Business First of Buffalo articles from April 1999

Business First of Buffalo archives from April 1999

GM to produce world engine June 1.(1999)
April 5, 1999... General Motors Corp.'s Powertrain plant in the Town of Tonawanda is gearing up to start general production of GM's so-called world engine on June 1. Full production of the L850 four-cylinder, 2.2 liter engine, which would be the plant's...

Law firms expand in hiring surge.
April 5, 1999... A strong economy is creating a mini hiring boom at local law firms. Currently, 901 attorneys are employed at the top 26 firms, up from 873 a year earlier for an increase of 3 percent, according to the Business First 1999 List of Law Firms....

Canadian cars drive Hamburg business.(New York used car dealership Superior Auto Sales)
April 5, 1999... A glut of off-lease vehicles and a growing number of buyers in the American market are unleashing a spring flood of Canadian used cars which is entering the country through Buffalo. Richard Izzo is a licensed importer whose family-owned and...

Bisons swing for the top in another record season.(minor league baseball club)
April 5, 1999... Minor league baseball is annually an unpredictable affair. Teams are at the mercy of major league organizations in terms of player talent; likewise, franchise operators are at the mercy of the weather. It generally means that no two seasons...

Sorrento Cheese introduces premium mozzarella.
April 5, 1999... Ever wish your pizza cheese actually stretched when you took a bite the way it does on television commercials? Sorrento Cheese Co. Inc. has introduced a cheese designed specifically to do just that, as well as meet other cheese performance...

Lawyers brush up on issues with program from DuPont.(DuPont Legal System)
April 5, 1999... When Paul Zuydhoek is working on a legal issue, he doesn't always turn to his colleagues in the office with questions. Oftentimes Zuydhoek, a managing partner at Phillips Lytle Hitchcock Blaine & Huber LLP, instead turns to the Internet and...

What a set up: design company exhibits the best of its clients.(Design For Industry Inc.)
April 5, 1999... What's up: Design For Industry designs and builds trade show exhibits and retail displays, including signage and product displays. Who's who: John Roote is CEO of the private company; Brion Charters of Buffalo and Linda Scarfia-Price of...

Refurbished Wurlitzer sign recall plant's glory days.(Wurlitzer Industrial Park Inc.)
April 12, 1999... Former Wurlitzer Co. employee Joseph Kocsis remembers manicured European gardens at the North Tonawanda plant. There were flowing fountains, imported Italian statues, impenetrable hedges and wrought iron fencing. And he remembers the tower,...

Cutco takes a new stab at flatware market.(Cutco Corp.)
April 12, 1999... OLEAN - In the cyclical business world, a bad idea can turn into good idea after a decade or so. Up until about 1987, Alcas Corp. sold a conventional-style flatware that was produced by another company. The flatware was phased out, though,...

Canadian bank finds value in U.S. commercial market.(National Bank of Canada; commercial lending office in Buffalo, NY)
April 12, 1999... Since the National Bank of Canada opened a commercial lending office in Buffalo in 1991, the office of Canada's sixth largest chartered bank has generated enough business from manufacturers and distributors to rank eighth on Business First's...

A driving force.(Root's Collision)
April 12, 1999... Car repairs make a dent in family business What's going on: You might say Bud Root's business is waiting for an accident to happen. The longtime collision shop owner has been pounding out dents, fixing and painting vehicles by the thousands...

X-ray vision.(Goodyear X-Ray Co.)
April 12, 1999... Running a small business requires foresight to make sales against the big guys What's going on: Goodyear sells and services X-ray equipment and supplies to the health care, medical, chiropractic and veterinary offices. History: The...

Achieving excellence: Clarence on top, Williamsville second in school rankings.(New York)
April 19, 1999... The winner is the same, but the margin of victory is considerably larger this time. The Clarence Central School District, which squeaked to first place in Business First's 1998 rankings of Western New York public schools, again is No. 1 in...

Poll shows Erie, Niagara residents split on Peace Bridge.
April 19, 1999... Signature bridge or twin span. To hear supporters of the notion that the new Peace Bridge between Fort Erie, Ont., and Buffalo should be a signature international crossing, there is a growing momentum for their viewpoint. Conversely,...

General Motors era comes to end next month at Delphi.(spinoff of Delphi Automotive Systems)
April 19, 1999... The General Motors epoch gives way next month in Niagara County to the age of Delphi Automotive Systems. On May 28, Delphi - the parent of Lockport-based Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems - will complete its spin-off from GM. The GM board has...

Kidney dialysis provider adding WNY renal centers.(Empire State Dialysis Centers Inc.; Western New York)
April 19, 1999... The Brooklyn-based kidney dialysis company that expanded into Western New York last fall is opening centers in Lockport and Orchard Park. The company, Empire State Dialysis Centers Inc., expects to open a 12-station clinic in plaza space...

Draw of Broadway shows boosts Shea's ticket sales.(Shea's Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, New York)
April 19, 1999... The sounds of construction at Shea's Performing Arts Center are about to be replaced by the sounds of music. When "Phantom of the Opera" opens its monthlong run May 5, it will be the culmination of the first phase of Shea's renovation. The...

Learning the ABC's: developers have to learn their own jargon to communicate.(Special Report: Commercial Development)
April 19, 1999... One day Company "X" received an IDA inducement that included a Pilot payment package. The same company later received benefits because their plant was located in an EDZ. Huh? To the untrained observer, all those terms: IDA, Pilots and...

'Full-service' company proud of developing investments.(Special Report: Commercial Development)(Calamar Enterprises Inc. of Wheatfield, New York)
April 19, 1999... Noon sharp and Ken Franasiak is prompt for his lunch appointment. He and a reporter sit at a secluded table. He pulls a pager from his pocket to check the stock market. "Up 38 points," he remarks, then opens the menu. For Franasiak,...

Developers polishing good neighbor image.(Special Report: Commercial Development)(New York)
April 19, 1999... The image of the big, bad developer out to ruin the neighborhood couldn't be further from the truth, industry insiders say. On the contrary, they say, area developers promote a good-neighbor policy that urges community input on any and all...

Great coverage: husband and wife team lay down their towels for the sake of clients.(Tanja and James O'Brocta of Goof Towels)(Company Profile)
April 19, 1999... What's up: Towels - cotton, red, blue, green and every color under the sun - are ready for distribution to beach shops, sports warehouses, catalog companies, hotels, resorts and ad specialty firms across America and throughout the Caribbean....

Atto settles on Amherst site for new headquarters.(Atto Technology Inc.; Amherst, New York)
April 26, 1999... After nearly a yearlong search, Atto Technology Inc. appears to have selected an Amherst site for its new headquarters. While the company is mum on its plans, several public sector agencies have either approved or will soon be reviewing...

Wilmers: M&T growing despite lagging economy.(M&T Bank)
April 26, 1999... M&T Bank in 1998 contributed $452 million to the upstate New York economy. The figure, which is contained in the company's annual report, represents a significant commitment to an area that, if classified as a 'separate state, would be...

HCP defends decision to leave downtown.(HealthCare Plan)
April 26, 1999... Office space, or the lack of it, was the primary reason why HealthCarePlan opted to move its corporate headquarters from downtown Buffalo to Amherst. Dr. Arthur Goshin, HealthCarePlan president, said his firm's decision to move from the...

Veteran real estate team accepts offer from Hunt.(Hunt Real Estate Corp.)
April 26, 1999... In a move that surprised many in residential real estate circles, Hunt Real Estate Corp. landed a real coup when it brought Sharon Frisicaro and her husband, Stephen, into their fold. The Frisicaros were veterans with Hunt's rival, Stovroff...

In the lap of luxury.(Special Report: Luxury Living)(luxury homes)
April 26, 1999... Prestige homes are still a hot property in WNY If real estate sales are a key economic barometer for how a region is doing, then Western New York should be on the edge of a strong economic upturn. The reason? Housing sales...

More selections make home as well-appointed as office.(Special Report: Luxury Living)
April 26, 1999... As home offices continue to proliferate, outfitting one with furniture becomes the newest challenge, yet it's made easier by the increasing selection in furniture. Just 10 years ago, homeowners would have been hard-pressed to find home...

People enjoying outdoors more from indoors.(Special Report: Luxury Living)
April 26, 1999... Much has changed in the ways we pursue our leisure time, but still nothing beats a cool drink, an even cooler breeze and a shady spot in your own yard. Those informal summer gatherings on the front porches of old have often moved over the...

Boss coaches his realtors to successful careers in sales.(Special Report: Luxury Living)
April 26, 1999... The sign on Gary Kenline's door says "coach." Yet talk to agents and brokers who work for Hunt Real Estate Corp. and they are likely to use other adjectives to describe Kenline. The most commonly used words are: teacher, mentor, guidance...

Area interest in greenhouses is growing, say WNY builders.(West New York, NY)
April 26, 1999... Geraniums flower all winter, miniature lilacs blossom in sweet fragrance and calla lilies shoot forth in boisterous bloom. Hawaii? Key West? Canary Islands? Na! Try Amherst, in Peter Bonsey's home greenhouse, or conservatory, as he calls...

Ancient Chinese concept finds modern Western disciplines.(feng shui)
April 26, 1999... Some things just take time. For at least 2,000 years now the Chinese have been applying the concept of "feng shui" (pronounced "fung shway") to many forms of architecture from temples and shrines to modern office buildings, hotels and...