Tompkins County Making Significant Progress Distributing Vaccines; Please Help Support Efforts
Tompkins County Health Department is distributing Coronavirus vaccines to eligible groups. If you are an employer of people eligible in Phase 1A or 1B, please share this important information with your staff - and do what you can to support them being vaccinated.
Tompkins County is now vaccinating for Phase 1a and Phase 1b. It is estimated that the populations included in these phases in NYS could take up to 14 weeks to vaccinate; please remain patient but alert to clinic availability and registration opportunities.
If your employees qualify for Phase 1a or 1b, please consider allowing them to leave work or schedule their appointment during working hours to facilitate maximum vaccination rates for our community, and ensure that our allocated doses go to the appropriate populations.
Doing your part to support employees going whenever they can get an appointment will help ensure that your workforce and our broader community populations are protected as soon as possible.
Our community is anxious to protect our most vulnerable and our front line workers, but also to return to more normal economic activity before the end of 2021.
Widespread adoption and facilitation of vaccinations are one of the best ways for us to do our part to achieve that goal. Please also remain vigilant about masks, social distancing, workplace density reductions, and other methods to reduce exposure and help stop the spread of COVID-19.
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TODAY! SBDC Virtual Lunch & Learn:
COVID-19 Relief Package
Tuesday, January 12th | Noon - 1 p.m.
Advisor Bob Griffin will facilitate a review of the official guidance from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and other relevant agencies regarding the new COVID-19 relief package. Topics that will be discussed include: PPP, EIDL, Unemployment, and Grants.
Participants are strongly encouraged to submit any questions during the registration process. There will also be a question and answer portion at the end of the presentation.
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Insero & CO: Stimulus Bill Update
Friday, January 15 | 10 a.m.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 has been signed in to law and includes $900 billion in economic stimulus spending. Join our experts for an update on what this means for your organization.
Insero will be discussing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) updates including the second round of PPP funding (PPP2) and tax topics such as the Employee Retention Credit.
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Net@ Noon: Municipal Government Industry Insights
Thursday, January 28 | Noon - 1:30 p.m.
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Featuring local City and County leaders sharing their insights on budgets, transportation, public health, economic recovery, and more. Including Jason Molino, Tompkins County Administrator, and more panelists TBA.
Come spend time networking with colleagues and learning about how our communities will move forward together in 2021!
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Thank you to our 2021 returning members
and to those who supported our year-end campaign
Your investment & support mean so much! We look forward to supporting you & doing good work together in 2021.
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GIAC Celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with Annual Event (Virtual)
Saturday, January 16 | 9 a.m.
Facing the Divide – “We proclaim our devotion to democracy, but we sadly practice the very opposite of the democratic creed.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love.
This is the theme chosen by the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) for its annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Breakfast to be held on Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 9am. Although this event will be virtual it will not lack any of the usual fire power and movement-building that it is known for.
GIAC thanks Tompkins Trust Company for being their event sponsor this year, which allows GIAC to bring in a dynamic, talented, rising star as our keynote presenter, Leah Wright Rigueur, Ph.D.. Her presentation will focus on WHY BLACK LIVES MATTER: AMERICA’S RACIAL RECKONING. We also hope to leave space for a short Q & A segment.
GIAC invites you to bring your own breakfast (BYOB), and join in this annual event to remember and honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Please register using this link for the event below. More information will follow once you register with the Zoom and YouTube Links for attendance. If you have any questions, please call GIAC at 607-272-3622.
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Sponsorship opportunities are available for the 2021 Ithaca Loves Teachers Festival presented by Visions Federal Credit Union |
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Now, more than ever, we are asking for your investment to help offset the costs of producing the Ithaca Loves Teachers Festival. We invite you to take a look at these sponsorship opportunities to see if there is one that meets your marketing goals and budget.
It is our intention to move from a printed program to a digital passbook this year to allow all business participants to have flexibility to modify offerings, as well as to give us the ability to push notifications to registered participants and better track deal/offer redemption. The intention is to not only improve the experience for participating businesses and teachers, but also to keep a safe experience for our visitors and community top priority.
If you have any questions or want to explore other ways of supporting the cost of the festival, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Katie Kutz at katie@visitithaca.com. The Ithaca Loves Teachers Festival is a partnership between Visit Ithaca, Downtown Ithaca Alliance & Tompkins Chamber.
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Paycheck Protection Program Reopening This Week;
Interim Final Rules Released
Area lenders are preparing to once again accept PPP loan applications. If you intend to apply, it is recommended that you begin gathering your documentation and prepare the application form. More information is available at the links below:
New SBA guidance released includes:
Key PPP updates in the new Coronavirus relief package include:
· PPP borrowers can set their PPP loan’s covered period to be any length between 8 and 24 weeks to best meet their business needs;
· PPP loans will cover additional expenses, including operations expenditures, property damage costs, supplier costs, and worker protection expenditures;
· The Program’s eligibility is expanded to include 501(c)(6)s, housing cooperatives, direct marketing organizations, among other types of organizations;
· The PPP provides greater flexibility for seasonal employees;
· Certain existing PPP borrowers can request to modify their First Draw PPP Loan amount; and
· Certain existing PPP borrowers are now eligible to apply for a Second Draw PPP Loan.
A borrower is generally eligible for a Second Draw PPP Loan if the borrower:
· Previously received a First Draw PPP Loan and will or has used the full amount only for authorized uses;
· Has no more than 300 employees; and
· Can demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020.
EIDL Applications Are Still Being Accepted through 12/31/21
In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, small business owners, including agricultural businesses, and nonprofit organizations in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories can apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan. The EIDL program is designed to provide economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue due to coronavirus (COVID-19).
Area lenders are awaiting final PPP guidance and access to a new application portal; please be patient while they await final instructions and from the Small Business Administration.
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SBA Launches New Business E-Learning Tool for Women Business Owners |
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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza, announced on Monday the launch of Ascent, a first-of-its-kind, free digital e-learning platform geared to help women entrepreneurs grow and expand their businesses. Ascent has valuable content such as tips on preparing and recovering from disasters, strategic marketing and business financial strategy development.
“It is an incredible privilege to assist women-owned businesses – a key pillar of our nation’s economic firepower – thrive and achieve success. This initiative, along with the recent announcement of opening 20 new Women’s Business Centers in 2021, is the SBA’s largest single expansion of resources specifically tailored for women in more than 30 years and furthers our nation’s commitment to nearly 13 million women-owned businesses."
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The City of Ithaca Anchor Storefront Recovery Fund Invites Additional Loan Applications
Ithaca, NY – December 14, 2020 - In August of this year, a new COVID-19 recovery loan fund launched for ‘anchor’ storefronts in the City of Ithaca. The fund has provided low-cost economic development loans of between $8,000 and $50,000 to key commercial storefront businesses in the City, including restaurants and retail businesses. In light of the ongoing pandemic and additional funding, the Ithaca Anchor Storefront Recovery Fund is currently inviting additional loan applications.
Some storefront businesses, because of the unique service that they provide, because of their longevity, because they draw people to the area, or simply because of their large footprint or critical location, carry particular importance to Ithaca’s economic recovery and positive community identity. The Ithaca Anchor Storefront Recovery Fund provides targeted loan assistance to help ensure that the recovery process proceeds successfully for “anchor” storefront businesses in the City of Ithaca, particularly as we enter a challenging post-holiday winter period amidst the ongoing pandemic.
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Healthy Workforce Network On-the-Job Training Grant
This funding is intended to support people in recovery receiving educational and training supports, new job opportunities, and maintaining a recovery friendly employer base in Tompkins County and regionally.
Under this contract, training grants with a maximum payout of $2,000 will be available to businesses that are hiring a new employee or promoting an existing employee, and providing the training needed to be successful in their new role. The training grant will be used to provide the employee with the additional training needed in order to fulfill the job responsibilities.
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Member & Development News
We're providing a weekly roundup of member news. To have something included, email Jennifer.
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Local, Regional, and New York State COVID-19 Updates
Includes hospitalization updates
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In 2020, the Tompkins Chamber team accomplished so much with your support, engagement, and trust.
We're grateful for the opportunity to serve you during such a difficult time.
Click below to review our key accomplishments, and our plans to continue serving you in 2021.
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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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January & February Meeting Schedule
Admin & Finance/Executive Committee
Tuesday, January 19th | 8 - 9:30 a.m.
Board of Directors
Wednesday, January 27th | 8 - 9:30 a.m.
Government & Community Affairs
Monday, February 1 | Noon - 1:15 p.m.
Admin & Finance/Executive
Committee
Tuesday, February 16 | 8 - 9:30 a.m.
Chamber Ambassadors - TBD
All meetings require advance registration & will be virtual until further notice. Register with Carly Hansen at chansen@tompkinschamber.org.
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Our team is here to help.
Note: Our East Shore Drive office is staffed most weekdays from 9-5 for pick up or delivery, and our entire team is available by appointment. Please call 607-273-7080 during normal business hours if you need to visit us.
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