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JULY MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
The Computing Center recently announced the acquisition of assets associated with Techworks, an Ithaca based computer services firm offering an extensive variety of personalized technology consulting to its clients. The deal was finalized on June 11, 2008. The Computing Center has been a regional leader in computer systems integration, product sales, and services delivery for all sized businesses and organizations since 1978. In addition to the existing services that has been provided by the Techworks staff, the 160 Techworks clients will see additional services available from The Computing Center including website and database programming, server and storage technology, and the full line of “Business EDGE” Services.
Natasha R. Thompson has been appointed to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Food Bank of the Southern Tier. The Search Committee was most impressed by Natasha’s 11 years of progressive leadership experience in Food Banking. Thompson resides in Ithaca, NY with her husband, Keith. She has worked for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier since 2001 and most recently served as Director of Agency Services and Programs. The Food Bank of the Southern Tier's 2nd Annual Children's Hunger Walk, held on Saturday, June 7th was a great success! Over 175 participants gathered in support of local hunger-relief efforts. While the fundraising goal for the 2nd Annual Children’s Walk was $15,000, total donations raised through sponsorships and pledges amounted to over $19,000!
Ian Webber, local owner of the Ithaca area Comfort Keepers , was recently honored by CK Franchising, Inc. for his performance as a Comfort Keepers franchise owner. Webber was named to the President’s Club at the company’s Celebration Dinner and Awards Ceremony during the Comfort Keepers® Annual Conference held in Tucson, Arizona on May 31, 2008. Comfort Keepers provides in-home care services on an hourly, daily or weekly basis that are customized to fit an individual’s needs. Services include companionship, personal care, meal preparation, light housekeeping, grocery shopping, incidental transportation, laundry, recreational activities, and more. For more information, call Teresa Nix at 272-0444.
Kristen Nygren, MD, a board certified psychiatrist treating adolescents through geriatric clients, has been named the Medical Director of Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca. She replaces David Sillars, MD who left the agency to accept a position with Cayuga County Mental Health Department. Dr. Nygren will lead the agency’s medical services along with Nurse Practitioner Ellie Kraft-Sanders, RNC, NP and Dr. Auguste Duplan, a child psychiatrist with Cayuga Medical Center who treats children and adolescents served at Family & Children’s Service.
Michaleen’s Florist & Garden Center introduces Think Pink Flamingo Week, a benefit for The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. If you stop by Michaleen’s July 3rd - 10th and make a $5 donation to The Relay For Life you can then select one of the pink flamingos spread out around the grounds. Once chosen, each flamingo will reveal a discount of 10-50% off your purchase that day. Michaleen’s is located at 2826 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850. Call 607-257-3203 for more information.
The Cayuga Wine Trail is hosting its third annual celebration of greyhound adoption, The Grapehound Wine Tour. This unique wine tasting event promotes greyhound adoption in the region and brings together greyhounds and their owners with visitors who have never considered adopting a greyhound. Attendees will receive a commemorative greyhound wine glass and enjoy wine tasting and food pairings at each winery throughout the weekend. Ticket price is $25.00 per person with a portion of every ticket sold donated to greyhound adoption in New York and New Jersey. For more information: www.Grapehounds.com
Tish Pearlman’s weekly interview show Out of Bounds has received the 2008 “Best Public Affairs Program Series” award at The New York State Broadcasters Association’s 43rd Annual Awards for Excellence in Broadcasting competition. The show's flagship station is WEOS , Geneva / Ithaca, the NPR affiliate operated by Hobart and William Smith Colleges. It can be heard weekly on Thursdays at 7:00pm. Technical producers for the show are Nate Richardson, and Tim Reppert from Rep Studios.
With gratitude and delight, the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) recently accepted a gift of $14,000 from The Bureau of Concerts (BOC), a student agency of Ithaca College. The funds were raised in part through ticket sales for a concert held in late April featuring the California-based indie band Say Anything, Philadelphia-based hip-hop duo Jedi Mind Tricks, and Emerson B, a local funk/hip-hop band. CSMA is located in downtown Ithaca where it offers classes and private lessons in music, dance, visual arts, and creative writing to anyone with a desire to learn.
On June 24th, Seconds on Court was announced as the new name for the resale clothing boutique (formerly known as the Retail Training Center) owned and operated by the Women’s Opportunity Center. Located at 110 West Court Street in downtown Ithaca, Seconds on Court is open to the public and serves as a training facility for enrolled students to practice their customer service skills and have actual hands-on experience in the retail field. This boutique features lovely second-hand women’s clothes that have all been donated by community members. Donations, volunteers, and most importantly shoppers are welcome Tues-Fri: 11-5 and Sat: 10-2. For more information, call (607)256-9957
At the annual mangers meeting of Saga Communications, parent company of Ithaca’s Cayuga Radio Group, General Manager, Susan Johnston, was honored with the new title of President/General Manager. CEO, Ed Christian said, “Our mission, as a company, is first and foremost, localism. Do creative things to serve the public and people will listen. If we work to understand the needs of our local clients, the advertising will work. Susan Johnston and the staff of Cayuga Radio Group have demonstrated a long history of service to the Ithaca/Cortland community. We are very proud of their accomplishments.” Cayuga Radio Group operates five radio stations serving Ithaca, Cortland and the surrounding area: WHCU/WYXL/WNYY/WQNY/WIII.
Felicia’s Atomic Lounge is pleased to announce the start of their second season of Farmer’s Market Cocktails. Amelia Sauter and Leah Houghtaling, co-owners of Felicia’s, are striving to make Felicia’s a “locavore,” which is a person or business that buys food from farmers and local businesses within a 100-mile radius. What makes Felicia’s unique is that they are not just using local produce for items on their food menu; they are creating locavore cocktails. Felicia’s endeavor into locavore cocktail-making has already received national attention. In June of 2007, Sauter and Houghtaling were interviewed and filmed for a national PBS show, “Taste of New York,” which explores local food producers and businesses who use locally grown produce.
Min You, known in Ithaca as “Kim” by her customers at Shangri-La on The Commons, is preparing to join an international rescue team now working near the epicenter of the Chinese earthquake in Shifang, where among other disasters a chemical plant cratered, burying hundreds of people and spilling more than 80 tons of toxic liquid ammonia from the site. Min You will serve as Chinese translator for the rescue team and hopes to aid and comfort the many orphaned children of the area. She is collecting donations for short term health needs, such as milk powder and infant formula, and for long term rebuilding efforts. Before coming to the US nearly a decade ago, Min You was a school teacher in Jilin Provence. For the past five years she and her husband, Sheldon Gosline, have operated Shangri-La, where Min You designs award winning couture fashions. To make a donation contact Shangri-La at (607) 272-6156, gosline@hotmail.com
Audrey Edelman RealtyUSA is proud to announce the addition of five experienced agents to its roster of more than 50 Realtors. Joining the company are Licensed Salespersons Priti Nopany, Oscar Gile, Frank Gargiulo, and Jim and Amy Lane. All come to Audrey Edelman RealtyUSA with years of experience in the Ithaca market. Audrey Edelman RealtyUSA is also pleased to announce that on May 2 the Maple Ridge residential development in Dryden was officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Paul Simonet, the project developer, and various Village and Town officials. Located across from Dryden’s Town Hall on Route 392, Maple Ridge is based on the principle of “anchor housing” or “cluster homes,” a strategy that maximizes green space and minimizes impact to the environment, while providing such amenities as municipal services, sidewalks and street lights, and close proximity to services and shops. The first building is complete and may be toured as an example of future Maple Ridge homes. The smaller footprint homes in Phase One will start at $240,000. Phase Two will consist of single family homes in a higher price range that can be affected by the number of specification that buyers choose.
Tompkins Trust Company has promoted Paul Banfield to senior vice president /commercial lending. An employee at Tompkins Trust Company for 10 years, Banfield’s responsibilities include providing commercial loan and related services for his existing clientele and new clients to the bank. Steven E. Bacon has been promoted to senior vice president /commercial lending. Bacon has been employed at Tompkins Trust Company for 23 years and his responsibilities at the bank include providing development expertise and growth initiatives as well as providing commercial loan and business related products for his existing clientele and new clients. Greg May has joined the Tompkins Trust Company as vice president of residential mortgages. May has 37 years in the mortgage field. He most recently served as senior vice president, residential mortgage, for NBT Bank in Norwich.
MAY 2008 Members in the News
The Community Foundation of Tompkins County is proud to announce a grant of $3,485 to the History Center. The History Center in Tompkins County, The Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity (CSCRE) at Ithaca College, the Staff Development Office of Ithaca City School District (ICSD), and the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a three-part series that examines educational equity in the Ithaca schools. Titled “Achieving Equity,” the series aims to facilitate dialogue and engage in a process to assist and support the effort to eliminate disproportionality among students of color, students without economic privilege, students with disabilities, and their peers. This grant is from the Community Foundation’s Social Justice Fund. Community Foundation is dedicated to engaging in strategic partnerships to identify assets, challenges, and ways to improve the quality of life for all in Tompkins County.
Alternatives Federal Credit Union has formed a new partnership with the City of Ithaca and RPM EcoSystems and has pledged to plant 100 trees this year in the Ithaca area. Future tree plantings will include public school areas. Planting trees is just one way Alternatives continues its longstanding commitment to sustainability, the environment and the Ithaca community. As long as 15 years ago, Alternatives has supported energy efficiency by offering discounts on car loans for fuel efficient cars – and currently offers the same discounts for hybrid cars. The Credit Union has worked with NYSERDA on energy efficiency home loans, which have provided an interest rate rebate for solar and wind installations, insulation, windows and appliances. Alternatives’ owner builder construction loan program has enabled members to use alternative building methods and use alternative energy sources.
The McGraw House , located at 221 South Geneva Street, is hosting a FREE event on Advance Planning on Wednesday, May 14th at 3:00 PM. The issue of advance planning for health care decisions is a much discussed topic in our nation and in our County. If you wish to learn about, or have specific questions about, the NYS health care proxy, the power of attorney, wills, and more, then you may wish to attend a FREE presentation by a knowledgeable local elder law attorney Marcie Finlay. Persons of all ages are welcome. On street parking only. If you have any questions, call Elizabeth Schneider at McGraw House, 272-7054.
Communiqué Design & Marketing, Inc. is pleased to announce that Stephanie Miller has joined their marketing and design firm as an account executive. Stephanie is a dynamic professional who will increase the company's continued growth through new account acquisition and sustaining the firm’s current clients. Ms. Miller was most recently employed by the Finger Lakes Radio Group as an account manager for radio sales where she managed account relationships at all levels for a broad range of industries. Prior to working in radio, Miller was a promotional consultant for Signature Marketing Inc. based in Boston, MA.
Tickets are now available for the 7th annual “Kids Are Our Business” breakfast to benefit Youth Services at The Advocacy Center . The breakfast, held on June 4, 2008 at 7:30 am at the Clarion Hotel in Ithaca, is hosted by Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce President Jean McPheeters and will feature Andrea Mooney, local law guardian and attorney. Advocacy Center Executive Director Joanne Farbman said, “Kids Are Our Business provides a real opportunity to support services for youth and make a difference in the lives of families here in Tompkins County.” In 2007 the Advocacy Center provided supportive services to over 1,200 youth and adults in Tompkins County impacted by child sexual abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault. All proceeds from sale of tickets and raffles support services for children and teens impacted by child sexual abuse and domestic violence. Tickets are $40.00 per person. To reserve your ticket call the Advocacy Center at 607-277-3203.
CFCU Community Credit Union reached an important milestone for a financial institution, recently surpassing the half-billion dollar mark in total assets. First quarter 2008 growth was a continuation of the credit union’s record-setting performance in 2007, during which time the institution’s total assets grew $68 million to end the year at $479 million. Asset, loan and deposit growth, along with other key financial measurements, combined to make 2007 CFCU’s most successful year ever. It took the credit union 36 years (1953-1989) to reach $100 million in assets, eight years (1989-1997) to surpass $200 million in total assets and just another five years (1997-2002) to reach the $300 million mark. In the past five years (2002-2007), total assets have grown another $200 million to over a half billion.