Photo caption: The Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce celebrates the grand opening of L.B. Lightning Cyclery with a ribbon cutting ceremony in October 2016.
The Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce’s 108th Annual Dinner is coming up on October 18, and this year’s theme is Celebrate Cayuga! It seems to be an appropriate year for this theme as there have been so many wonderful things to celebrate in our community, including within the business community. It’s not possible to fit them all within this article, but here is a sampling of some of the fantastic things we’ve been lucky enough to celebrate over the last year:
A number of businesses have opened or expanded in Cayuga County over the last year or so. To name a few, we celebrated the openings of ABC Cayuga’s Play Space, LB Lightning & Cyclery, Underground Bottle Shop, Simple Roast, First Presbyterian’s Event and Retreat Center, and Patty Shack with ribbon cuttings. We also celebrated the expansions, renovations and new office locations of Chemung Canal Trust, CIDEC, Finger Lakes News Radio, Rescue Mission, Auburn YMCA, and West & Co, as well as the brand new turf at Auburn Enlarged City School District’s Holland Stadium.
A number of Cayuga County businesses and organizations have also received various accolades and recognitions in the last year.
- Auburn Community Hospital was named as one of America’s “Most Wired” hospitals, meaning that it is among the best when it comes to leveraging information technology to improve performance. ACH has also been awarded a Gold Plus Achievement Award from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association for exceptional diagnosis, care, and treatment of stroke patients.
- Back in May, the founder and father of Currier Plastics, Raymond Currier, was inducted into MACNY’s Manufacturers Wall of Fame.
- Prison City Pub & Brewery has been quite busy winning, bringing in recognitions like Paste Magazine’s Best IPA for Mass Riot and competing as a finalist in the Governor’s NY Craft Beer Challenge.
- Dickman Farms started their season with a feature article in Big Grower Magazine, which highlighted their 114 year history of innovation and changing strategies.
We also fondly remember this year’s Chamber Awards Luncheon, which recognized seven organizations and individuals for excellent community leadership. Susan Riordan was named this year’s Phyllis Goldman Award recipient, which recognizes a woman business owner who has demonstrated a noteworthy entrepreneurial pursuit. The Terri Bridenbecker Young Professional Award was presented to Katy Vitale of Crème della Crème Copywriting & Communication, while the Community Leadership Award was presented to Jenny Haines from the City of Auburn Office of Planning and Economic Development. Seymour Library took home the Non-Profit of the Year Award, while the Small Business Awards went to Prison City Pub & Brewery (again with the winning) and COAST Physical Therapy. Finally, Buffalo Wild Wings received the Business Leader Award. We continue to celebrate these community leaders and look forward to celebrating a new cohort next spring!
There are also many milestones to be proud of, including:
- Five Star Bank celebrated its 200th Anniversary
- Unity House of Cayuga County marked 40 years of outstanding human service
- Seward House Museum celebrated the sesquicentennial of Secretary William Seward’s Alaska Purchase
There are so many things to celebrate in Cayuga County. To list just these doesn’t do our community justice. From the festivals to the talented artists and musicians, we have so many things to offer. So come Celebrate Cayuga with us on October 18th at the Emerson Park Pavilion. Please register by October 11. Registration is available online at cayugacountychamber.com.
