Contact: CTA Director Anke Wessels, 607-255-5027, or email akw7@cornell.edu.
The Center for Transformative Action (CTA) is hosting the second annual “Finger Lakes Social Entrepreneurship Institute” to be held at Cornell University and at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center from Friday, November 15 to Sunday, November 17, 2013.
Anke Wessels, CTA’s executive director, explains that, “Social entrepreneurs are people with system-changing ideas that help resolve a social problem. They take their ideas and make them a reality by applying entrepreneurial skills---such a passion, persistence innovation, solutions and results-orientation, and an ability to create something from nothing. Their ventures, which can be for-profit businesses or nonprofit organizations, focus both on financial viability and social impact. ” This two and a half day event will be filled with valuable workshops for new and experienced social entrepreneurs to help them build their for-profit or nonprofit social ventures. Benefiting also from the advice of consultants and practitioners, participants will walk away from the Institute with a new set of tools as well as relationships with which to move forward with their plans, no matter the stage of their venture. The theme of the Institute is "Creating local economies that are socially just and ecologically sound."
For more information about the event, scholarships, and the schedule, visit our website at www.centerfortransformativeaction.org
The Institute opens on Friday, November 15 at 2:00 pm. At 7:30 pm, Delmonize (Del) Smith will give the keynote address on “Creating a Thriving Local Economy through Urban Entrepreneurship.” Del Smith is the Director of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s new Center for Urban Entrepreneurship. The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship is creating a new culture of entrepreneurship in the region, with a particular emphasis on the most underserved populations. Dr. Smith's research focuses on the growth of minority-based businesses. This keynote will be held in the Anabel Taylor Hall Auditorium at Cornell University, and is free and open to the public.
On Saturday, participants will hear from Judy Wicks, an entrepreneur, activist and author working to build a more compassionate, environmentally sustainable and locally based economy. Her memoir Good Morning, Beautiful Business: the Unexpected Journey of an Activist Entrepreneur and Local Economy Pioneer was published in March 2013. Judy is founder of Philadelphia’s landmark White Dog Café known for its leadership in the local food movement, as well as community building and environmental stewardship. She founded several non-profits including Fair Food Philly and the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, and co-founded the nationwide Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), a network of 30,000 local independent businesses in 80 communities. In 2009, Judy sold the White Dog through a unique agreement that preserves local, independent ownership and maintains sustainable business practices, including buying from local farmers and fair trade purveyors, composting and using renewable energy. She will be speaking on “Creating value chains and collective impact in food systems.” She will also assist in our small working group sessions, and will no doubt be a huge asset to the institute.
On Saturday evening, participants will attend the screening of “The Barefoot Artist” at Cinemapolis. This film explores the methods and motivations of Lily Yeh and her revolutionary, community-based public art. It documents the two sides of Lily’s life: her international ventures mending the broken and helping to heal weakened spirits in communities in North America, Africa, China, and India, and a personal journey within, to repair her own fractured family. Lily Yeh will be attending the entire Institute, and will give a “talk back” along with the film director at Cinemapolis after the screening.
The fee for the entire three-day Institute is $225 ($100 for students), and includes a local foods breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday, plus snacks and drinks throughout the weekend. It also includes a ticket to “The Barefoot Artist” showing at Cinemapolis on Saturday evening, and the Post-Institute event on Sunday afternoon that features 18-minute presentations by 9 innovative social entrepreneurs* who will be speaking on “Creating communities that work for everyone.” Limited full scholarships are available by application. An early bird discount of 10% is available until October 9, for a total price of $202.50. After November 1, online registrations will be closed.
Register here: http://www.centerfortransformativeaction.org/SE-Institute-panels-and-workshops.html.
*List of the nine social entrepreneurs speaking at our post-institute event:
Lauren Braun '11, Founder, Alma Sana
Kirby Edmonds '99, Senior Fellow, Dorothy Cotton Institute
Natalie Bridgeman Fields '99, Founder, Accountability Counsel
Rob Garrity '05, Founder, Finlo Solar Powers
Ben Justus '08, Founder, EGBOK
Bill Myers '73, Founder, Alternatives Federal Credit Union
Liz Ngonzi '98, Founder, Amazing Taste
Meredith Ramirez Talusan, Founder, The Ricefield Collective
Lily Yeh, Founder, Barefoot Artists
Financial Sponsors: Engaged Learning and Research; Entrepreneurship@Cornell; Iscol Family Program for Leadership Development in Public Service; Cornell Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Park Foundation.
Supporters: Alma Sana; Alternatives Federal Credit Union; Amazing Taste; Barefoot Artists; Building Bridges; Business Alliance for Local Living Economies; Celia’s Ice Pops; Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise; Center for Urban Entrepreneurship at RIT; Challenge Workforce Solutions; Community Foundation of Tompkins County; Diaspora Gallery; Dorothy Cotton Institute; EGBOK; eLab; Finlo Solar Powers; Groundswell Local Food and Farming; Illume Projects; Local First Ithaca; Nonprofit Finance Fund; Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives at National Credit Union Administration; Peaks; Ricefield Collective; Social Ventures; Sustainable Passion; Syracuse University NGO Clinic; THRIIVE; Wide Awake Bakery
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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.