Archive: Business & Technology

( Ithaca , NY ) As a software developer and consulting firm focused on the new creative economy, Concept Systems Inc. could have moved anywhere in the northeast, or the country when it ran out of space. 

But it didn’t.

CSI President and C.E.O. Mary Kane and her husband opted instead to invest their own money as private citizens, to purchase a 100 year old building at 136 The Commons, and move the firm there, keeping 15 employees in the midst of downtown Ithaca ’s dynamic environment that includes retailers, restaurants and the occasional downtown fair or festival.

Penn Yan, NY – May 12, 2008 – Ithaca-based Smith Marketing Services has been chosen as the public relations and marketing agency for the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance, the umbrella organization of 14 counties promoting tourism in the Finger Lakes. The choice was the result of a three-month process involving 15 agencies; the committee was unanimous in their selection.

“We are extraordinarily pleased by the Alliance’s decision,” Doug Smith, SMS president, said. “This is an extraordinary place and we are grateful to have a hand in promoting the Finger Lakes to the world. At the same time, we are looking forward to growing this important part of our regional economy.”

In an area as diverse as ours it shouldn't be surprising that there are a large number of accomplished women from every background or walk of life.  The surprise at last week's Cayuga Radio Group's Women's Expo 2008 was the depth of inspiration gained as this year's class of '20 Outstanding Women You Should Know' had their stories told. "What I think is amazing about this year's class, not that last year's class didn't have the same qualities... but we had a broader spectrum of women this year," says Cayuga Radio group's News Director Geoff Dunn.  "Geographically, diversity-wise, women from all walks of life and professional standing.  That's fabulous."

The Expo took over the TC3 Sports Complex on May 8th.  Area businesses had booths around the space where they could showcase their goods and services.  But the real focus of the evening was two presentations, each honoring ten women.  Honorees were escorted onto the stage by tuxedoed radio hosts and presented with flowers and a plaque as their nominating letters were read.  Then each woman gave a brief speech.

If you're a small-business owner, you put your heart, soul - and most of your time - into your business. Unfortunately, sheer hard work doesn't always translate into financial security - so you'll need to take some additional steps.

Here are a few to consider:

Protect your business against the loss of a key employee. If you have an employee with valuable management or sales skills, and this person were to die unexpectedly, your business could suffer. That's why you may want to write a "key-person" life insurance plan on this employee. In its simplest form, key-person coverage pays cash to your company, which is usually the policy beneficiary, when the designated employee dies or becomes disabled. Key-person insurance also can be structured to fund deferred-compensation arrangements or buyout agreements between partners.

ITHACA, NY - At the annual mangers meeting of Saga Communications, parent company of Ithaca's Cayuga Radio Group, General Manager, Susan Johnston, was honored with the new title of President/General Manager.

CEO, Ed Christian said, "Our mission, as a company, is first and foremost, localism. Do creative things to serve the public and people will listen. If we work to understand the needs of our local clients, the advertising will work. Susan Johnston and the staff of Cayuga Radio Group have demonstrated a long history of service to the Ithaca/Cortland community. We are very proud of their accomplishments."

Garden Gate, an Ithaca-based local food delivery service, is expanding to include the Town and Village of Lansing in their delivery area.  The expansion will take place in early June and will coincide with their new Thursday deliveries of Full Plate Farm Collective’s CSA shares.

The expansion will bring local food staples such as produce, meat, milk and breads to the doorsteps of Lansing residents and businesses.  Customers can also sign up to receive CSA deliveries from Full Plate to their homes, thereby saving themselves a trip to the grocery store.  Garden Gate hopes to bring farm-fresh foods to lovers of fine foods, locavores, rural residents and people who can’t easily reach grocery stores.

The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at The Plantsmen Nursery on Friday, April 25th.  The Plantsmen Nursery specializes in native plants for all horticultural settings and natural habitats--from downtown and suburban ornamental gardens, to pond restoration, wetland plantings in creeks and streams, woodlands and meadows.

Daniel Segal took ownership of The Plantsmen Nursery in May of 2006.  Within two years, the nursery has almost completely re-crafted its identity, and established its niche in the nursery scene of Central NY.  

Mother's Day arrives this Sunday. You could, of course, give Mom some flowers, and she'd probably appreciate them. But if your mother is a certain age, you might also want to make another type of gift - a gift that can help her enjoy the retirement lifestyle she's envisioned.

If you don't think your mother needs this type of gift, consider this: With advances in health care, today's retirees can easily live two or even three decades in retirement. Furthermore, women still outlive men, on average, by several years. In other words, your mother will likely have to pay for decades of retirement - and during some of those years, she may be solely responsible for making financial decisions.

Bargains from Washington must seem rare. When was the last time you read a positive story about the federal bureaucracy? Or an agency that saved taxpayer dollars by improving programs or making tough business decisions?

Such agencies exist, and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is among them. GSA was created in 1949 to handle the business of government. That is, GSA provides goods, services and workspace to all the other agencies at best value so they can concentrate on their core missions.

You may not be familiar with its formal name - the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 - but you're almost certainly aware of its key outcome: a tax rebate. Now comes the big question: What should you do with it?

If you spend it, you will do your part to help stimulate the economy. But by investing the rebate, you could help speed your progress toward your long-term financial goals, such as a comfortable retirement.

Before we look at investment possibilities, let's quickly go over the "nuts and bolts" of the plan:

You may or may not engage in many of the typical activities of "spring cleaning" - de-cluttering the attic, reorganizing your closets, touching up the paint, etc. - but you can almost certainly benefit from "sprucing up" your financial situation.

As you survey your financial landscape, what areas might you want to tidy up? Here are a few suggestions:

When you're working, you probably focus on how much you're putting in to your investment portfolio. But when you retire, how much you take out will be a matter of considerable interest. And that's why you have to prepare the proper withdrawal strategies.

Specifically, once you retire, you'll need to decide what percentage of your investment portfolio you can withdraw each year without running out of money. How much can you take out annually?