The electronic version of The Development Corps’ monthly newsletter arrived this morning and in it was more news about Norsk. In recent years, the North Country has had some great news on the business front, much of it focusing on the large players. But make no mistake, the small businesses in the area are making news as well.

In this month’s Strictly Business cover feature we introduce you to Suzette Lomeli and her husband Armando Martinez. Brought to our area by Nova Bus, the couple found a niche serving Mexican food from a small take out space in Plattsburgh Plaza. Their authentic cuisine developed such a following that they are about move to a larger space on Oak Street, across from the Public Library, which will offer both take out and eat in.

Wall Street banker Kristen Hardman moved from Manhattan to the Adirondacks to find a different way of life. Her gift shop did a thriving business in Lake Placid for more than five years and then, when the consumer market in the village shifted from fine gifts to souvenirs, she went looking for another opportunity. A high traffic area at the head of Boynton Avenue hill in Plattsburgh offered that chance. Today Jackson & Callie offers a unique selection of special gifts. You will enjoy the story of her warm welcome to the local business community.

You could say that Julie Huttig has car grease under her fingernails. Her career in the industry spans more than 30 years and it has now brought her to Plattsburgh to open both a Nissan dealership on Route 9 south of the city and a NAPA dealership on Route 3 west. An auto parts dealership no longer sells just windshield wipers and snow scrapers. Huttig’s NAPA location has access to more than 430,000 parts within 24 hours or less. Read about the new world of auto parts.

Polished from Head to Toe in Peru is another small business that has opened in the last few years and is building a strong reputation. Located in a beautiful log cabin on Route 22 as you go into the town, Polished offers beauty services coveted by women of all ages.
Talk about a powerhouse! There is no other word to describe Michelle Mosher and Keith Provost. The couple’s facility, Adirondack Coast Athletic Complex and Powerhouse Gym, located on Latour Lane, just off Route 9 North in Plattsburgh, has attracted an amazingly devoted clientele whether they are seasoned exercise fanatics or high school and college students. Want to discover new ways to buff up, learn boxing skills or how to be a better team player? You may want to check out this power couple.

And then there is our Insight interview with Dena Archer, owner of Archer Bodyworks on Broad Street, just outside Plattsburgh’s downtown area. I don’t know much about “bodyworks” but I’m told it means massages, facials, nails and other spa treatments. Reading what inspires Dena and what has shaped her view of the world and of life brings this special woman into focus.

As we wrap this issue of Strictly Business we want to introduce you to an exciting new monthly feature our freelance writer, Michelle St. Onge, is introducing, Best Practices. A recurring theme of our annual Strictly Business Forums is the common problems we share. Michelle’s idea is to take a look at those problems, identify the businesses that are dealing well with them and then bring you their solutions. Let Michelle tell you more about her idea starting on page 14.

I am excited every time I hear a new business is coming to the North Country: Bombardier, Nova Bus and now Norsk, but let’s not forget that small businesses are the economic engine of the country. In the past 35 years, the number of small businesses in the U.S. has increased 49 percent. Here in our area we see “new neighbors” opening all the time and that’s good for business.