Welcome Home Wednesday
Wednesday, November 4 | 5 - 6 p.m.
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The Tompkins Chamber is inviting new residents to Live in Ithaca: Welcome Home Wednesdays virtual Happy Hour. New residents are encouraged to drop in anytime during the event, and significant others and kids welcome. The Chamber will be hosting its Do You Know Ithaca Trivia Night. Put on those Gorges thinking caps!
While the event is geared towards new residents, any resident who feels they would benefit from attending or introducing themselves to new members of our Community are welcome.
Please invite any new recruits in your network!
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Small Business Roundtable
w/ guest Lindsay Wolf
Thursday, November 12th | 8 - 9:15 a.m.
Join us for our next Small Business Roundtable! Our Guest Speaker will be Lindsay Wolf, Business Advisor with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) based at Binghamton University. Lindsay will share more about the work she and her colleagues do at the SBDC and answer your questions during our Roundtable session!
Lindsay began her career with the SBDC in April of 2019. After earning her MBA, Lindsay held purchasing and administrative roles in local government. After this she transitioned into a career as a small business coach and consultant for long-term clients, while also creating and launching a luxury skincare and wellness brand at the national level.
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M & T Bank Great Big Chamber Auction: Starting next week!
The Great Big Chamber Auction is back! The Chamber Auction is one of our single-biggest fundraisers to support our annual operating expenses not covered by membership investments. This year it's more critical than ever that that we have a successful auction!
It's also a great opportunity to support area businesses by purchasing your donation from them, and by visiting businesses for holiday shopping or dining with the items you've won!
The Silent Auction will be virtual over a 10-day period, and will include gift certificates for retail, restaurant, lodging, experiences, or services which can be mailed 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 appreciate your support during this time!
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Healthy Workforce Network
On-the-Job Training Grant
The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the availability of an On-the-Job Training Grant through a United States Department of Labor funding award to the Healthy Workforce Network - several local organizations collaborating to support people in recovery and their employers. Grants of $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 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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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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Member & Local Development News
We're providing a weekly roundup of member news. To have something included, email Jennifer.
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Please take a moment to fill out this survey if you have not done so already, and be sure to share it with your friends and neighbors. We are eager to receive responses from households of all types and backgrounds, in order to help us paint a complete picture of the effects of COVID-19 in our communities.
Your responses are confidential and they will help UWTC and other local agencies gain a clearer picture of the effects COVID-19 is having on our community. It is only then that we will be able to create a meaningful strategy that will allow us to recover from this pandemic.
Tuesday, November 3rd is the deadline!
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Congratulations to New Member Sparks + Embers!
The Chamber, DIA, and City of Ithaca joined Sparks + Embers in Press Bay Alley to celebrate their grand opening last week. "After six years in Brooklyn bouncing around different industries, commuting, reveling, growing and exploring - our universe was suddenly put on pause... we had time to stop and think, what’s next?? We moved to Ithaca and bought an old house to fix up and from those sparks and embers came another idea: A pretty little shop full of rad things!"
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Advance Care Webinar
Thursday, November19, 2020, 12-1pm
Webinar is FREE but advance registration is required.
End-of-life planning conversations are hard, and now is the time to have them. Join Hospicare for a one-hour webinar with Dr. Lucia Jander and the Hospicare interdisciplinary team.
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Congratulations to Member Frederick Simmons of Safeguard on 35 Years! |
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Local, Regional, and New York State Updates
NYS Changes Travel Advisory from 14 Day Quarantine Only to Double Testing/Quarantine Option
(More below from the Business Council)
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Through unique partnerships with leading global e-commerce and e-payment providers, Empire State Digital connects New York-based small businesses with the education, access and resources needed to digitize, expand and adapt to the new economy due to the changes from COVID-19.
Square: Point of Sale (POS) eCommerce Solutions
Wedmesday, November 4th | 9 a.m.
Shopify
eCommerce & Point-of-Sale (POS) Capabilities
Thursday, November 5th | 9 a.m.
Clearbanc
Know the Value of Your Business
Monday, November 9th | 9 a.m.
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More on Cuomo Changes to Travel Restrictions & Impact to Regional & Essential Workforce
from the Business Council, Frank Kerbein (HR)
Over the weekend, Governor Cuomo modified his previous travel advisory policy of requiring all travelers (excluding essential workers) who travel to restricted states to quarantine for 14-days, to a policy that will allow travelers to any non-contiguous state to “test out” of the quarantine requirement. This will have a significant impact on employers with employees traveling to any state that does not share a border with New York for personal or professional travel. This modified advisory will be effective at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, and remain in place until rescinded by the Commissioner of Health.
Specifically, any traveler who has traveled outside of New York for more than 24 hours must seek testing within 72 hours (3 days) prior to departure from that state. Then, the traveler must, upon arrival in New York, quarantine according to Department of Health guidelines for a minimum of three days - measured from time of arrival - and on day 4 may seek a diagnostic test to exit quarantine. Any traveler may then exit quarantine upon receipt of the second negative test result. Travelers who do not get tested will be required to quarantine for 14 days from the date of arrival in New York.
Travelers from states that are contiguous with New York will continue to be exempt from the travel advisory, while essential workers are subject to special provisions in that travel advisory. Those arriving through airports, however, will still be required to complete the Traveler Health Form.
For essential workers, the initial travel advisory requirements remain the same. That is, each essential worker is subject to a 14-day quarantine until they meet certain conditions. Those conditions are:
- Essential workers should seek diagnostic testing for COVID-19 as soon as possible upon arrival (within 24 hours) to ensure they are not positive.
- Essential workers should monitor temperature and signs of symptoms, wear a face covering when in public, maintain social distancing, clean and disinfect workspaces for a minimum of 14 days.
- Essential workers, to the extent possible, are required to avoid extended periods in public, contact with strangers, and large congregate settings for a period of, at least, 14 days.
As you know, employees who previously knowingly traveled to a restricted state became ineligible for NYS’s emergency COVID paid sick leave. It is unclear how this modified advisory will impact that benefit, and the Cuomo administration has yet to issue any applicable guidance. It is entirely possible that employers may be obligated to provide payment for the waiting periods referred to in the new advisory. As soon as we have information from the Governor’s office and/or the Department of Health, we will let you know.
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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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November & December Meeting Schedule
Admin & Finance/Executive Committee
Tuesday, November 17 | 8 - 9:30 a.m.
Government & Community Affairs
Monday, December 7th | Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Chamber Foundation
Wednesday, December 9th | 9 - 10:15 a.m.
Board of Directors
Wednesday, December 16th | 8 - 9:30 a.m.
All meetings require advance registration & will be virtual until further notice. Register with Carly Hansen at chansen@tompkinschamber.org.
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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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