Archive: Business & Technology

Core-value commitments to the community and their employees, and helping people realize the American dream of home ownership highlight the achievements of the Tompkins Trust Company, Satori - A Salon / Spa / Shopping Experience, and Better Housing For Tompkins County.

The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce has named the Tompkins Trust Company as its 2008 Large Employer of the Year. Satori - A Salon / Spa / Shopping Experience has been named the 2008 New Business of the Year and Better Housing For Tompkins County as the 2008 Not-For-Profit Organization of the Year. The Chamber will recognize all three at a luncheon from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at the Country Club of Ithaca.

The Tompkins Trust Company was founded in 1836 and has grown to be a locally owned full-service financial institution with 13 locations in and around Tompkins County, and 280 full time equivalent employees. It’s officers and employees volunteer their time and/or serve on the boards of more than 250 local organizations and in 2007, The Tompkins Trust Company donated over $400,000 to more than 100 organizations in and around Tompkins County. It’s policy of encouraging employees to volunteer in the community, combined with a long history of corporate sponsorships and donations, have helped to brand The Tompkins Trust Company as a business that truly cares about it’s employees and the community it serves.

Tompkins Trust Company CEO Greg Hartz states, "We are deeply honored to receive the Large Employer of the Year Award. This special distinction recognizes the outstanding work of all of our  Trust company employees whose outstanding service is evident in all the  special things they do everyday to accommodate our customer's needs. We so appreciate our many loyal customers who have placed their trust in us and the professional staff who serve them. We look forward to continuing the long tradition of meeting the financial needs of businesses and individuals in Tompkins County for many years to come."  The Tompkins Trust Company has consistently been a United Way of Tompkins County pacesetter organization and one of its major supporters through the contributions of employees.

Satori - A Salon / Spa / Shopping Experience, opened in 2005 with 4 employees and the goal of offering the same spa environment and services found in major cities. Satori - A Salon / Spa / Shopping Experience distinguished itself in its first year of business by offering employees health insurance, paid vacations and other benefits that many other new businesses are simply unable to do. Since then, it has grown to employ 16 full time specialists and has demonstrated a commitment to giving back to the community. It also contributes to The Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund, the Aids Ride For Life, the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes and is a corporate sponsor of Women Swimmin’, which benefits Hospicare of Tompkins County.

Co-owner Lynette Grider says, “We’re honored to be chosen as the Chamber’s 2008 New Business of the Year. It’s a recognition that tells us that we’re on the right track and will be known as more than just a spa or salon. We’re grateful to the Chamber for giving us the venue to be that vehicle in the community. We’ve got a great Chamber of Commerce and any small business that gets involved really does get results.”

Satori  - A Salon / Spa / Shopping Experience also contributes to the growth of tourism in Tompkins County by hosting events for New York’s teachers during the annual Winter Recess, which is sponsored by the Ithaca/Tompkins County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Better Housing For Tompkins County has helped more than 270 people realize the dream of home ownership. In 28 years of Not-For Profit service, it has also secured more than $6 Million Dollars in Community Development Block Grant funding for housing rehabilitation projects, implemented the first “elder cottage” program in New York State, which consists of small homes that can be relocated and reused by families who want elderly relatives living nearby, and provided management/operational services for almost 450 low income or senior citizen apartments. As a participant in the national Group Work Camp program, Better Housing has brought more than 1,200 teens into Tompkins County over 3 summers, to spend a week performing free home repairs for seniors and people with disabilities.

Better Housing For Tompkins County Executive Director John Spence says, “The staff and the Board of Directors of Better Housing for Tompkins County are honored and delighted to receive this award. We are blessed to be living and working in a community that acknowledges the contributions of local nonprofits and the positive impact agencies like Better Housing have, not only on our client’s lives but on the health and well being of our region. For every deserving not-for-profit, our partners, and our friends, Better Housing is pleased to accept this award.”

Most recently, Better Housing for Tompkins County began collaborating with Habitat for Humanity on plans to help Habitat build homes in Tompkins County. The project is still in the planning stages.  The Chamber awards committee also noted that Better Housing, the Tompkins Trust Company and Satori A Salon / Spa / Shopping Experience have all played an active role in supporting and promoting Chamber activities and events, which is also a consideration when award recipients are named.

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