Paul Szmal: FLX Morning continues now it is 816 we are at 65 and I'm joined by Amy Fuller from the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce. Amy good morning how are you this morning?
Amy Fuller: Doing well, doing well. I appreciate you being able to jump on the phone here real quick we had a little technical mcguffin with our zoom system here this morning so let's jump right into things here and talk about a centennial anniversary for this month's member of the month.
Paul Szmal: Yes our member of the month for September is Savannah Bank and they are celebrating a hundred years they turned a hundred at the end of August. Wow that's a long time to be in business in this day and age isn't it? And they now have if you don't know not they now have a new location they're no longer in the Finger Lakes Mall they're across the street by the Dunkin Donuts there that's by the Dixon Coles Plaza they're right up there they have a drive-thru so they you know their offices are beautiful.
Amy Fuller: Oh wow I haven't been through there yet to check it out but I'm gonna be through that area in a little while so I have to take a look at it.
Paul Szmal: Business After Five is tonight.
Amy Fuller: Yes we are having a business after five at Unity House and they're in the Old West Middle School people aren't aware of that and that runs from 5 to 6 30 so it'll be a fun night they have some giveaways and if you want you can get a tour of the school if you used to go there maybe look for your locker you know but yeah it'll be a fun evening at Unity House.
Paul Szmal: Yeah Unity House is a great organization that helps out a lot of people.
Amy Fuller: Oh absolutely absolutely we're so lucky to have them in our community you are exactly right.
Paul Szmal: Yes I know you're gearing up for the virtual auction it feels like we've been talking about this for a while and it's going to be coming up here sooner rather than later it starts October the 10th.
Amy Fuller: It does and we got some some really good items we have a 36 inch Blackstone grill with all the accessories and we have one of the coolest things made in New York we have an earth planter if you don't know they just got awarded the 2025 coolest thing made in New York and it's done right here in Auburn.
Paul Szmal: Yeah we have one of those to raffle it'll be fun. Yeah the earth planter is the self-watering plant pod right?
Amy Fuller: Yes and if you're unaware how it works just drive through downtown Auburn because all those flowers are in earth planters that are from the guys up on off of State Street and you know we have a number of items we are still looking for more we have till October 1st to get an item in you know if you want to donate it's 8 days of bidding and 8 days of promotion so you know we're looking for some electronic type thing maybe a lottery basket or if you don't have any ideas call me we have a few ideas on the books here but we usually have about 20 items and that starts October 10th at 9 a.m. and it goes through till noon on October 17th so it's 8 days of bidding and we got a lot of good stuff get your Christmas shopping started early.
Paul Szmal: Yeah that is a great idea absolutely.
Amy Fuller: By the way which that will be on the chamber website correct?
Paul Szmal: It will be and it's sponsored by Tompkins it's all done with our snowball platform so you do it all online it's very easy you know and it'll be you know there'll be links in our emails and on the website so you can access it easily.
Amy Fuller: Yes and by the way the sorry lost my train of thought there for a second what I was going to say well what we should give out the website address that's it sorry.
Paul Szmal: Yes CayugaCountyChamber.com and you know if you go on and you have trouble just give us a call but Christine and Jeff will get those links up there as it gets closer you know though she's been Christine's been throwing out pictures of the items we have so far we got a beautiful bowl from Mackenzie Childs we got some SU football and basketball tickets thanks to Galaxy Media so we got some we got some cool items here and like I said you can never stop start that shopping too early.
Amy Fuller: No no definitely not and I'm sure those SU tickets will command a good good rate as well.
Paul Szmal: We're talking with Amy Fuller from the Cayuga County Chamber here on FLX morning we've just been talking about the virtual auction again that starts October 10th CayugaCountyChamber.com is the web address for that and then right towards the end of that a virtual auction that's when the annual dinner will be taking place.
Amy Fuller: Yes it's Wednesday October 15th at the Emerson Park Pavilion this year the theme is Our Cayuga live it play it explore it there's going to be a little presentation from the leadership class of 2025 this was their project presentation and it was excellent it's just a very short 10 to 15 minute presentation but it really gives you an overview of the entire county and it was it's great so we're looking forward to that there's you know you can still make reservations the reservations are open and then there's also a lot of sponsor opportunities and they go from $2,000 to $200 so some of them include seats so if you want to sponsor it and get your name out there and get some seats at the dinner give the chamber a call we'll hook you up.
Paul Szmal: Yeah the deadline for that by the way October the 1st right? For the sponsor opportunities exactly right yes because we have to get signage made and stuff so it's not too late we have some great sponsors this year Wegmans is our headline sponsor and then we have A&M Catering which is the people's pavilion they're the event sponsor, our diamond members Tompkins, Lions National Bank and Lakeside Enterprise and then Cuban Community College is a bronze sponsor along with New Corp and our silver is Auburn Community Hospital, Medent and Savannah Bank and then our bronze is the City of Auburn and Power Federal Credit Union and Five Star Bank so we got we got and then we have desserts our sponsor is Cameron's Bakery, can't go wrong with that.
Amy Fuller: Yeah definitely that's the reason to go to the dinner right there is just to have Cameron's for dessert. Yep and then we also have a wine sponsor the red wine sponsor is Cardiff Wealth Management we are looking for a white wine sponsor and that includes two seats to the dinner and that's $500 because we put a bottle of white and a bottle of red local wine on everybody's table so contact me if you're interested we're you know we will never turn a sponsor away and we're you know we're as you said we're getting down to the wire here it's already September 25th I don't know what happened.
Paul Szmal: No I know it's amazing how the time is just flying by and speaking of that the Chamber Community Guide Member Directory for 2026 you're working on that already.
Amy Fuller: Yes we are we you know we we put the directory out in January we get it printed right here locally from Jacobs Press and this year the theme of the dinner like last year will be the cover of the directory and there's a lot of great advertising opportunities in that as well full page, half page, quarter page, eighth page and we put that out we've sent it over to the Seneca County Chamber we sent it over to Onondaga County including the skinny Atlas Chamber all through Cuba County up north locally here and then down in Moravia so it's a great way and it only has chamber members in it along with a community guide portion if someone's new to the area it helps with you know knowing nice things are gas and electric the school districts and of course historical sites in there so it is a great it is a great published thing that you put in your glove compartment you can kind of look through it or give it to someone that's coming to visit to say yeah here take this and you know go see what's going on.
Paul Szmal: Yeah yeah and the Chamber After Hours event is happening the Business After Five event I should say is happening tonight at the Unity House from 5 until 630 that is free for chamber members correct?
Amy Fuller: It's free for our access members and above if you're a basic member you do have to pay $5 and if you're a non-member it is $7 but it is a great way to do you know to do the face-to-face networking you know if I've been with the chamber a while and those never get old because you know our average attendance used to be like 20 you know last I looked I think we had almost 40 registered for tonight you know of our average attendance for those are like 40 to 60 now it really is it's crazy but I think people really find the face-to-face conversation very beneficial.
Paul Szmal: Yes absolutely and it's a great networking opportunity as always.
Amy Fuller: Amy thank you for joining us this morning we'll chat with you again next month as we get we'll be able to get an update on the how the auction did.
Paul Szmal: All right sounds perfect you have a good rest of your day. Yeah you too it is 826 on FLX morning.
