The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce will present an online Tuesday Talks panel discussion at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 21.

Guest panelists are County Economic Development Coordinator Nate Aldrich, Chautauqua Works’ Katie Geise, Jamestown Community College Workforce Development’s Brian Lebarron, and JCC’s Career Services’ Julie Page. Panelists will touch on the overall job market and workforce status including broad efforts to recruit and retain employees across Chautauqua County.

Tuesday Talks is a one-hour, online-only forum to provide tips and guidance for local business people. All attendees must register through the Chamber’s web calendar at www.chautauquachamber.org/events to get the Zoom link. Tuesday Talks is free and open to all local businesses, whether they are Chamber members or not.

The Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau will hold a free Spring Tourism Workshop from 8:30 a.m. to noon, Thursday, March 23 in the Carnahan Center at Jamestown Community College. The topic will be “Ramping Up for Seasonal Hiring.”

Speakers for this morning-long in person event will be Cabana Sam’s/Sunset Bay Beach Club owner Kelly Borrello, Chautauqua Harbor Hotel Sales Manager William Hart Frantz, and a panel from Chautauqua Works led by Executive Director Katie Geise and including representatives from the New York State Department of Labor.

To register for the CCVB workshop visit them online at www.tourchautauqua.com/spring-2023-tourism-workshop.

Both the Chamber and CCVB events are being held in conjunction with the Small Business Development Center at JCC.

Round Eleven of the funding process through the Regional Economic Development Council was launched in May.

It includes core capital and tax-credit funding that will be combined with a wide range of existing agency programs totaling approximately $750 million dollars. The core funding includes $225 million dollars in grants and tax credits to fund high-value regional priority projects.

An emphasis will be placed on project readiness and alignment with each region’s strategic plan. Additionally, projects within each region will also be eligible for a share of $75 million in Excelsior Tax Credits to help attract and grow business in the region. Projects from all 10 regions submitted through the CFA will be eligible for over $525 million in other state agency funds, which are available on a set timeline. Regional Economic Development Councils will review these projects and provide scores that reflect how well a project aligns with a region’s goals and strategies.

The CFA applications must be submitted online, with most programs having an application deadline of 4pm, July 30th.

Those interested in applying can contact County Economic Development Coordinator Nate Aldrich at aldrichn@chqgov.com with questions.