The Tompkins County Chamber gathered earlier this month to recognize five community leaders and businesses at the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center on June 18.
The chamber annually recognizes local businesses and organizations in Ithaca that have served or contributed to the community.
One of the first awards announced was the Howard Cogan Tourism Award, which recognizes “leaders who have had a particular impact on our local tourism,” according to the chamber’s website. Rick Manning ’87 MLA, co-founder of Friends of Stewart Park and founder of Winter Village Music, received this honor for his contributions in “expanding access to the natural and cultural assets that make our region special” according to the chamber.
Manning said that while he was “slightly surprised” to have received the award since he retired from the position last year, he was “pleased to receive a sweet honor” from the chamber.
“I'm very appreciative of it,” Manning said. “There’s a lot of deserving people on the tourism board and in the industry so it was nice to be singled out but totally surprised me. It came out of left field.”
Manning helped lead the creation of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, which connects many of Cayuga Lake’s main attractions and improved Stewart Park by adding restrooms and enhancing the pavilion with upgrades like a new splash pad area for kids.
“It’s a rewarding process to work through a project for many years and then to walk through the park or through a trail and enjoy it,” Manning said. “Seeing other people utilize the parks and helping families with all the new renovations we have put in was fulfilling. There is a lot of history to the places around Ithaca.”
He is also the founder of Winter Village Music Camp, a music education and concert event. For more than 15 years, it has helped increase opportunities for music in the area through over 100 musical instrument and songwriting workshops.
The Noel Desch Key Person of the Year Award was given to Gladys Brangman, who is the founder and chief executive officer of Business Leaders of Color and an office administrator at Cornell, a network empowering entrepreneurs of color through community, shared resources and networking opportunities.
“What I love best about receiving this award is that the work of BLOC is being seen,” Brangman said. “And when our work is seen, the members of our network are also being seen.”
Brangman told The Sun that she was driven by the mission and purpose of her company and how important it is to “redefine” what inclusive business leadership is.
“[BLOC] is fueled by a deep belief that when we remove barriers and build bridges, everyone in the community benefits,” Brangman said.
Her piece of advice to young entrepreneurs is to find their passion and create a business around that, while ensuring there is a need for that business.
“Make sure you know who your customers are and when things get tough, keep going,” Brangman said. “Don't give up on your dream.”
The chamber also recognized the Entrepreneur of the Year — Trade Design Build — for their growth in the community and “exceptional attention to detail” which has helped them be an example of a “mindful, customer-focused” business, according to the chamber. The team helps clients design their projects through collaborative and integrative processes.
The three owners of the company, Gideon Stone ’09 BArch, Michael Barnoski ’08 BArch and Chris Willett, said that they were “honored” in their acceptance speech.
The Non-Profit of the Year award was given to Love Living at Home which is a group of roughly 450 individuals that have provided over a thousand direct services to older adults in the Ithaca area. Services range from household tasks to friendly visits from volunteers, with the overall goal of helping older adults find a “strong, caring [and] connected community” while they age in place.
Executive Director Thena Lindhorst said that she was accepting the award on behalf of the many volunteers who help Love Living at Home function.
“I may be up here as the sole representative of the organization tonight but I am accepting this award on behalf of hundreds of community members,” Lindhorst said. “Tompkins County really is full of so many incredible and very deserving non-profits, so we truly are honored and humbled.”
The Distinguished Business of the Year Award was given to Warren Real Estate, a “longtime staple” of the local community that has cemented itself as “a leader in the housing market,” according to the chamber.
Bryan Warren, president and principal broker of Warren Real Estate, told attendees that the business has maintained its family roots” and thrives on giving back to the community and supporting its clients when they are going through the “emotional process” of selling or purchasing a home.
Zeinab Faraj is a reporter from The Cornell Daily Sun working on The Sun's summer fellowship at The Ithaca Voice. This piece was originally published in the Ithaca Voice.
Zeinab Faraj is the assistant sports editor on the 143rd editorial board and a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
