Best wishes for a safe and Happy Thanksgiving holiday! We are grateful for you.

As you begin your holiday shopping, remember that every purchase you make locally will go further and mean more than ever before to our community and local economy. Shop locally, early & often!
A Great Big
Thank You!

Together we raised $27,000 to support the work of the Chamber & CVB, all while patronizing and promoting over 100 local businesses.
Many thanks to our sponsors:
M&T Bank, Cayuga Medical Center, BorgWarner, and ICS

Thanks also to our donors, Auction Committee, Ambassadors, Board members, & staff! We're truly grateful to all of you for your contributions.
Congratulations to our
Member of the Week!


We extend congratulations to Fontana's Shoes for demonstrating resiliency, for their quality products, for their excellent customer service, and for over 100 years of doing business in Collegetown ... since before we were born!
The Member of the Week program is sponsored by:
Submit Your Shop Local Deals

The Tompkins Chamber team will partner with members who are offering special discounts, coupons, and experiences to promote your offerings in a weekly newsletter to our members, and also through our social media platforms.

We hope our members will also share these opportunities, so we can all help support local businesses through this difficult time!

Thank you in advance for your submissions, and sharing local shopping options with your networks!
2021 Annual Economic Outlook Survey
The key decision maker at your place of business should have received an email from Jennifer asking for your participation in an annual economic outlook survey. Your input will provide critical insight on the local business outlook, as well as our regional and state economy. Thank you in advance for participating!
Visit Ithaca Needs Your Support

Through the impact of tourism, Visit Ithaca strengthens our community’s economy, providing benefit to all the people of Tompkins County.

It is important to share with our partners and community that the CVB has experienced a nearly 50% reduction in total funding from all sources in 2020, and expects similar impacts in 2021. Yet our team has continued to work hard to support our tourism partners and to attract and serve visitors to our community, which has a direct impact on small businesses and residents in our region.

We need your help. Whatever you might contribute, whether it is $25 or $2500, the CVB and Tompkins Chamber promise to leverage your donation to benefit our entire community's economy, keeping important programming efforts alive, and helping our partners navigate these uncertain waters. We know you value the connections we build, and appreciate your consideration of a year end gift at this very challenging time.
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.

Employers are eligible for grant support for new hires and promotion/advancement of existing employees, and program clients are ready for new opportunities as well!

27th Annual Mental Health Conference Series
Crossroads of Mental Health & Homelessness
Dec 1 - 4 | Virtually via Zoom

The Mental Health Conference planning committee is pleased to announce the upcoming online conference series. Registration link below. This is the 27th Annual Mental Health Conference. In 2020, all sessions will be held on-line via Zoom and will focus on how mental health and homelessness intersect.

Holidays Spirits With The Hangar
Saturday, December 5 | 6 p.m.

Gold and Silver tickets must be purchased by November 30.
Join the Hangar for a virtual mixology event where you can learn how to make your very own at-home cocktails (or mocktails), enjoy artistic entertainment, and bid on fantastic prizes! Gold and Silver tickets include a pre-packaged ingredients kit for creating two different cocktails, a live virtual mixology class with a local bartender, and snacks to enjoy throughout the event. Or, enjoy a "Cabaret Only" ticket for just $25. Proceeds from this event support the Hangar’s year-round artistic and educational programming!
Tompkins Connect Seeks Nominations for 2020 Superheroes in Fab5 Young Professional Awards

Tompkins Connect is excited to announce it is now accepting nominations for the sixth annual Fab5 Young Professional Awards sponsored by Tompkins Trust Company. The Fab5 Awards celebrate the achievement of young professionals ages 21-40 in Tompkins County.

The Fab5 Awards categories are: Entrepreneur of the Year, Not-for-Profit Leader of the Year, Businesses Leader of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Essential Worker “Hero” of the Year. Judges will be encouraged to consider individuals in all categories who have been a 2020 superhero by showing strong leadership, resilience and creativity in a way that has benefited a social justice cause, helped the community during the pandemic, or has made an impact on society in a positive way this past year. Nominate someone or read more below!
 
Tompkins County and the City of Ithaca are hosting a series of Community Voices Public Forums for community members to share perspectives and visions for reimagining public safety. For example, community members may choose to provide input based on their recent interactions with law enforcement and/and thoughts on the role of trust in policing and public safety. Thank you to the community members who have shared their voices and input so far in this process.

The forums use Zoom’s webinar function for live comment, and are livestreamed on YouTube. Members of the community are invited to participate by registering for the webinars in advance, the moderator will use a timer displayed on the screen and participants will speak one at a time. Officials from Tompkins County and the City of Ithaca will be present, and all input shared in public forums will be archived and shared with working groups developing the reimagining public safety plan. Forums will occur weekly on Fridays through December 4, 2020 at 4:30pm, with the exception of November 27. An additional forum will be held on Saturday November 14. Registration links are listed below:

Additional opportunities for community input are available and are listed below, online, and on a document being distributed widely throughout the community:
·   Fill out this online form
·   Leave a voice mail with input by calling 607-274-5465

Members of the community who would like to receive updates on the process and announcements of future community forums via email can fill out this online form.
Local, Regional, and New York State Updates




The New York State Department of Labor is partnering with Coursera, the leading online training provider. Through Coursera, unemployed New Yorkers will have access to nearly 4,000 programs across high-growth industries and can hone skills in data science, business, and technology. Many of these programs are pathways to certifications, professional certificates and can help elevate careers.



Indoor and outdoor gatherings statewide at private residences should be limited to no more than 10 people, which began Friday, November 13, at 10 p.m. Existing non-essential gathering limits are in effect otherwise.



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.
December Meeting Schedule

Government & Community Affairs
2021 Policy Priorities
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.
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!
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!
Have questions?
Our team is here to help.

Just call the Chamber at 607-273-7080, or email us at info@tompkinschamber.org. For specific need areas:

Ritza Francois, Membership Referrals & Support
Carly Hansen, Operations/Account Assistance
Jordan Herson, E-blasts, Chambergram ads, Member of the Week
Diane Hemly, Bookkeeper - AP/AR Questions
Jennifer Tavares, Economic Recovery/Communications & PR
David Walton, Event & Program/Sponsor Inquiries

Note: Our offices are open by appointment - please reach out to Carly, Diane, or Jennifer if you need to visit us.