The Fab5 Young Professional Celebration highlights the achievements and impact of young professionals, under 40, who are excelling and making an impact in Tompkins County. The Fab5 Awards are given out to 5 local, young professionals who are growing and excelling in their respective fields and in the community.
The Fab5 Awards celebrate excellence in five key categories, highlighting the diverse talents driving our community forward. With the generous support of presenting sponsor AmeriCU, this year's awards will showcase remarkable individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, community service, and professional achievement.
Over 70 nominations were submitted by community members, and we are pleased to announce the 2024 Fab5 Awards Winners:
- Business Leader of the Year, Sponsored by Travis Hyde: Herb Alexander, AVP, People & Culture, Chief Diversity Officer at Cayuga Health Systems
- Volunteer of the Year, Sponsored by Finger Lakes Wealth Management: Kerry Anne Buckman, Volunteer Coordinator, Porchfest
- Emerging Leader of the Year: Courtney Owens, Strategic Corporate Partnerships, Tompkins Cortland Community College
- Not-for-Profit Leader of the Year, Sponsored by Cayuga Health: Megan Omohundro, Executive Director, Community School of Music and Arts
- Industry Leader of the Year, Sponsored by USC Builds: Sarah Schnabel, Co-Owner, LaMorte Electric Heating and Cooling
Event Timeline:
6:00pm Doors Open! Cocktail Hour sponsored by The Dean. Music by DJ The Brat Dondada, Photobooth by Jyl's Photobooth
6:45 pm Awards Ceremony Begins
8:15pm Dessert Hour, DJ & Photobooth
Menu:
Fresh fruit platter (vegan & GF)
Cocktail shrimp (GF)
Vegetable Crudites with Herb Dip (vegan & GF)
Crisp Vegetable Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Plum Sauce (vegan & GF)
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (GF)
Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
Teriyaki Cocktail Meatballs (GF)
Mini Eggrolls with Sweet and Sour Sauce (vegetarian)
Spinach Artichoke Dip with Pita Chips (vegetarian)
Assorted Mini Chicago Deep Dish Pizzas
Dessert provided by Dolce Delight:
Assorted Pie Bites (vegan flavors included)
Assorted Cupcakes
Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan)
Brownies (GF)
Beverages:
1 complimentary drink ticket per guest for Wine, Beer, Mocktails, or Soda
Cash Bar
Coffee, Hot Tea, Decaf & Hot Chocolate during Dessert Hour
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6:00pm - 9:00pm
$20.00 - Earlybird (until 1/3/25)
Ticket registration income will go towards supporting Tompkins Connect's mission of supporting and developing the young professional population in Tompkins County.
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Recurring Events
Business After Hours
Business After Hours is our premier networking event where you can connect with dozens of Chamber members, community leaders, and potential clients. Network with professionals across the region to exchange contact details, discuss current industry trends, and generate sales leads in an informal setting.
Networking at Noon
Each month, members enjoy lunch with Chamber members while meeting new people, expanding their networking, and learning more about our diverse base of businesses and organizations in Tompkins County. Our goal is to enhance opportunities for our members to share what’s new and exciting in their workplace, discover new customers, and create meaningful connections that lead to lasting business relationships.
Community Conversations
Tompkins Chamber hosts community-specific conversations throughout the county, offering a space for businesses and leaders in our smaller municipalities to convene for hyper-local networking, conversation, mentorship, and advocacy. These events will serve as a forum for the Chamber to engage businesses who rarely attend Ithaca-based events and allow us to better understand and support the unique needs of each community.
L.E.A.R.N.
The L.E.A.R.N. professional development series is designed to give Chamber members access to tools and resources that will help them grow and strengthen their businesses. The series is made up of workshops relevant to the themes of Leadership, Equity, Action, Resilience, and Navigation.
Participants in this series enjoy the following benefits:
- Access to qualified, knowledgeable, and experienced presenters
- Clearly defined course objectives
- Relevant and timely topics
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Training Series
To aid Chamber Members’ desire to cultivate diverse, equitable, and Inclusive (DEI) workplaces, a group of experienced facilitators are partnering with the Tompkins Chamber to host a webinar series. The series has the added benefit of introducing Chamber members to local consultants and facilitators who can assist their respective businesses and organizations to develop strategic DEI plans, conduct follow up workplace trainings, and assist in recruitment/retention strategies for a diverse workforce.
Roundtable Series
Roundtables are free & for Chamber Members only.
Women in Business Roundtable
Open to all women and those who identify as female from within the Chamber’s membership base, this group includes small business owners, nonprofit leaders, managers, and women in all types of roles discussing work-life balance, gender in the workplace, and more through facilitated discussion and activities, or open sharing.
Small Business Roundtable
All Small Businesses with less than 50 employees from within the Chamber’s membership are welcome to join our Small Business Roundtable discussions. A mix of topic based and speaker facilitated discussions are blended with general roundtable sharing, mentorship, and brainstorming to result in connections and deliver information to keep moving area small businesses forward.
CEO Roundtable
CEO level discussion including leaders from the area’s largest employers and institutions, as well as area nonprofit executive directors, meet quarterly to provide important updates and discuss key community and economic concerns.
Featured Annual Events
Economic Summit
The Tompkins Chamber presents key local issues impacting local businesses and developers, policy issues impacting the business community, and local insights from participants in a national economic outlook survey. Partnering with Ithaca Area Economic Development (IAED), the event includes important updates about our economy, workforce, upcoming projects, and strategies to move forward and achieve a sustainable economic recovery.
Annual Dinner & Awards
One of the premier business community events of the year, the Annual Meeting highlights the Chamber community and previews the goals and initiatives for the coming year. Come and celebrate the success of our business community and economic development with hundreds of local leaders and elected officials! Join us as we raise a glass to the companies, not-for-profits, and volunteers who partner with us to help our community thrive.
Golf Tournament
This day on the green combines top-notch golf with valuable networking and advertising opportunities. Held at one of the County’s finest and professionally-rated golf courses. Staggered start golf tournament with several prizes, including skins. Lunch and beverages provided.
Great Big Chamber Auction
See and be seen by the region’s top business executives and small business owners. The Great Big Chamber Thank You & Auction holds tremendous value to our sponsors, donors, and attendees as it is one of our most highly publicized and attended events. The Great Big Chamber Auction portion helps underwrite the events and programs that support our Chamber members. Traditional silent and live auction, networking, and nonprofit recognition awards.