Subject line: January 20, 2021 Inauguration Day
COMMERCE WEEKLY NEWSBITES
Commerce UPDATES/NEWS
I hope that 2021 is off to a great start for you! Thank you to those
businesses and organizations who have already renewed their 2021 membership
dues. Here at Commerce Chenango, 2020 was a busy and productive year.
Despite the unsettling time in our history, Chenango County organizations
pulled together and Commerce Chenango took a leading role by working closely
with our state colleagues, Empire State Development, and with the Chenango
County Health Department and Emergency Services. We pivoted our mission and
programs to create community webinars, took calls from community members and
businesses, helped with education and counseling on the Economic Injury
Disaster Loan and SBA programs, advocated for the Payroll Protection Program,
and legislation like the CARES Act. At Commerce Chenango we never stopped
working for you, with you, and on your behalf. We took calls around the clock,
reached out, spoke to over 450 businesses during the height of the closures,
and then through the phased re-opening.
In addition, we implemented a webpage specific to COVID awareness and
resources, continued our work to create programs, professional development
opportunities and increase awareness of our members. In September, we unveiled
our new logo, tagline and a brand new website with a customer management
system. If you have not had a chance to check out the new website or log into
your personalized member profile, please do so. If you need help with this, our
Director or Membership & Program, Mary Miner, can assist you.
What else did we do this year? We were able to host a series of “Drive-Thru” Ribbon Cuttings, a series of six “Lunch & Learns”, a virtual Entrepreneurial Roundtable, and a virtual after-hours event. In addition, we were proud to be able to honor local businesses and individuals during the “Sofa Soiree”, we hosted a hybrid Legislative Breakfast in October, a Virtual 5k Chamber Challenge and our first Virtual Auction in November.
We hope that you will continue to invest in the work of Commerce Chenango
in 2021. You can be proud that because of you and your continued support, we
were able to be there for everyone.
~ Kerri
Commerce Chenango is updating our Chenango County Relocation & Community Guide. We are accepting proposals for a business or individual to help create and design the publication.
To see the previous version of the
Guide, or download a copy of the RFP, visit our website page at https://commercechenango.com/about-chenango-county/,
or click HERE.
Qualified and interested parties are
asked to respond to this request for proposal by the close of business (5:00
p.m.) on Monday, February 1, 2021. Send proposal via EM to mailto:arobinson@chenangony.org
or by mail to Audrey Robinson, Director of Communications, Commerce Chenango,
15 South Broad Street, Norwich, NY 13815.
MEMBER Section
Yogesh Deshmukh has joined Preferred Mutual Insurance Company as Vice President, Finance. Deshmukh’s role will be to foster business strategies to improve profitability by leveraging data, analytics, and actuary intelligence.
Deshmukh brings to Preferred Mutual over 25 years of financial services, operational, and leadership knowledge, with considerable time within the Property and Casualty Insurance industry. Tim Hyle, Senior Vice President, CFO and Treasurer said, “Preferred Mutual will look to Yogesh to help us identify and implement best practices to make the financial processes and internal controls more efficient and effective.”
DCMO BOCES has announced a new program - Career Destinations Micro-Credentials. This program grants students digital badges upon completion of skills training criteria. Badging according to Forbes magazine is one of the hot rising ideas in the education space. According to Perry Dewey, District Superintendent at DCMO BOCES, these badges strengthen a commitment to employers to best prepare students for the job. “To earn a badge, the student must complete a series of steps that demonstrate proficiency in the credentialing process. We are looking for employers to share their workplace requirements with our team to customize badges that connect the classroom teaching to the job needs,” said Dewey. Read
the full release.
Merger for
Broome & Chenango Opportunities Organizations
Since 1965, Opportunities for Broome and Opportunities for Chenango, Inc.
have helped to serve their respective communities with their greatest needs. In
2013, Opportunities for Broome and Opportunities for Chenango, Inc. began
discussing the possibility of a merger of the two agencies. With economic down
turns and possible funding scarcity, a merger would accomplish multiple goals.
Now that the merger is complete, they are aptly named 'Greater Opportunities'.
In an executive statement, Mark Silvanic, Chief Executive Officer, Greater
Opportunities, Inc., said "I am proud to work for this organization and
look forward to continually evolving our agency to always deliver the most
empowering services and assistance to all those in need so that they can become
who they envision. With the assistance of our agency, those we serve can live
vibrant lives and contribute to the growth of our communities."
New mission, same great services. Check out their new ‘merged’ look on http://www.greaterops.org website.
For the INTERESTED….
Visit the news page of our new website.
Quote of the day:
"Act as if
what you do makes a difference. It does." - William James
COVID-19 Vaccine Transportation Offered
Rural Health Network of South Central New York's mobility
management program, Getthere, can
provide rides to vaccinations. Please contact Getthere if you, a loved one, or a client living in Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, or Tioga counties are unable to get to a COVID-19 vaccination site. The Call Center can be reached at (855) 373-4040 Monday - Friday from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. A Mobility and Transportation Advocate will help schedule a safe, secure ride. No referral is needed. Getthere is a mobility management program of the
Rural Health Network of South Central New York serving Broome, Chenango,
Delaware, Otsego, and Tioga counties.
Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo delivered his FY 2022 Budget Highlights earlier this week. The Governor presented two budget options,
depending on the level of funding the federal government provides to New York
following the devastating economic impact of Washington's failed COVID-19
response. The first option would support New York State's ongoing war against
the pandemic and aggressive post-COVID reconstruction plan. The second option -
absent $15 billion in federal funding - would cause pain for New Yorkers by
forcing the state to raise revenue, cut expenses and borrow. See more HERE> https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-outlines-fy-2022-budget-reimagine-rebuild-renew
COVID-19 UPDATES
Commerce Chenango would like to remind
you that it still mandatory to wear a mask and to social distance.
New York Forward
New York
State's COVID-19 Website
COVID-19 Tracker
VACCINATION INFORMATION
Posted January 19
Governor Andrew
M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's vaccination program. To date,
New York's health care distribution sites have administered 79 percent of first
doses received from the federal government, and 77 percent of first and second
doses.
The Governor
also announced the launch of a new COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Dashboard. The dashboard will update New Yorkers
on the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine including the number of doses
received by the state, a breakdown of first or second doses, and the number of
persons inoculated with the first and second doses in each region. The New York
State Department of Health requires vaccinating facilities to report all
COVID-19 vaccine administration data within 24 hours; the vaccine
administration data on the dashboard is updated daily to reflect the most
up-to-date metrics in the state's vaccination effort. To access the dashboard,
go to ny.gov/vaccinetracker
Posted January 14, 2021
https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/
The COVID-19
Vaccination Hotline is open 7AM - 10PM, 7 days week, to help New Yorkers
determine if they are eligible and schedule vaccination appointments.
1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829)
Over 7 million New
Yorkers are now eligible for the COVID vaccine but the state only receives
300,000 doses per week from the federal government. Due to limited allocation
by the federal government, limited appointments have filled up quickly. Currently
appointments have been made for the next 14 weeks. Vaccinations are performed
by local health departments, pharmacies, doctors offices and hospitals. Please
call them for appointments as they become available & for additional
information.
Posted January 12, 2021
Eligible New Yorkers in Phase 1a
and 1b can now register to receive
the COVID vaccine. Prior to receiving the vaccination, you must complete the
New York State COVID-19 Vaccine Form. This form can be completed online and you
will receive a submission ID, or you can fill out the form at your vaccination
site. Individuals being vaccinated must bring proof of eligibility to the
vaccination site. This may include an employee ID card, a letter from an
employer or affiliated organization, or a pay stub, depending on the specific
priority status. Check your eligibility phase HERE. Appointments could take up to 14 weeks due to
limited federal allocation and all vaccines are by appointment only. Click HERE
to determine eligibility and schedule appointments with administrating providers.
Posted January 20, 2021
COVID 19 UPDATE FOR CHENANGO COUNTY
As of January
20, 2021, there are 191 active cases of COVID-19 in Chenango County, and 21
current hospitalizations. There have been 32 confirmed deaths. The Chenango
County Department of Health confirmed there have been 1,758 total cases of
COVID-19 in Chenango. The health department also confirmed there are 532
residents under quarantine, and 1,540 total recoveries. So far, approximately 63,551
tests for the virus have been administered in the county.
COVID FUNDING
The new PPP Changes
Here are some
more key changes to this round of PPP compared to how the program operated in
2020:
PPP
loans will cover additional expenses, including operations expenditures,
property-damage costs, supplier costs, and worker-protection expenditures.
Updated PPP
Lender forms, guidance, and resources are available at www.sba.gov/ppp and www.treasury.gov/cares.
The New York Forward Loan Fund (NYFLF) is a new economic recovery loan program
aimed at supporting New York State small businesses, nonprofits and small
residential landlords as they reopen after the COVID-19 outbreak and NYS on
PAUSE.
The NYFLF now targets the state’s small businesses with *50* or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, nonprofits and small residential landlords that have seen a loss of rental income.
An Eligible
Small Business must:
• Employ *50* or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees;
• Have gross revenues of less than *$5 million* per year;
• Must not have received a U.S. Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program of greater than $500,000 or an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) for COVID-19 of greater than $150,000;
• Have suffered a direct economic hardship as a result of COVID-19 related social distancing policies and stay-at-home order that have materially impacts their operations;
• Been in business for at least 1 year as of the date of the application; and
• Be located in the State of New York.
For more
information and to start your pre-application visit click HERE> www.nyloanfund.com
Empire State Development Announces “Raising The Bar” Restaurant Recovery Fund
The “Raising the Bar Restaurant Recovery Fund” will help eligible restaurants adjust their operations to the impacts of COVID-19 and adherence to New York State’s public health and safety measures during the winter months when outdoor dining is limited.
Qualifying
purchases and expenditures must be from September 1, 2020 onwards to be
eligible. Initial round of grants are up to $5,000. Restaurants can apply
starting Monday, January 11, 2021. For more information, visit the ESD website
at https://esd.ny.gov/raising-bar-restaurant-recovery-fund.
Tourism Updates
6 On The Square in Oxford will host an online concert featuring folk singer/songwriter Greg Greenway at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, January, 23. Musically, his guitar, piano and ukulele reflect inspiration from all over the map — gospel, rock, blues, jazz and world music. But his center is in the singer/songwriter tradition that traces its roots to the social awareness of Woody Guthrie. Tickets for the Jan. 23 online concert can be purchased online at https://www.6onthesquare.org/. Those who buy tickets will receive
emails about how to view the show on Zoom.
Make 2021 THE YEAR OF PLANNING
63% of All
Americans agree they desperately need a vacation, yet American workers on
average let 33% of their paid time off go unused last year. Tuesday, January
26, 2021 is National #PlanForVacationDay. Plan your vacation days for a whole
year now. NPVD helps highlight the importance of taking time off to travel --
both for our personal health and wellbeing and for the overall economic
prosperity of our nation.
Last but not least…
Word of Advice…
How to End Any Professional Email (Plus a List of Sign-Offs) Do you have that professional email mostly written, but you’re not quite sure how to wrap it up? Or do you feel like you’re defaulting to the same email closings every time and want some alternatives? Read on to see how to end your emails the right way—plus a list of professional closings for any situation. https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-end-email-list-of-sign-offs
