Business First of Buffalo articles from December 1996

Business First of Buffalo archives from December 1996

Local GM executives focus on world market. (Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems)
December 30, 1996... Delphi Harrison seeks niches, diversity in customer base The world is Ron Pirtle's customer. That far-horizons concept was formulated several years ago when Pirtle, a 42-year-old career automotive executive, was heading General Motors...

Powertrain engine plant prepares for the 'world.' (General Motors' new L850 'world engine' to be made at Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems' facility in Tonawanda, NY)(Local GM Executives Focus on World Market)
December 30, 1996... Considering the unusual pressures, 1996 wasn't a bad year for General Motors Corp.'s sprawling Powertrain engine plant, said Manager Arvin Jones. True, it was the first time in three years that the Town of Tonawanda plant failed to set a...

At the drawing board. (Techart)(Company Profile)
December 30, 1996... Artist brings color into architects' work What's going on: Techart is a 25-year-old business specializing in architectural renderings and sketches. Who's who: Owner Robert Potzger is an architectural illustrator or, as he is sometimes...

Boeing merger helps WNY's high-tech businesses. (merger of Boeing Co. and McDonnell Douglas Corp.; Western New York)(includes related article on contractors)
December 23, 1996... The pending merger of Boeing Co. and McDonnell Douglas Corp. may offer new projects to high-tech small-businesses and aerospace workers in Western New York. The companies, one a defense giant, the other a leader in commercial aviation,...

Gas up: compressed natural gas is on the go. (Aurora Technology Corp.)(Small Business Handbook)(Company Profile)
December 23, 1996... What's going on: Aurora Technology works in a high-pressure niche making fuel stations for cars and trucks that run on compressed natural gas. Because filling a car or truck with CNG is not just a matter of pumping it like gasoline from...

Family ties are the rule for auto dealers. (Western New York)
December 16, 1996... Quietly and without ceremony, a changing of the guard is rippling through Western New York. It is coming-of-age time for a new breed of auto dealer. Second-generation family members in their 30s and 40s, many of whom were raised on the...

Fort Erie track banks on slots to recapture casino bettors. (Fort Erie Race Track)
December 16, 1996... If Mike Robitaille, Fort Erie Race Track's general manager, can handicap the future as well he can a six-furlong race around the border oval, Fort Erie may be cashing in on the casino business by May 3. Last month, the Ontario government...

Militello entertaining primetime changes at the Tralf. (jazz artist Bobby Militello and real estate developer Patrick Cipolla; Tralfamadore Cafe in Theater Place, New York)
December 16, 1996... A change in management at a downtown nightclub could lead the way to a new entertainment venue. After reviewing six bids, a blue ribbon advisory committee recommended that jazz artist Bobby Militello and real estate developer Patrick Cipolla...

Commuter airline considers service for Falls airport. (Northern Airlines; Niagara Falls International Airport)
December 16, 1996... Northern Airlines Inc. is talking with Niagara County and Town of Niagara officials about locating a maintenance facility at Niagara Falls International Airport. It also wants to talk about offering commuter flights to New York City. The...

Hispanic influence grows in population projections. (New York)
December 16, 1996... When Andres Huerta attends professional engineering meetings or events, he seldom sees another Hispanic. "I am always looking for people that are Hispanic that could be in this business, but I haven't seen many," said Huerta, president of...

Niagara County neighbors seek economic diversity. (New York)
December 16, 1996... Two of Niagara County's newest town supervisors are leading efforts to lure new businesses to their communities. Town of Niagara Supervisor Steven Richards last month reactivated his town's Industrial Development Agency, dormant since 1988,...

Slice of life. (Butterwood Bakery)(Company Profile)
December 16, 1996... Cake decorating with a touch of artistry Cake Artistry by Carolyn at Butterwood Bakery West Falls, NY Phone: 652-0131, 800-321-CAKE Fax: 655-2602 E-mail: cakeartist@aol.com What's going on: Owner Carolyn Scott Panzica makes custom cakes...

Assembly bill encourages loans to small business. (New York State Legislature)
December 16, 1996... State legislators convened in Albany this week to re-elect members to leadership positions. Joseph Bruno was re-elected majority leader in the Senate and Sheldon Silver will return as speaker of the Assembly. The Senate also confirmed Pataki...

Sold on success. (Waring Financial Group)(Special Report: Insurance & Employee Benefits)
December 16, 1996... Waring Financial Group helps businesses find a niche The newspaper ad looked insignificant in the scheme of things back in 1982. But it became Thomas Waring Jr.'s ticket to success. And today, at age 38, he is on target to reach a...

More employers risk going the route for self-insurance. (New York businesses)(Special Report: Insurance & Employee Benefits)
December 16, 1996... In 1994, when politicians and would-be politicians debated the relative merits and pitfalls of the state workers' compensation system, hundreds of people yawned and turned away. They weren't worried in the least about workers' compensation...

Marriott to receive $10.8 million bond for medical hotel.
December 16, 1996... A 100-room Marriott hotel on the downtown Buffalo medical campus is expected to receive a $10.8 million bond package from the Erie County Industrial Development Agency next month. The hotel, considered a cornerstone for the downtown medical...

Erie County must be prudent in stadium deal, taxpayers say. (Buffalo Bill's lease at Rich Stadium)
December 9, 1996... Taxpayers are giving two somewhat contradictory orders to Erie County Executive Dennis Gorski as he conducts lease negotiations with the Buffalo Bills: 1. They demand Gorski make every effort to fashion an agreement keeping the Bills in Rich...

GM champions minority executives. (General Motors Corp.)
December 9, 1996... History was made the day Ronald Pirtle became general manager of Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems in Lockport. On that occasion, Delphi Harrison gained the first black general manager in its 86-year history. But more significant, Nov. 14 -...

Demand propels National Fuel expansion. (National Fuel Gas Supply Corp.)
December 9, 1996... National Fuel Gas Supply Corp. is preparing to launch two major pipeline projects: one to gather natural gas from the Gulf Coast and another to import Canadian gas from Alberta. If enough customers show an interest in the Canadian gas project...

Proposals sought for convention center upgrade. (Buffalo Convention Center)
December 9, 1996... Accounting firms, engineering offices and other analysts are being asked to submit proposals to study whether the Buffalo Convention Center should be expanded, renovated or abandoned. The Greater Buffalo Convention & Visitors Bureau and...

Historic electric vehicle sparks innovation at Delphi. (Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems)
December 9, 1996... The world's first commercially-produced electric car, the EV1 from General Motors Corp., was officially launched Dec. 5. For some Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems professional and technical staffers in Lockport and Detroit, where the climate...

There is good news about the battle against cancer.
December 9, 1996... The war on cancer has been a national priority since the 1970s, but the news from the front has not always been encouraging. Isolated advances were made, but the overall cancer death rate in the United States continued to climb after 1970,...

Enlightened entrepreneur combats wintertime blues. (Bulb Man Inc.)
December 9, 1996... Got a case of the winter blues? A Buffalo merchant wants to shine some light on your problem - literally. Robert Mangano, president of The Bulb Man Inc., has light panels, called SunBox light units, that can simulate bright sunlight and...

UB center evaluates adaptive devices for disabled. (University of Buffalo Center for Assistive Technology)
December 9, 1996... Dennis Wilson doesn't want sightlessness to get in the way of his career in the classroom. That's why the 25-year elementary school teacher is at the University at Buffalo Center for Assistive Technology is learning how to use a computer...

Final phase of resettlement almost over at Love Canal.
December 9, 1996... The last Love Canal neighborhood home is all but sold. On Nov. 7, officials of the Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency took a deposit on 1002 Colvin Blvd., ending the resettlement process at one of the nation's notorious toxic waste sites....

Cost of prescriptions increase HMO premiums. (health maintenance organizations)
December 9, 1996... Health maintenance organizations serving Western New Yorkers have announced 1997 premiums that anticipate increases in the cost and use of pharmaceutials. The adjustments announced recently by the HMOs are governed by the state's file and...

1st person. (David Kurss M.D.)
December 9, 1996... What's going on: While maintaining a busy practice - delivering about 200 babies in the past year and a half - David Kurss, M.D., opened the Women's Wellness Center in August. Located at 835 Hopkins Road, in the building where his practice is...

New federal law attempts to curb Medicaid transfers.
December 9, 1996... The 400 long-term care insurance agents gathered in a Saratoga Springs convention center this fall were silent as the keynote speaker came on stage. Harley Gordon, Esq., a national elder-law authority, was handcuffed. Gordon, who years ago...

NationsBank reverses plans to adding jobs in Amherst. (NationsBank Corp.; Amherst, New York)
December 9, 1996... NationsBank Corp. has decided against creating more jobs in Western New York, even though its Amherst mortgage servicing center is acquiring more than $10 billion in new business. But a spokesman for the banking company, one of the country's...

Outokumpu plant upgrade adds capacity, lowers cost. (Outokumpu American Brass Co.)
December 9, 1996... Outokumpu American Brass has completed its $13.4 million expansion project, pouring its first batch of copper from a higher-tech casting furnace Dec. 2. An earlier phase of the plant's upgrade was completed in September, adding five presses...

Public companies set sights on nonprofit hospitals.
December 9, 1996... Picture the Saturday morning sale at Filene's Basement in Boston. Potential buyers wait for hours for the store's doors to open at 8 a.m. Inside, undervalued goods await sophisticated, price-conscious shoppers. The doors open and once inside,...

Occidental dumps plan for canal waste incinerator. (Occidental Chemical Corp.)
December 9, 1996... Occidental Chemical Corp. is scrapping plans to build a waste incinerator to burn creek sediment and other debris from the Love Canal. The move, eventually subject to federal court approval, means Occidental will not build another incinerator...

The new year will bring creative chaos to health care.
December 9, 1996... As 1996 draws to a close, the state of the health care community in Western New York remains unraveled. The year witnessed changes in how health care is delivered, purchased, structured, financed, named (did you notice how everyone became a...

AppleTree Business Park gains a new office tenant. (Cheektowaga, New York)
December 9, 1996... The emergence of AppleTree Business Park continues. The latest example is a decision by Niagara National Inc. to move from Delaware Avenue in Buffalo to the Cheektowaga business center. Niagara National will be moving in mid January....

CEOs at Batavia hospitals selected to oversee merger. (chief executive officers; Batavia, New York)
December 9, 1996... There are familiar faces among the top executives chosen to lead the merger of Genesee Memorial and St. Jerome hospitals in Batavia. Charles Smith, CEO of St. Jerome, will be the CEO of Genesee Mercy Health System, the proposed union of the...

Consult your body before starting an exercise program.
December 9, 1996... Most people realize that consulting a physician before starting an exercise program is a good idea. However, did you also know that there are four simple tests that can be administered at home. I know of no exercise or nutritional program...

Delisting aimed at poorest performers. (Nasdaq)
December 9, 1996... WASHINGTON - Financially troubled companies will be given at least a six-month reprieve by Nasdaq officials before they are delisted by the fast-growing stock market for not complying with tougher eligibility standards. The move to delist...

Niagara County leaders consider marketing link. (New York)
December 9, 1996... Working with the idea that more heads are better than one, western Niagara County leaders are expected to complete details Dec. 7 on an economic development marketing partnership. The Niagara Falls Area Economic Development Marketing...

Sit down with confidence. (Sember Office Furniture Repair)(Small Business)(Company Profile)
December 9, 1996... No office repair is too small for team of handymen What's going on: Repairing broken chairs, non-opening filing cabinets and fallen-down top drawers may be far removed from the higher profile functions of running an efficient office, but...

Requirements for the job of sales manager are tough.(Small Business: Sales Moves)(Column)
December 9, 1996... Stop managing, start leading. Sales managers beware. No one wants a manager, but everyone wants a leader. If you think about it, there are great world leaders, but no great world managers. There is one universal misconception among every bad...

Bills stadium lease deal may be filled with surprises. (Buffalo Bills)
December 9, 1996... [TABULAR DATA OMITTED] Cloaked in secrecy, shrouded from the gossipy media and the public, the clandestine sessions go on. The goal is to attain an agreement that will ultimately keep the area's professional football team harbored here...

Human services agencies look to share staffs, costs. (New York)
December 9, 1996... A coalition of 12 area nonprofit and human services agencies have launched a seminar series on change, trying to trigger new ways of sharing their caring. The effort stops short of outright consolidation and is being characterized by its...

'Coming soon to a TV near you.'(Special Report: Office Technology)
December 9, 1996... Whenever Bill Barry has gone, a computer has been within ann's reach. He's watched them for most of his life. He predicts they will influence most of yours. "What we're ahead toward in this industry is a coming together, where your TV and...

Clearing the air on where smoking is OK in county. (Erie County, New York)(Special Report: Office Technology)
December 9, 1996... There was a time when the curl of smoke from cigarettes was as much an office fixture as adding machines and the water cooler. But that scene has been snuffed out for good. Today's modern office is a smokeless environment, not one clouded...

Paperless courts on the docket for change.(Special Report: Office Technology)
December 9, 1996... When Arizona lawyer Mark Lassiter goes to thai, rather than lugging boxes of documents into court, he brings his evidence stored on compact disks. Instead of digging through exhibits or tediously rewinding videotape to present evidence, he...

Stocking up the full office at home requires research.(Special Report: Office Technology)
December 9, 1996... I got a call from my Business First editor the other day. "Tim," he said, "I have an assignment here that's right up your alley. Are you available to do some writing?" Of course I was. I have to be. As a freelance writer, Business First is...

Despite veto from Gov. Pataki designers push discipline reform.
December 9, 1996... Engineers, architects, surveyors and other design professionals are dismayed over legislation vetoed by the governor in September that would have reformed how unlicensed professionals are disciplined. An Office of the Professions would have...

Forget the wrinkle cream, let DMV halt aging process. (Dept. of Motor Vehicles; photos in driver's license)
December 9, 1996... Vanity, vanity...all is vanity. Yes, I'll publicly admit that I've never been really pleased with the photo on my New York state driver license. Was it the light? The angle? Did I fail to stand with my shoes properly positioned in the yellow...

Hospital merger negotiations on target. (merger of Buffalo General Health System, Millard Fillmore Health System and Children's Hospital of Buffalo)
December 2, 1996... 3-way talks set goals for proposed consolidation The initial stage of the merger "between three of Buffalo's largest hospitals is progressing and expected to continue through February. The Buffalo General Health System told affiliated...

New players dialing into WNY market. (Western New York's telecommunications market)(Industry Overview)
December 2, 1996... Wherever new technology and deregulation collide, expect an explosion. In December, expect the explosion to ripple through Western New York as several new players enter the area telecommunication market or bulk up their existing operations....

Crafters open shop for holidays. (Western New York's cottage industry)(Industry Overview)
December 2, 1996... Holiday time is when a Western New York cottage industry -gift-making - makes its annual appearance. This huge but largely invisible collective enterprise is driven by an army: of crafters, woodworkers, weavers, artists, artisans and others....

NY per capita income among nation's highest.
December 2, 1996... Mary Lombardi Kenny remembers how insulted people felt when she lived in Salt Lake City and companies were lured there by the prospect of low-wage workers. "That was one way to recruit businesses to come, (by saying) that it was affordable...

Buffalo company targets flavorable coffee drinkers. (Traditions By The Cup)(Company Profile)
December 2, 1996... A Buffalo company is taking the nation's coffee craze and adding a dash of flavor. Traditions By The Cup, owned by David Shepard, makes flavor extracts for coffee, tea and hot chocolate. The company produces a dozen flavors and plans to...

Interest in vacant store grows as auction of landmark nears. (Bon-Ton Stores Inc. buildings in Buffalo, NY)
December 2, 1996... The eyes of the area commercial real estate world will be focused on this week's auction of the former Bon-Ton Stores Inc. buildings in downtown Buffalo. The former Adam Meldrum & Anderson Co. Inc. Main Street store and adjoining Washington...

Surplus supplies find home in Buffalo public schools.
December 2, 1996... Organizers of a program designed to match leftover or unused supplies from businesses with City of Buffalo schools have been deluged with materials. "We've gotten over $1 million in donations," said Pat Jensen, a parent volunteer who has...

Banks pushing for credit union reform.
December 2, 1996... It's a worst-case scenario that even some of those pushing for it say probably won't happen soon. But if the American Bankers Association gets its way, occupation-based credit unions such as Western New York's largest - Unit No. 1 Federal...

Gannett will have no trouble selling Gazette, analysts say. (Gannett Company Inc.; Niagara Gazette)
December 2, 1996... For the first time since the Eisenhower administration, the Niagara Gazette faces new ownership. And for WGRZ-TV, a change in ownership has become an almost seasonal thing. A complicated cross-ownership swap ultimately will leave WGRZ-TV...

Realtors line up opposition to proposed tax increase.
December 2, 1996... The Greater Buffalo Association of Realtors is mobilizing support to shoot down County Executive Dennis Gorski's 1997 budget. The budget was expected to be voted upon by the Erie County Legislature on Nov. 27 and must be approved by Dec. 3....

UB aims at new market as sports programs grow. (University at Buffalo)
December 2, 1996... Once upon a time, the University at Buffalo was in a sprint to restore a big-time feeling to college sports in Western New York. The official "Run to Division I" was technically completed a few years ago. However, the athletic department has...

Sports dollars: the public still thrives on collecting basketball cards. (Downtown Sports Cards, memorabilia shop)(Small Business Handbook)(Company Profile)
December 2, 1996... Perhaps the best way to describe Cliff Arnold is to say he is a survivor at a time when change abounds. He continues to successfully operate his sports memorabilia shop in a business that has experienced a great deal of volatility and in a...

People count to this accountant; guiding clients through maze of regulations forges personal touch. (Milton Pitterman and Associates Inc. VP Judith Talmon)(Special Report: Taxes & Financial Planning)
December 2, 1996... No client's question is too trivial or unimportant to an accountant, Judith Talmon says. It can be something seemingly inane like: "Can I raise beer a nickel?" as one bar owner once asked. Or the most frequently voiced question on taxes:...

Options open when picking firm's retirement plan.(Special Report: Taxes & Financial Planning)
December 2, 1996... When the Social Security system was founded, it was intended to be the major part of a "three-legged stool" (Social Security, private pensions and individual savings) that would provide people with income after they retired. As baby boomers...