Business First of Buffalo articles from December 1998

Business First of Buffalo archives from December 1998

Year of reckoning for Delphi.(Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems)
December 28, 1998... Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems is entering one of the most fateful years in its 88-year existence. Two historic events will define the next 12 months: * General Motors Corp.'s spinoff of Delphi Automotive Systems, of which Delphi...

Calspan offspring prospers.(Certified Analytical Laboratory Services)
December 28, 1998... As the demand for chemical testing and evaluation in the Calspan chemistry lab diminished in the early 1990s, the viability of the facility weakened. Instead of closing it, though, John Fisher Jr., head chemist at Calspan, struck a deal...

Delaware North considers relocating headquarters.(Delaware North Companies Inc.)
December 28, 1998... Delaware North Cos. Inc., one of the area's largest privately held firms, may be on the move. The foodservice and concession industry giant has quietly begun to look at possible options for relocating its corporate offices from its...

Area HMOs score high in consumer satisfaction.(New York health maintenance organizations)
December 28, 1998... Western New Yorkers who subscribe to HMOs had fewer complaints and higher praise for area health plans than members of many HMOs across the state and country. In a 1997 ranking of 28 HMOs according to fewest consumer complaints,...

Eastman on cutting edge as machine sales expand.(Eastman Machine Co.)
December 28, 1998... Reengineering of computerized cutting machines and management restructuring at Eastman Machine Co. are helping the Buffalo manufacturer boost sales. The company's redesigned automated fabric cutting machines are penetrating...

Radiating service: family business brings in the big stuff for machine repairs.(Small Business Handbook)(Neal's Radiator Service Inc.)(Company Profile)
December 28, 1998... What's going on: Grand Island Boulevard is the bastion of automotive industry businesses, with everything from trucking terminals to repair shops dotting the landscape. Neal's Radiator is the perfect neighbor. The 55-year-old business...

Imagine this: flat computer screens on the office wall.(Savvy Business Shopper)
December 28, 1998... Would you like to banish your clunky computer monitor and hang a sleek, lightweight flat screen on your office wall? Liquid crystal display (LCD) technology makes this possible, though industry analysts expect it may be three years before the...

Kailbourne: a bigtime banker.(Erland Kailbourne)
December 21, 1998... On Dec. 31, Erland Kailbourne will wrap up his last official duties, say goodbye and close the door on a 37-year banking career. It was a remarkable ride for the Western New Yorker. He started as a bank examiner, later took a job at a...

Marketers choc full of Flutie ideas.(Buffalo Bills' quarterback Doug Flutie)
December 21, 1998... On Dec. 15, when the rest of the Buffalo Bills were enjoying a day off in preparation for their showdown with the New York Jets, quarterback Doug Flutie was working. Somewhat fittingly, he was taping a second television spot for MCI and...

New bank chooses old dealership for headquarters.(Greater Buffalo Savings Bank)
December 21, 1998... The former Braun Cadillac-Buick dealership, which earlier this century was a showroom for the legendary Pierce-Arrow automobile, is the choice of organizers of Greater Buffalo Savings Bank to be the startup bank's corporate headquarters. ...

Merged hospitals close in on selection of new name.
December 21, 1998... Say good-bye to the CGF Health System. Come January, the entity created from the merger of Buffalo General and Millard Fillmore health systems with Children's Hospital of Buffalo will have a new name. The process is being directed by...

Tops ready to go to market with new West Side store.(Tops Friendly Market)
December 21, 1998... The City of Buffalo and Supermarket Management Inc. hope to have a decision on a new Tops Friendly Market on Buffalo's lower West Side by Dec. 31. "A decision of this magnitude can't be driven by a particular deadline," Phil Perna,...

New owner sees rebirth of Falls City Market complex.
December 21, 1998... Rejuvenation of the City Market in the heart of Niagara Falls' Little Italy is planned to begin in March. Planners hope to relocate existing farmers' pavilions to the center of the open-air market and are working to create an indoor...

Statewide expansion next as HMOs explore merger.(health maintenance organizations)
December 21, 1998... The initial steps of a merger of HealthCarePlan and Prepaid Health Plan of Syracuse last week has moved the HMOs further along a course of statewide expansion. The union creates a company of 325,000 members, 2,400 employees and annual...

Delphi launches upgrade of headquarters building.(Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems)
December 21, 1998... Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems has begun a major renovation of its world headquarters building in Lockport. The cost of the project, which is mostly confined to the interior of the structure known as Building 6, was not disclosed. ...

Advanced design program lands jobs for graduates.(Rapid Design Service Inc.'s computer-aided design training program)
December 21, 1998... The first 10 participants in an advanced computer-aided design training program are already hearing job offers just days after graduation. Rapid Design Service Inc., the Amherst company providing the training, couldn't be happier. ...

Sales of Power Wheels remain strong despite recall.
December 21, 1998... Toymakers and retailers traditionally rely on holiday-fueled fourth quarter sales to provide a big boost in annual sales. So when East Aurora-based Fisher-Price Inc. announced a voluntary recall Oct. 22 of its hot-selling Power Wheels line,...

It's show time: computer animation is picture of success for 7-year-old company.(Innovative Business Communications)
December 21, 1998... What's going on: IBC uses computer animation, special effects, Web design and film production and other tools to help companies launch products or showcase inventions. The company uses the same software that was employed for the movies...

Rochester banks belong to Buffalo.(Buffalo, New York-based M&T Bank Corp. and Marine Midland Bank)
December 14, 1998... M&T Bank Corp.'s deal to buy FNB Rochester Corp. in a $129 million stock and cash transaction will remove the last remaining hometown-based banking company from Rochester. Between M&T and its rival Marine Midland Bank, the two Buffalo...

Delaware North pays big price for NBA lockout.(Delaware North Cos. Inc.; National Basketball Association)
December 14, 1998... Delaware North Cos. Inc. and Michael Jordan have one thing in common. The current National Basketball Association player's lockout has cost both about $16.8 million in lost revenues. Jordan's loss comes from not being paid, assuming...

Challenges await Seneca leader.(Seneca Nation of Indians' head Jimmy Ray)
December 14, 1998... Duane "Jimmy" Ray grew up on the reservation near Salamanca and never had politics on his agenda. He became a tradesman, carpenter and bridge builder. Now he's practicing all kinds of skills learned over his 50 years. He's a different...

Graphic Controls' departure creates gap downtown.(Graphic Controls Corp.; Buffalo, New York)
December 14, 1998... If all had gone as once planned, Graphic Controls Corp. would have been scheduling a grand opening of its new downtown Buffalo waterfront offices next month. Instead of putting up a "welcome" sign, the medical products manufacturer is...

Local construction industry gears up for bridge project.(Peace Bridge, Buffalo, New York)
December 14, 1998... Christmas will be coming two days early to the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority. The authority, which runs the Peace Bridge, will be opening general contracting bids Dec. 23 for the long-awaited twin span project. Because of...

Falling petroleum prices drive Exxon, Mobil merger.
December 14, 1998... Low-priced crude oil, helping deflate gas prices at Western New York pumps, is driving mergers in the oil industry. Exxon Corp. and Mobil Corp. are the most recent to announce merger plans. Others include Amoco Corp. and British Petroleum...

Massage rubs business the right way.
December 14, 1998... All employers need their workers. Now they're beginning to knead them too. Buffalo-area companies are following a nationwide trend by inviting massage therapists to uncrimp and unkink frazzled, tense employees. The idea is to ease the...

Dresser counters flat sales by moving headquarters.(Dresser-Rand Co.)
December 14, 1998... Dresser-Rand Co. will be shifting its world headquarters from Coming to Houston early next year in a move that company officials hope will boost sales growth. Sales levels have been flat the past few years. David Norton, president...

Historic Canadian hotel getting major makeover.(Prince of Wales Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake)
December 14, 1998... The Prince of Wales Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake got its name in 1901 to commemorate a royal visit by Queen Victoria's son to the Canadian village. Now, 97 years later, the historic structure is getting a major interior makeover to the...

Business on track: retired teacher lives his dream to run a train store.(Dave Earl; Hamburg Model Railroad Station)
December 14, 1998... What's going on? The store sells model trains, buys old train sets and takes trade-ins. For sale are paints, tools and modeling supplies and accessories. There's in-store model planning services. Advice is free. The store carries N...

Agent insured future by joining family business.(life insurance agent Peter A. de Rosa; New York Life Insurance)
December 14, 1998... At an early age - about the time he and his brother were running their first boyhood business mowing lawns and shoveling snow - Peter de Rosa earned that life insurance has more than just a race value. The brothers' father, Ralph de Rosa,...

'Marine Midland' no more.(Marine Midland Bank's change of name)
December 7, 1998... Four years ago, the ship that served as Marine Midland Bank's corporate symbol sailed into history. Now the 148-year-old Buffalo-based bank is losing its time-honored name. Marine Midland is being replaced by HSBC, an acronym for Hongkong...

Reports link Dunlop Tire to Goodyear.(Dunlop Tire Corp.; Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.)
December 7, 1998... For months, rumors have grown in the tire industry that Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and Dunlop Tire Corp.'s Japanese owner would announce a major deal, possibly involving Goodyear's acquisition of Dunlop. None of the parties involved has...

HMO blames mergers for rate increases.(health maintenance organization Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Western New York)
December 7, 1998... Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Western New York is blaming unrealized savings from the area's hospital mergers in part for its average 11.5 percent premium increase for the HMO Community Blue and 9 percent increase for traditional indemnity...

Business, fans paying the Bills on stadium deal.(football team Buffalo Bills)
December 7, 1998... Buffalo has hung on to one of its treasures. The Bills are staying. For at least five years. Maybe, for as many as 15. Suffice to say the more than yearlong effort to round up buyers for $11 million in premium seats for the professional...

Dual casinos proposed for Buffalo and Niagara Falls.(New York)
December 7, 1998... Casinos in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, N.Y., could be up and running within a matter of months, according to a team projection from a joint casino effort led by Delaware North Cos. Inc. and Niagara Falls Redevelopment LLC. The team...

World competition fuels growth for American Axle.(American Axle & Manufacturing)
December 7, 1998... American Axle & Manufacturing is quickly growing toward globalization. Recent acquisitions in Europe and ongoing construction of a large manufacturing plant in Mexico highlight the international growth of the company. Company...

Measuring up to their standards: father and son team map out the exact spot for clients.(Advance Survey Group; Rene and Jay Savageau)
December 7, 1998... What's going on: Professional surveying is more than measuring acres and parcels for real estate transactions. It can involve providing detailed measurements of crime scenes for trial evidence or accident locations for personal injury suits....

Bells & whistles: updated technology products help keep execs on the go.(Special Report: Office Technology and Communications)(Frontier Cellular's Data on the Run service)
December 7, 1998... You're on your way to an important conference meeting when suddenly your car has a blow-out. Sunk? Not if you've signed up for Data on the Run, a new service by Frontier Cellular that allows you to hook up your cellular phone to a laptop...

Marketing Web sites is a family business.(Ad-Web Marketing)
December 7, 1998... From her family's stately home atop Lewiston Hill, overlooking the quaint Village of Lewiston, the teen-age Lorelei Teamore would descend to Tops Market below to don a red smock and serve customers. "I used to maintain the scale and weigh...