Archive: Business & Technology

On May 25, at ExxonMobil's annual shareholders' meeting, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and the Church of England — supported by more than 60 institutional investors — will urge the company to address climate change risk. At the meeting, ExxonMobil's board of directors will hear directly from major shareholders who want the company to assess and report on how its business model will adjust to the worldwide effort to limit climate change.

"Combating climate change presents risks and opportunities that ExxonMobil needs to address," said DiNapoli, who is trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund. "We need to know if ExxonMobil is taking into account the growth of lower carbon economies and taking steps to protect the long-term value of our investments. Earlier this year, the company tried unsuccessfully to get the Securities and Exchange Commission to keep investors from voting on these important questions at the annual meeting. ExxonMobil's peers are stepping up to address climate risk, it's time they did so as well."

After months of creative collaboration Treleaven Wines is excited to reveal their newly rebranded sweet wines, the Treleaven Sophistocrats, to benefit the Tompkins County SPCA.

The line is made up of three sweet wines formerly known as the Saumon, Gilded Lily and Mystére.  The update includes imaginative, playful labels of illustrated animals, as well as the SPCA branding on the foil capsule.  A portion of the purchase price will be donated to the Tompkins County SPCA in their continuing work to advance the safety and well being of animals in the local area.

Morgan Stanley announced Monday that Jeremy Downs and Beth Prudence, Financial Advisors in the Firm's Seneca Street office, have created The Lenroc Team at Morgan Stanley. The Lenroc Team takes a client-centric approach to financial planning and investment management; aligning specific resources that help professionals and families meet their financial goals.

Both Downs and Prudence are graduates from Cornell University. Downs graduated in '05 with a degree in Applied Economics and Management. A four year letter winner on the hockey team, he played in every contest for The Big Red, including two ECAC championships and a trip to the NCAA Frozen Four. Following a professional hockey career in the US and Europe, Downs and his wife returned to Ithaca to raise their three boys.

Tompkins Trust Company welcomes Partner/Owner of Cayuga Venture Fund Jennifer Tegan to its Board of Directors.

Tegan is president of the Upstate Venture Association of New York board (UVANY), a membership trade organization whose mission is to increase access to capital for entrepreneurs and companies in Upstate New York.  As part of her role with Cayuga Venture Fund, she also serves on the corporate boards of GiveGab (Ithaca, NY), Intrinsiq Materials (Rochester, NY) and True Gault (New York, NY).

Tompkins Trust Company has awarded Tompkins Connect $1,000 on behalf of the Fab 5 Awards committee to support young professionals' development and community involvement.

The Fab 5 Awards celebrate the achievements of young professionals in Tompkins County. Tompkins Trust Company sponsored the first Fab 5 Awards in February. Five outstanding individuals who are excelling in their fields and giving back to the community were honored.

Batavia -- Tompkins Insurance Agencies has hired Emily Richardson as an account executive in its Personal Lines division. She is based out of the office located at 1051 Craft Road in Ithaca.

In her new role, Richardson will be responsible for building client relationships and identifying methods to mitigate or transfer risk by creating customized insurance solutions. She will primarily serve businesses across Tompkins and the surrounding counties.
 

Buffalo, NY -- Upstate New York businesses are reporting to BBB's Scam Tracker that a phony directory invoice is coming in via fax, demanding payment for services that owners say they didn't receive.

The invoice, from American Yellow Group, claims to be from the "outsourced billing department" in Bulgaria. The notice states that the business purchased "Facebook and Twitter features" and that it is the "last chance to protect your credit score in good standing."

The Tompkins County Workers' Center is pleased to announce that it has now recognized 106 area businesses and organizations as Certified Living Wage Employers, with the addition of an historic non-profit and an anchor union in the Ithaca community, and the nine workers at these organizations.

The History Center in Tompkins County traces its origins back to 1863 when Ezra Cornell founded Ithaca, New York's first historical society. While it has evolved through many guises and incarnations during the 153 years since, it represents successive generations of people who have worked together to preserve and share this community's local history.

Abby Peterson has joined Tompkins Trust Company as a marketing communications business partner, according to Gregg McAllister, vice president of marketing communications.

Her responsibilities include coordinating marketing initiatives, events and media relations in the Tompkins Trust Company market of Central New York and the Finger Lakes.  In addition, she will provide marketing support for other banks throughout Tompkins Financial Corporation, focusing on graphics and social media campaigns.

Buffalo, NY -- Every spring, people's thoughts turn to outdoor projects, including concrete and paving. Since March 1, Better Business Bureau of Upstate New York received over 6,300 inquiries from the public about paving contractors.

A check of BBB's Scam Tracker shows that paving scams are being reported across the country. Most of the reports start the same way, with someone coming to the front door and saying, "we were doing a job down the street and had leftover material, do you want us to do your driveway, too?" And, many people report a loss of money, some upwards of $1,000.

Tompkins Financial Corporation (NYSEMKT:TMP) Tompkins Financial Corporation reported net income of $14.2 million for the first quarter of 2016, an increase of 11.8% from the $12.7 million reported for the same period in 2015.  Diluted earnings per share were $0.94 for the first quarter of 2016, an 11.9% increase from $0.84 reported for the first quarter of 2015.

President and CEO, Stephen S. Romaine said "We are excited to start off the new year with the best first quarter earnings results in our history.  Solid loan growth, coupled with a stabilizing net interest margin, have been key drivers of growth over the prior year.  At the same time, we have seen continued improvement in credit quality trends, with nonperforming assets improved from already low levels."

Love Living at Home (LLH), a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has opened in Tompkins County to help older adults live at home as long as possible.  LLH follows a national model that seeks to improve access to services, increase socialization and civic engagement, and strengthen a sense of community among its participants.  These virtual villages are a consumer driven strategy to support successful aging at home.

"Love Living at Home is not a place on a map - it is a gateway to relationships and resources for older adults who desire to live in the homes and neighborhoods they love. We are a welcoming network of people helping people. Our programs enrich life and forge connections for new friendships. When you need peace of mind, support is one phone call away." Kathleen M. Garner, LLH board chair, said.