Archive: Business & Technology

The Tompkins County Legislature went on record in opposition to proposed changes in the Governor’s Executive Budget that would constrain the authority of local Industrial Development Agencies, such as the Tompkins County IDA, to abate sales tax for qualifying projects.

The vote was 14-1, with Legislator Dooley Kiefer voting no.  IDAs currently are authorized to abate local property taxes, the State and local share of sales taxes on construction materials and equipment, and the mortgage recording tax to support new and expanding businesses as they invest to create new jobs in New York State.

Buffalo, NY – Launch NY, a non-profit organization which devotes financial and managerial resources to accelerating the growth of high-potential startups in order to create jobs in the region, has teamed with a variety of cross-regional economic development and entrepreneurial support organizations to introduce IdeaCrossing® to Upstate New York.

This free online resource is being offered to help Upstate New York’s startup community make connections with in-region and national resources and other long-term business opportunities. The tool is being promoted in conjunction with organizations committed to supporting and advancing entrepreneurship in the region including the Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA), the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences at the University of Buffalo, Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD) and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute (EII) of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.

Charlie Banik, lifetime resident and longtime businessman, has opened a SuperGlass Windshield Repair franchise to serve Tompkins county and the surrounding area. The franchise, part of a chain of over 280 locations, specializes in the repair of rock damaged and cracked glass.

The process prevents further cracking and restores safe driving vision. It also allows for the retention of the original factory seal, which is important to the structural safety of the vehicle. Banik also performs scratch removal from glass and headlight restoration. Banik offers mobile service throughout Tompkins, Chemung, Steuben & Tioga counties.

Cash bonuses paid to New York City securities industry employees are forecast to rise by 8 percent to $20 billion during this year’s bonus season, according to an estimate released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“Wall Street is still in transition, but it is slowly adjusting to changes in its economic and regulatory environment,” DiNapoli said. "Profits and bonuses rebounded in 2012, but the industry is still restructuring. Despite its smaller size, the securities industry is still a very important part of the New York City and New York State economies."

Williamsville, NY – Tops Friendly Markets announced that the company has entered into sponsorship with Darien Lake and Live Nation at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center for the 2013 - 2015 Darien Lake Theme Park and Concert Series seasons.  

“We are thrilled to work with Darien Lake and Live Nation, two extremely reputable and consumer-focused organizations.” said Frank Curci, Tops’ president and CEO.  “We’re looking forward to providing customers with exciting opportunities as well as the convenience of purchasing park tickets right at their local Tops.”

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today that Dunkin’ Brands Group, owner of Dunkin’ Donuts, has agreed to set a date for sourcing 100 percent of the palm oil used to make its products from sustainable sources.

“Dunkin’ Brands should be commended for taking the necessary steps to use only sustainably harvested palm oil in its products,” DiNapoli said. “Consumers may not realize that many of the foods and cosmetics they eat and use contain palm oil that has been harvested in ways that are severely detrimental to the environment. Shareholder value is enhanced when companies take steps to address the risks associated with environmental practices that promote climate change.”

Qualcomm Incorporated and the New York State Common Retirement Fund (Fund) are pleased to announce today that following informative discussions, the Fund has decided to withdraw the lawsuit it filed on January 2, 2013. Qualcomm will implement a revised political spending disclosure policy which is now available on its website [link].    

“Qualcomm agrees with the New York State Common Retirement Fund that increased transparency for election-related activities by corporations is very beneficial,” said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, the CEO and Chairman of Qualcomm.  “While Qualcomm has been developing a new policy on disclosure of political expenditures for some time, engaging with the Common Retirement Fund has been helpful."

Williamsville, N.Y. – Tops Friendly Markets recently received state and national honors for its outstanding efforts in the merchandising and marketing of its beef category in Tops stores.  On January 18, Tops was awarded the ‘New York State Retail Beef Backer Award’ from the New York Beef Industry Council and on Friday, February 8, Tops was awarded the ‘2012 National Retail Innovator of the Year Award’ from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

Tops was chosen as the recipient of the New York State award in partnership with the New York Beef Industry Council for beef demand in part for its creative beef promotions.  Tops’ “What’s Your Game Plan,” “Brown Bag Your Beef,” “The 12 Roasts of the Holidays” and “What’s On Your Weekend Grill” are some of the creative beef promotions made prominent in the company’s weekly ad.

The 'Create Your Day' Wedding Expo will feature dozens of local businesses, special deals, free consultations and a bridal fashion show.  The Wedding Expo is free and open to the public, and couples who register for the Expo will receive free gift bags and a free entry in the afternoon raffle.  The Expo will be held throughout The Shops at Ithaca Mall.

One Sweet Cause! A Dessert Tasting Benefit will be held in the Mall during the Wedding Expo from 2-4 PM.  Some of Ithaca’s best pastry chefs will offer gourmet desserts for sampling.  Admission to the Benefit is a $5 donation to the Ithaca Children’s Garden, a nonprofit organization offering gardening, nutrition, and environmental stewardship-themed programs for children and the community.  Engaged couples registered for the Wedding Expo will receive free admission to the Dessert Tasting.

A few years ago cloud computing was for corporations, but in recent years it has become an important part of personal computing.  I was profoundly uncomfortable about it on two counts: First, our lives seem to be moving from a purchase model to a subscription model.  Subscription computing is more expensive because you never stop paying.  Call me old fashioned: I like to buy something once and own it.  The second point is that I simply didn't trust my stuff on some company's hard drive.  Security is hard enough when you have your stuff on your local hard drive, but when you are uploading and downloading it to and from some data center located God knows where... well it gives me the heebie jeebies.

Almost a year ago I reviewed the Buffalo Cloudstor product.  This is a hard drive that can sit on your shelf, but is securely accessible from any device.  I liked the concept for a number of practical reasons.  For instance, I take a lot of pictures when I cover events for the Lansing Star, and sometimes the subjects of those pictures want to look at them.  With the CloudStor I can provide them with a special Web address that securely accesses my drive and displays a slide show of a single picture (or sound or video file), or a slideshow.  If I set it to allow them to download the pictures they can help themselves.  It is convenient and easy.

Gimme! Coffee announced this month that the company and its partner farm, Finca San Luis, has won the Good Food Award. The third year in a row for Gimme, this year has the added honor of receiving the Good Food Award Gold Seal, which recognizes coffees that are certified organic.

Finca San Luis is a small farm in Tolima, Colombia, where farmer Omar Arango grows and mills his coffee in tiny batches. Gimme’s Director of Coffee, Colleen Anunu, traveled to Colombia and worked with Arango over the past three years to create an innovative trading model, dubbed “relationship coffee.”

At the January 17, 2013, Board of Directors meeting, The TCAD (Tompkins County Area Development) Board of Directors elected Board Officers as follows:

Chair - Greg Hartz, President & CEO, Tompkins Trust Company
Vice Chair - John Rudd, President & CEO, Cayuga Medical Center
Secretary/Treasurer - Andrew Sciarabba, South Hill Business Campus