Business Briefs: Feb. 5, 2012

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February 5, 2012

Anonymous Press-Republican The Press Republican Sun Feb 05, 2012, 02:28 AM EST

New bank officer

BURLINGTON, Vt. — TD Bank has named Eric J. Johnson as vice president, business development officer, in the SBA Division in Burlington. He is responsible for expanding TD Bank's SBA loan production, including SBA real estate mortgage loans, medical and professional loans, franchise financing, equipment loans and business-acquisition financing throughout Vermont and northern upstate New York.

Johnson has seven years of experience in banking and lending. Prior to joining TD Bank, he served as a commercial lender at Berkshire Bank in Manchester Center, Vt., and as a business relationship manager at HSBC in Plattsburgh.

A Plattsburgh resident, Johnson is a graduate of Plattsburgh State and Clinton Community College. He is originally from Northville, where he graduated from Northville Central School in 1999.

TD Bank is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 7.8 million customers with a full range of retail, small-business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,280 locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida.

Best hotels

LAKE PLACID — Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa has been recognized as one of the Best Hotels in the Adirondacks by U.S. News & World Report.

The inn was joined by the Lake Placid Lodge and The Whiteface Lodge in the top three of the Adirondacks list.

The rankings recognize hotels with a record of high customer satisfaction and an exceptional reputation among published travel experts. All three Lake Placid hotels received good- to excellent-reputation ratings and positive TripAdvisor ratings from guests.

In addition, the Adirondack region was named the seventh-best place to ski in America by U.S. News.

U.S. News established Best Hotels to identify the top properties across the country using an unbiased methodology.

To create the rankings, U.S. News evaluated the strength of accolades and ratings that elite hotels received from major travel publications as well as online guest reviews. In total, 1,548 luxury hotels have been analyzed for the rankings. The highest performers have been identified in their respective categories.

The complete rankings are available online at http://travel.usnews.com.

The Mirror Lake Inn has received a number of readers' poll commendations from Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler. The resort is also a winner of the Award of Distinction from Wine Enthusiast and is a 12-time winner of the Wine Spectator's Dining Guide Award of Excellence. It has received the AAA Four Diamond award for 28 consecutive years and is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

China trip

PLATTSBURGH — A free information session for the North Country Chamber of Commerce trip to China will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the chamber office. It is not necessary to be a member of the chamber to attend. The trip is open to everyone.

The chamber's all-inclusive nine-day tour of China includes Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou with tours of the Great Wall, the Ming Tombs, Tian An Men Square, Sozhou Silk Factory, Yu Garden and more. Participants will also have the opportunity for a side trip to see the Terra Cotta Warriors.

Our tour of China takes place Oct. 19 to 27 and is $2,199 per person based on double occupancy. This includes all meals, flights, English-speaking tour guides and more.

Attend the information session to learn more about this travel opportunity, meet the tour operator and speak to a few of the people who went on our 2011 tour of China.

To register, call the chamber at 563-1000. For more information, visit www.northcountrychamber.com.

Tax help

ALBANY — The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (DTF) can help eligible low-income New Yorkers take advantage of free income-tax preparation and e-filing services at hundreds of sites across New York State.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites help individuals and families with an annual income of $50,000 or less prepare and file their income tax returns, free of charge, while making sure those eligible receive the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), refundable tax benefits that put money in people's pockets. The state's FreeFile service is also available for eligible New Yorkers to prepare and file their tax returns online.

"In this difficult economy, it is especially crucial for low-income working New Yorkers to receive this help," said OTDA Executive Deputy Commissioner Elizabeth Berlin. "We want to make sure that all families who are eligible to receive EITC credits claim them and that they are aware of the free tax-preparation services available that will enable them to receive the full amount of their refunds."

VITA services are coordinated by the Internal Revenue Service and OTDA and are provided by trained volunteers.

To find a VITA site, call the IRS VITA hotline at 1-800-906-9887, or for more information, go to www.otda.ny.gov and click on the Resources for Working Families link and scroll down to Free Tax Preparation and VITA sites. VITA sites are searchable by visiting the New York State Tax Department's website at www.tax.ny.gov.

Appeal launched

PLATTSBURGH — The United Way of the Adirondack Region Inc. is encouraging all agencies and organizations wishing to become a member agency of the State Employees Federated Appeal campaign for the year 2013 to apply now.

Those wishing to apply may obtain the necessary paperwork by obtaining it from the New York State SEFA website at www.sefanys.org.

This is a digital application that needs to be submitted electronically and then a printable version will be displayed. The applications will include a deadline and a list of required documents needed to send to the Statewide SEFA Council.

For more information, contact the United Way at 563-0028.