Archive: Business & Technology

H. Fisk Johnson '79, M.Eng. '80, M.S. '82, MBA '84, Ph.D. '86, and SC Johnson have committed $150 million for Cornell University's College of Business, which comprises the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, the School of Hotel Administration, and the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. It is the largest single gift to Cornell's Ithaca campus and the second largest gift to name a U.S. business school.

In recognition of this historic gift and the Johnson family's extraordinary, multigenerational legacy of leadership and philanthropy to Cornell, the Cornell University Board of Trustees has approved renaming the college the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

Walnut Ridge Dairy, LLC, formerly Hardie Farms of Lansing, NY, received 2017 Business of the Year Honors at the historic 185th Annual Forum of the NYS Agricultural Society on January 5th. The Forum is one of the largest meetings of the agricultural industry in NYS.

Walnut Ridge Dairy, LLC was founded by Dave and Joan Hardie in 1951 with 14 cows and 170 acres. Today the enterprise manages a milking herd of 1,400 or more animals. As their son Skip Hardie acknowledges, "they had no farm background," but Dave had innovative ideas on how a farm business should operate, including his willingness to share ownership with people outside the family.

Beth MielbrechtChallenge Workforce Solutions has announced the members who will serve as its Board of Directors for 2017. The company is a non-profit committed to creating pathways to employment for people with disabilities or barriers.

Challenge announced that Beth Mielbrecht, Partner and Senior Engineer at Taitem Engineering in Ithaca, will serve as the Chairperson of the Board. Steve Savage, Associate Vice President in Ithaca College's Office of Institutional Advancement, will serve as the Board's Vice Chair. Kelley Yeomans, Senior Director of Finance & IT in Facilities Services at Cornell University, will serve in the role of Treasurer. Jacob Yale, a teacher in the Ithaca City School District, will serve as the Board's Secretary.

Public authorities in New York have accumulated $267 billion in debt, the equivalent of $13,487 for every resident in the state, according to a report issued today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The amount of debt reported by state and local authorities is now posted on DiNapoli's transparency website, OpenBookNewYork.com.

"New York's public authorities play an increasingly influential role in government yet they operate outside the traditional checks and balances that apply to state agencies," DiNapoli said. "Some of these entities are repeatedly used in a way that circumvents borrowing limits and oversight. As a result, New York is shouldering a huge debt load issued by public entities operating in the shadows that voters never approved."

Many of New York's local governments are coping with slow or no revenue growth, making it difficult for them to maintain services while keeping pace with rising fixed costs such as health care, according to the 2016 annual report on the state's local governments released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

"New York's municipal governments are seeing sales tax revenue growth slow and state aid remain essentially flat while they and school districts are coping with tax cap and tax freeze initiatives that limit growth in property taxes," DiNapoli said. "As local governments adapt to changing circumstances, my office will continue to support them with training, analysis and guidance."

When we bought our house it had no doorbell.  What it did have was a small length of wire sticking out of a hole next to the front door.  So we got a door knocker.  At one point I installed a little motion sensor for the front light, which I cleverly, I thought, covered the little doorbell wire with.  Bad idea!  People tried to press it, and when it didn't press they pressed harder until the little motion sensor was smashed.  Predictably, the doorbell we didn't have still didn't ring!

Wireless doorbells have been around for a while, but one wants a doorbell to be simple.  It can be fun, but it really should be simple.  So I decided to take a leap of faith and try Honeywell's portable wireless doorbell.  With the ability to use your own MP3s and all kinds of flashing lights it might be a little too much fun, but it certainly is simple.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli reminded New Yorkers that contributions to a New York State 529 College Savings Program account are tax deductible*.

New York's 529 College Savings Program is an investment tool designed to help parents save for college. Contributions made by Dec. 31 can provide up to $10,000 in state tax deductions on 2016 income tax filings. Parents and other participants have paid for more than $1.1 billion in college-related expenses through the program since Jan. 1.

"New Yorkers should consider investing in a New York 529 College Savings account today and give the gift of savings for higher education this holiday season," said DiNapoli. "Our program offers low fees and tax deductions for parents and loved ones who want to get a head start on saving for college. It's never too early or too late to lay a foundation for a student's future."

As of December 31st, 2016, the New York State Minimum Wage increases significantly. Fast food workers in Tompkins County and throughout the upstate areas must be paid at least $10.75/hour (a $1 increase). All other workers must be paid at least $9.70/hour (an increase of 70 cents).

The fast food minimum wage applies to chains that have 30 or more locations nationwide and that primarily serve food or drinks, whether as eat-in or take out (so typically without full table service). Local examples are: Chipotle, Dunkin Donuts, KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy's and others.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today urged New Yorkers to read the fine print on gift cards this holiday season for details about fees and expiration dates. While some gift card sellers have done away with inactivity fees, consumers should still ask whether fees apply when purchasing a gift card. As a rule of thumb, DiNapoli said New Yorkers should register the card with the retailer and use gift cards within a year of purchase to avoid inactivity fees.

Money from unused gift cards issued by New York businesses is turned over to the State Comptroller's office as abandoned property after five years of dormancy. In State Fiscal Year 2015-16, $11 million from gift cards was turned over to the state's Abandoned Property Fund.

Albany - Governor Cuomo announced the winners of Round 6 of the Regional Economic Development Council program December 8th. 14 Tompkins County projects were funded, including Cargill, Inc., Tompkins County Solid Waste, Kitchen Theatre Company, Cornell University, Ithaca Shakespeare Company, Inc., Hanger Theatre, the Sciencenter, the History Center, WSKG Public Radio, the Town of Ulysses, the Town of Ithaca, and Tompkins County itself.

Over $700 million in funding was awarded across all of New York State. The Southern Tier Regional Council encompasses Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Delaware, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins Counties. $60.4 million was awarded to 63 projects in the region, including the 12 in Tompkins County.

New York state ranked first nationwide in nonprofit jobs and organizations, with nearly 1.3 million employees and more than 31,000 organizations in 2012, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The jobs comprised more than 18 percent of all private sector employment in the state.

"Nonprofits take care of New Yorkers, whether it is providing shelter from the cold, a helpful hand or a voice when they don't have one," DiNapoli said. "This report shows nonprofits have a significant impact on our economy through the number of jobs they provide and the wages they pay. Given the ongoing challenges facing many nonprofits in New York, it's important that we develop a better understanding of this key sector of our economy that delivers vital services."

The state Department of Health (DOH) erroneously made $16.6 million in Medicaid payments to 95 home health providers over a 3 1/2-year period, largely because the agency mistakenly paid for more days of care than what was provided, according to an audit released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

"Home health care providers fill a great need by allowing patients to stay in their homes and avoid costly placement in hospitals or rehabilitation centers," DiNapoli said. "However, my auditors found numerous instances where the state Department of Health's eMedNY billing system paid providers for weeks of service, when only days of care had been given."