Eight things you need to know about Saratoga County's economy.

1. Summer Work is a Great Opportunity for Teens 

Saratoga Partnership President, Shelby Schneider recently spoke with WRGB Channel 6 about how Teen Workers could find themselves in high demand this summer. Employment teaches responsibility and good work habits, improves time management and organizational skills and helps them save money. Working also gives teens an opportunity to establish contacts with adult employers that can serve as a future reference. Starting at 14, teens can get working papers through their local school guidance office with parental consent and evidence of a recent physical. Click here for NYS Guidelines and Federal Guidelines for youth employment in restaurants and quick service establishments. Click here for our latest contribution to the Saratoga Business Report. Click below for links to where you can find working papers for students in one of Saratoga County's many school districts.

2. Saratoga County’s four Adirondack towns seek to attract new residents

“Hadley, Day, Edinburg and Corinth are located in the Adirondack foothills of Northwest Saratoga County, an area of extraordinary natural beauty, reasonable housing and living costs and practically limitless opportunities for outdoor recreation and enjoyment,” according to a new report. “Residents of the four Northern Saratoga County communities enjoy the best of both worlds – rural living with easily accessible urban amenities like brew pubs, ethnic restaurants, libraries, theaters, book shops and coffee houses.” Within a reasonable driving distance are employment opportunities with some of the most innovative companies in the world, part of the Capital Region’s growing tech sector, as well as in major hospitals and colleges. Similarly, cultural amenities such as the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the national racing and dance museums, Proctors Theater, The Hyde Collection and Caffe Lena are but a short drive away. Click here to read about this exciting new initiative and the REPORT which will help guide economic growth and prosperity in our Northern Towns of Saratoga. This new collaboration between towns gives them the opportunity to speak with one voice to make sure they get the necessary infrastructure upgrades.

Northwest Saratoga County: Growing with intention, Foothills Business Daily, 5.26.21

Northern Saratoga towns release report on opportunities for growth and investment, Saratogian, 5.28.21

Saratoga County’s four Adirondack towns seek to attract new residents, Daily Gazette, 6.1.21

3. Albany International Airport & HVCC Launch Aviation Maintenance Technician School

A first of its kind for the area, the aviation maintenance training school is the product of a months-long collaboration between the Albany International Airport and the Hudson Valley Community College. The new Aeronautical Technology Institute will offer both degree and certificate programs and non-credit, short-term workforce training programs taught by college faculty. Located in a 12,000 square foot hangar on the airport property, the program can serve nearly 40 students per semester. The aeronautical industry has seen an aging out of many professionals, with over 50% of commercial pilots and mechanics in the country approaching retirement age, there is an existing need to backfill those positions. Furthermore, as we approach what many hope will be an economic recovery for industry across the board, both local and Federal Aviation Administration officials recognize that access to competent aviation professionals will be a key component of the travel industry's recovery post-pandemic. For more information, find the full article here

Amid the current hiring crisis, many area business-owners have had to take a hard look at what employees need and what it will take to get that back to work. The hospitality and restaurant industry, which were hardest-hit during the COVID pandemic, are now competing with unemployment benefits as they try to lure employees back in to meet growing demand post-pandemic. While this industry sector typically offers lower paying, gratuity-based wages, long hours and undesirable weekend work, many employers have realized that recruiting quality employees means offering a quality work experience. To this end, local restaurant owners have begun to offer benefits not typically found in service-sector positions - paid time off, flexible schedules, higher wages, even YMCA memberships and retirement plan contributions. Employment and Labor professionals recognize that these issues, in addition to existing childcare constraints, have made the pandemic a transition period for many who have used this time to change careers, return to reduces hours, or reconsider their employment options altogether. Moving forward, employees are recognizing the need to shift focus from cheap, replaceable labor, to investing in employees who will become values members of their establishment. Click here to read the full story

5. Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program

The successful recovery of small businesses is key to New York State's future. The $800 million COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program provides grant funding to small and micro businesses and for-profit independent arts and cultural organizations impacted by the pandemic. The grants will be flexible and can be used for a number of different business operating expenses, including payroll, rent or mortgage payments, taxes, utilities, PPE or other business expenses incurred between March 1, 2020 and April 1, 2021. Program application details are still being finalized. New York State small business owners can click this link for more information and updates as they become available.

6. SBA Launches Growth Accelerator Fund Competition to Spur Innovation

The Small Business Administration is offering $5.25 million in prizes to entrepreneurs and small business owners involved in research and development. The Growth Accelerator Fund Competition and SBIR Catalyst competitions will award a total of 84 $50,000 prizes to accelerators, incubators and other businesses that support entrepreneurs and serve underserved communities, as well as another seven $150,000 prizes to help launch regional collaborations to help increase involvement underrepresented entrepreneur involvement in the agency’s Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer programs. Click here to read coverage from the Albany Business Review Clci

7. This business helps employers hire workers in 'transportation deserts'

The transportation company, led and owned by Trent Griffin-Braaf, started a Get-To-Work program two years ago that's growing in popularity this year as companies face difficulties finding workers. "There's a lot of transportation desert areas and we have distribution centers in these desert areas that have a need for employees and also pay a good starting salary and hourly rate, but the problem is there's no way to get individuals to or from," Griffin-Braaf said. "With our Get-To-Work program, that’s what we do. We help individuals who have a lack of transportation." Click here to read more from the Albany Business Review.

The American Rescue Plan includes $2.2 billion for the 57 counties of New York State. Saratoga County will soon be eligible for $44,928,935 in federal funding through the American Recovery Act. Individual towns and cities throughout Saratoga County will also receive a portion of funds through the program. The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds provide substantial flexibility for each government to meet local needs—including support for households, small businesses, impacted industries, essential workers, and the communities hardest hit by the crisis. These funds can also be used to make necessary investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure. Concurrent with this program launch, Treasury has published an Interim Final Rule that implements the provisions of this program. Click here to read a summary of the program.