Business Resources
Browse the resources below to find business-critical information like government services, potential partners and vendors, and educational and networking opportunities. We have assembled these resources to benefit business advancement and the workforce in Tompkins County. You’ll find the resource categories listed A to Z.
Business Resources
| AM&T | An experienced group of consultants and trainers who work with manufacturers and technology companies to help grow in the Southern Tier. |
| Business CENTS | Community Enterprise Networking and Training Service, providing services including: assessing financial feasibility, marketing strategies, business plans and resources. Provided by Alternatives Federal Credit Union. |
| Cornell Cooperative Extension | Resource center for agriculture-based businesses. |
| Ithaca, City of – Office of Economic Development |
The City provides a variety of economic and business development services to encourage sustainable growth and investment, a favorable business climate, and the creation of a thriving community where people want to visit, live, work, play and invest. |
| LaunchNY | A non-profit venture development organization, providing guidance, mentoring and investments to help emerging companies succeed within the 27 counties of upstate New York. |
| Rev: Ithaca Startup Works | Providing virtual and full time memberships, Rev is a business incubator providing resources to help businesses grow. |
| Small Business Administration (SBA) | SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. |
| New York State Small Business Development Center |
(NYSSBDC) Provides assistance to current and prospective small business owners by providing a wide variety of information and guidance. Lindsay Wolf is the SBDC at Binghamton University Business Advisor assigned to Ithaca. Schedule an appointment with Ms. Wolf here. |
| Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce | With nearly 700 members, the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to making our county a great place to live, work and play. We are a progressive, forward-thinking organization dedicated to promoting business in our region by being the community’s nexus. The Tompkins Chamber works to forge links between and among business and government, community organizations, local residents and institutions. Whether your priority is building your business, building your community or being involved with public policy activities, the Chamber provides value. |
| Upstate Venture Connect | An entrepreneur led non-profit with a goal to build a highly visible and connected community of supporters that share a common interest in seeing Upstate NY regain its position as the home of innovation driven wealth creating businesses. |
Capital/Finance
| Broome County Industrial Development Agency (The Agency) |
The Agency has the authority to abate a variety of local and State taxes and serves as a conduit to the tax-exempt bond market for private sector projects in: Barker, Binghamton, Chenango, Colesville, Conklin, Dickinson, Fenton, Kirkwood, Lisle, Maine, Nanticoke, Sanford, Triangle, Union, Vestal and Windsor. |
| Cayuga Venture Fund (CVF) | Provides the necessary capital and resources companies need to grow and prosper. |
| Grants.gov | Centralized location for grant seekers to find and apply for federal funding opportunities; over 1,000 grants |
| New York Business Development Corporation (NYBDC/ SBA 504) | Provides loans to small businesses including startup, early-stage and mature businesses with a particular emphasis on minority and women owned businesses. The SBA 504 is administered through NYBDC’s affiliate – the program is a fixed asset economic development program designed to promote growth and job creation in small and medium sized businesses. |
| Upstate Capital Association of New York | A statewide organization formed to advance venture capital and private equity investments throughout upstate New York. |
| Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) | State agencies have developed a unified funding application, the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA), which has made State economic development resources from numerous State agencies accessible through a single application. REDC guides State funding decisions. Tompkins County is part of the Southern Tier and won $67.3 million in 2014. |
| Rev: Ithaca Startup Works | Member companies less than 5 years old are eligible for Innovation Hot Spot tax benefits, including 5 year exemption from NYS corporate income tax, personal income tax related to pass-through income from member LLCs and s-Corporations, and a portion of the sales taxes associated with purchases. |
| SBA Backed Loans | Most local banks offer SBA loans, contact your bank representative to learn more. |
| StartUp NY | |
| TCAD Loan Funds | |
| Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (TCIDA) |
Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (TCIDA) The TCIDA has the authority to abate a variety of local and State taxes and serves as a conduit to the tax-exempt bond market for private sector projects in: Ithaca, Groton, Lansing, Ulysses, Enfield, Newfield, Danby, Caroline and Danby. |
Networking
| Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce | Provides networking opportunities such as Business After Hours and Networking at Noon, check out their event calendar for the next event. |
| Green Resource Hub | An organization with a mission to expand the marketplace for sustainable living sponsors Thirsty Thursday, a monthly happy hour for everyone who cares about the community and natural environment. |
| Ithaca Venture Community (IVC) | The IVC is a entrepreneur networking group sponsoring Tech Meet Ups quarterly with five minute presentations from five different companies based in Ithaca, Syracuse and Binghamton. |
| Rev Workshops and Networking | Events are open to the public, visit their calendar for the next event. |
Real Estate
The best way to navigate real estate is with an agent. We recommend engaging with an agent to help you find the right place for you and your business. If you are just starting out, here are a few places to help you start your search that may offer flexible space for your growing business.
| Downtown Ithaca Alliance | (DIA) keeps a list of both office and retail spaces available in downtown Ithaca’s core. Contact Gary Ferguson, 607-277-8679. |
| Langmuir Lab | 15 Thornwood Drive, Ithaca NY 14850. Contact Kristin Gutenburger, 607-266-7872. |
| Rev | members only 314 East State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850. Contact Alec Mitchell, 607-882-2400. |
| South Hill Business Campus | 950 Danby Road, #104, Ithaca, NY 14850. Contact Linda Luciano, lluciano@southhillbusinesscampus.com, 607-256-2025. |
Technology Commercialization
| KensaGroup | A private equity company, commercializing leading edge platform discoveries from universities and corporate research laboratories within the framework of startup ventures. |
| Cornell Center for Technology Enterprise and Commercialization (CCTEC) | Connecting Cornell technology to industry and business development efforts |
Economic Data
| Cornell Institutional Research & Planning (IRP) | Facts and statistics about Cornell University, including: enrollment, degrees, conferred, diversity, etc. |
| Cornell Program on Applied Demographics (PAD) | Brings skills in demographics, economics, statistics, data gathering and data analysis together to provide a variety of organizations with data, information and advice. |
| ACCRA Cost of Living Index | A reliable source of city to city comparison of key consumer costs available anywhere. COLI data is recognized by the US Census Bureau, US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the President’s Council of Economic Advisors. |
| County Business Patterns | Data provided by the US Census Bureau on total number of establishments, mid March employment, first quarter and annual payroll and number of establishments by nine employment size classes, detailed by industry |
| Ithaca College Institutional Research (IR) | Facts and statistics about Ithaca College, including: enrollment, degrees, conferred, diversity, etc. |
| Tompkins County Planning Department | Provides statistical overview for the county, including: population, demographics, income, housing, etc. |
Workforce
| Tompkins County Workforce Development Board (WDB) | Employment related services for businesses, workers and jobseekers in Tompkins County. |
| One-Stop Career Center | |
| Chamber of Commerce On-the-Job Training Grant | Training grants of about $3,200 will be available to businesses that are either hiring a new employee or promoting a current employee to a new position. |