JULY 2015

Finding OurWayJennifer Tavares, CEcD, President

NewMember ProfilesMending Earth JunkCareMending Earth Junk Care is an earth

conscious junk hauler. They recycle, reuse,or donate as much of the unwanted junkthey remove as possible, to organizationslike Tompkins County Solid Waste and theFingerlakes Reuse Center, re-sellers like

Mimi’s Attic and Significant Elements, and antique dealers.“We are the greenest junk removal company in Central NY,”

sayspartner Joel Schadt. “We specialize in environmentally-friendlymethods for disposing of unwanted junk and refuse.” And theyhave amission for the coming year: to divert 70%of thewaste theyremove from landfills.

The other partners are Ian Tompkins, and Ian’s brother Nate.Ian, Nate and Joel worked as arborists for Cascadilla Tree Care,and formed Mending Earth Junk Care in September, 2014. Fornow, all three are working full time jobs and running junk jobs onweekends. Large and small services include removal and recyclingof appliances, furniture,mattresses, and garbage; recycling ofTVs,e-waste (electronics) and refrigerators; and removal of constructiondebris andyardwaste— evenproblem junk likehot tubs—anythingexcept hazardous waste. The team can also handle office, estateand foreclosure clean-outs. Topsoil, tree, brush, garden waste,flowers, sod, and grass are recycled or composted, and other cleandebris (dirt, rock, wood, brick, etc.) are removed and disposed of.Estimates are free, and cost is based onman-hours and # of loadson size of truck. Small or large loads are handled by an 18 yardtruck or pickup.

Ian Tompkins sums it up by saying, “We are three guys wholove our planet, dedicated to sustainability and to our clients.”

Mending Earth JunkCare, LLC39 Lower CreekRd., Ithaca,NewYork 14850

(877) 624-9633 |www.mendingearthjunkcare.com

Water toWine Tours and Silver Strand atSheldrakeB&B

Water to Wine Tours offers daily 5-hour group winery toursby boat, from the Silver Strand Bed & Breakfast in the heart ofthe Cayuga Wine Trail. Private group charters can be arrangedfor up to 15 passengers, departing from the dock at O’Malley’sRestaurant, Interlaken, or fromLong Point State Park inAurora,NY. Bachelor/bachelorette parties, birthdays, family reunions,business team building — even small weddings ceremonies withthe Captain officiating!

“Like a limo tour, except outdoors instead of indoors,” saysCaptain Skip Stamberger, who has lived and boated on CayugaLake for over 33 years. Skip and his wife Maura have owned andoperated the Silver Strand at Sheldrake Bed & Breakfast for 21years.Rich in local history, theB&Bwasbuilt in 1847onSheldrakePoint with its own a private beach. It has four rooms, each witha balcony. Two cottages nearby can accommodate larger groups.

The Water to Wine Tours fleet consists of 3 boats. The sixpassenger II Special is a custom built 27-foot “Gentleman’sRunabout,” offering classic elegance in a modern performancepackage. The Isle of Skye accommodates up to 15 passengers. Sheis a 26-foot harbor launch built in Newport, RI. The 26’ Panga isa 6 passenger center console boat featuring spacious seating andwalk around comfort. Ground transportation in a 15 passenger“Party Bus”will pick you up in Ithaca, for instance, and take youto the dock to start your tour. Winery tour cruises with lunch ordinner may be booked online.

Water toWine Tours and Silver StrandB&B7398Wyers Point Rd., Ovid,NY14521(607) 229-6368 |www.winolimo.com

MemberNewsCayuga Radio Group recently distributed over 1,000 milkweed

seedpackets to local retailers tohelp rebuild theMonarchbutterfly’slocal foodhabitat. The “CodeNameMonarch”programbusinesspartners in Ithaca and Cortland gave seeds to customers for free.www.cyradiogroup.com

Taitem Engineering of Ithaca is the winner of a “CNY BestPlaces to Work 2015” award from the CNY Business Journal onMay 28, 2015 in Syracuse NY. Ranking third of twelve finalistsin the 50 employees and fewer category, Taitem was recognizedfor high employee satisfaction, working conditions, mission andculture. www.taitem.com

CampEarthConnectionCampgroundGrandOpeningCelebrationFree andOpen to thePublic. Bring your family and friends for adayof fun at Camp Earth Connection. CEC is located adjacent to theHammondHill State Forest, at 129HammondHill Rd, Freeville,NY. Directions and info: www.campearthconnection.com.

CFCU Community Credit Union’s Rebecca Roberts, Principalof Strategic Initiatives, was recognized as a “Woman to Watch”by Credit Union Times. The “Women toWatch” series spotlightsinfluential, forward-thinking women reshaping the future of thecredit union community; women-across all departments, agesand experiences-who are challenging the status quo and pushingcreative solutions. mycfcu.com

TompkinsCortlandCommunityCollege (TC3)has twonewdegreeprograms: Applied Science andTechnology (A.A.S.), andHumanServices (A.S.). The A.A.S. degree is ideal for veterans, workerseligible forTradeAdjustmentAssistance, adult students, employeeslooking to upgrade skills, and past or present manufacturingemployees. The Human Service A.S. degree program is designedfor studentswhoplan to transfer on for aBachelor of Science (B.S.)in Human Service or Social Work, or a Bachelor of Social Work(B.S.W.). www.tc3.edu

Two local organizations have capital campaigns in progress.The Downtown Ithaca Children’s Center’s Playground Campaignwill fund renovations and a new play space to nurture the “WholeChild,” featuring a tricycle track, outdoor music area, climbinglogs, a mud kitchen, and water play area (www.dicc.org). TheSciencenter has launchedCuriousConfident Inspired, amulti-year$3.8M capital campaign that will expand and enhance nearly allof the museum’s exhibits and educational programs, and providethe support the museum needs to foster science learning at eachmajor developmental stage, from toddlers through to the teen years(www.sciencenter.org).

FeaturesLeadership Tompkins Class of 2015

On June 12, twenty local leaders graduated from TheLeadership Tompkins program, a ten month leadershipdevelopment program that prepares participants forfuture service in a community leadership role. Theclass, through immersion into the community at severalinteractive workshops including facility tours, serviceoutings, volunteer opportunities, training workshops, andnetworking events, gained skills that will prepare them fornon-profit board service. This year’s class includes:GregoryAcquavella, Tompkins Trust Company; Stephanie Bailey,Family Children’s Service of Ithaca;Beth Bannister, CornellCooperative Ext of Tompkins County; Simon Barrette, BorgWarner;Noelle A Bartolis, Ithaca College;Regina DeMauro,Tompkins County Public Library; Joanne Finlay, Therm,Incorporated; Deborah Hoover, Tompkins Trust Company;Cassandra Jenis, Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce;RodneyMaine, Tompkins County Office for the Aging;AmyParmley, Cornell University;Kimberly Rhode-Rozell, CFCUCommunity Credit Union;PaulWRhudy, Liberty Resources;Robin Roger McKenzie, Ithaca College; Anissa Sanford,Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce; Dawn Sprague,Tompkins County Dept. of Social Services; Alyssa Stoeckl,Hangar Theatre; John Strong, Elmira Savings Bank;HarperWatters, Cornell University; andKellyWhite, Illume Projects,LLC. The class also honored Marcia Fort with the annualJeanMcPheeters Community Leadership award, presentedto an alumnus of the Leadership Tompkins program thathas gone on to have a significant positive impact on theTompkins County community. Leadership Tompkins is acollaborative partnership between the Tompkins Chamberof Commerce and Tompkins Cortland Community College.Formore information, contact DebMohlenhoff at mohlend@tc3.edu or 607-351-0047.

Movies in the Park Resumes Friday July 31

Movies in the Park is back for its second year! Openingnight is Friday, July 31, 8:30 – 10 pm. The free movies, to beannounced in July, begin on July 31 and run weekly throughthe month of August, in the field adjacent to the MayorsFlagpole Garden at Stewart Park in Ithaca. Fun for all ages!Food and beverages available. Sponsored by the Chamber,Mending Earth Junk Care, Ithaca to Go, Unwind Café,and Envisage. For more information, call the Chamber at607.273.7080.

Chamber Golf Tournament 2015 - Registration is Open!Play, network and have fun

on Wednesday, August 5, at TheCountry Club of Ithaca! Thisyear’s tournament will feature thesame spirited competition of years

past, combined with unmatched networking and socialopportunities. In addition to the great golf to be played, weare proud to offer an increased on-course hospitality presence,a new lunch format, and a streamlined award and recognitionceremony following the tournament. Fees: Team (4Golfers):$660; Individual: $165. The Team entry fee includes 4 greensfees, two golf carts per team, boxed lunch, and entry intothe sweepstakes for all awards and prizes and admissionto the post-tournament reception. Registration for the golftournament is open to Chamber Members only. Teams mayinclude non-members. Questions? Call the Chamber at (607)273-7080. Register online at business.tompkinschamber.org/events (members must log-in to register). Registration andpayment must be received by Monday, July 27, 2015.

Every business should have a plan.Learn how to prepare for severe weatherand emergencies. FEMA guides areavailable at the Chamber, or visit www.ready.gov

You may have heard that theTompkins Chamber has takenthe lead on helping to implementa project called the “Wayfinding& Interpretive Signage Project.”

What ’s Way f i nd i ng?According to the Wayfinding& Interpretive Signage Plan(WISP), it is “knowing where youare spatially in an environment,knowing where your desiredlocation is, and knowing howto get there from your presentlocation. It refers to the user

experience of orientation and choosing a path within theenvironment, and the set of elements that aid orientation.”

TheWISPwas created in2013-2014 for theTompkinsCountyChamber of Commerce and funded by the Tompkins CountyTourism Program, incorporating input from numerous localstakeholder groups and planning experts. Representativesfrom the City of Ithaca Planning & Development Board,the Convention &Visitors Bureau (CVB), County Planning,Cornell University, NYS DOT, TCAT, County Highway,Cornell University, other municipalities, the DowntownIthaca Alliance, the Chamber, and more came together toparticipate in creating an ambitious, attractive, effective, anduseful signage program for Tompkins County.

This program envisions a comprehensive and welcomingsignage atmosphere of graphically appealing signs thatare useful and instructive to the vehicular, pedestrian, andbicycle traffic navigating our roadways, including at least 54distinct tourism destinations or community assets: Countygateway signs; municipal gateway signs alongmajor routes; adistrict programwithin the City which designates four distinctdistricts (waterfront, downtown, East Hill-CORNELL, andSouth Hill-Ithaca College); parking signage; standard NYSDOT signage, and more. It thoughtfully identifies signs thatneed removal or replacement, and new signage to clearly andlogically support visitors as they navigate sometimes complextraffic patterns, addressing years’ worth of tourist, student,parent, and new resident complaints that our signage is poor,confusing, or simply non-existent.

As new technologies begin to address some of thecomponents of this program, the plan has a digital wayfindingcomponent as a next step, and the CVB is currently exploringwhat that might look like. But, no matter how much GPStechnology and smartphones become a part of our lives,drivers and pedestrians will continue to rely on signs to helpthem anticipate turns, or to reinforce that they’re headedthe right way.

Over the past several months, the Chamber and theCounty Tourism Coordinator have held numerous meetingswith the primary stakeholders identified in the plan, andmade several presentations regarding the importance andpurpose, goals, and possible funding model scenarios forplan implementation. The final plan components and fundingmodels are yet to be determined, but we know this projectrequires significant stakeholder engagement, local cashmatchfunding, installation support, and community support tomove forward in 2016-2017.

An application forNewYork State funding will be effectiveonly with substantial local support and participation.Should you have interest in supporting this project, orknow an organization that might, please contact me. Moreinformation and the complete WISP plan are available atwww.tompkinschamber.org/whats-new/wayfinding.

NewMembersAlzheimer’s Association Central New York Chapter:Toni Walsh441 W. Kirkpatrick St., Syracuse, NY 13204-1361(315) 472-4201 | www.alz.org/centralnewyorkCommunity Organizations/Non-ProfitsCompassionate Therapy with Celeste Froehlich, LCSWCeleste Froehlich, Ithaca, NY 14850(607) 218-2922 | www.highfieldswellness.comceleste@highfieldswellness.comPsychotherapistRosie Applications, Inc.: Nick Nickitas and David Makar409 College Ave., 3rd Floor, Ithaca, NY 14850855-767-4366 | rosieapp.comE-CommerceStaples, Inc.: Joseph Tompkins742 S. Meadow St., Suite 200, Ithaca, NY 14850(607) 275-0240 | staples.comOffice-Supplies, Equipment & FurnitureUpstate Fire & Water Restoration: Devin Brown163 Leroy St., Binghamton, NY 13905(607) 621-6580 | www.upstatefireandwater.comConstruction Companies/ManagersWater to Wine Tours and Silver Strand B&B:Skip Stamberger7398 Wyers Point Rd., Ovid, NY 14521(607) 229-6368 | www.winolimo.comTour Boat, Bed & Breakfast & Country Inns

Save the DatesMore at tompkinschamber.org

Wed 7/15 5p July 2015 Business After Hours at Crossroads Bar& Grille

Thu 7/16 12p July 2015 Networking @ Noon at ColtivareSat 7/31 8:30pMovies in the Park at Stewart Park, weekly

through AugustWed 8/5 9a Annual Golf Tournament at Country Club of Ithaca

The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerceisaprogressive, forward-thinkingorganizationlinking business and government, communityorganizations, residents and institutions,

dedicated to making Tompkins County a great placeto live, work, learn and play. Address: 904 East ShoreDrive, Ithaca, NY 14850. Telephone: (607) 273-7080;fax: (607) 272-7617. Email: info@tompkinschamber.org. www.tompkinschamber.org

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