Archive: Business & Technology

The T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, in partnership with eCornell, announced the release of a new online course, 'Nutrition for a Healthy Heart.' The new course features lectures from Cornell University faculty, the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, and the University of Rochester School of Medicine, as well as bestselling authors and researchers.

“Most people know that heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the U.S. and other Western countries,” says Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus at Cornell University. “And most people know, more or less, that diet is a factor in causing heart disease, but only a few really know how profound is this effect or which foods might be problematic. It’s time to highlight scientific evidence that demonstrates how heart disease can be prevented and, even more dramatically, how people can be treated to reverse this disease.”

Lori WhiteTompkins Trust Company and the Legacy Foundation announced that two area teachers were recognized with this year’s awards for their outstanding efforts to improve education in their districts.  This year’s recipients are Kim Slocum of Groton Junior/Senior High School and Lori White of Newfield Middle School.

Kim Slocum was honored for her work in education at the Groton Junior/Senior High School and has been teaching math for 15 years. Kim is able to motivate the most challenging students, the most highly motivated, and everyone in between.  She truly has a passion for her job, and really enjoys her students.

The Office of State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli (OSC) has notified Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD) that they will audit the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (IDA). TCAD manages the IDA on behalf of the county.  DiNapoli has questioned the effectiveness of IDAs throughout the state, and has argued for more state oversight and accountability.

“In many parts of New York, IDA projects provide a much-needed boost to local economic development efforts,” DiNapoli said last May. “However, I continue to stress the need for more accountability and disclosure to ensure taxpayers are getting their money’s worth. Accurate reporting is vital for determining whether job creation goals are reaching their benchmarks and this report shows improvements need to be made. New Yorkers should not be left to doubt the effectiveness of providing businesses with tax breaks and other benefits.”

On June 10, 2014 members from the Ithaca Board of Realtors® attended a Lobby Day with hundreds of other Realtors® from across New York State. Our legislators listened to the issues and responded positively on many topics of concern to the real estate industry.

When the legislative session officially closed on Friday, June 20th, several of the New York State Association of Realtors®' legislative priorities were passed by both the Senate and Assembly.  One important bill ensures the continued availability of FHA loans in New York. Another bill requires builders, prior to entering into a contract to construct a one or two family residence under three stories in height, to provide the buyer with information on the installation of fire sprinklers.

After years of planning, the Cayuga Birthplace has opened. The new state-of-the-art multi-million dollar maternity center is located on the first floor of the Cayuga Medical Center.  Facilities include six labor and delivery rooms, 12 post-partum rooms, a neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with four bassinets - in addition to four single family NICU rooms (these rooms allow for individualized and family centered infant care).  And new for our region: a Cesarean Section Surgical Operating Room within the Labor and Delivery Suite, making access in need seamless.

Other amenities will include: family areas with sleeper beds in each patient room, whirlpool tubs in each Labor and Delivery Room, generous access to natural light and views to the grounds, and also comfortable spa-like interiors that reference nature to create a warm and welcoming environment, all the way from garden to lake views.

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is leasing properties to golf courses, a university and a private yacht club for less than 10 percent of the assessed fair market rental value without justification, in some cases waiving rent altogether, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“The unusual nature of these deals makes it critical that NYPA fully document and disclose the nature and justification for them,” DiNapoli said. “NYPA hasn’t shown that these tenants are the only ones that could provide required recreational use of these properties.”

School’s Out Charters/Fingerlakes Wine Cruises, LLC has received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award. The accolade, which honors hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide.  Establishments awarded the Certificate of Excellence are located all over the world and represent the upper echelon of businesses listed on the website.  The wine cruise business is based in Lansing.

“TripAdvisor is pleased to honor exceptional hospitality businesses for consistent excellence,” said Marc Charron, President of TripAdvisor for Business. “The Certificate of Excellence award gives top performing establishments around the world the recognition they deserve, based on feedback from those who matter most – their customers. From Australia to Zimbabwe, we want to applaud exceptional hospitality businesses for offering TripAdvisor travellers a great customer experience.”

Nearly 2 million New Yorkers rely on private wells for drinking water. Most of them have never done extensive testing to know what's in their water. Now, thousands of Otsego County residents have a very good idea of their water quality, thanks to a recent initiative to document baseline water quality in advance of hydrofracking, which may or may not be approved in New York.

The Otsego County Conservation Association (OCCA), a nonprofit organization based in Cooperstown, recently contracted with the Ithaca-based nonprofit water testing lab, Community Science Institute (CSI), to collect water samples from 76 homes and 7 public water supplies for pre-fracking baseline analysis. At least one sample was taken from a well in each of the municipalities in Otsego County. This project is a welcomed addition to CSI's online groundwater database, which now holds an unprecedented baseline data set of comprehensive results from over 250 private wells in New York state.

TCAT has expanded its Route 22 summer service to travel to more destinations seven days a week, instead of weekdays only. The expanded route will now travel to Lower Buttermilk Falls State Park and Lower Robert H.Treman State Park to the southwest of the county. The new service is in addition to the service it has been offering to Stewart Park, Cass Park, Cayuga Nature Center and Taughannock Falls State Park to the county’s northwest.

Sat.‑Sun. service begins Sat., June 7, and Mon.-Fri. service begins Mon., June 23.

INCODEMA3D, LLC announced it is the first company accepted into the StartUp NY under the charter of Cornell University. As part of the StartUp NY program, INCODEMA3D will partner with Cornell University to leverage technology developed at Cornell in the fields of industrial 3D printing and material development for 3D printing. INCODEMA3D is positioned to meet the demands of 3D printing of system-level components for aerospace, medical, automotive, and energy applications.

"Our acceptance into StartUp NY allows INCODEMA3D and New York State a level playing field against non-tax states such as Texas and Florida," said INCODEMA3D President & CEO Sean Whittaker.  "More significantly, it partners us with Cornell University, one of the most prestigious research institutions in the country. I truly feel this program will allow us to create synergy between industry and education, to share experience and industrial resources with cutting-edge research, and to foster greater economic success for everyone involved."

Acting on the recommendation of its Economic Development Committee, the Legislature is urging the State Legislature and the Governor to reject proposed legislation, entitled the 'Just and Open Business Subsidies (JOBS) Act of 2014', that would take away the autonomy of local Industrial Development Agencies and require benefits provided through those IDAs to go through the State’s regional Consolidated Funding Application process.

Officials maintain that change would cause significant delays and would undermine the local economic development process.  The measure was approved by a vote of 13-1, with Legislator Carol Chock voting no.

Eric C. LindstromThankTank Creative, a consulting, design, and marketing firm, launched this month and according to Eric C. Lindstrom, President, the firm provides expert business consulting, graphic design, and market planning for socially just, environmentally-conscious, and vegan companies.

“ThankTank Creative ties together my two passions: creative communication with veganism,” Lindstrom said. “With my over two decades of experience in marketing small and mid-sized businesses around the world, ThankTank helps me better target and focus on what I believe in most: helping animals and the environment.”