Otsego County Chamber Member News Weekly Update

America's SBDC - New York

Small Business Development Center - Binghamton University

The City of Oneonta is pleased to announce a new $200,000 Microenterprise Program which was recently awarded to the City by the New York State Office of Community Renewal. The Microenterprise Program will provide financial assistance to entrepreneurs, start-up businesses, and existing microenterprises that will increase economic opportunity and/or create jobs for persons who are low-to-moderate income.
The Microenterprise Program will offer grants between $5,000 and $35,000 to eligible projects. A minimum of 10% of the total project cost must be provided as owner’s equity. Eligible uses of funds include capital equipment and fixtures, working capital, inventory, and software that is specifically related to the proposed business activity. Funds cannot be used for construction, renovations or building repairs. Participating business owners are required to complete business ownership or entrepreneurial training. Other program requirements apply.
The program guidance materials, application, and training information can be obtained from Judy Pangman, Community Development Director, at the City of Oneonta, 258 Main Street, Oneonta, NY 13820 by calling (607) 432-0114, or by emailing jpangman@oneonta.ny.us. Applications are due by February 28, 2017. If funds remain after these applications are processed, another round will be offered at a later date.

13^th Annual CANO Chili Bowl  Sunday February 5 from 12 -4 PM

The thirteenth annual CANO chili bowl will be held this Sunday at the Wilber Mansion, 11 Ford Avenue, Oneonta.  Come be a part of this festive February tradition.  Your entrance fee is the purchase of one of more than six hundred hand made bowls created and decorated by Doug Halberg and volunteer artists at the Carriage House Art Studio.    You can fill your beautiful new bowl with any or all of our freshly made chili varieties and be aware that your purchase helps support CANO as we continue  to restore the Wilber Mansion  and provide the area with monthly art exhibitions and writers salons  free and open to the public. 

This year we will double the heated outdoor space thanks to one of our sponsors, Unalam.  This will give us much needed elbow room outside the Mansion, while indoors we will be displaying the beautiful hand crafted quilts by  Susquehannah Valley Quilts.  After sampling twenty five varieties of chili and listening to the music of the Mansion Jam Band you will want to take a moment to vote for the chili of your choice and help choose the best chili in the area.  Awards will be given for best chili, fireman’s choice chili,  best bowl and the spirit award.

Press contact:  Bhala Jones  flyingdancer@aol.com

CANO contact:  432-2070

Stella Luna Ristorante

We are pleased to announce that our next Wine Night Event will be a real event and is set for the 8th of February at 6:30p.m.

We are planning a full course sit down dinner, as opposed to our usual tapas style small plate pairings.

Paired with the finest wines from Trinchero Family Estates, this will be a night of fun to remember!

Seats are limited.

Price is $100 per person, includes tax and gratuity.

Reservations and pre-payment requested by the 1st of February.

We look forward to seeing you then.

Call soon to reserve your seat.

As always, if you have any dietary restrictions, please let us know when you make your reservation so that we can accommodate the menu specifically for you. 

Thank you,

Vinne & Tony

Stella Luna Ristorante

433-6746

United Way of Delaware and Otsego Counties

PO Box 631

Oneonta, NY 13820

607-432-8006

uwaysk@stny.twcbc.com

Taxpayers will be able to start filing their 2016 income tax on Monday, January 23, 2017.  The Creating Assets, Savings and Hope (CASH) Coalition of Otsego and Delaware Counties has announced that taxpayers who meet income eligibility requirements will have the following options in order to be able to prepare and file their state and federal income taxes for free.

MyFreeTaxes (MFT) is a service available to individuals and families who made under $64,000.00 in 2016. This program is available for use on any home computer or public computers (http://www.unitedway.org/myfreetaxes) that are available for use at the following locations beginning January 23, 2017:

CDO Workforce Offices:

12 Dietz St., Oneonta, NY (8:30a.m.-5:00p.m., M-F)

21Liberty St., Sidney, NY (8:30a.m.-4:30p.m., M-F)

1 Gallant Avenue, Delhi, NY (8:30a.m.-4:30p.m., M-F)

The following public libraries will also have public computer’s available for use with a link to the MFT site:

Village Library of Cooperstown

Kinney Memorial Library

Huntington Memorial Library

Harris Memorial Library

Milford Free Library

Worcester Free Library

Fairview Public Library

Franklin Free Library

Louise Adelia Read Memorial Library

Stamford Village Library

William B. Ogden Free Library

Sidney Memorial Public Library

Assistance with MFT will be available on the SUNY Delhi Campus.  For more information on this site, please contact Professor Adriene Clifford by email  at cliffoaa@delhi.edu or by phone at 607-746-4102 for location and times. 

CORE- Student Manufactur​ing Forum -Dec. 1-SUNY

STUDENT MANUFACTURING FORUM OTSEGO,CHENANGO AND DELAWARE COUNTIES        ____________________    DATE     Monday December 01, 2014    TIME   9:00 am - 11:30 am    LOCATION   SUNY Oneonta Campus, Hunt Union Ballroom 108 Ravine Pkwy Oneonta, NY 13820              Questions      Liz Rickard: erickard@milfordcentral.org 607-286-7721 x8421                      Save the Date! Monday December 1, 2014   Overview:   Exposing our youth to local jobs is vital to their success in the future as well as our local economy. The student ManufacturingForum will give students the opportunity to learn about local businesses and hear from professionals in the field about the jobs that may be available to them in the future. Help us excite students about the lucrative job opportunities available locally in manufacturing!!     Educators: Start planning now to bring your students on campus for this educational event! Registration form attached.   Manufacturers: Want to show off your business? Please contact us for information about becoming an exhibitor!  Registration form attached.     Stay tuned, more information to follow...!                    Liz Rickard CORE Director Milford Central School 607-286-7721 x8421   Click here to report this email as spam. This message has been scanned for malware by Websense. www.websense.com 3 Attachments     Preview attachment Registration Form for Business Exhibitor1.pdf Registration Form for Business Exhibitor1.pdf 30 KB Preview attachment Registration Form for Schools.pdf Registration Form for Schools.pdf 43 KB Preview attachment Elizabeth Rickard.vcf Elizabeth Rickard.vcf 1 KB Reply Forward Click here to Reply or Forward 4.01 GB (26%) of 15 GB used Manage ©2014 Google - Terms & Privacy Last account activity: 19 minutes ago Details

Andrew Marietta Add to circles

Debunking Myths About the Affordable Care Act | 6 Quick Ways to Use Social Media for Branding| The Best Credit Card Processing For Small Business Owners

Debunking Myths About the Affordable Care Act As a business owner, it's important to understand how the Affordable Care Act may affect your business. As part of our ongoing blog series to clear up misconceptions, we're debunking another common myth: Business owners will be fined if they don't provide notification to their employees about the new Health Insurance Marketplace. > Read more http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/myth-vs-fact-myth-3-business-owners-will-be-fined-if-they-don%E2%80%99t-notify-their-employees-about-new-health-insurance-marketplace New Guidance on Information Reporting Requirements Under the Affordable Care Act Under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, employers that are subject to the Employer Shared Responsibility provisions must report certain information regarding the health coverage they offer their full-time employees. Here's what you need to know. > Read more http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/myth-vs-fact-myth-3-business-owners-will-be-fined-if-they-don%E2%80%99t-notify-their-employees-about-new-health-insurance-marketplace 3 Signs That Social Media Might Not Be the Right Fit for Your Small Business As a small business owner, do you sometimes wonder, “What should I be doing on social media?” It's a great opportunity to take a step back and consider whether it’s actually a good fit for your business. Here are some signs that social media may not be right for your small business. > Read more  http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/myth-vs-fact-myth-3-business-owners-will-be-fined-if-they-don%E2%80%99t-notify-their-employees-about-new-health-insurance-marketplace Hang out with SBA & Cover Oregon for Health Care Answers Not sure how the health care law may impact your business in Oregon? SBA and Cover Oregon are teaming up to bring you another Google+ Hangout so you can learn how to access health care coverage for your small business. When: September 17 | 12 -12:30pm PT Where: Watch from either SBA’s YouTube Channel or Google+ Page  > Read more  http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/myth-vs-fact-myth-3-business-owners-will-be-fined-if-they-don%E2%80%99t-notify-their-employees-about-new-health-insurance-marketplace 6 Quick Ways to Use Social Media for Branding While there’s no overnight success when it comes to converting social media followers to customers, some strategies can help you see results. Here’s how to make sure your social media efforts convey exactly what you want about your brand. > Read more Register for a Free Affordable Care Act Webinar Throughout September, SBA and Small Business Majority will hold a weekly Affordable Care Act 101 webinar. During each presentation, small business owners can learn about the law and what it means for their company and employees.     Thursday, September 19 at 2:00 PM ET: Click to Register Thursday, September 26 at 2:00 PM ET: Click to Register The Best Credit Card Processing For Small Business Owners Are you looking to accept credit cards from your customers? Is building your company's creditworthiness essential to you? Learn how to determine which merchant for credit card processing would be best for your small business. > Read more http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/myth-vs-fact-myth-3-business-owners-will-be-fined-if-they-don%E2%80%99t-notify-their-employees-about-new-health-insurance-marketplace Leveling the Playing Field for US Small Business Exporters This month, U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will bring together exporters around the country through a series of roundtables to help document trade barriers that disproportionately affect small business exporters in the European Union. > Read more  http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/myth-vs-fact-myth-3-business-owners-will-be-fined-if-they-don%E2%80%99t-notify-their-employees-about-new-health-insurance-marketplace