Archive: Business & Technology

Coltivare, the Farm to Bistro culinary center of Tompkins Cortland Community College is now accepting reservations for private and corporate events.  The venue is available for holiday celebrations, weddings, social galas, and corporate bookings, according to John Svensson, Catering and Event Manager.

"Our mission is to create memories for each client.  The quality and detail of the menu, decor, and service are customized to meet the desires of our clients. Our goal is to make each event stand apart and exceed guest expectations" says Svensson.

On October 29, the Rotary Club of Ithaca presented its 17th annual Pride of Workmanship awards to five deserving individuals in Tompkins County. The award recognizes area employees whose outstanding work performance in their organization is "above and beyond the call of duty" and is instrumental in the achievement of the organization's performance goals.

Rotary's Pride of Workmanship committee chair Joan Schnaper announced the 2014 winners:

New York State spending increased 3.3 percent to $137.5 billion while State-funded debt declined slightly to $63.3 billion, according to the annual report on the Financial Condition of New York State released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“Recent budget actions and an economy that continues to strengthen have helped address the state’s structural imbalance, but more progress is needed,” DiNapoli said. “Our budget is still dependent on billions of dollars in temporary resources that will have to be replaced down the road.  Our cash position and outlook are better than they were just a few short years ago, but until we stop depending on one-time or non-recurring resources, we will not achieve long-term balance.”

A few weeks ago I wrote about how much I liked the similarities between iOS 7 and iOS eight. Well iOS eight had a lot to offer, I didn't need to go through a large learning curve to read learn the things I already knew how to use.

The same can be said for the newest version of OS X Yosemite. It's the same, but different. What you know how to do doesn't change, but it adds features that you can learn at your own speed. The upgrade is free to OS X Mavericks users simply by going to the app store and clicking on the download button.

All the hype and all the chatter about the iPhone 6 Plus obscures common sense.  Is it too big to carry?  Could it replace an iPad?  Is it even usable?  The bottom line is that if you have a big telephone it's going to be easy to use and clumsy to carry.  It doesn't take too many brains to figure that out.

Because the wait was so long from the time I ordered my new phone to a month later when it finally arrived, I started worrying that I would not like it when it finally arrived.  I read all the reviews.  I held a full-size paper cut out of the phone in my hand.  I constantly reminded myself of the reasons I wanted a much bigger phone.  And I told myself that just because the very idea of a word like 'phablet' (phone-tablet) disgusts me, it doesn't mean I wouldn't like my new phone.

The Hangar Theatre won the second round of Tompkins Trust Company’s Community Minute Challenge and took home a $1,000 cash prize.  The Community Minute Challenge, a social media contest, is an extension of Tompkins Trust Company’s Community Minute Program, which promotes local non-profits on the radio every month.  At the end of the contest in April 2015, one local organization will walk away with $6,000.

Five community organizations competed for the $1,000 prize during the second round of the Challenge.  Competing organizations included the Hangar Theatre, the Alcohol and Drug Council of Tompkins County, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention of Tompkins County, Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties, and Tompkins Connect.  All of these community organizations created minute-long videos explaining how they have had a positive impact in Tompkins County.  During a two week voting blitz, the public voted for their favorite video via the Tompkins Trust Facebook page.

Congressman Tom Reed toured the Evaporated Metal Films (EMF) facility in Ithaca to promote National Manufacturing Day and discuss his Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act, (RAMI), which recently passed the House of Representatives with a strong showing of support from Members on both sides of the aisle.

“I’m really pleased to be joined by EMF, and members of the photonics and optics industry to recognize National Manufacturing Day,” Reed said. “Caring about manufacturing is what our bill is all about, and I truly believe that companies such as EMF can benefit from RAMI and help create the next generation of manufacturing jobs in our region. I’d also like to thank The Optical Society, which has been very supportive of my RAMI legislation.”

The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) recently announced the winners of the 2014 Community Credit Union of the Year Award. Presented in two categories based on asset size, Alternatives Federal Credit Union won for the “less than $250 million in assets” category.
 
The award honors credit unions that consistently excel in the advancement of credit union ideals, are proactive in their communities, and meet the needs of their own diverse member bases. The yearly judging process considers three aspects of each credit union applicant: member impact, community impact, and financial impact.

A locally owned, independent pizza shop is among the nation’s best-performing pizzerias, according to Pizza Today magazine, the leading publication of the $42 billion pizza industry. The magazine, which annually ranks the largest independent operations in the U.S. based on sales, this month named CiAo! Wood-Fired Pizza & Pasta to its prestigious Hot 100 list.

Based in Ithaca, CiAo! Wood-Fired Pizza & Pasta has only 1 store and reports annual sales in excess of $2.7 million. CiAo! is ranked No. 94 on the magazine’s Hot 100 list.

The Rotary Club of Ithaca is introduced four individuals Tuesday who recently joined the service club. These community members bring professional experience from the business and not-for-profit sectors and volunteer in Tompkins County. Ithaca Rotary’s motto is 'Service Above Self.' Membership is open to all who share in this belief; new members are accepted year-round.

“The Ithaca Rotary Club is delighted to welcome these individuals,” said Rotary Membership Chair Ron Provus. “Our members come from all walks of life and have a wide variety of interests to match those of Rotary. As members of Ithaca Rotary, individuals give of their time and skills to positively impact the needs of our community.”

Tompkins Insurance Agencies, Inc. has purchased the employee benefits book of business from Aigen Financial Group, LLC. of Ithaca, effective October 1, 2014, according to David S. Boyce, President and CEO.

The change in ownership will further enhance the service customers will receive, according to Suzanne Aigen, owner of Aigen Financial Group. “I am confident our employee benefits clients will see immediate value in the additional products and services a company the size of Tompkins represents,” she said. Tompkins Insurance has been serving the Ithaca community for more than 100 years, with local professionals providing customizable benefits options for businesses of any size. Additionally, the company offers a large array of related services including HR Consulting, wellness programs and HSAs, as well as solutions to help businesses address Health Care Reform and other industry changes.

State tax collections through the first five months of the state fiscal year were $26.9 billion,  $119.3 million higher than projected in the latest Financial Plan update but 1.3 percent less than the same period last year, according to the August cash report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli . DiNapoli also noted that state coffers have been bolstered by nearly $3.5 billion from financial settlements since the budget was enacted, approximately $3.2 billion more than initially anticipated.

“The current state fiscal year is nearly half over, and the state’s cash position is strong,” DiNapoli said. “Settlements have already brought the state more than $3 billion , and more is on the way. The level of tax receipts is important for purposes of ongoing budget balance, and we are seeing positive numbers there as well.”