Last Chance to Join!
Business Panel Discussion/Q&A on Covid-19 Case Response & Prevention TODAY
Tuesday, October 13th | Noon - 1 p.m.
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Join us as we host a panel discussion for businesses, featuring Tompkins County Public Health Director Frank Kruppa, Cayuga Medical Center CEO Dr. Martin Stallone, and Wegmans Manager Chris Malcolm and Simeon's owner Dean Zervos, who have each dealt with positive Covid-19 cases and how they've responded. We'll also discuss how to establish the importance of surveillance testing among our workforce as we continue on this "new normal" period, and how to establish a regular testing contract with Cayuga Medical Center for your workforce.
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Did you miss one of our L.E.A.R.N. Business Impacts webinars or Networking @ Noon Industry Insights events? You can watch them all right on our YouTube channel. Consider subscribing to receive updates every time we post a new video!
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Business After Hours Tomorrow!
w/ CFCU Community Credit Union and
Community Foundation of Tompkins County
Wednesday, October 14th | 5 - 6:30 p.m.
Join us for a community focused virtual Business After Hours with hosts CFCU Community Credit Union and Community Foundation! CFCU has been serving banking needs of individuals, families, and local businesses in Ithaca for over 65 years and contributes greatly to the community through volunteerism and sponsorships. Community Foundation is celebrating its 20th anniversary of improving the quality of life by inspiring and supporting enduring philanthropy in partnership with generous donors and effective non-profit agencies. Come meet the CFCU and Community Foundation teams!
Additionally, Serendipity Catering has provided hors d'oeuvres, desserts and cocktail kits available for order to enhance your virtual event experience! Please don't forget to pick your kits up TODAY if you ordered them!
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Attendees will have a chance to join hosts CFCU Community Credit Union and Community Foundation of Tompkins County in making gifts to support our community during this difficult time.
Join us!
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Networking @ Noon:
Software & Digital Technology
Thursday, October 22nd | Noon - 1:15p
During this Networking @ Noon, learn more about how COVID-19 has made us even more reliant on digital technologies, what specific solutions are available to support your business, and how to avoid the pitfalls of cyber crime/hacking remote work environments as you employ new technologies in your business.
Panelists include Aaron Zufall from Zufall Communications, Carol Miller from the Alliance of Manufacturing & Technology; and John Guttridge from ICS. Submit questions in advance to David Walton. |
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Healthy Workforce Network
On-the-Job Training Grant
The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce a new iteration of its On-the-Job Training Grant through a United States Department of Labor funding award to the Healthy Workforce Network - a local network of organizations collaborating to support people in recovery and their employers. Grants of approximately $2,000 are available to support an 8 week training period.
This funding award differs from past OJT grant programs in that it is intended to support people in recovery receiving educational and training supports, new job opportunities, and maintaining a recovery friendly workforce and employer base in Tompkins County and regionally. All employers interested in being considered for this program must take our survey and be willing to comply with additional program requirements.
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M & T Bank Great Big Chamber Auction: Silent & Live Auction Coming in November!
The Great Big Chamber Auction is back, with a bit of a twist to ensure success despite these challenging times we're experiencing together. You likely know that the Chamber Auction is one of our single-biggest fundraisers to support our annual operating expenses not covered by membership investments. It's also a great opportunity to support area businesses by purchasing your donation from them, or visiting businesses for holiday shopping with your proceeds from the auction!
This year, the Silent Auction will be virtual over a two week period, and will be restricted to gift certificates for retail, restaurant, experiences, or services which can be put in an "envelope" and delivered to the winner. There will also be a Live Auction on Thursday, November 19th, where we gather that evening virtually (and some small groups may gather in person, too) to have a fun Live Auction together, where 10 fantastic items and experiences will be auctioned off.
All proceeds will benefit the Tompkins Chamber & CVB. We truly appreciate your support during this incredibly difficult time.
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Congratulations to Last Week's
Member of the Week:
The Chamber would like to congratulate Sheldrake for over twenty years of award winning wines, and thank them for their excellent stewardship of the land.
Sponsored by Visions Credit Union
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Member Absolute EHS Provides Tips & Guidance for a Safe Halloween
Story from WENY
"Samantha Lushtak, a local Safety Professional, was worried about her daughter missing out on the Halloween festivities so she came up with something called reverse trick or treating; with reverse trick or treating you pack candy up in a sealed bag and label the outside with the date.
“The idea with labeling packages is that you would make them at least a week in advance so that the contents of the bag can quarantine in your own home,” said Lushtak.
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Guthrie Restricts Visits Due to Increased COVID-19 Cases
Due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases related to asymptomatic COVID-positive individuals, Guthrie hospitals will again implement restrictions to visitation.
To protect patients and staff, new visitation guidelines will be in place at all Guthrie hospitals, skilled nursing units and long-term care facilities effective Friday, October 9.
These restrictions will be re-evaluated after January 1, 2021.
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SBA and Treasury Announce Simpler PPP Forgiveness for Loans of $50,000 or Less
“The PPP has provided 5.2 million loans worth $525 billion to American small businesses, providing critical economic relief and supporting more than 51 million jobs,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “Today’s action streamlines the forgiveness process for PPP borrowers with loans of $50,000 or less and thousands of PPP lenders who worked around the clock to process loans quickly,” he continued. “We are committed to making the PPP forgiveness process as simple as possible while also protecting against fraud and misuse of funds. We continue to favor additional legislation to further simplify the forgiveness process.”
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Staples Sponsors US Chamber Foundation Event - Invites Members Oct 13-15
Staples is partnering with the U.S Chamber of Commerce as a sponsor for the virtual conference C.O.—by U.S. Chamber of Commerce: The Big Week for Small Business. This conference offers actionable insights from real small and growing businesses and covers policy updates, social media marketing, long-term planning, and more. Participants can also share ideas, receive tools, and discuss lessons learned with their peers.
Your local Staples store is inviting you to attend!
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Local, Regional, and New York State Updates
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COVID-19 Resources from the US Chamber
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Follow Industry Guidelines & Submit Your Affirmation:
Please visit the NY Forward website using the links below to find your industry sector guidelines whether you are an Essential Business, Phase 1, 2, 3, or 4. We continue to watch for new Guidelines and advocate for clarity for those sectors that haven't been provided reopening guidance yet.
** NYS has issued updates to existing industry guidelines. Please check back occasionally to your industry guidelines to ensure you're aware of any updates **
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Hiring?
Tompkins County has a resource for your job posting called " Workforce Redirect", intended to match job seekers with those employers that are currently hiring.
Contact Workforce Development Board Executive Director Natalie Branosky to have your business added to this page. |
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October Meeting Schedule
Ambassadors Committee
Monday, October 19 | Noon - 1 p.m.
Admin & Finance/Executive Committee
Tuesday, October 20 | 8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Board of Directors
Wednesday, October 28 | 8 a.m.
All meetings require advance registration &
will be virtual until further notice.
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Tompkins Chamber and CVB Property at East Shore Drive for Sale
Tompkins Chamber & CVB have announced that our property at East Shore Drive is listed for sale, after much consideration and decades of being headquartered at this iconic facility. We're excited to see what will come next for our organization, and for 904 E. Shore Drive.
Click below for the listing information!
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Have questions?
Our team is here to help.
Note: Our offices are open by appointment - please reach out to Carly, Diane, or Jennifer if you need to visit us.
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