About IAED
Meet IAED
Who is Ithaca Area
Economic Development?
Ithaca Area Economic Development (IAED; formerly Tompkins County Area Development) is a private non-profit economic development organization serving Ithaca and Tompkins County. We are New York State’s first and only Accredited Economic Development Organization, one of only 70 across North America.
Since 1964, we’ve maintained a singleness of purpose: create a supportive business environment that attracts, grows, and retains companies that provide high-quality employment. IAED provides consistent, customized economic development leadership needed to help you grow and prosper. It’s who we are and what we do.
Through forward-thinking, strategic partnerships with businesses, government, academic institutions, and area non-profits, we’re your one-stop shop for success. Check out this website and some of the amazing things we’re doing. Then get in touch and let’s get creative together!
Driven by Our Mission. Guided by Our Vision.
Building a thriving and sustainable economy in Ithaca and Tompkins County.
Our Mission
Ithaca Area Economic Development is dedicated to building a thriving and sustainable economy that improves the quality of life in Tompkins County by fostering the growth of business and employment.
Our Vision
A flourishing economy with exciting, innovative firms that inspire and attract a talented workforce.
What we do
Our Services
Business Services
IAED provides direct incentives and customized resources that fit the needs of businesses at every stage of growth and development.
Economic Strategy
The 2015-2020 Tompkins County Economic Development Strategy, developed and delivered by IAED, accompanies and advances the Tompkins County Comprehensive Plan.
Leadership
IAED president, Heather McDaniel CEcD, and staff serve on boards and committees at all levels of governance, sharing their expertise and shaping programs and policy.
Who We Are
Our Dedicated Team
IAED is dedicated to helping businesses start, grow, and stay in Ithaca and Tompkins County. Our team employs its vast knowledge and experience to support a healthy and prosperous local economy and community.
Heather D. McDaniel
President
Chuck Schwerin
Managing Director of Business Services
Kurt Anderson
Director of Development and Strategy
Margaret Frank
Director of Communications
Ina Arthur
Manager of Administrative Services
Measuring up
Our Accomplishments
IAED celebrates previous years’ accomplishments via an annual report.
2021
2020 was a year of incredible challenges for everyone and IAED worked tirelessly to support local businesses impacted by COVID-19 and plan for recovery while also completing our planned work for the year.
- 13 Projects
- $239.9M in New Investment
- 775 Retained Jobs
- 147 Projected New Jobs
2020
In 2019, our local economy was strong and IAED celebrated many successes.
- 23 Projects
- $87M in New Investment
- 159 Retained Jobs
- 54 Projected New Jobs
2019
In 2018, unemployment hit record lows, jobs grew by 3%, and IAED welcomed a new president.
- 11 Projects
- $98.7M in New Investment
- 279 Jobs Retained
- 54 Projected New Jobs
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Larry Baum, Chair
Founder, The Computing Center
Larry founded the original organization that became The Computing Center in 1978. Today, Larry spends much of his time looking at the overall strategic direction of the company. He is very interested in how technology can be better integrated and leveraged into companies and organizations to make them more efficient and ultimately better managed.
Dr. Greg Galvin, Vice Chair
Chairman & CEO, Rheonix Dr. Galvin is Chairman and CEO of Rheonix, Inc., a microfluidic-based, fully automated, molecular diagnostic systems company. He is also interim CEO of Mezmeriz, Inc., an early stage MEMS device company, and Executive Chairman of Incodema3D, a metals additive manufacturing provider. Until 2013 Dr. Galvin was the President and CEO of Kionix, Inc., a MEMS company he co-founded in 1993. He currently serves on the boards of Rheonix and Mezmeriz. Dr. Galvin was a member of the Cornell University Board of Trustees from 2011 until 2015. He currently serves on the Advisory Council of Cornell’s College of Engineering, the Advisory Council of Entrepreneurship at Cornell, and the Advisory Council of the Cornell Department of Materials Science. Dr. Galvin is a trustee of the Ithaca Sciencenter and a director of Tompkins County Area Development. In 2010 he was a regional Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner. Dr. Galvin was honored by Cornell as the 2014 Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year. He has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology, a M.S. ’82 and a Ph.D. ’84 in Materials Science and an M.B.A. ‘93 from Cornell University.
Jeff Gorsky, Treasurer
Partner, Sciarabba Walker
Jeff joined Sciarabba Walker in 1992 and has been a partner since 2001. He is head of the firm’s Consulting department and also serves as leader of the firm’s High-Technology and Emerging Businesses specialty practice area. His major emphasis is on small business consulting, taxation, and financial institutions. Over the years, he has assisted clients in strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, business valuations, financing, and new business startups.
Greg Hartz, Past Chair
President, Tompkins Trust Company
Mr. Hartz has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Tompkins Trust Company, and Executive Vice President of Tompkins Financial Corporation since January 01, 2007. Prior to his current role, he was a Senior Vice President of Tompkins Trust Company, with responsibility for Tompkins Investment Services since 2002. Mr. Hartz has been a Director of Tompkins Trust Company since January 1, 2007. Mr. Hartz is a native of Ithaca having graduated from Ithaca High School and Cornell University. In addition to serving on the board of TCAD he serves on the boards of Cayuga Medical Center and Cayuga Health System, and The Legacy Foundation.
Cathy Hart, Ithaca Marriott Downtown/Monks on the Commons
General Manager, Ithaca Marriott Downtown/Monks on the Commons
Cathy is the General Manager (GM) for the Ithaca Marriott Downtown/Monks on the Commons. She moved to Ithaca in December 2015 and opened the hotel and restaurant a year later. Cathy has been in the hospitality industry for 35 years with the last 31 years with Marriott. Cathy spent many years in the sales discipline until taking on her first GM role in 1998. The Ithaca Marriott is Cathy’s 5th GM role. With her combined sales and GM background, Cathy realizes how important business development and economic growth are to the success of her business. Cathy also serves as a board member for the Downtown Ithaca Alliance. The Ithaca Marriott employs 105 associates and has welcomed over 100,000 guests to the hotel and over 200,000 patrons, many local, to Monks since opening two years ago.
Jason Molino, Tompkins County
County Administrator, Tompkins County
As Tompkins County Administrator, Jason Molino is Chief Executive Officer of Tompkins County government. A credentialed local government management professional by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Mr. Molino joined the County in January 2018, after most recently serving twelve years as City Manager (Chief Executive Officer and Chief Fiscal Officer) of the City of Batavia, New York. While in Batavia, Mr. Molino played a key leadership role in a number of economic and community development initiatives, among them
- Achieving New York State Brownfield Opportunity Area designation for Batavia, working with local economic development partners and private sector investors to secure the City’s first Brownfield development in the heart of downtown;
- In cooperation with the Batavia City School District, Genesee County, Genesee County IDA, and Batavia Development Corporation, creating the first Brownfield redevelopment PILOT Increment Financing (PIF) District targeted at pooling resources to invest in distressed areas of the City;
- Authoring an RPTL 458-r property tax exemption to redevelop zombie and vacant homes, providing up to 25 years of property tax exemption for Batavia property owners;
- Securing more than $8 million in grant funds used to underwrite key initiatives in economic development, infrastructure improvements, planning, equipment replacement, and public safety.
Administrator Molino holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, University of Albany, State University of New York, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Norwich University, Northfield, Vermont. He is also a veteran, having served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve for seven years, achieving the rank of Petty Officer Second Class.
Mary George Opperman, Secretary
Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Cornell University
Mary describes her mission at Cornell as a commitment to promoting a values-driven culture that focuses on streamlined processes so that the university is socially, economically and environmentally responsive. Cornell employs approximately twenty thousand staff and faculty on campuses in Ithaca, Geneva, New York City and Qatar. She has overseen the development of Cornell’s innovative Center for Regional Economic Advancement, and collaborated with Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College to found Rev: Ithaca Startup Works, a New York State-funded business incubator in downtown Ithaca. Mary is an active supporter of her community and has served on numerous boards of local and national organizations. She is currently serving on the boards of Kendal at Ithaca, Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes, Tompkins County Area Development, the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council, the Legacy Foundation of Tompkins County, the Paleontological Research Institution, and Ithaca College. She is also a member of the Governing Body for the New York HR Leadership Summit.
Svante Myrick, City of Ithaca
Mayor, City of Ithaca Svante L. Myrick was sworn into office in January 2012 and became, at 24, the City of Ithaca’s youngest Mayor and first Mayor of color. Svante was first elected to the Common Council at the age of 20 while still a junior at Cornell.His first budget included a radical overhaul of City government that merged departments, streamlined processes and was able to successfully close a $ 3 million deficit – all while delivering the lowest tax increase in the City of Ithaca since the year 2000. His active advocacy in Albany and in Washington D.C. has resulted in over $20 million of grants and awards from the State and Federal government. Svante has changed the way people in Ithaca view public space by turning his dedicated mayoral parking space into a public park, after years without them he’s brought fireworks back to the City on the 4th of July and he’s moved Ithaca into the 21st century by embracing social media and overhauling the City’s web presence. His 2015 accomplishments include sorely needed revisions to the City of Ithaca’s sidewalk policy, an overhaul of storm water utility legislation, successful implementation of the total rehabilitation of the Commons, Ithaca’s downtown pedestrian mall, and making changes within the Ithaca Police Department in an effort to improve police and community relations. He ran and won to serve another four year term as Mayor of the City of Ithaca leading with a commanding 89% of the vote in 2015. In February 2016 Mayor Myrick released the Ithaca Plan: a Public Health and Safety Approach to Drugs and Drug Policy that garnered international attention for its forward thinking. Mayor Myrick has also gained some accolades for strengthening Ithaca’s Sanctuary City status for refugees.
Directors
Johanna Anderson, INHS
Executive Director, INHS
Johanna is the Executive Director at INHS, a $37 million nonprofit organization that provides a comprehensive array of affordable housing programs and serves a seven county region in central New York. Johanna has dedicated her career to helping low-income people find quality, safe housing that fits their needs. She has over 15 years of experience in expanding access to affordable housing, building livable communities, and leading economic development efforts to reach diverse populations throughout the nation. Johanna has deep expertise in affordable housing finance and community real estate development, as well as a strong track record of developing successful collaborations among government, private sector, nonprofit and community partners. Prior to INHS, Johanna worked at community development financial institutions in NYS and Maine serving low-income and tribal communities. She created pilot programs in Washington DC and in rural Minnesota to help people obtain access to affordable housing. Johanna’s real estate development experience began in 2005 working at a national for-profit developer to transform an urban airport zone in Denver, CO, into a sustainable mixed-use community. She then worked at a nonprofit affordable housing developer in Minneapolis/St. Paul utilizing LIHTC, HOME, CDBG, TIF, among others in single-family, multi-family, and mixed-use development projects. Johanna has a BA from Colorado State University, a MBA in Nonprofit Management from Husson University, and holds nationally recognized certifications in homeownership programs and housing development finance.
Julie Baker, Ursa Space Systems, Inc.
Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Ursa Space Systems, Inc.
Julie co-founded Ursa Space Systems in 2014 to connect information-rich satellite data with critical decision makers around the globe. As Ursa’s COO, Julie leads the administrative team supporting Ursa’s successful operations and serves on Ursa’s board of directors. She is a passionate leader in workplace diversity, playing a key role in creating Ursa’s diverse and 50% female workforce. Julie has 30 years of experience in the software industry, including 15 years in engineering and technical management. She holds a Master of Science in computer science from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Texas at Austin.
Katherine Borgella, AICP, Tompkins County
Commissioner of Planning and Sustainability, Tompkins County
Katie serves as Commissioner of Planning and Sustainability for Tompkins County, overseeing the eleven-person department and all its activities. The Department primarily works to implement the Tompkins County Comprehensive Plan, which presents a long-term vision for the future of the community. Topics of focus in recent years have been in housing, energy, land conservation, tourism, and development. Katie has worked in various leadership roles in the Department since 1993. Prior to working as a planner, Katie designed and constructed a wide variety of projects as a civil engineer with the Federal government.
Natalie Branosky, Tompkins County Workforce Development Board
Executive Director, Tompkins County Workforce Development Board
Dr. Luvelle Brown, Ithaca City School District
Superintendent, Ithaca City School District Dr. Brown has served as Superintendent of the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) since January 2011. He was named the 2017 New York State Superintendent of the Year by the New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS). Prior to arriving in Ithaca, Dr. Brown had experiences as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, school CIO, and district-level leader in Virginia. Dr. Brown is an active member of many professional and civic organizations including: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, International Society for Technology in Education, Phi Delta Kappa International, American Association of School Administrators, NYS Council of School Superintendents, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and 100 Black Men of America.
Illa Burbank, Incodema, Inc.
President, Incodema, Inc.
Illa is the president of Incodema Inc., a rapid prototype manufacturing firm in Ithaca. She joined the firm when it was a start-up in 2001. Prior to becoming president, Illa served as CFO. She helped grow the company, acquire Newcut as a sister company and spin-off Incodema3D as its own entity. Illa has served as adjunct professor at Ithaca College and taught Financial Statement Analysis to bankers. Prior to Incodema, Illa was a commercial credit analyst and commercial lender at Tompkins Trust Company. Illa has a B.S. in Finance and an M.B.A. ’13 from Ithaca College. She is active in the community including having served as scout leader for 8 years, founder of IthacaSTEM Advocates and creator of a business plan competition for Ithaca high school pre-engineering students.
John Collett, Cayuga Health Systems
Vice President / Chief Financial Officer, Cayuga Health Systems
John has worked at Cayuga Health Systems for the past 22 years, with the last eight as Vice President/Chief Financial Officer. John has served on several Community Boards over the years including Hospicare & Palliative Care Services and Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services. John currently serves on the Finance Committee of the Racker Center.
Jerry Goodenough, Heorot Power
Vice President of Development, Heorot Power
Jerry Goodenough has been VP of Development for Heorot Power for the last 1.5 years. For five years prior to that he was the Chief Operating Officer for Upstate New York Power Producers. He has also held various roles with the AES company including Plant Manager of the Cayuga Thermal Facility. Jerry started his career working for NYSEG as an engineer and worked for them for over 12 years. He has a B.S. in Physics and an MSEE. Jerry is President of the Dryden Sports Boosters and served on the United Way Board for 9 years, acting as Treasurer for the last two years.
Tom Knipe, City of Ithaca
Deputy Director for Economic Development, City of Ithaca.
Tom serves in the City’s Department of Planning, Building, Zoning and Economic Development as Deputy Director for Economic Development. Previously, he worked in the Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability as the first Director of the Tompkins County Tourism Program. The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce honored him recently with the Howard Cogan Tourism Award for his work to strengthen Tompkins County’s tourism economy and his “exceptional creativity and vision” in leading the program. Tom holds a Masters Degree from the Cornell Department of City and Regional Planning where he was the 2011 recipient of the Thomas W. Mackesey Award. He started his career as a high school English teacher in Japan and has also worked as director of an educational not for profit organization and event director in Portland, Oregon. He lectures regularly at Cornell University and Ithaca College and currently serves on the boards of the New York Upstate American Planning Association, New York Bicycling Coalition, and Bike Walk Tompkins.
Ed Lavigne
Supervisor, Town of Lansing ..
Laurie Linn, Communique
President, Communique Marketing & Design
Communique is a woman owned enterprise that specializes in professional marketing and advertising, serving over 50 small to medium sized not for profit and for profit businesses on the East Coast. She is an active volunteer in Tompkins County and has accepted several leadership positions with many organizations for the continued health and vitality of Ithaca’s quality of life and economic sustainability.
Chris Malcolm, Wegmans
Manager, Wegmans
..
Joel Malina, Cornell University
Vice President for University Relations, Cornell University
Joel M. Malina serves as Vice President for University Relations, coordinating Cornell’s internal and external communications functions as well as the university’s relationships with federal, state, and local policy makers and stakeholders. In coordinating University Communications, Malina supervises a large staff working in three critical areas: Communications, Media Relations and News, and Marketing. He also works closely with the deans and the communications directors of Cornell’s colleges and schools. Malina’s primary responsibilities in this arena include leading the development and implementation of a university-wide communications strategy and serving as Cornell’s principal spokesperson. As head of Federal, State and Community Relations, Malina directs the university’s public policy efforts and coordinates its involvement with government-focused higher education associations. With offices in Washington, DC, in Albany, and on the Ithaca campus, Malina and the Government and Community Relations staff serve as liaisons between Cornell and elected officials, agencies, and other stakeholders at the federal, state, and local levels. Malina also works closely with the director of government and community affairs at Weill Cornell Medical College and the director of external relations at Cornell Tech. Malina came to Cornell from Washington, DC, where he served as CEO and general manager of Wexler | Walker, one of the nation’s top public policy consulting firms. Over the course of 21 years at the firm, Malina established himself as one of Washington’s premier strategists and coalition practitioners, managing numerous successful lobbying and communications campaigns on behalf of Fortune 100 companies, non-profits, and trade associations.
Dr. Jeff Matteson, TST BOCES
District Superintendent, TST BOCES
Dr. Matteson has been an educator for twenty-six years as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and superintendent in Vermont and New York State. He is currently in his sixth year as the District Superintendent of the Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga Supervisory District. This dual role includes Chief Executive Offer responsibilities at the nine district Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga Board of Cooperative Services (BOCES) and he reports directly to the New York State Commissioner of Education as her representative to the field. On the state level, Dr. Matteson serves as the Chair of the District Superintendents of the BOCES of NY and is slated to serve in this capacity through June 2020. In addition, he was appointed by the Commissioner of Education to the TeachNY Roundtable and represented his colleagues on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Think Tank, the National Board Certification Work Group and the Computer Science Standards review committee. In the Tompkins County region, Dr. Matteson currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce and the Workforce Development Board. At the Chamber, Dr. Matteson is a member of the Government Affairs and Education and Workforce Development Committees, attends the Chamber’s quarterly CEO Roundtable, and is the Chamber’s liaison to the Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD Board of Directors). On the Workforce Development Board, Dr. Matteson serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Individuals with Disabilities Subcommittee.
Deb Mohlenhoff, Tompkins Cortland Community College
Director of Community Outreach and Engagement, Tompkins Cortland Community College
Deb Mohlenhoff is currently the Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at Tompkins Cortland Community College as well as the Program Director for Leadership Tompkins and Leadership Cortland. She is also an elected Common Council member for the City of Ithaca and serves as the city’s Acting Mayor. She has an undergraduate degree in Communications from Ithaca College and a Master’s in Public Administration from Binghamton University. Her career focus has been on leadership development for both college students and community members. She is a member of many local boards and has served nationally with the American Cancer Society Leadership Training Team and as a member of the national advisory board for the National Society of Leadership and Success. She regularly provides strategic planning as a consultant for non-profits with a specialty focus on Gallup Strengths, Organizational Leadership, Generations in the Workplace, and Volunteer Management.
She is an ’03 graduate of the Leadership Tompkins Program and has won a “40 Under 40 Award” from the Chamber of Commerce as well as named one of the “20 Outstanding Women You Should Know” in Tompkins County. She was also honored with Binghamton University’s Distinguished Alumni award in 2014. She received the CSPA Social Justice Innovation award for her work on Ithaca College’s MLK Day program, was named a Mobile Food Pantry Champion from the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, and honored with the Dedication to Leadership Development Award from the National Society of Leadership and Success.
Brian Noteboom, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters
Local 277 Representative, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters Brian has been a Union Carpenter for 32 years and is currently a Union Representative for the New England Regional Council of Carpenters. He attended the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC) Apprentice program to start his Trades career in 1987. He has held various leadership rolls in the local union before becoming a Representative in 2003. Brian attended Tompkins Cortland Community College as well as many training classes at the UBC International Training Center to strengthen his skill set as a union representative. Brian lives in Newfield, and with his personal experience and skills, built his home in 2002. He also uses these skills to help with volunteer projects involving his local church and community (Friends of Stewart Park playground build 2018). He is currently the Financial Secretary of Local 277 and had previously served as the local’s Treasurer. Brian has a drive to grow the union trade’s membership in Tompkins County. A great career can be had with the local apprenticeship programs offered and the individual’s willingness to work hard.
Martha Robertson, Tompkins County
Housing and Economic Development (HED) Committee Chair, Tompkins County Legislature
Martha Robertson has been on the Legislature since 2002 and has served as Chair of the Legislature for six years, from 2010 – 2013 and 2018 – 2019. She was also Chair of the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency, from 2010 – 2013. Martha chairs the Program Oversight Committee of the Community Housing Development Fund, a partnership among Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca, and Cornell University, to support construction of affordable housing for the county’s residents.
In 2021, Martha leads the Housing and Economic Development Committee and the Tompkins Intergovernmental Relations Committee. Over the years Martha has taken a turn at chairing most of the legislature’s committees, including the Capital Plan Review Committee from 2010 – 2012, spearheading a series of critical decisions about the county’s downtown facilities.
Active at the state level with the New York State Association of Counties, Martha chairs NYSAC’s Climate Resiliency Committee and is Vice Chair of its Public Safety Committee. In past years she served on the organization’s Commissions on Mandate Relief and Medicaid Redesign.
During her tenure, Martha’s legislative priorities have included expanding housing choice and affordability, creating jobs through local efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, and providing strong, effective alternatives to incarceration to build a safer, more just community. Martha’s leadership on the issue of hydrofracking included co-founding Elected Officials to Protect New York, a bipartisan group of 800+ local elected officials from every county in the state.
A Tompkins County resident for 38 years, before joining the Tompkins County Legislature, Martha was Director of the President’s Council of Cornell Women, in Alumni Affairs at Cornell University. A Cornell graduate, she has been a teacher, a business owner, and a fundraiser for several not-for-profit organizations.
Tom Robinson, BorgWarner
Plant Manager, BorgWarner Morse TEC
…
Tom Schryver, Cornell University
Executive Director for the Center for Regional Economic Advancement, Cornell University
Tom is the Executive Director of Cornell’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA) and is a Visiting Lecturer at the Johnson Graduate School of Management. CREA’s programs include Rev: Ithaca Startup Works, the Southern Tier Startup Alliance, and support of Cornell’s regional economic advancement efforts. Tom leads the Upstate NY I-Corps Node, and is the lead instructor for Cornell Engineering’s Commercialization Fellows program. He serves on the teaching team for eLab, Cornell’s student business accelerator, and teaches entrepreneurship and business strategy at Cornell. He is an experienced entrepreneur having served as a startup founder and senior finance executive of high-growth companies. Previously, he was Director of Finance for the Triad Foundation, where his responsibilities included investing the Foundation’s $250M portfolio to top-quartile returns. His board affiliations include the Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park and Tompkins County Area Development, and as board vice-chair of the Business Incubator Association of New York State. Tom co-chairs the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council’s Innovation Culture workgroup. Tom has an AB and MBA from Cornell, where he was a recipient of the MBA program’s Albert J. Fried Fellowship for Leadership and Academic Excellence. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
Mike Sigler, Tompkins County Legislature
Legislator, Tompkins County Legislature
Mike Sigler has served on the Tompkins County Legislature for two non-consecutive terms from 2006 to 2010 and then from 2014 to present. Mike also works for Park Outdoor Advertising full time. Mike worked in television, as an Anchor, Reporter and Producer.
Jennifer Tavares, CEcD, Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce
President & CEO, Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce
Jennifer Tavares, CEcD, has been President of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce since 2014. Prior to leading the Tompkins County Chamber & Convention & Visitors Bureau, she was the director of economic development for Chenango County and also director of the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce. Jennifer currently sits on the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency board, Workforce Development Board, Air Services Board, United Way Board, and Tompkins County’s Energy Task Force.
Jeremy Thomas, Cornell University
Senior Director of Cornell Real Estate
Jeremy is responsible for directing real estate development activities for Cornell, which includes strategic planning, oversight of acquisition, sale and leasing of all of Cornell’s real property assets. In his position he also oversees management, construction and financing of nonacademic real estate. He manages an annual $30 million portfolio of transactions, acquisitions, dispositions, real estate gifts, leases, licenses, easements and construction projects.
Frost Travis, Travis Hyde Properties
President, Travis Hyde Properties
Frost Travis is the President of Travis Hyde Properties which owns and operates 19 buildings; 18 of which are in Ithaca: Gateway Center, Gateway Commons, Center Ithaca, the Clinton House, the Carey Building, Cayuga Professional Center, Cayuga Apartments, 407 College Avenue, Fall Haven, Lakeland, Lake Street Apartments, Ravenwood and the Eddygate as well as several other assets. Covering approximately 900,000 square feet, these properties are a mix of residential, office, storage, retail and industrial facilities. In addition to owning and operating these buildings, Frost places great emphasis on cutting energy consumption and emissions across the company’s property portfolio. After many years of growing up with and working at Ithaca Rentals & Renovations, in 2010 Frost took over the locally-owned, family company his father began over 33 years prior – which he renamed Travis Hyde Properties to reflect its new ownership.
Shawn Wilczynski, Cargill Salt Mine
Plant Manager, Cargill Salt – Cayuga Mine
Shawn is originally from South Dakota and is a proud husband and father. He is also a proud Veteran, having served six years in a Navy nuclear power program. He has nearly 22 years of experience in underground mining including 20 years with Cargill across three different mining operations. In his current role of Mine Manager, Shawn is responsible for safe, efficient and sustainable operation of the Cayuga Mine which has been a proud part of the community for over 100 years. Shawn has a passion for community involvement and has been a board member of the Sciencenter for five years. “It is an honor and privilege to be joining the TCAD board and working with others to achieve business creation, retention, and expansion.” – Shawn Wilczynski
Our Supporters
Thank you to our
Platinum Investors
Our investors believe in IAED. Their support enables us to provide the consistent, customized economic development leadership that helps our businesses, community, and economy prosper. We’re successful because of them.
