Archive: Business & Technology

61 New York State businesses, community colleges and community-based organizations will receive funding for workforce development totaling $3.4 million as part of the state's historic $175 million Workforce Development Initiative. Professional training is expected to provide 2,464 New Yorkers with in-demand skills. Grant funds are provided by the Department of Labor, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and The State University of New York. Since launching in May 2019, nearly $6.5 million has been awarded through the Workforce Development Initiative.

"These awards will help ensure that thousands of workers across the state are not only prepared for the jobs of today, but are ready to take on the jobs of tomorrow," said Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. "New York's workforce must adapt to the rapidly changing, modern economy and the Workforce Development Initiative will give our workers the edge they need to stay competitive."

PLOWZ & MOWZ, the nation's first and largest on-demand outdoor home services app, announced the expansion of its markets to Ithaca, NY. Plowz & Mowz hosted a meet and greet event Wednesday at Ithaca Ale House with locally, insured landscapers to introduce technology through the apps platform which aids in streamlining outdoor services from plowing to lawn care.

This event brought together landscaping professionals with the Plowz & Mowz team in an exuberant atmosphere to supply them with the help needed to grow their local business.

Noting the convenience of smart locks at a couple of Airbnbs we stayed in, I started looking at the various options over a year ago.  Smart locks are expensive, so you want to be sure you really want to live with one, and I didn't want big honkin' brass panels on both sides of my door, which eliminated most of the options on the market.  Then I stumbled across the August Smart Lock Pro.  It was getting quite good reviews, and I especially liked that it simply replaced the little flippy thingie on the inside of a deadbolt, and it would change exactly nothing in terms of how we already used our deadbolt. We could use the same keyhole on the outside of the door we have been using, and the smart lock on the inside of the door could be turned to lock and unlock -- just as we had with the flippy thingie.  Not to mention that there is no huge panel on the inside -- just a silver or black cylinder -- kind of big compared to what was there, but understandably so because it has to be able to fit four AA batteries.

Without taking away analog functionality, the device also allows you to lock and unlock your door using an app on your cell phone, by telling your smart speaker to lock or unlock the door, or using an optional keypad.  The package I bought included a WI-FI bridge, which you need to access the lock remotely and/or to interface with Alexa.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli is urging New Yorkers this holiday season to read the fine print on gift cards for details about fees and expiration dates. While some gift cards sellers have eliminated inactivity fees, consumers should still ask whether fees apply. DiNapoli also reminds recipients to spend their new gift cards in a timely manner, otherwise the money could eventually get turned over to the Office of Unclaimed Funds.

"After the holiday season wraps up, many New Yorkers tend to forget or lose track of their gift cards," DiNapoli said. "Last year my office received over $13 million worth of unused cards. As a rule of thumb, New Yorkers should register the card with the retailer and use gift cards within a year of purchase to avoid inactivity fees."

New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul announced last week that the ninth round of Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative awards for each of the 10 economic development regions in the state.

The Southern Tier, an eight-county region including Tompkins County, was one of five top performers, receiving $88.9 million to support economic development projects.

Despite a now decade-long economic expansion in the country, New York still lags behind other states when it comes to its rainy day reserves, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

"The time to prepare for serious fiscal problems is before they arrive," DiNapoli said. "The need for a cushion to fall back on is especially urgent today amid signs of a slowing economy. As the financial capital of the world, New York is particularly sensitive to economic downturns, which can put a significant strain on our budget."

Tompkins Trust Company has hired Nancy Bussieres as Employee Relations Manager. She will report to Scott Pronti, Vice President, Human Resources.

Bussieres was previously with Cayuga Medical Center and has nine years of experience in Human Resources. In her role she will be responsible for fostering an environment that embodies team member experience throughout the life-cycle of one's career at Tompkins. She will identify and execute programs that enrich the culture, promote inclusion, and foster team member engagement.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation (S.2302/A.5294) Monday prohibiting consumer reporting agencies and lenders from using the credit scores of people in a consumer's social network to determine that individual's credit worthiness.

"Basing someone's credit score on who they know is not only an invasion of privacy, it is a way for these agencies to unfairly target and penalize low-income New Yorkers," Cuomo said. "This law will keep these unscrupulous agencies in check, end this unfair practice once and for all and help ensure New Yorkers receive more fair and accurate credit ratings."

Left to right: Jason Moore (Tompkins Trust Company Commercial Lender & United Way Board Chair) Faye Burke (Tompkins Trust Company Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner and United Way Campaign Co-Chair), Matt Forney (Tompkins Financial Advisors Wealth Advisor), and James Brown (United Way of Tompkins County President & CEO)
Tompkins Financial's annual United Way Campaign raised $62,295 for the United Way of Tompkins County. All three affiliates of Tompkins (Tompkins Trust Company, Tompkins Financial Advisors, and Tompkins Insurance Agencies) contributed to the campaign through employee and corporate donations and through their annual Carnival for a Cause on the Ithaca Commons. Employees also donated goods and volunteered at the Stephen E. Garner Day of Caring. This year's Campaign Co-Chairs for Tompkins were Matt Forney, Tompkins Financial Advisors Wealth Advisor, and Faye Burke, Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner.

"All of us at Tompkins are thrilled to see how engaged our employees and the community are with the United Way of Tompkins County," said Jason Moore, Tompkins Trust Company Commercial Lender and recently elected United Way Board Chair. "Our commitment to our employees and our community are two of our key values and we are happy to see those values reflected back into our neighbors at the United Way."

Brad Totman (left) and Justin Earl
Tompkins Trust Company has promoted Brad Totman to Vice President, Commercial Lending Relationship Manager. Justin Earl was also promoted, to Small Business Lending Manager. He will report to Karen Parkes, Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking.

Totman started with Tompkins Trust Company in 2012 as a Business Development Officer for the Cortland-Dryden region. He was promoted to Small Business Lending Manager in 2017 and now to Commercial Relationship Manager in 2019. He has over 20 years of experience providing outstanding service to commercial customers. Totman is a Cortland County native. He will report to Karen Parkes, Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking.

Third quarter local sales tax collections in New York state totaled $4.8 billion, an increase of 6.3 percent over the same period last year, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“Local sales tax collections growth increased between July and September, making it the strongest quarter of 2019” DiNapoli said. “Additional internet sales tax revenue may be a contributing factor, along with the continued rise in consumer spending and wages.”

Left to right: Bucky-Amanda Seymour, Tompkins County Legislator Deborah Dawson, Village of Lansing Deputy Mayor Ronny Hardaway, Town of Lansing Councilwoman Katrina Binkewicz, Matthew Binkewicz, District Manager Joseph Emery, and store managerRobert McDowell cutting the ribbon
On Saturday, November 9, 2011, Dollar Tree Management along with the Town of Lansing and the Village of Lansing Officials, attended the official opening of their newest store. Robert McDowell, the store manager, cut the ribbon while dignitaries and Bucky-the store mascot-watched.