Survey – Putnam County Business Council

Important Update: Targeted EIDL Advance | Results from the Siena College Business Leader Survey

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 15:23:13 +0000

Important Update: Targeted EIDL Advance

COVID-19 Targeted EIDL Advance was signed into law on December 27, 2020, as part of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Non-Profits, and Venues Act. The Targeted EIDL Advance provides businesses located in low-income communities with additional funds to ensure small business continuity, adaptation, and resiliency.

Advance funds of up to $10,000 will be available to applicants located in low-income communities who previously received an EIDL Advance for less than $10,000, or those who applied but received no funds due to lack of available program funding.

Applicants do not need to take any action at this time. U.S. Small Business Administration will reach out to those who qualify.

SBA will first reach out to EIDL applications that already received a partial EIDL Advance (i.e. between $1,000 – $9,000). Applicants will be contacted directly by SBA via email in the coming weeks with instructions to determine eligibility and submit documentation.

All communications from SBA will be sent from an official government email with an @sba.gov ending. Please do not send sensitive information via email to any address that does not end in @sba.gov.

Siena College Upstate New York Business Leader Survey

The Siena College Research Institute (SCRI), in partnership with The Business Council of New York State, Inc., and with support from Western Governors University has now completed the 14^th Annual New York State Business Leaders Survey.

The received over 1,000 respondents across Upstate New York, the most they have had since 2007 when they first started conducting the survey.

Eighty percent of Upstate CEOs say that economic conditions in New York State have worsened since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Looking forward from today through the balance of 2021, 40 percent expect conditions to improve while 17 percent expect conditions to remain the same and 43 percent believe conditions will grow worse according to the 14th annual Upstate New York Business Leader Survey from Siena College Research Institute sponsored by the Business Council of New York State, Inc. Seventy-five percent of CEOs say that COVID-19 has increased their cost of doing business while two-thirds say that the pandemic has decreased their revenue and profits, and half say it has reduced the demand for their product or service.

Click HERE to see the full article

Putnam County Businesses, We Need YOUR Input – Legislative Priorities Survey

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 16:40:05 +0000

Putnam County Businesses, We Need YOUR Input – Legislative Priorities Survey

Putnam County Business Council is an advocacy group for Putnam County Businesses. Each year we create a list of our “legislative priorities” that we share with county and state officials.

We want to ensure that we are representing our members!

Please take a few minutes (no more than 5) to complete this survey and let us know what issues you want to be represented on. We will review the results in a Legislative Priorities Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, April 29 at 8:00 am

We are one powerful, collective voice that can make an impact on our legislature. We need this survey back by next Friday so please find time in your schedule to let your voice be heard.

Please respond to this survey by Friday, April 9.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Important Opposite Editorial on State Budget | Business Workforce Survey is closing soon.

Sat, 20 Mar 2021 13:18:26 +0000

Important Opposite Editorial on State Budget

I’d like to share with you an important op-ed piece by President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City Kathryn Wylde and Business Council Westchester President and CEO Marsha Gordon that appeared in all Gannett newspapers this week decrying the over $7 billion in tax increases now proposed in New York State’s 2021-22 budget. In our 2021 Legislative Agenda the BCW warned the state legislature on the dangers of introducing a huge tax increase package and what the ramifications would be for the state’s business community. We urge our members to share this important piece with others in your circle and to let your legislators know that this is not acceptable.

Putnam County Business Council stands behind Westchester on this.

Albany should create jobs — instead of taxing the suburbs to death | Opinion

Marsha Gordon and Kathryn Wylde

New York state’s 2021-22 budget negotiations took a bleak turn this week, when both houses of the Legislature announced their plans for over $7 billion in tax increases and a 22.6% increase in spending. If enacted, New York will be the top-spending state in the country, with a budget rivaling California’s.

Residents of New York City, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties already carry a disproportionate tax burden, accounting for 62% of all state personal income taxes. The suburban counties also have among the highest real estate taxes in the nation.

Throughout the pandemic, political pressure has been building on Albany legislators to “tax the rich” — ostensibly as retribution for how well the stock market and Wall Street performed in 2020. The truth is, the state does not need to raise taxes, thanks to the generous federal aid package engineered by President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer. Politics, not economics, are driving this budget.

The Legislature’s tax package would impose the highest state tax rates in the country on New York residents: a top rate of 11.85% for personal income taxes, 20% for estate taxes, and a new 1% surcharge on capital gains. This comes on top of the extra taxes paid by high earners since 2018, when the deductibility of state and local taxes from federal personal income tax liability was capped at $10,000. Collectively, this change in the federal tax code is costing New York taxpayers $12 billion a year in additional taxes.

This week, the Biden administration let it be known that they intend to further increase personal and corporate tax rates to help pay for a national infrastructure bill. This means that residents of the city and suburbs may well be turning over more than 65% of their earnings to government and corporations may find that a New York location makes them uncompetitive with global rivals.

As one reviewer of the Legislature’s revenue proposals commented, “This must have been drafted by the governor of Florida.”

No one can lack sympathy for the losses that many New Yorkers have suffered because of COVID-19. The state is down more than one million jobs and thousands of small businesses have been forced to close. As the economy recovers, it may be necessary to find new revenues for education, health care, affordable housing and other priority needs. But while unemployment remains at 12% in the region, professionals are working from out-of-state locations, and businesses are deciding where they will permanently locate after the pandemic, this is the wrong time to increase taxes.

The downstate region, including Long Island, has been responsible for 94% of the state’s job growth over the past decade. COVID-19 has frozen that growth. State government should be focused on partnering with job creators, not creating incentives for permanent relocation to lower-cost, lower-taxed states.

Click here for full story.

Business Workforce Survey Is Closing Soon

The Business Council has partnered with the New York State Department of Labor on a statewide business workforce survey.

The goals of this survey are to:

Understand the current and anticipated future needs of the business community, specifically as they relate to hiring needs, skills gaps and training.

Better outline, based on data, where and how to position resources related to training and hiring programs and initiatives.

As we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, the state and nation will have an acute focus on workforce development with new resources and opportunities for workers and businesses. To best target these resources, understanding the demand (employer) side of workforce development will be crucial.

We hope your organization will participate in this 20-minute survey to help us better respond to the current and future workforce needs in New York State. You can preview the survey questions here

If you haven’t already, please complete the survey today! It closes Friday, March 19, 2021.

Don’t delay, complete the survey today!

Take the Survey

Hello

American Rescue Plan Act Elevates Small Business Support in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 17:24:45 +0000

SBA News Release: American Rescue Plan Act Elevates Small Business Support in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

Statement from SBA Senior Advisor Michael Roth

Upon President Biden signing the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into law, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Senior Advisor Michael Roth stated:

“The American Rescue Plan Act enables the SBA to continue to lift up the cornerstones of our communities; the mom-and-pop businesses and nonprofits that provide essential services for our everyday lives, hire from within neighborhoods, and more. Our nation’s more than 30 million small businesses are the economic engine of this country and, in alignment with the Biden-Harris Administration’s focus on equitable treatment, the SBA will work tirelessly to ensure eligible borrowers will get access to this critical economic relief.”

The American Rescue Plan Act’s Small Business Assistance and Support

The American Rescue Plan Act provides additional relief for the nation’s small businesses and hard-hit industries for programs the SBA is currently administering and adds new efforts, including:

$7.25 billion additional for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), including to expand eligibility to additional nonprofits and digital news services
Additional funds are allocated for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program, and now allows businesses to apply for both a PPP loan after Dec. 27, 2020, and the SVOG
$15 billion additional for Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance (EIDL) payments, including NEW $5 billion for Supplemental Targeted EIDL Advance payments for those hardest hit
NEW: $28.6 billion for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund for industry-focused grants
NEW: $100 million to establish a Community Navigator pilot program; grants will go to eligible organizations supporting efforts to improve access to COVID–19 pandemic assistance programs and resources.

SBA’s current relief efforts can be found at www.sba.gov/coronavirusrelief, and more details about these program updates and new efforts the SBA will administer in the coming weeks will be located there as well.

Important Updates – American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

This week, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the latest measure from Washington in response to the ongoing COVID-19 public health and economic crisis. The $1.9 trillion bill was signed yesterday by President Biden and includes many items which may be of interest to economic developers. If you have not already begun discussing economic development uses for upcoming available funding with your local elected officials and stakeholders, you should do so immediately. Some funding will be through grants and with a longer timeframe, while other funding will be in the form of direct assistance to state and local governments. EDAs will receive an additional $3 billion in funding, bringing their total COVID-19-related appropriation to $4.5 billion. We expect the vast majority, if not all, of this latest appropriation to be distributed via competitive grants. We urge you to consider this as a major opportunity for your organization and community. A brief detail of the contents of the bill is included below.

State and Local Aid

The funding must be distributed quickly, though not all at one time. Treasury and states are given 60 days to distribute funds in the first tranche, with additional funds to be made available in one year, pending TBD conditions are met. Funding an ARPA can be used to combat COVID-19 and also cover revenue shortfalls, as well as investments in infrastructure. Costs must be incurred by December 31, 2024, to be eligible.

$195 billion for states and DC
$130 billion for local governments
$20 billion for tribal governments
$4.5 billion for territories

Unemployment

The extension and amount of Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation was a contentious issue that almost tanked the bill. In the end, the Senate agreed to keep the supplemental payments at their current level and extended the program by an additional week.

Federal supplemental UI: $300 per week through September 6, 2021 (were set to expire on March 14)
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) extended to from 50 to 79 weeks, which aids workers who otherwise do not qualify for UI
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation extended from 24 to 53 weeks for workers who have exhausted all other benefits
COBRA premiums are subsidized at 100%

SBA-related Initiatives

Restaurant Revitalization Fund established with $28.6 billion in funding for restaurants, caterers, food trucks, and bars
Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) receive an additional $15 billion
State-Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) is revived with $10 billion in new funding, to be distributed by no later than September 30, 2030
501(c)(5) (unions), 501(c)(7) (social clubs), and 501(c)(8) (fraternal groups) are eligible for PPP loans, and the size of eligible 501(c)(3) groups has been increased to 500 employees; $7.5 billion in additional funding will be made available

Transportation

$30 billion in grants for transit agencies
$8 billion for airport authorities
$3 billion for aviation manufactures; payroll support program with retention requirements; cannot have used other assistance, such as PPP

Education

$40 billion for higher education
$123 billion for K-12
$135 million each for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities

For a detailed analysis of additional items in the bill, please see the links below:

Government Affairs Council Update – Legislative Update

Legislative Update

Federal

This week saw final approval of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, legislation that will provide more than $30 billion to New York’s state and local governments and government programs. Much has already been written on the bill and its funding mechanism. Here are several resource documents we thought would be useful to our members:

An overview prepared for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Senator Schumer’s press release describing funding for New York State and its municipalities

The text of the American Rescue Plan Act in text and pdf format

In addition, The Business Council sent this message to all 213 state legislators in response to the ARPA, calling on the state to reject significant new or increased state taxes as unnecessary given this significant additional federal aid, saying “We are urging the legislature to carefully balance the state’s social and economic development needs while recognizing raising taxes, while the economy remains fragile and the need for additional state resources has already been met, would be a mistake that will further harm New York.”

Staff Contact: Ken Pokalsky

Key NYS Legislative Issues

The following provides an overview and update on several of the most significant non-budget issues we are working on. We welcome your input on these bills, and we urge you to contact your local Senators and Assembly members with your company-specific concerns. Please feel free to contact our issue manager for additional information.

Airborne Pathogens – IMPORTANT

This bill is now on the Assembly Labor Committee

Agenda for Tuesday, March 16. We urge you to contact your Assembly representatives to express your concern. This legislation [S .1034-A (Gianaris)/A.2681-A (Reyes)] would impose additional safety mandates on all employers of 10 or more, and require them to form employer-employee “workplace safety committees” regardless of the employer’s safety experience. We have opposed this legislation, and our memo can be found here. This legislation has already passed the Senate, but has not yet advanced in the Assembly. Its provisions overlap existing federal and state safety provisions and it is simply unnecessary. New York State COVID data shows that workplace safety protocols have been effective during this pandemic.

Staff Contact: Frank Kerbein

Expanded Producer Responsibility

Both houses have introduced legislation that would put significant additional mandates on producers of packaging and certain other materials to assure, and pay for, increased levels of collection, source separation and recycling. Most of the focus has been on the Senate bill [S.1185-B (Kaminsky)] which was introduced January 8 and has been the subject of extensive industry review and comment. Our memo can be found here. Recent amendments made marginal improvements, but the basic structure has not changed. Similar, but not identical, Assembly legislation has recently been introduced in A.5801 (Englebright ). While there is recognition that additional resources will be needed to improve collection, source separation and market development, this legislation goes too far, and would shift both financial and operational responsibility for collection and recycling onto the private sector.

Staff Contacts: Melvin Norris and Joe Foskettp

Antitrust

We oppose S.933 (Gianaris), which would adopt an European Union-style “abuse of dominant market position” approach to antitrust enforcement that could be applied to wide range of business activity, including relatively small business. Our memo can be found here. Intended to target “big tech,” this bill has open-ended definitions of markets and market abuse. It also proposes a significant increase in penalties, up to $100 million for corporate entities. The bill would also require advanced notice to New York State of mergers. Overall, this bill would be a dramatic departure from the historic U.S. approach to antitrust, i.e., a focus on potential harm to consumers. No Assembly “same as” has been introduced this session; last year, the bill was carried by Assemblyman Dinowitz, and we expect the Assembly companion bill to be introduced shortly.

Staff Contact: Lev Ginsburg

Privacy

We continue to respond to the “New York Data Accountability and Transparency Act” proposal in the Executive Budget [S.2505/A.3005, Part II]. Many provisions are similar to those contained in the 2020 NY Privacy Act (S.5642 (Thomas)/A.8526 (Rosenthal). However, key changes in the budget bill include the elimination of a private right of action, and elimination of a data “fiduciary” standard. Many states are pursuing legislation, an approach that would create a patchwork of compliance obligations rather than a a single national standard – which is industry’s preferred approach. We have a number of other issues that need to be addressed in both budget bill and legislative proposal. As was the case with earlier breech of data legislation, we look forward to successfully negotiating on these and other key issues.

Staff Contact: Johnny Evers

E-LEARN

We oppose this legislation [S.3184 (Mayer)/A.5180 (Benedetto )], which imposes significant new assessments on broadband providers for the purposes of providing discounted internet access to students and schools. We recognize the importance of access to affordable broadband service, but we oppose this approach. Communications providers are already investing billions annually to expand the system. This legislation would take away from those efforts. Further, the bill runs contrary to systems utilized under the “Broadband for All” program under which grants have been established to expand broadband access and infrastructure and spread the burden of support across the competitive markets. Further, the bill impacts rates by mandating certain levels for retail rates and forbidding rate increases – actions prohibited under the federal Communications Act. Finally, broadband providers have instituted programs to help low-income customers obtain coverage, particularly for work and education purposes. Staff Contact: Johnny Evers

Business Workforce Survey

The Business Council has partnered with the New York State Department of Labor on a statewide business workforce survey in order to better understand current and anticipated future needs of the business community and seek a better outline, based on data, where & how to position resources.

Survey will close Friday, March 19, 2021. Don’t delay, complete the survey today!

Take the Survey

It’s a Busy Year Ahead for the Putnam County Business Council!

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 17:59:30 +0000

It’s a Busy Year Ahead for the Putnam County Business Council!

We are so excited for the rest of 2021 and have planned many great events! On February 26th from 7:30-8:30 a.m. please join us for a “Business Talkback” panel discussion, featuring industry leaders on the future of the Construction & Real Estate sector and its impact on Putnam County economic development and the local community. The panel is still being assembled. Confirmed speakers so far include Stacy Tompkins, Tompkins Excavating; Tom Leperch, Director, Houlihan Lawrence Commercial Group; Kathleen Abels, Putnam County Economic Development Corp; Bill Nulk, Putnam County Industrial Development Agency; Phil Faranda, CEO, J. Philip Real Estate as well as a rep from Tompkins Mahopac Bank, county developers and more. Find out what the future holds for Putnam County.

In March we have our first quarterly Traveling networking event! Kevin Brown, Hudson Barter Exchange, will lead an introductory discussion about the ancient practice of bartering and how 21st-century businesses are using this form of trade to procure necessary goods and services when cash flow is tight but the future is bright. The date is Mar 11, 2021, from 6:30 – 8 p.m.

Coming in April will be our legislature’s priority roundtable discussion with elected town, county, state and federal elected officials as we present the PCBC Legislative priorities for 2021. Also throughout the year we will have our quarterly marketing events, more “ Business Talkback” webinars for other industries and business clusters such as Women owned, not-for-profit, Hispanic owned, art and culture. In the near future another breakfast mixer is planned as well as our annual TrailBlazer Awards event. It goes without saying that all of the above events will be planned with the latest public health guidelines in mind and held in strict compliance to the rules regarding COVID-19. We hope the later events can be in-person or at least a hybrid activity.

The Putnam County Business Council is the County’s largest business and professional organization, providing Putnam County with the support and resources it needs with the focus on economic development. We are looking to grow so that we can continue our efforts and support the business climate in Putnam County. Please go to https://putnamcountybusinesscouncil.com/ for membership and event registration information.

Jennifer Maher

Immediate Past and Founding Chairwoman

Putnam County Business Council

Info@putnambusinesscouncil.com

New Yorkers with comorbidities and underlying conditions can make appointments at Vaccination Sites

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New Yorkers with comorbidities and underlying conditions can make appointments at state-run mass vaccination sites beginning February 14, with the first appointments scheduled for February 15. Excess vaccine supply meant for hospital workers can be used to open eligibility for New Yorkers with comorbidities and underlying conditions. Local health departments will determine how, where and when to schedule appointments in their jurisdictions, and those appointments will begin as early as February 15. No local jurisdiction should accept appointments until the allocations are known, and no earlier than February 14.

“As the state’s effort to vaccinate health care workers nears completion this week, we are now shifting those doses to prioritize those New Yorkers with comorbidities and pre-existing conditions – a group which has felt the brunt of COVID’s destructiveness first-hand,” Governor Cuomo said. “While this is a great step forward in ensuring the most vulnerable among us have access to this life-saving vaccine, it’s no secret that any time you’re dealing with a resource this scarce, there are going to be attempts to commit fraud and game the system. That’s why it’s been critically important that we put safeguards in place to prevent bad actors from slowing the distribution process and we have done just that. Again, I want to remind newly eligible New Yorkers to please be patient when beginning to schedule appointments – we can only administer as many doses as the federal supply allows and we’re continuing to fight for more every day.”

Click HERE for more information

An Important Survey for PCBC Members

The Siena College Research Institute (SCRI), in partnership with The Business Council of New York State, Inc., and with support from Western Governors University is conducting the 14^th Annual New York State Business Leaders Survey.

This year, we are opening the survey up to chamber members so your members can participate in this study and share their valuable insight and opinions about the state of business in New York and the important issues that impact their ability to successfully compete in today’s economy including the changes that have happened due to COVID-19. For over ten years, SCRI has gathered data that measures economic indicators across the state and for specific regions. Using this data, SCRI has constructed the Business Leaders Index. This Index, and the survey as a whole, have been valuable resources for leaders across New York State.

We encourage you to participate within the next two weeks as we are looking to close the survey before the end of February.

Click the button below to take survey. You will need to enter the following code: PutnCEO

Take the Survey

Tompkins Mahopac Bank Announces Bank President & CEO, Gerald J. Klein, Jr. to Retire

The Board of Directors of Tompkins Mahopac Bank today announced that Gerald J. Klein, Jr. will retire as president and CEO of Tompkins Mahopac Bank after 26 years of service to the company. In anticipation of his retirement, Tompkins Mahopac Bank has worked on a succession plan to assure a smooth transition of leadership and is delighted to announce the appointment of David DeMilia, currently senior vice president, to president and CEO. Klein will support the transition process during the first half of the year, retiring mid-year.

Klein joined Tompkins Mahopac Bank in 1995 and was executive vice president and chief lending officer before becoming CEO in January 2007. He currently sits on the board of directors of the bank and is an executive vice president of the bank holding company, Tompkins Financial Corp., and a member of its senior leadership team. Klein serves on the board of the Independent Bankers Association of New York (IBANYS) and was named as a member of the Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of NY.

Consistent with his personal values and that of Tompkins Mahopac Bank, Klein is immediate past chairman of Putnam Hospital Center Foundation, and is a director on the boards of the Putnam Hospital Center, Putnam Economic Development Corporation and SCORE Putnam. In 2020, Jerry was appointed to the Business Council of Westchester’s board of directors. Previously, he served on the board of the Westchester County Association and was also past chairman of the American Heart Association Heart Walk in Putnam, and past corporate chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides Walk in Putnam County.

“Jerry is an exceptional business leader who has overseen a period of strong growth and high performance,” said Tompkins Mahopac Bank Board Chairman Michael Spain. “I would like to thank him personally, and on behalf of the Board, for his contributions to Tompkins Mahopac Bank.”

Steve Romaine, president and CEO of Tompkins Financial Corp. added, “Jerry has successfully led the bank into the digital age without ever losing his deep sense of community and the clients he serves. Integrity, positivity, a deep sense of caring and commitment and a strong sense of humor were all marks of Jerry’s leadership over the past two-and-a-half decades. He has been instrumental in the growth and success of the bank. I wish him all the best in his retirement.”

New Leadership, Same Values

A lifelong resident of Westchester County, David DeMilia joined Tompkins Mahopac Bank in 2008. He held a number of positions over the years and is currently the senior commercial lending division manager. DeMilia exhibits the values of Tompkins with his various community activities and involvement, most notably his position as trustee of the WMC Health Organization where he has overseen team efforts to raise in excess of $125,000 for that organization over his years with Tompkins.

“Dave brings strong expertise and leadership in one of our core businesses, commercial banking,” said Spain. “He has directed and co-directed multiple important corporate initiatives that have helped Tompkins continue to be a forward-looking company providing superior services to its clients and its communities. I have gotten to know Dave over the years and, along with the entire board, warmly welcome him and wish him every success.”

“It has truly been an honor to lead Tompkins Mahopac Bank,” said Klein. “The company’s vision and values, as a community bank, closely align with my personal code of ethics, so it has been an outstanding fit for me. Tompkins Mahopac Bank has encouraged and supported my work over the years in the industry and the community. The team of people here at the bank are exceptional and truly committed to serving the needs of our communities and I remain grateful for their support. I look forward to working with Dave during the transition and I have the utmost confidence in his ability to lead and drive sustainable excellence in all that we do.”

About Tompkins Mahopac Bank

Tompkins Mahopac Bank, part of Tompkins Financial Corporation, has personalized service, local decision-making and a broad range of services for consumers and businesses. Wealth management services are provided through the offices of Tompkins Financial Advisors. Whether you prefer branch or remote mobile banking, we provide the breadth of services and local decision-making to make what’s possible a reality. Locally Focused. A World of Possibilities. More information is available at www.mahopacbank.com.

Good News for Couples, and Positive Ideas for Small Business

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 18:35:04 +0000

Good News for Couples, and Positive Ideas for Small Business

Last week, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that wedding receptions will be able to resume on March 15 in accordance with state guidance. Events must be approved by the local health department, there will be a 50 percent capacity limit and no more than 150 people can attend. All patrons must be tested prior to the event. The Governor also announced that assuming New York State’s COVID-19 infection rate stays on its current trajectory, indoor dining in New York City can reopen at 25 percent capacity on Valentine’s Day. This is a big sigh of relief for many, though the timing seems odd with new COVID variants turning up and numbers spiking. State guidelines have often made zero sense, in my humble opinion, not to mention the atrocious vaccine roll out in NYS, but one thing I have learned in this pandemic is that complaining doesn’t help. With things opening up, it is time to focus on the good.

Where does small business stand with regard to the COVID situation?. The disease, civil unrest, a toxic political climate, natural disasters and more have compounded the decision making process for business owners during the past year or so. Yet they have adapted and they’ve come out of the lows of the pandemic. They’re still cautious, but they’re moving forward.

On the bright side, many people will continue to benefit from working from home. More affordable commercial rents are already attracting new startups. With the forced focus on technology, there are even more opportunities for existing and new businesses who are ready to learn, adapt and execute. We are seeing a lot of available funding that should last through 2022 according to financial experts.

The future looks bright despite the challenges. Small business owners are tough, smart and adaptable. It’s a great source of pride to see how so many businesses have pivoted in a successful manner. A breakdown always equals a breakthrough. And in each scenario, good or bad, there’s always a lesson. This doesn’t minimize the plight of those who face uncertainty, or have a family business that has been open for decades and struggles, or even has had to close. All of that is true. I still believe we will bounce back, better than before.

Lastly, I know Eric is reporting on our first PCBC meeting of 2021, but it was fantastic, fun, fabulous and you really missed out if you were not there. Hope to see you at the next one – the PCBC is the county’s largest, fast growing business networking and advocacy group. More info is available at https://putnamcountybusinesscouncil.com/putnam-county-business-council-events/ .

Thank you to Tompkins Mahopac Bank, Titan Concrete and all our generous sponsors for their support!

Jennifer Maher

Founding Chairwoman 2010-2020

Putnam County Business Council

info@Putnamcountybusinesscouncil.com

Siena College Upstate New York Business Leader Survey

We encourage you to participate within the next two weeks as we are looking to close the survey before the end of February.

Click the button below to take survey. You will need to enter the following code: PutnCEO

Take the Survey

Only ONE day left to complete the 2020 Census – Do it Today! | News & Updates

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 19:10:57 +0000

Only ONE day left to complete the 2020 Census – Do it Today!

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today reminded all New Yorkers to complete the Census now. The Census can be completed from home in less than 10 minutes online, by phone or mail. The US Census Bureau recently announced the deadline to complete the Census is this Friday, October 16 at 6am ET.

“The Census only happens once every 10 years and it’s one of the most important ways New Yorkers can help ensure the state gets the representation and funding we need in Washington. This process profoundly affects our state’s future, and I strongly urge every New Yorker to participate and do it now,” Governor Cuomo said. “As New York continues the fight for aid from the federal government to help us respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the time is now for New Yorkers to complete the Census.”

Once every decade, the nation conducts the Census, which is a constitutionally mandated count of every American, regardless of their citizenship status. The decennial census is one of the nation’s most important programs. New Yorkers’ fair share of federal funds for programs essential to health care, education, emergency planning, housing, economic development and transportation, as well as our congressional representation in Washington, all depends on an accurate and fully counted census response.

New York State Secretary of State Rossana Rosado said, “I urge every New Yorker to take 10 minutes and complete the Census immediately. Completing the Census is safe and easy, and the information you provide is confidential. It has never been more important for all New Yorkers to complete the Census to ensure New York gets it fair share of federal funding.”

Below is key information on the Census counting process that all New Yorkers should keep in mind when completing the Census:

Ways to Respond. You can respond to the 2020 Census: online or by phone,

CLICK the button below to complete the Census online

CALL 1-844-330-2020 to complete the Census by phone. Additional phone numbers for a variety of languages can be found here.

COMPLETE THE CENSUS

COVID NEWS – Enforcing Compliance in Red Zones

The state continues to take action to address the micro-clusters where positivity rates are far higher that the statewide average. Enforcement by local governments of public health laws — including the new measures to contain these micro-clusters — has been uneven at best. So today we are sending a notification to local governments that they must enforce public health law under Section 16 in the designated cluster zones, or else they will lose state funding. Separately, we sent a letter telling public and private schools in cluster zones that if they fail to comply with state regulations, they will also lose state funding.

It is no longer a question of public awareness. The public is aware. The question is now one of enforcement. And we know from experience that the consequences of failing to enforce these health regulations are dire. We must keep these hotspot areas contained in order to protect our state’s progress and prevent further spread. We’ve come too far, and New Yorkers have made too many sacrifices, to allow this uptick in these hotspots to turn into a full-on outbreak. We will not allow other New Yorkers to be put at risk because of a lack of compliance.

The statewide infection rate is just over one percent.

Yesterday, there were 938 hospitalizations. Of the 111,744 tests reported yesterday, 1,232, or 1.1 percent, were positive. The test positivity rate in the “Red Zone” focus areas is 6.29 percent, while the statewide positivity rate excluding these areas is 0.95 percent. Sadly, we lost seven New Yorkers to the virus.

Due to the pandemic, New York State is experiencing a severe shortage of blood and donations are needed.

Giving blood is safe and blood donation centers have implemented precautions to minimize density and ensure the safety of donors and staff, including requiring donors to make an appointment. Learn more HERE

Social Media Marketing – Working With Influencers

DATE: Wednesday, October 21st

TIME: 1pm EDT

Want to expand your social reach by working with influencers but not sure where to start? During this 1 hour session, we will discuss the different types of influencers and the best ones for your business, how to find influencers, how to create influencer campaigns to fit your goals, how to set expectations to create a positive experience for the influencer, how to track your influencer marketing campaigns, and more.

Register Below

Philipstown asks residents to participate in update of town’s Comprehensive Plan

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 16:39:27 +0000

Contributed by Nat Prentice

Philipstown is updating its Comprehensive Plan, written in 2006. The committee coordinating the update is asking residents who live and work in town to participate in the process by completing a survey questionnaire. The more people who complete the survey, the better the updated Plan will reflect the needs of the community.

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

A Comprehensive Plan is a framework for the future. Local officials look to it for guidance. It is an easy-to-read guidebook for making day-to-day policy decisions. However, to be useful, a Comprehensive Plan must reflect current realities. The political, social, and environmental shifts that have taken place since the adoption of Philipstown’s last Comprehensive Plan in 2006 have altered the Town’s planning priorities. As such, an updated Plan is required to set forth goals and actions that will enable Philipstown to navigate these shifts and continue to thrive as a desirable place to live and work for the next 10 years and beyond.

Since its adoption, the Comprehensive Plan has been used often and contributed meaningfully to the high quality of life we enjoy in Philipstown. For example, the Plan inspired the simplification of the Town’s zoning code and the creation of an Open Space Index, which identified the properties in Philipstown that are important to preserve so that the character of the town can be maintained. The Plan also led to the creation of a Natural Resources Protection Plan, which is now in the process of being updated.

Without “road testing” by the public, the goals and actions laid out in the Plan would not have been as useful. The active engagement of the town’s residents, who provided their insights and opinions in an initial charette and in many other forums in the period leading up to the Plan’s adoption, was critical to its success.

Things have changed since 2006. Maintaining a supply of affordable housing and preserving the historic character of the town remain challenging issues. Calls for increasing climate change mitigation efforts, improving the health and well-being of our citizens, and instituting visitor management measures have grown louder.

The need for more education in the form of “best practice” guidelines for improving our resilience to a growing list of environmental threats is increasingly clear. Our planning tools need to be re-sharpened and the Comprehensive Plan needs to reflect the changes that have taken place over the last 14 years.

Given how much the residents of Philipstown have already told us in recent years and what we have learned from previous Comprehensive Plan public engagements, the Update Committee is opening the new survey to fill in the gaps in our understanding of how the people who live and work here envision the future.

Please visit www.philipstown2020.org to learn more and click the button below to complete the survey. Your opinion matters. We look forward to sharing the final Plan with you by the end of this year.

Putnam County Business Council Secretary Nat Prentice, CFA, CAP®, is a board member of the Cold Spring Chamber of Commerce and principal of Prentice Investment Management, LLC.

Philipstown Resident Survey

Business Impact Survey

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 17:52:17 +0000

In an effort to gain an accurate assessment of COVID-19’s impact on businesses in Putnam County, the PCBC has developed a brief survey. Please take a moment to participate. All information will be reported in general terms and individual business information will remain confidential.

The results of the survey and conclusive analysis will be used as part of the Council’s advocacy efforts. The data will also be featured in a report to Governor Cuomo, County Executive Odell, and local media.

Thank you for your support!

Please take a couple of minutes to complete this survey so we can better understand your needs. Click the button below to proceed.

Please Participate in the PCBC COVID-19 Economic Impact Survey

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 20:17:49 +0000

Putnam County Business Council – Business Pulse Survey

Please help us to help you and your business. The Putnam County Business Council (PCBC), in partnership with the Putnam EDC and Putnam IDA, has undertaken the development of a survey to understand the economic impact of COVID-19 on Putnam County businesses. In order to make this work, we need your participation!

Please take a couple of minutes to complete this brief survey to the right so we can provide advocacy and resources based on your needs. Use the scroll bar on the survey window to move through the questions.

We look forward to sharing the results with you later in the month.

Thank you and stay safe.