Archive: Business & Technology

During the holiday season in late 2010, Alternatives Federal Credit Union offered a unique incentive to their members: use your Alternatives VISA Debit Card more than usual for a month, and the Credit Union will donate $5 to the Ithaca Health Alliance. The offer was made to debit card users who averaged four to six transactions per month in the hope that they would increase their usage to more than 13 transactions in December. Four hundred and ten members increased their transactions to meet the goal of the $5 donation; the total donation to the Health Alliance was $2,050.

Over a hundred people braved the snow Wednesday for the ground breaking of Transonic Systems new 30,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Lansing.  Most were employees of the company who were joined by  the architect, press, a county legislator, and the contractor for the project.  The new building will double the size of the building that already serves as the international company's world headquarters.  Over the next five years the company hopes to add 50 new jobs.

"The new building will be 100% manufacturing," says Transonic Systems COO Bruce Kilmartin.  "This present building will be solely for administration, marketing and sales."

Williamsville, N.Y. –Tops Friendly Markets announced the launch of the NuVal™ Nutritional Scoring System in all Tops locations.  The NuVal™ Nutritional Scoring System  helps customers make informed nutritional choices in an instant by giving foods on Tops’ shelves a NuVal™ Score from 1 to 100; the higher the score, the better the nutrition. Scores are posted on Tops’ shelves and signs throughout the store, making it easy for customers to compare the overall nutrition of the foods they buy at a glance.

“Tops is committed to providing access to resources in order to help consumer make informed nutritional choices when shopping for themselves and their families,” said Frank Curci, Tops’ president and CEO. “We’re always looking for ways to help our customers navigate through the wide variety of products we offer.”

While the number of new filings for foreclosures fell sharply in 2010, the percentage of New York State properties in the foreclosure process continues to grow, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.  In addition to the report, DiNapoli also announced the publication of a new brochure, “Help for Homeowners Facing Foreclosure,” made available through his Your Money New York initiative.

I briefly held an iPad 2 the other day.  It felt lighter than my iPad 1.  And you can get a white one or a black one.  And it was a 2, so that means it's better and I should jump onto the upgrade bandwagon, right?  Maybe, maybe not.

If I didn't already have an iPad I'd certainly want an iPad 2.  I love my iPad 1 (which was just iPad without a number until a week ago).  I use it for way more than I ever imagined before I bought it, and now that it's been through two operating system upgrades it's better than ever.  There is no doubt that iPad 2 adds valuable features, but for a device that costs in the range between $499 and $829 depending on storage capacity and 3G capability (not counting the cost of the 3G service), is it worth ditching the 1 for the 2?  Let's look at the features Apple is promoting.

Village of Lansing Trustees voted to endorse losing a business Monday.  Well, not exactly.  They actually voted to help a business that has been located in the Village to make a move to an Empire Zone location in the Binghamton area, where Silicon Solar is consolidating three locations including an office in the Village.  In order for a company to move into an Empire Zone from a non-Empire Zone location the municipality they are leaving has to certify that it is because of extraordinary circumstances.

"There are currently three offices in upstate New York," explained Silicon Solar COO Matthew Crouch.  "There is a warehousing office, an engineering office here in Ithaca, and a training facility in Bainbridge, New york.  It has proven very expensive to maintain all three of those locations.  We need to combine all three locations into one."

The Rotary Club of Ithaca introduced seven new members who joined the service club during the last quarter. These community members bring professional experience from both the business sector and the non-profit sector; many volunteer in Tompkins County. Ithaca Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self.” Membership is open to all community members 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."

Lincolnshire, IL – Ithaca, New York’s Satori, A Salon/Spa/Shopping Experience, owned by Lynette Grider and Christi Boothe, was named to the Salon Today 200 by Salon Today magazine, the top national business publication for salon and spa owners.

The magazine’s 14th annual Salon Today 200 issue profiled selected salons in its January 2011 issue. The 200 salons were selected for their best business practices from applications submitted by Salon Today readers, who represent the 25,000 top-producing salons and spas in the country.

Williamsville, N.Y. – Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania, announced today that it’s removing from store shelves Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread due to the possible health risk of Salmonella.   The recall includes Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread; however, Tops Markets does not carry that particular variety.

How do you expand a seasonal business to one that can be sustained year 'round?  Linda VanApeldoorn was at Cayuga Radio Group's 2011 Create Your Day Wedding Expo last weekend at the Shops at Ithaca Mall doing just that.  VanApeldoorn opened Take your Pick Flower Farm in Ludlowville five years ago, but recently has found ways to extend the summertime business by offering subscriptions and reaching out to new markets.  At the expo VanApeldoorn gave out packages in the shape of a flower filled with sunflower seeds.

"I'm here because I'm trying to get into the wedding market," she said Saturday.  "A lot of brides are looking for a way to save money on their weddings.  Coming to the gardens and picking their own is a great way to save money.  A lot of people want to help you with your wedding, so it's a good way for people to help the bride by putting bouquets together, table arrangements, and things like that.  They can all come and help pick.  If the bride doesn't want to take it that far I will pick the flowers and deliver them for them to arrange.  Or they can come pick them up.  Or I will do table arrangements for them."

Mark Jackson, PT, DPT, MPS, OCS with Cayuga Medical Center’s Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine program at Island Health Center, recently passed the Orthopaedic Certified Specialist exam. He was recently recognized as a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedics on February 9, 2011 at the American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Section Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. To earn board certification, candidates must submit evidence of required clinical practice in Orthopaedics and complete a rigorous written examination.

ATC-NY announced that it has received a Tibbetts Award from the Small Business Administration (SBA) for its innovative computer forensics and information management software products. SBA presents the awards to companies and individuals that have advanced technological innovation and economic growth.

Named after Roland Tibbetts, who was instrumental in developing the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, the Tibbetts Awards are presented annually to those who are beacons of promise and models of excellence in high technology.