Business digest

Photographs sought for new Monroe chamber site Monroe — A new Web site for the forthcoming Greater Monroe Chamber of Commerce, is being developed by the Monroe-based web development company Progressive Element. The site will feature a virtual map of the greater Monroe area listing the area’s businesses. Officials said the Web site’s purpose will be to allow residents and local businesses to more easily locate each other and do business locally. Ronen Divon of Progressive Element is seeking local professional and amateur photographers from Monroe and regional/neighboring towns to contribute photographs to the up and coming site. Compensation for selected photographs will be in the form of online credits for the material contribution. Photographs can be from the entire region, past and present, color as well as black and white, year-round, nature and community. Photographers must have full copyrights for the images contributed. To contribute photos or learn more, contact Ronen online at www.VirtualMonroe.com via the “contact us” page or at 646-536-3410. Dine Out for Hospice Newburgh - The annual Dine Out for Hospice, sponsored by the Hospice Auxiliary of Orange & Sullivan Counties, will be held on Wednesday, June 1. Ten percent of all proceeds will go to Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties, Inc. Some of the restaurants participating are Catherine’s, in Goshen, Black Forest Mill, in Highland Mill and Bocci’s Italian Restaurant in Monroe. For an up-to-date list of all restaurants participating, go to EVENTS on www.hospiceoforange.com. College to host Sustainability Summit on May 26 Newburgh — SUNY Orange will showcase its soon-to-be LEED-certified Kaplan Hall in Newburgh when the college hosts the Orange County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Sustainability Summit, beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 26. The event is designed to help businesses and homeowners make sense of the “green” movement and to demonstrate how they may incorporate sustainable practices into their businesses or homes. Jack Phillips, co-author of “The Green Scorecard” and an expert on accountability, measurement and evaluation, will be the keynote speaker. The chamber has partnered with the Orange County Association of Realtors, Orange County Partnership, Orange County Government, Mount Saint Mary College and SUNY Orange, to present the summit. Admission is $20 per person, which includes a continental breakfast and snacks. Vendors are invited to participate in the summit at a fee of $250 each. To register for the summit, or to obtain sponsor information, contact Roseann Bouzakis at the chamber at 457-9700 or roseannb@orangeny.com. Overcoming barriers to women’s success’ program is June 3 Middletown — The YWCA Orange County, in partnership with Jewish Family Services, will present “Putting Our Strengths to Work: Overcoming Racial & Cultural Barriers to Women’s Success” on Friday, June 3, at 9 a.m. at the Thrall Library in Middletown. This interactive workshop will explore how to maximize language and communication skills to move ahead in the workplace. Officials said it will challenge personal assumptions and internalized messages that may inhibit women’s ability to get ahead. Led by CUNY Professor Dr. Vanessa Bing, participants will examine how various stereotypes, gender role expectations and cultural norms create systemic barriers to women’s success. Heels in Motion is a series of professional trainings for young women. The group meets monthly and features workshops provided by successful Orange County women, To register, call Danielle at 561-8050 or e-mail to Danielle@ywca-orangecty.org. NY business group details ways to cut local costs ALBANY — The business group called Unshackle Upstate is recommending several ways to cut costly state mandates that add up in local school and government tax bills. The proposals were sent on May 12 to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s mandate relief task force that was created to reform the mandates from Albany for programs, procedures and spending that must be carried out by schools and local governments. The ideas include allowing schools and local governments to require their employees to contribute to a new, less costly pension system, and removing some requirements in construction projects created at the request of organized labor. Cuomo’s task force aims to reduce local spending and taxes. The task force is expected to take several weeks to come up with its recommendations.