LATHAM — Cardona’s Market, a three-generation, family-owned, Italian specialty market and caterer for more than 75 years, will bring its high-quality Italian products, scratch cooking, and traditional fresh-from-the-kitchen dishes to Latham area residents with the grand re-opening of its new store at 9 Cobbee Road. 

With its acquisition of
Roma Foods, Cardona’s also took over the company’s Saratoga Springs market, which has been operating under the Cardona’s banner since June and will undergo its own renovations with an anticipated grand re-opening in late spring 2022.

Cardona’s Market celebrated the grand re-opening of the Latham store with an official “sandwich cutting” featuring a four-foot “Frank B.” sandwich, which is named in honor of Frank Bolognino, the second-generation owner of Roma Foods Importing Company along with his brothers, John, Peter, and Paul. 

The centerpiece of the newly remodeled market, which is now operating under the Cardona’s banner following the acquisition of Roma Foods Importing Company this past spring, is the signature Cardona’s hot table, offering more than a dozen dishes which rotate daily, such as classic Italian recipes as well as daily and seasonal specials. 

The Latham market will also feature a full-scale commercial kitchen to accommodate catering orders and operations. In line with the market’s rich traditions, Cardona’s Latham will offer an array of fine Italian import goods; restaurant-quality grab-and-go meals; artisan sandwiches and salads; homemade sauces and famous meatballs. 

“We are thrilled to celebrate the grand-reopening of our newest location and excited to bring the quality and convenience of Cardona’s Market to the Latham community,” said Cardona’s Market Owner August Cardona. “As a three-generation family-owned and operated business, we take pride in offering the finest products, fresh hand-crafted sandwiches and authentic Italian dishes using our famous recipes that date back for generations. We are honored to have the opportunity to share our rich family traditions and menu offerings with our neighbors in the Latham community.” 

Current hours for the Cardona’s Market locations in Latham and Saratoga Springs are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Latham market is also open on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Albany location is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Both the Albany and Saratoga Springs markets are closed on Sundays. 

For more information about Cardona’s Market, call 518-434-4838 or visit www.CardonasMarket.com 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the return of the 2021 B2B Expo. The region’s largest networking event will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, attracting organizations from a variety of industries representing the private, non-profit, and public sectors. 

“As vaccinations continue to trend upward in our region, we’re excited to bring the B2B Expo back to our community,” said Todd Shimkus, CEE, President of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. “We invite every business and non-profit in Saratoga County to join us for a hands-on, interactive day of networking to increase collaboration among our local business community.” 

The 2021 B2B Expo will be held at the Saratoga Springs City Center and will be open to local businesses and the public from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with fellow local business owners and professionals to gain exposure and find future partners to collaborate with. 

Throughout the years, participating businesses and sponsor organizations have turned to the Chamber’s B2B Expo as Upstate New York’s premier showcase for the technologies, products, and services that represent our community.

“Incorporating community leaders, professionals, and interested participants at all levels, the B2B Expo serves as an unparalleled marketing, branding, and communication resource for regional collaboration,” said Howard S. Foote, UHY, Office Managing Director – Capital Region. 

“The B2B Expo is an all-around great networking event, providing the opportunity to give back to local businesses, which we all need to do during these difficult times,” said Jamie Kennedy, Owner, KPM Restoration. “This is a great way to get involved in our community.” 

Attendees are encouraged to register ahead of time. Active Chamber members will enjoy complimentary admission, and attendance for others will be $5 and a business card at the door. 

For more information on how to become a sponsor, book a booth, or register as an attendee, please visit www.chamber.saratoga.org/events/details/2021-saratoga-county-chamber-of-commerce-b2b-expo-41687?calendarMonth=2021-10-01 or email Andrea Cole at acole@saratoga.org. 

The Chamber would like to thank the following sponsors for making the 2021 B2B Expo possible. Presenting sponsors: Adirondack Trust Company, UHY LLP, and Crown Castle Fiber. Diamond Sponsors: ADKtechs and RIP Group. Gold Sponsors: Academy of the Holy Names, Albany Firewolves, Interactive Media Consulting (imc), National Grid, NBT Bank, NBT Insurance Agency, Red Roof Inn, Spectrum Reach, The Wesley Community, Times Union, KPM Restoration, and Arnoff Moving and Storage. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Drs. Meghan Monthie and Bernard P. Possidente have joined Saratoga Hospital Medical Group Primary Care – Scotia-Glenville. Both have strong ties to the region. 

Monthie came to the Capital Region to attend Siena College and has remained here ever since. She earned her medical degree from Albany Medical College and completed an internship and residency in family medicine at Albany Medical Center Hospital. She is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians. 

Possidente was raised in Greenfield and graduated from Skidmore College. After earning a medical degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pennsylvania, Possidente returned to the Capital Region to complete a residency in family medicine at Ellis Medicine in Schenectady. He is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians. Possidente is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and American Osteopathic Association. 

Monthie and Possidente see patients at 112 Charlton Road, Ballston Lake. For an appointment, call 518-399-7723. To learn more, go to www.SaratogaHospital.org. 

MALTA – For nearly 40 years Wellspring, the organization that provides crisis and support services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Saratoga County, has operated from an out-of-sight basement office on Broadway. After decades of planning, a successful fundraising Campaign, and support from hundreds of community members – Wellspring is moving into a new mission-based facility located on route 9 in Malta. 

Last year, Wellspring responded to over 1,300 hotline calls, says Wellspring Executive Director, Maggie Fronk. “Even so, we know that there are many victims who we are still not connecting with. This new building will make Wellspring much more visible, and we hope this means that more people will know that we are here as a resource.”

Wellspring’s new home will expand their ability to serve more clients. The agency’s new building will have program space for workforce development to enhance clients’ job skills for career growth and financial literacy classes for self-sufficiency. The new location will also include ample space for community prevention and education programs. 

“This building will allow us to invite the community in,” said Fronk. “We will host professional trainings for our partners in law enforcement and healthcare, leadership seminars for high school and college-age students, programs for parents so they can learn how to talk to their children about healthy relationships and consent, partnerships with local businesses, book clubs, a conversation series, and so much more.” 

Wellspring raised more than $3 million for the project. Visit www.wellspringcares.org/campaign-information to see the list of donors who made the project possible. 

Wellspring will begin serving clients in this space on October 4. To support Wellspring’s mission, please visit the Wellspring website www.wellspringcares.org/donate or call 518-583-0280. Wellspring 24/7 Phone hotline – 518-584-8188. Wellspring Live Chat Online Hotline – available through our website, www.wellspringcares.org, to meet the needs of victims of relationship and sexual abuse.

Daigle Cleaning Systems has recently acquired Care Clean of Saratoga, which will service Saratoga, Warren, and Schenectady counties. Care Clean of Saratoga will be branded under the Daigle Family of Companies and will operate with a similar model, offering the same services as Daigle Cleaning Systems. And, as their offices expand to areas outside of Albany, Daigle Cleaning Systems is looking to expand their workforce as well. 

Interested in hiring Daigle Cleaning Systems or Care Clean of Saratoga, or looking for a career opportunity on their cleaning team? Visit Daigle Cleaning Systems at www.daigleclean.com or call 518-768-4881. Visit Care Clean of Saratoga at www.carecleansaratoga.com or call 518-467-8370. 

CORRECTION: In last week’s issue (Sept. 17 – Sept. 23, 2021), in the story “Daigle Cleaning Expands to Service Saratoga” the name of the business and the link to the website was incorrect. The business Daigle Cleaning Systems has acquired is Care Clean of Saratoga and the website is www.carecleansaratoga.com 

SARATOGA COUNTY – Stewart’s Shops paper containers are losing their maroon branding and being replaced by blank, white cups with white lids. A disappearance that has been noticed in local shops over the past few weeks, Stewart’s is quickly going through their remaining stock of printed cups. Due to the paper shortage, the chain’s supplier cannot make and print the traditional paper containers. In the meantime, they are urging customers to buy and use refillable mugs, which is a cheaper alternative to the paper cups. There are 348 Stewart’s locations; at an average of 70,000 cups of coffee a day, Stewart’s goes through 25.55 million cups annually. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The pandemic brought many challenges to many people, but for Fred Astaire Dance Studios (FADS) in Saratoga, it was an opportunity to relocate and re-open in a bigger and better space. The Capital Region Chamber and Owners Elizabeth and Grey Masko celebrated the new location with a ribbon cutting, champagne toast, and performances Sunday, Sept. 19, with Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner and National Ballroom Dance Champion Joan Regan Hayner. 

The new location offers a performance space that’s three times as large as before, fostering even more growth. As people are still recovering from the effects of the pandemic, FADS offers a safe environment for dancers of all ages and abilities to learn about the benefits of ballroom and Latin dancing and how even one lesson can help improve mental, physical, and emotional well-being. 

With this new location, the Maskos announce a new offering to help share the benefits of dancing with a wider audience; Fred Astaire Dance Studios – Saratoga Springs will be offering children’s classes beginning next spring.

“We are so excited about our new location, and everything we’ll be able to offer to the community,” said Elizabeth and Grey Masko. “We look forward to the children’s classes we’ll be offering in the spring and hope that our current students enjoy the new space for years to come.” 

To learn more about Fred Astaire Dance Studios – Saratoga Springs or sign up for adult or children’s lessons, visit www.fredastaire.com/saratoga-springs 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — BankWise Technology™ has launched their latest product – Happy Banker – a software solution designed to help banks and credit unions streamline their daily operational tasks. 

Happy Banker is a suite of applications for FIS Horizon® core system users (i.e. banks and credit unions). The integration platform with “plug and play” modules allows banks to forgo the expense and time of upgrading or changing their current core processing system. 

“Many banks have different products with different vendors that don’t always work together,” said Sergei Morgoslepov, BankWise Technology Co-President and Chief Technology Officer

“We support an open banking initiative and Happy Banker will help bridge that.” 

Morgoslepov explained that with these modules tasks that could take several hours to complete would now take one person 20 minutes to do. And, although Happy Banker is intended to benefit the bank first and foremost, it also makes for happy customers. 

“If a company has better processing in the backend, they will have better customer service,” said Rob Ward, BankWise Technology Chief Marketing and Sales Officer.

Read the full story on Saratoga Business Report www.saratogabusinessreport.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS ­— Small business owners and volunteers honored Bill Edwards at Longfellows for leading SCORE locally for 15 years, which helped launch more than a thousand businesses in Saratoga, Warren, Washington, and several adjacent counties. 

Bill’s retirement comes after a banner 2020. Using Zoom, his team of 30 mentors spent more than 6,000 hours and helped to start or expand 117 businesses, creating 236 new jobs. These businesses invested more than $4,000,000, more than half of which was raised from local and regional financial institutions which came to respect SCORE for introducing them to entrepreneurs who were well prepared to start or grow their businesses. 

While Bill has retired, he leaves a large team and processes which will continue to mentor start-ups and help operating small businesses prosper. For assistance, go to score.org, ask for a mentor, and answer a few simple questions. 

Read the full brief on Saratoga Business Report www.saratogabusinessreport.com.

As the weather cools and the leaves turn, many of us look forward to one thing: no, not pumpkin spice everything. Football. In the game, the teams with the strongest fundamentals typically put themselves in the best spot to win. According to legendary coach Vince Lombardi, “some people try to find things in this game that don’t exist but football is only two things – blocking and tackling.” We can easily pivot to personal finance to discuss what represents the blocking and tackling in that arena.

The most basic principle in personal finance is the idea of positive cash flow – spending less than you make. In fact, this is the cornerstone of every other area because it frees up money to be used in the most productive manner. If your budget is in need of a revamp, focus on the big ticket items first (car payments, mortgage/rent, etc.). This is typically not something that is immediately actionable as those payments are either fixed in some fashion or have the potential to even increase. Whether it’s refinancing or downsizing, evaluate your options to keep these cash hogs under control. On the other side of the equation, bringing in more money frees up discretionary income to be deployed elsewhere. Again, this is something that might not be immediately actionable, but consider an investment in yourself by way of certification or training to improve your future income potential.

A corollary to the last paragraph would be to focus on saving with a purpose. Each dollar and each account should have a designated job. People get tripped up when they get their priorities mixed. For example, putting every last dime of your savings in your 401(k) leaves your finances vulnerable to an unexpected incident that forces you to take a loan in what should be an easily avoidable situation given proper planning. Diversification of your account types and investment strategies allows for flexibility for whatever life throws your way. Tying the last two paragraphs together, how much is a good target to save? We typically recommend saving at least 10-20% of income. It’s not easy and it won’t happen overnight, but it gives you a target to shoot for. 

In the same spirit that the offensive line protects the quarterback, you want to make sure your finances are protected. Everyone probably understands the importance of life insurance for making sure your family is protected in unfortunate circumstances – what type and how much is something that should be reviewed regularly. An often overlooked protection mechanism is disability insurance. This is sometimes scoffed at because there is a perception that we can just “power through it.” That might be the case for a broken limb or surgery, but diseases like cancer are the leading cause of disability claims. A disability would have the magnified effect of reduced income or total loss coupled with a mountain of medical bills.

A football coach will meticulously prepare a game plan for their upcoming opponent to ensure that every situation is accounted for. In that same vein, your finances deserve the same attention with focus on the fundamentals.

For more information, visit www.contwealth.com.

David Rath, CFA is the Director of Portfolio Strategies at Continuum Wealth Advisors in Saratoga Springs.