Archive: Business & Technology

The Ithaca Health Alliance's Board of Directors announced that Abbe Lyons has been hired as Executive Director, and began work on May 7. Lyons is a long-time member and provider member of the Health Alliance, and has prior experience volunteering at free clinics in San Francisco and Washington DC. She is trained as a Feldenkrais (R) practitioner and Reiki Master, and has additional training in acupressure.

Communities grant tax incentives to businesses to create jobs and increase tax revenue.  The question is how much the community gets for the dollars it foregoes.  Two weeks ago New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued a report critical of Industrial Development Agencies (IDA) in New York State, saying taxpayers don't get enough bang for their tax incentive bucks.  A proposed DiNapoli-backed bill in the state legislature (A.9690) would impose additional reporting obligations on local IDAs.  But Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD) President Michael Stamm says that IDAs in New York State are already over-burdened with state reporting, and are doing a good job of brining new jobs and tax revenue to their areas.

"I think the vast majority of IDAs across the state are doing a great job, and there are some that are doing an excellent job," Stamm says.  "I think we're one of those.  I think the rest are doing a good job, and there is a tiny percentage of IDAs that perhaps need to improve the way they operate.  While (DiNapoli) may be doing a good job on other issues, the report on IDAs, and in particular his press release, really doesn't reflect what IDAs do.  It really misrepresents some of the main issues."

Performance Systems Development (PSD), a building performance software and services provider, joins other leading technology companies and utilities to announce that it has joined Green Button, an industry-led initiative to empower consumers to make informed decisions on efforts to reduce their energy bills.

Last year, the White House issued a call to action, challenging industry to provide electricity customers with easy access to their energy usage data in a secure, user-friendly, electronic format via a “Green Button” on their utilities web site. Access to data on energy use can play a large role in helping consumers conserve energy and save money by accessing new tools and services developed by third parties.

National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY hosted a Sunday, May 6th auction that featured a broad range of rare antique books, as well as a quantity of ephemera and artwork.

An impressive collection of World’s Fair ephemera and other material was sold from the estate of Charles Rand Penney. Another estate included a quantity of signed artwork and prints, along with numerous original engravings including an original piece signed by celebrated artist, James Abbott McNeill Whistler. Ephemera lots sold included magazines, advertising and various other genres, along with an original letter signed by Albert Einstein.

Triphammer Marketplace will host SpringFest, a free community event May 5, 10am-1pm.  The event will feature live entertainment, free snacks and activities and lots of Mother’s Day shopping.

Entertainment includes Magic & Comedy by David Moreland, Festive Face Painting by Cami & Crew, Ithaca Children’s Choir, School of Rock Bands, Balloon Animals, and Story Telling with Mr. John at Kumon of Ithaca.

The buzz word in modern computing is 'cloud', where you store all your stuff on a big computer out there someplace and you can access it from anywhere over the Internet on any device.  Dropbox is one of the more popular cloud services, and Apple, Google and Amazon all have clouds.  I like the concept, but I am uncomfortable with the idea with putting my stuff on someone else's computer.  How do I know they are going to keep their cloud running forever so I will always have my stuff?  How do I know my stuff isn't being accessed by someone with access to their stuff?  Yeah, it's paranoid, but I really don't want my stuff on their stuff.

But what if you could put your stuff on your own cloud drive and access it on any device from the Internet?  You would have the absolute confidence that you are the only one who has your stuff, no annual fees, plus the convenience of cloud computing.  A few weeks ago I got a Buffalo CloudStor, and it does all that and more.

Centennial, Colo. (April 9, 2012) – Steve Palladino, a NYBIC board member and dairy producer from Lansing, N.Y., was among 53 beef council directors and staff from 23 states who attended a recent orientation hosted by the Federation of State Beef Councils, a division of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, based here.

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Cortland, NY - This year, 504 top family-friendly properties were recognized in twenty-five World-wide markets as winners based on the hotels most highly-rated by those who traveled with family. Unlike other honors, TripAdvisor Travelers Choice winners are based on reviews and opinions from global travelers.

“To inspire travelers planning family trips this year, TripAdvisor has identified hundreds of the most highly rated family-friendly properties covering popular hotspots as well as other appealing destinations for families worldwide” said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor.

Julie Crowley and her father Robert Crowley announced the 71st Anniversary of their local, family run Triphammer Wines & Spirits.   The anniversary was last weekend with store-wide wine tastings catered by Kilpatrick’s Publick House.

“I’m proud to be part of a family-run business that has survived the test of time.   My grandparents started Crowley’s Liquor Store in 1941 on South Cayuga St.  My father took over in the 60’s and moved the store to the brand new Triphammer Mall. I joined my father in 2002, and later that year we moved the store to our current location. That was 10 years ago this year,” said Julie Crowley, President of Triphammer Wines & Spirits.

Comet Skateboards, a skateboard manufacturer in Ithaca, is officially opening its first retail store to sell skateboards, apparel, and accessories.  Comet's retail space is located on the second floor at 126-B on the Ithaca Commons.  The ribbon cutting will take place at 3:30pm on Friday, April 27th, followed by an open house.

On Saturday, April 28th, Comet will also host the first ever Ithaca Slide Jam, a skateboard contest on Buffalo Street followed by a party at Bandwagon Brew Pub, where the new Comet skateboard line will be on display for the rest of the summer.

Pittsburgh, PA – The 'Fourth Economy Community (FEC) Index' was released April 12 listing the nation’s top 10 small-sized Fourth Economy Communities. This category features counties with between 100,000 to 150,000 residents that are ideally positioned to attract modern investment and managed economic growth.

“The ‘fourth economy’ defines our nation’s current economy, reflecting a combination of the previous three: agrarian, industrial, and technological,” said Rich Overmoyer, Fourth Economy President and CEO. “This new index is intended to serve as a dashboard for community stakeholders to gauge their capacity to attract and retain modern investment.”

National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY, hosted a Sunday, April 15th auction featuring a broad range of rare antique books, as well as a quantity of ephemera, a Civil War musket and Native American artifacts. Of particular note were rare first editions of early and modern titles, a number of which were signed. This 469-lot auction also featured a fine array of antique furniture, comprised chiefly of numerous stacking, oak barrister bookcases, china closets, a desk, and other choice pieces.