SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs-based company Free Form Fibers has received a pair of Small Business Innovation Research awards from the Department of the Navy and Air Force Research Laboratory.

Free Form develops high performance ceramic fibers, the company’s website states. The Navy contract is a Phase II award, and will see Free Form Fibers continue developing silicon nitride fibers, said CEO Shay Harrison.

He said the fibers can be utilized to protect interrogation equipment in hypersonic vehicles, naming jets, missiles, and drones as examples.

“This material, silicon nitride, is good for handling very high temperatures, but it also has the right electromagnetic properties, which means it transmits out the wavelength of the interrogation equipment,” said Harrison. “So it can send out signal and receive signal back.”

The company had previously completed Phase I, Harrison said, with Phase II entailing scaling up production and testing the fibers in proper environments.

“So when a jet is going Mach 5, Mach 8, you’re talking about temperatures that are 2,000 degrees Celsius,” Harrison said. “So we need to get some data about how the fibers work in the parts that are going to be used for this.”

Free Form’s contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory also deals with hypersonic vehicles, Harrison said, and is a Direct-to-Phase II SBIR Award. He said the company was able to receive the Direct-to-Phase II distinction as a result of the company’s past work with the U.S. Department of Energy.

“So we were able to leverage what we had done several years ago with the Department of Energy and translate it to this concept for cooling for these hypersonic vehicles,” said Harrison. “Basically, they’re looking for different ways to cool those really fast vehicles.”

Harrison said the contracts are meaningful, noting the company is transitioning to commercial manufacturing. Founded in 2006, Free Form Fibers originally operated in research and development, he said.

“We were a really good research and development shop for many years, and we decided about two, two and a half years ago, we’re ready to move out of that stage and become a manufacturer,” Harrison said. “We definitely had a great deal of credibility as an R&D shop, and we’ve been able to get through some doors because of that. Now it’s building that credibility as a manufacturer.”

He said the grant awards from the Navy and Air Force can allow the company to develop products that could then be included in commercial supply chains.

“We are working on the largest number of grants and grant revenue, right now, in our company’s history,” said Harrison. “… So this is another step in that commercialization process, but a really important one, because these are important things that needed to be solved, and they are trusting us to solve the challenge.”

Harrison noted the company has increased its production capacity in order to meet demand. He said it is exciting to see the company’s shift to commercial manufacturing.

“It’s very cool to be at this point, and seeing what we thought would be of interest to folks, with the purity of the materials and the different types of materials that we could make,” Harrison said. “It’s fun to be part of that process.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Nick Zarrelli to Assistant Vice President, Business Banking Relationship Manager.

In his new role, Nick Zarrelli will be responsible for maintaining, growing and servicing the company’s small business loan portfolio and growing relationships with longtime customers.

More information about Saratoga National Bank can be found online at www.saratoganational.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Northshire Bookstore celebrated 10 years in Saratoga Springs on Friday, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.

At the ceremony, Mayor Ron Kim read a proclamation declaring Aug. 4 to be ‘Northshire Bookstore Day.’

Northshire initially opened in Saratoga Springs on Aug. 4, 2013, expanding from its first location in Manchester, Vermont. The store is currently owned by three sisters; Nicole Ihasz, Cathleen Ihasz, and Ashley Ihasz-Austin. 

The sisters are natives of Manchester, with Nicole Ihasz saying they visited Northshire Bookstore often as kids. She said it is meaningful to “continue the legacy” of the store.

“We grew up in Manchester. So the Northshire store, I feel like we grew up in that store,” said Nicole Ihasz. “What the Morrows created is a cultural center for the town. It’s the heartbeat of the town, it’s a community center.”

Northshire’s Manchester location was originally opened in 1976 by Ed and Barbara Morrow. After the Morrows retired, the store was operated by Clark and Lu French, before the Ihasz sisters acquired Northshire following the passing of Lu French in 2022, the company’s website states.

Nicole Ihasz said the decision to purchase Northshire was ‘a no-brainer.’ 

“We’re so glad we did it,” she said. “We had tremendous support from Clark French and from the Morrow family as we made this transition. As I said, we have the most brilliant staff. We’re so lucky.”

Ihasz credited the store’s staff for their work, saying their time operating Northshire has been enjoyable.

“It’s really been a great experience. I am a huge reader, so I just love being in these spaces,” said Nicole Ihasz. “As I said, I feel like I grew up in the store, so it’s really fun for me to interact with our team, but also interact with our customers, and talk to them about books.”

We hope everyone is enjoying their summer. The fun police are back this week with another article about all the ways that your good times can turn into legal headaches. When it comes to summer fun, the pitfalls are numerous, but the good news is that with a bit of common sense you can avoid most problems.

Let’s look at a few examples of trouble and how to avoid it.

House/Pool Parties

Friends are over, the sun is out, the pool is lukewarm. What could possibly go wrong here? Well, a few things. 

Premises liability:If you are hosting a party on property you own or have control over, you are liable for injuries caused by dangerous conditions on the property that you knew or should have known of, or that you created. This can include dangerous people present on the property.

Tip to avoid: Make sure your homeowner’s insurance is up to date. This would also be a good time to fix any safety issues you know about and have been ignoring. Is everyone going to be entering your house on a wobbly front step? Pool railing broken? What about that hole in your lawn waiting for an unsuspecting ankle? Best to take a look and get these fixed.

Dog bites: Does your dog get too excited, anxious, or aggressive when strangers or a lot of people are around? Pet owners are strictly liable (meaning it doesn’t matter if you were negligent, i.e., careful or not careful) for injuries caused by their animals if they knew or should have known that the animal has dangerous propensities. Under the law, “dangerous” doesn’t always have to be “vicious” (as in Cujo), even though that’s a common term used when talking about dog-bite legal issues. (Note: did you see the article about the Biden’s dog having bitten multiple secret service agents? That’s probably a dog you want to keep away from your pool party.).

Tip to avoid: Put your dog somewhere it can’t escape or will not be walked in on, or out of the house completely. Warning people is not going to help you in this situation. 

Dram Shop (furnishing alcohol to minors): New York’s Dram Shop law makes it illegal to furnish or procure alcohol for minors (under the age of 21). This is a good way to get into serious trouble during a house party if you serve minors. We all know or remember the parents who were loose with alcohol with the kids. Don’t be those parents.  

Tip to avoid: Don’t do it and don’t turn a blind eye to it if it’s happening under your roof. 

Boats

We all love a cruise on a summer evening. But a boat accident can quickly turn tragic when care and common sense are lacking. Most boat accidents are caused by excessive speed or reckless operation, and operating while under the influence. To avoid lawsuits and worse, use the same level of care you would in operating your car, make sure kids have lifejackets, and be prudent about alcohol use. 

Summer Staff Parties

Does your company host summer soirées? In Saratoga, most of us love a good track day. But, at many of these parties, the drinks are flowing, and when that happens, folks get loose, and trouble isn’t far behind.

Sexual harassment or assault is an obvious concern particularly when alcohol is involved. If something happens at a work function, and it’s reported and the employer does nothing about it – or the perpetrator of bad behavior is the boss – it can result in a host of legal problems. Not only can this conduct implicate employment law issues, but intentional conduct by the boss can get around the Workers’ Compensation bar that usually prevents employees from suing their employer in negligence or for intentional torts (like assault or battery). And if the victim is a guest, and not an employee, they can also sue for negligence.  

Tip to avoid: If you are the employer, the party pooper in us says spare your employees another work-related obligation and give everyone a mid-summer bonus. Barring that, keep an eye on how much alcohol is served and if someone is starting to behave badly, get them home safely. If inappropriate behavior is reported, take it seriously, don’t brush it off, do an investigation and, if appropriate, discipline or counsel the perpetrator. Don’t retaliate against the complainer or make them feel like they aren’t being protected – this is when people call lawyers. 

If you are the employee, remember that this is fun but still work. Inappropriate behavior or offensive conversation can have repercussions. Most employees in New York are at will, meaning that you can be fired at any time for any reason as long as it’s not discriminatory or because of protected activity (i.e., retaliatory). As long as an employer applies its code of conduct evenly, it’s unlikely you’ll have any recourse if you’re fired for behaving badly at the summer outing.   

Be safe out there and enjoy the rest of summer.  

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Born out of the passion of a Saratoga Springs collector, the Card Shack, LLC opened its doors in March, offering a wide variety of Pokémon and Magic the Gathering cards and collections.

Owner Thomas MacDonald said he initially began collecting cards as a kid before resuming the hobby after graduating from college in 2017. His collection grew significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, eventually leading to the opening of the Card Shack, located at 7 Wells St., Suite 203D.

MacDonald said the Card Shack carries roughly 40-plus sets of Pokémon cards and a variety of Magic the Gathering sets. The store’s Pokémon offerings include Elite Trainer boxes and Premium collections, among a variety of other sets and cards. MacDonald said they also carry “a lot of older product.”

“I want to say we’re a collectible card game store, but we’re more of a specialty store, for sure,” said MacDonald. “Just a lot of things that you wouldn’t normally find out in different stores.”

The Card Shack also sells single cards, offering a chance for collectors to complete a specific collection or secure a certain card.

“We sell a lot of singles that collectors like to see. High-end, mid-range, small stuff,” MacDonald said. “Really things, if people are looking to finish sets, collect certain cards, just anything that they really want to collect, we have available for them.”

MacDonald said the store has seen several rare and unique cards, including Crystal Ho-Oh, Shining Tyranitar, and Rosa Full Art Trainer from Cosmic Eclipse, among others.

“There’s been just a lot of cool cards that have either been pulled or come through the shop,” said MacDonald. “We’ve got a lot of high-end collectors that will come in too, and really just sit down and will talk about cards for hours. We’ve seen the Poncho Pikachus, the Poncho Eevees, a lot of cool Japanese promos. It just really is a plethora of things that just come through here.”

He said that in the future, he hopes to expand the Card Shack’s offerings, mentioning his goal of adding sports and Yu-Gi-Oh cards to the store.

“I’d like to grow my knowledge on sports. I know there’s a lot of sports collectors in the area, too, that would love for a local shop to be in here,” MacDonald said. “I know I’ve been asked about Yu-Gi-Oh, I’m working on that. It’s a process.”

MacDonald said his experience since opening the Card Shack has been “really great,” noting he has attended local card shows and enjoyed the community aspect of card-collecting.

“Obviously, as a business, you buy and sell. But with (collectors), it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m trying to finish Astral Radiance, or Lost Origin. Do you have this, this, and this?’,” said MacDonald. “You get to see the accomplishment of them completing a set, or them finding a card that they’ve been looking for for a while. And then having them come back here and just kind of sit and talk with me about what they’re doing next. … It’s really great. It comes full-circle.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — PSG Golf, an indoor golf facility in Saratoga Springs, comes courtesy of local coaches Michael Gerarde and Jeff Boss, offering lessons, a full-access membership, and more.

Gerarde is the head golf coach at SUNY Adirondack and launched the business along with Timberwolves’ assistant coach Jeff Boss, he said.

Located at 615 Maple Ave Suite 2, PSG features two golf simulators, a putting and chipping range, and a bar area, Gerarde said. They offer individual lessons for $70, and a 24-hour membership for $250 per month.

The membership package provides 24-hour access to the facility, with Gerarde noting members receive a key to the front door and are taught how to run the simulators on their own.

“We teach people how to get the lights on, turn on the computers, and they can go play on a local course they want, or go to the driving range,” Gerarde said. “They can even put themselves under these cameras here and see what’s going on. People have really liked that so far.”

To analyze shots, PSG utilizes the Uneekor EYE XO Launch Monitor, with Gerarde saying, “Each shot that you hit, we get all that data within a second.”

“The camera comes down, and it shows the actual clubhead coming into the ball. It shows the moment of impact and everything, so you can actually see exactly what your clubhead is doing when it gets to the ball,” said Gerarde. “Usually, you go take a lesson on a driving range, you get an hour, and they tell you, ‘Hey, do this with your grip,’ or whatever. But we really get into the nitty-gritty.”

The simulators offer the ability to play at several local courses, and includes a TopGolf range, Gerarde said. PSG also offers chipping and putting lessons, with a turf chipping and putting green that Gerarde said is also used for practice by the SUNY Adirondack teams. 

PSG also offers clubwork, including regripping and reshafting clubs, and has a bar area serving beverages as well as food from Artisanal Brew Works, Gerarde said.

“90% of the time, one of the teaching professionals will be here,” said Gerarde. “So if you actually want help with your game, we’re here to give out tips and stuff like that.”

Gerarde said he and Boss began seeking funding for the location earlier this year and handled all of the renovations themselves.

“None of it was hired-out work,” Gerarde said.

He noted that a large mural painted on the wall above PSG’s chipping and putting green was done by Grace Kinkaid, a rising sophomore on the SUNY Adirondack golf team.

“We went down to Virginia for spring break, and that was the 18th hole at one of the courses we were at,” said Gerarde. “When she first came in, she was like, ‘You could use a mural on these walls.’”

Since opening, Gerarde said that PSG has primarily been offering lessons as well as member nights, noting that although many golfers are opting to spend their summer months outdoors, PSG has still “exceeded” its expectations early on.

“To see the growth already, in July, we’ve already exceeded our expectations, has meant a lot,” said Gerarde. “We’re over our projections, which is exciting for us, for sure.”

BALLSTON SPA — Speckled Pig Brewing Company has continued to expand its offerings, celebrating the opening of its rooftop bar and patio in mid-June.

R.J. Elliott, a partner at Speckled Pig, said opening the rooftop “was always a goal,” noting the plans were taken into consideration when initially renovating the interior. 

“When we started renovating downstairs, we framed it up and were ready to go to build on top of it,” said Elliott. “We made sure that everything was structurally sound to go up another story.”

This allowed construction to move quickly, with Elliott saying the patio took just over a month to complete.

“It was really quick,” Elliott said. “We framed out most of it in a weekend, and then did some finishing touches. But it didn’t take much longer than a month to go from no rooftop to having customers.”

“We wanted to obviously maximize the potential for the summer,” added Larry Heid, a partner at Speckled Pig. “Hopefully in the fall, we’ll put down some propane heaters for little fire pits. … Probably cap out at a Halloween party.”

The patio has become a popular spot, with Elliott saying it tends to fill up at the same time as the brewery’s interior.

“This is actually kind of proving to be the late-night hangout spot,” said Heid.

“Even when it’s raining, people are up here under the umbrellas,” added Elliott. “It’s been crazy.”

The patio was designed with a more modern look than the brewery’s interior, which Elliott said is by design. It offers views of downtown Ballston Spa, overlooking the intersection of Milton Ave and Washington St.

The brewery has recently begun offering hard seltzer slushies made from their own seltzers, brewed in-house with a variety of flavors. They offer eight beers upstairs in addition to the 12 options offered inside.

“A couple of the beers overlap, but there’s also stuff that you only get upstairs too,” Elliott said. “Lighter beers, stuff you want to enjoy out in the sun.”

The partners said it has been rewarding to see the community response since opening the patio.

“The first impression is really cool,” said Elliott. “Everybody has the same reaction when they walk up. … You don’t expect to see this up here.”