Category Archives: Construction

By Rod Bacon

The mantle of leadership of a highly respected longtime area business is in the process of being passed to the fifth generation of the family.

Within approximately 60 days, Pat O’Connor, who is currently the president, will take the reins of 120-year-old E&T O’Connor Construction from cousins Brian O’Connor and Kevin O’Connor.

“Brian and Kevin came to me a few years ago and said ‘You’re the next one to take over if you want to,’ so I’ve been preparing for this for quite some time,” said Pat. “They continued to run the company until now.”

In 1905, Thomas O’Connor started the business hauling dirt between Glens Falls and Ticonderoga with a horse and wagon. The earliest services offered were earth moving and site development using cable excavators for building contractors.

By the 1940s, ownership had passed to Thomas’ two sons, Edward and Thomas Jr. They continued to do site development so contractors could pour foundations for buildings in Glens Falls, one of which was the First National Bank. They also did site preparation for the Glens Falls Civic Center in the 1970s.

By Paul Post

A new service station in Rexford, a Stewart’s Shop in Plattsburgh and dining hall at the Luzerne Music Center.

These are among the many commercial projects on Hilltop Construction Company’s work schedule as it tries to navigate uncertain economic times of rising prices and potential supply chain issues related to the current tariff situation.

“We’re very diversified in what we do and what we can do to help deal with that situation,” co-owner and Vice President Dan Washburn said. “If one sector pulls back the other might not. We get a good mix to help deal with that.”

Commercial work, which accounts for half the company’s revenue stream, is primarily focused on an area from Albany to Lake George, although Hilltop is one of the main firms Stewart’s calls on for remodelling and new store construction projects throughout the region.

It’s nearing completion of a new Stewart’s Shop at the corner of Glen Street and Sherman Avenue in Glens Falls, and is also renovating and expanding a store at the north end of Saratoga Lake, just over the Fish Creek bridge, on Route 9P.

Other upcoming projects include remodeling Anytime Fitness gym in Hudson Falls, and putting a new façade on Glens Falls Tile & Supplies on Dix Avenue.

By Susan Elise Campbell

F.H. Alexander, Inc., the Schaghticoke based commercial construction company, has a full docket for the summer.

Owner Frank Alessandrini said that over the course of business since 1991, his company has become known for building restaurants, convenience stores, and retail spaces, and for renovating hospitals, schools, libraries, and other business and medical spaces.

“But this year is a little bit unusual for us,” Alessandrini said. “We are doing more and smaller projects than in past few years.”

“This trend is not an overall indication of the general economy or the business,” he said. “It’s just what we have landed.”

Starting mid-May, there are two projects for COARC, the Columbia County chapter of The ARC NewYork. One is an addition and a renovation and the other is a smaller renovation, he said.

Also starting soon are some interior renovations for Greenwich Library.

“They are modernizing a number of rooms,” said Alessandrini. “We have done a half dozen projects for them over the years and they are a good customer.”

There have been other recent library projects. The company put a sizable addition onto the Valley Falls Library and did a project with Easton Library. Alessandrini said he has been working with Schaghticoke Library recently to secure a grant to move the entire library to the lot next door.

By Rod Bacon

The skilled craftsmen at Munter Enterprises have plenty to keep them busy for quite some time. The Middle Grove-based construction company is in the midst of several projects, is finishing up others, and has still others in the planning stages.

According to Vice President Mike Munter, one of the more interesting projects for which they hope to break ground soon is a new branch for the Hudson River Community Credit Union. The 2,500-square-foot building in Greenwich will include a drive-thru and state-of-the-art Interactive Teller Machines (ITMs). Munter worked with Paone Architecture of Saratoga Springs for the building’s design and Verity Engineering, D.P.C. of Troy for site design. All approvals are in place and a June ground breaking is planned.

“This project is very interesting because of the demographic in the area,” said Munter. “For the Amish community there will be a hitching post and water hydrant in the parking lot for the horses.”

Another local project is for a firm relocating from Albany to a 15,000-square-foot building on Pierce Road off Northway Exit 10 in Clifton Park. Munter Enterprises is renovating the building for Kinsley Power, a company that supplies a variety of backup generator systems. They carry industrial and residential generators as well as cogeneration and battery storage systems. That project is underway and will be completed in June.

The company has two projects in the WJ Grande Industrial Park in Saratoga Springs. Under construction is a 35,000-square-foot, approximately $6 million, building for a tenant in the warehousing and distribution sector that Munter said he can’t disclose at this time. Site work, which was done by W.J. Morris of Saratoga Springs, started last month and they estimate completion of the project in 2026. Subcontractors for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work have not been chosen. Munter Enterprises will do the concrete work, steel erection, and insulated panel envelope installation.

By Paul Post

Nearly three dozen area contractors turn to Local 773 whenever they land a big job and need to bring on highly-qualified plumbers, steamfitters, pipefitters and HVAC technicians.

The 500-member, Queensbury-based union supplies skilled workers for a wide variety of projects from GlobalFoundries in Malta to recently-completed refrigeration upgrades at Lake Placid’s Olympic facilities.

A five-year apprenticeship includes hands-on work plus September to April classes, each year, at Local 773’s headquarters and training facility at 37 Luzerne Road.

“It’s an earn and learn program,” Business Manager Mike Jarvis said. “When an apprentice comes in they sign up with the union, work during the day for a contractor and go to school at night three times per week.”

Applications are accepted one day each month. When enough applications come in, the union sets up an aptitude test. Candidates are also interviewed by an eight-person Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee, comprised of four union members and four contractors, who review the job-seeker’s employment history, attitude and work ethic. Points are given for related college and past military experience.

By Christine Graf

In the Capital Region real estate market and beyond, a shortage of inventory has made it difficult for buyers to find reasonably priced homes. The Center for American Progress, an independent policy institute, believes modular homes may be the answer to the American housing crisis. According to a report issued by the institute in February 2024, “Modular building, if brought to scale, has the potential to reduce construction costs and make building new homes more affordable, especially in areas experiencing severe affordable housing shortages.”

Modular homes are often confused with mobile homes, but the two are distinctly different. While modular home components are fabricated in factories, the homes themselves are assembled on-site and attached to permanent foundations. 

When it comes to the construction process, there is virtually no difference between a modular home and a site-built home. Both are built with the same materials and are subject to the same regulations. 

By R.J. DeLuke

Construction season this year is seeing a variety of companies in the area involved in numerous projects, sizeable and otherwise, as business moves forward in spite of concerns about the economy.

Rob Holbrook, president of V&H Construction in Fort Edward, said he is optimistic about the construction industry in the region.

“We’ve been straight out since COVID,” he said, though he noted there could be a “cooling off” period on the horizon.

Like others, he said finding qualified workers is still an issue.

“I could use more people. I can’t hire enough qualified people right now,” said Holbrook. 

Dan Washburn, a partner with Hilltop Construction in Hudson Falls, hiring is a bonifide issue. “Qualified workers have decreased and are harder to find,” he said, while noting it is not a new problem, rather one that has persisted for some years.

Nonetheless, “we’ve got a really good crew,” said Washburn.

Of the general state of the industry, he said “for us, it’s very good. We have alot of irons in the fire … It’s a very good outlook for this year and through next fall and into winter.” Projects are already being scheduled for 2024, he said. 

By Christine Graf

It was while working to construct the interior of a third Saratoga CoWorks Space at 92 Congress St. in Saratoga Springs that owners Dorothy Rogers-Bullis and Dan Bullis first discovered Falkbuilt, an interior digital component construction company. 

They were so impressed with the company that they now operate Falkbuilt’s Northern New York branch as part of their own commercial design and furniture company, drb Business Interiors.

“Falkbuilt was the solution that we were looking for,” said Rogers-Bullis. “We wanted better acoustics, better design, and faster lead times.”

Had they not used Falkbuilt for the interior buildout at 92 Congress St., she estimated that the work would have taken four times as long.

Founded in 2019, Calgary-based Falkbuilt has 450 employees and more than 90 branches in North America, the Middle East and India. The interior construction manufacturing company uses next-generation technology to manufacture components efficiently and precisely in their factory. Falkbuilt systems are being utilized in hospitals, offices, and even a research station in Antarctica.

Described as “conventional construction on steroids,” Falkbuilt’s digital component construction combines proven interior construction methods with technology. Its ECHO software, a cloud-computing platform, connects with the technological platforms that are commonly used in conventional construction. The software also utilizes industry-standard design and engineering tools. 

By Christine Graf

With the purchase the Mohican Resort Motel, local entrepreneur Chad Nims has entered the hospitality industry. 

Nims purchased the 44-room resort for $1.7 million after the Lake George property, north of the Outlets at lake George and south of the lake itself, was foreclosed on.

Nims, the owner of Nims Services, established his landscaping and snowplowing company in 2003 while a senior at Hudson Falls High School. As the company grew, he began offering excavating, paving, construction, and trucking services. 

“I had a lot of friends from high school who came to work with me and really helped out,” said Nims. “They played a major role in helping me grow the business during the first 10 years. Over that time, I kept expanding, adding employees, and offering more services.”

“We do everything from paving parking lots to interior construction fit ups. We do demolition for a lot of the malls, and we’ve done a lot of work at Crossgates and Aviation.”

Four years ago, Nims added Tree Care by Stan Hunt and Stan Hunt Pest Control to his business portfolio. He also owns several commercial buildings and approximately 70 apartments.