Upstate NY's Voices of Authority
What makes a local business ecosystem truly thrive? In this special compilation episode of Building Success Stories, we hit the floor at “The Gathering,” a premier local enterprise expo organized by Scott Cross of CROSSPOINT Realty.
Coming from the family behind the iconic New Way Lunch, Ali shares how she transformed her great-grandfather’s original 86-year restaurant footprint into a curated clothing and accessory boutique. Whether you’re curious about downtown commercial revitalization, the logistics of retail seasonality, or how to build a complementary business network in a growing city, this episode offers a firsthand look at Upstate New York’s retail evolution.
In this exclusive bonus feature of Building Success Stories, host Ann Donnelly has a conversation with Kara Magoolaghan, co-owner of Hometown Shop on the newly revitalized South Street. Kara shares the origin story of her unique storefront – how the commercial space “found her” and inspired a mission to help residents inject personality into their new white-box apartments.
What happens when ambitious private investment leverages the momentum of a $10M New York State DRI initiative? Look no further than the newly revitalized 46-56 South Street block in Downtown Glens Falls. Just a year ago, this block was defined by chain-link fences and vacant windows. Today, thanks to developer Chris Patten and a wave of young entrepreneurs, it is a self-sustaining micro-economy.
What if the secret to building a resilient regional economy isn’t chasing smokestacks or mega-factories, but leveraging the irreplaceable “power of place”?
Why do some real estate agents thrive while others struggle to find their footing? And what does it take to leave a secure management role overseeing 58 agents to build your own brokerage from the ground up?
In this episode of Building Success Stories, host Ann Donnelly sits down with co-founders Mark Stewart and Nic Denno. After merging their independent contracting companies in 2020, Mark and Nic have scaled Northern Builders into a regional powerhouse. They pull back the curtain on how their background in public service forged an unbreakable business partnership, how they are actively combating the skilled-trades workforce shortage, and what it takes to manage sustainable business growth in Upstate New York.
What do aviation, cryptocurrency, and a chance meeting at a local cigar bar have to do with the future of real estate in Glens Falls? In this episode of Building Success Stories, host Ann Donnelly sits down with Spencer Bray and Nic Ketter, the innovative co-founders of Realize Brokers. Rejecting the older, traditional methods of property brokering, this duo is rewriting the rules of the local market. Discover how their unique backgrounds—from fueling planes to working in emerging tech at General Electric—led to a real estate agency built on custom digital marketing, intense discretion, and deep community relationships. Whether you are looking to buy, thinking of selling a business, or just want to understand the shifting landscape of Upstate New York real estate, this episode is packed with insider knowledge.
