school senior, Austin suffered a knee injury during a state semifinal football game. Austin said he told his father, “This is a horrible moment,” and his father replied, “Everything’s going to be fine.”

“You can say that phrase in so many ways with voice tone, that it means so much to someone,” he continued. “Our story ties into that so tightly, this whole concept of emotion, or meaning, or understanding, that can be driven from something that is innately human.”

The second part of the pitch will discuss “the reality of the company,” Austin explained.

“There’s some major, major hedge funds on the planet seeing value. There’s more than ever testing it, and we’re sure a good portion of them will be able to apply it to their portfolios,” said Austin. “We see a trajectory now that’s becoming more and more real, which we’ve always believed in. But being able to tell that, because we’ve had five or six more months than TechCrunch, just adds a whole reality to it.”

South By Southwest is also assisting Helios and other companies with their pitches, assigning each of them a pitch coach.

“That is a weekly engagement that South By Southwest is supporting,” Austin said. “I’ve actually already started that. I can also openly say that I’ve not had a pitch coach before, so I think it’s very helpful to have that feedback.”

The opportunity for Helios to pitch at events like South By Southwest helps make the company “more and more prominent,” with Austin saying he believes Helios will hit an inflection point in 2023.

“I believe fully that 2023 is the year where that inflection point happens,” said Austin. “I think people are going to jump on board and use it. We’ve spent so much time making it real, we’re working with some very top universities on the research this year. It means everything to us, because if we hit that inflection point, we can proliferate it into space.”

The company is also still in the process of crowdfunding, Austin said. Helios, with the help of a company called Fairmint, is offering the opportunity to buy shares of the company for a minimum of $500. Shares are available at helioslife.enterprises.

“It’s a way that you can just buy shares through Fairmint for us,” Austin said. “We’re a private company, of course, not on the New York Stock Exchange or anything. But it makes it very accessible.”

Austin said Helios has “hundreds” of local investors and are hoping for hundreds more. He said the Capital Region has meant a lot to the company, noting many of Helios’ employees are longtime locals. In addition to Austin, chief revenue officer Kevin Vanderwarker is an area native, and co-founder Dr. Gerwin Schalk attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 

“It means a lot,” said Austin. “It means a bunch to use that knowledge and push it forward, and have a big impact, and show that you don’t have to be in New York City to make a startup and grow something that’s really impactful.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Aker, a Hudson Valley-based owner-operator, has announced the transformation of the Pavilion Grand Hotel in downtown Saratoga Springs to a boutique apartment community called Perennial. 

The property at 30 Lake Avenue, previously a hotel before transitioning to extended stay residences, was purchased in December 2021 by Aker from Prime Companies. 

Located in the heart of downtown Saratoga Springs, Perennial is just a short stroll away from a mix of local shops and restaurants and only minutes from Saratoga’s choice attractions, the Saratoga Race Course and Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

Comprised of 48 residences, Perennial offers pet-friendly living spaces including studios, one- and two-bedroom residences and penthouses. Perennial’s duplex penthouse apartments are designed for gathering, featuring open layouts with large private terraces, generous kitchens and separate wet bars. 

The “Perennial” name is inspired by the year-round resident, an active participant in the community and a frequent consumer of local businesses and culture.  

“Delivering this transition has been an exciting undertaking for us,” said Aker Senior Vice President Tina Ladd. “The unique history of Saratoga Springs and the 19th century Pavilion Hotel – this property’s namesake – were inspiring elements to work with. It is our goal with all of our projects to engender a sense of community and encourage resident engagement.”

Aker’s vision for Perennial is to inspire its residents to “write their Saratoga Story, embrace the City’s downtown energy, stay in the know on the new and the interesting and meet friends, collaborators and creators.” 

Perennial’s apartment interiors and common areas will receive a substantial upgrade as part of the rebranding. The existing fitness center will be expanded and refurbished with new equipment; the entry lobby will be remodeled to accommodate residential living and include a café amenity; hallways will be redesigned; and the roof-top building amenity will be redesigned to include both interior and outdoor entertaining areas.  

Common area improvements are currently in progress and newly renovated apartments are now available for lease.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital is growing, and its operations are expanding along with it.

The hospital is currently constructing a new barn, which will allow Rood & Riddle to increase its capacity and offer higher-quality treatment, among other improvements.

Practice manager Jennifer Van Alphen said the hospital is growing with the area’s population of horses. The new barn will feature eight stalls and is being constructed in a similar style as a pre-existing barn on the property. 

Van Alphen said construction will “hopefully” be finished between the end of February and mid-March.

“As long as weather cooperates and everything like that, it should be the end of February, middle of March, we’re hoping,” said Van Alphen. “We’re a little bit further behind than we would’ve hoped, but we will definitely be ready for the summer, so we’re excited about it.”

Shannon Hinton, a surgeon at Rood & Riddle, said they are excited to be better equipped to treat horses.

“The fact that we’re able to expand our facilities reflects our dedication to the horse community in this area,” said Hinton. “I think it just represents the fact that we’re happy to be here, and excited to stay. We’re happy that the horse community trusts us with their horses.”

Van Alphen said the new barn will replace a temporary structure the hospital had been using during summers.

“This (barn) will basically replace having that temporary housing, so we have more permanent structure,” said Van Alphen. “The summer time, for the most part, is when we are busy, because there are so many horses in the area, and so many come into us.”

“That barn is also nice because it has the capability to have two stalls that have hoist systems in them, so we can manage neurological horses, or downed horses, or horses with injuries that require them to be managed,” added Hinton. “That will be quite helpful.”

The stalls are roughly 12 feet by 12 feet, Hinton said. Each has its own drainage system, with concrete floors covered by mats. Stalls also have their own windows, as well as two exit points. Hinton added that the sling stalls have larger doors for easier access.

The additional capacity will also help Rood & Riddle increase biodiversity, Van Alphen said, by having to flip over stalls less frequently.

“I’m not saying that we were limited on that, but we have space so each horse that comes in can maintain in that one stall for the duration of its stay,” Van Alphen said. “Sometimes what was happening was we were having to move some horses around to make room for something that would triage above that horse.”

Hinton said it is important for the hospital to be able to accommodate as many cases as possible, saying there are not many other “full-service” equestrian hospitals in the area.

“I think it’s just a reflection of us being able to better accommodate the horse community and be able to take in more cases and do more work on different types of horses,” Hinton said. “There’s not a ton of referral clinics in this area, so sometimes people are making a long drive to come to us, and it’s important we have appropriate space and facilities to manage those cases.”

Rood & Riddle has two surgeons and an internal medicine doctor on staff, in addition to six ambulatory doctors that travel into the field, Van Alphen said. 

Van Alphen said that the hospital is growing as a whole, seeing an increase in staff as well as facilities.

“With our growing barn, our staff and team have been growing as well,” Van Alphen said. “We’re growing as a whole, which is definitely a really good sign.”