Business First of Buffalo articles from February 1994

Business First of Buffalo archives from February 1994

Office space: not enough prime. (New York State) (Industry Overview)
February 28, 1994... Statistics show that downtown Buffalo and the popular Amherst office market have plenty of space for interested tenants but premium space is in limited reserve. "We are scratching our heads wondering where to put people," says Dorothy...

New American Brass exec sees strength in WNY plant. (Outokumpu American Brass Co. President Warren Bartel; Western New York)
February 28, 1994... Days after Outokumpu OY announced the end of joint venture talks with its No. 1 competitor, the new CEO of Outokumpu American Brass' local operation is optimistic that he can now concentrate on new product development, increased productivity...

Buffalo General offers 'bloodless' options for patients who don't want transfusions. (Buffalo General Hospital (Buffalo, New York))
February 28, 1994... In what is being called the most organized program in the area, patients who don't want donated blood used during their surgical procedures are being accommodated by Buffalo General Hospital. More than 140 doctors in 23 specialty areas are...

Niagara IDA scrambles to fill space in trade zone building. (Niagara County Industrial Development Agency)
February 28, 1994... Just a few months after it opened for business in January 1990, Niagara County's lone foreign trade zone was short of space for companies that wanted in. That prospect sent county development officials scrambling to find more room in the then...

Classic colors, bright newcomers share favor with new-car buyers. (Special Report: Automotive)
February 28, 1994... When buying a car these days, the issue of color comes up eventually. It was not always so. In the 1920s, drivers had a choice of black, black or black. Today, car owners can choose from among hundreds of hues, like platinum opal mica. To...

Forget gizmos and gadgets - value, safety, service sell cars. (Special Report: Automotive)
February 28, 1994... In the ever-competitive world of new-car sales, the more things change, the more they will remain the same. Which is to say that no matter how sophisticated or attractive the newest technological wrinkle -- rear-seat airbags, climate control,...

Dealers say used upscale cars marry luxury and affordability. (Special Report: Automotive)
February 28, 1994... The dream of driving luxury vs. the reality of a budget. It's an issue that many car buyers struggle with. Some resolve it by scratching "new" off their lists in favor of "used -- but not the kind of used cars that typically come to mind....

Good business insurance is right mix of elements. (Special Report: Automotive)
February 28, 1994... Automobile insurance, whether for a family car or business vehicle, is one product people buy and hope they'll never use. But both have to have it, not only to fulfill legal requirements but to help avoid financial ruin. Although some things...

Area builders see signs of optimism for healthy '94. (Real Estate & Construction)
February 28, 1994... What's the building industry's take on the local economy? As with any industry, it depends on who you ask. An informal survey of construction and housing executives finds opinions about the economy's outlook for the next 12 months, not...

Bicz expects to add speed to Buffalo development. (real estate developer Daniel Bicz; Buffalo, New York) (Real Estate & Construction)
February 28, 1994... Charles Goldsmith feels good about Buffalo. The Toronto-based developer says his appreciation for Buffalo comes from a refreshingly positive attitude that's coming from City Hall these days. "It's like a breath of fresh air," Goldsmith...

Catholic teachers voting to unionize. (teachers from Diocese of Buffalo; proposed labor union to press for higher benefits and salaries)
February 21, 1994... Teachers from 25 Catholic elementary schools in the Diocese of Buffalo are considering forming a union to improve salaries and benefits. Teachers from two schools a week for the next three months will vote yes or no to organize the Diocesan...

Businesses battle clever crooks passing bad cash and checks. (includes article on steps to counter returned merchandise scam)
February 21, 1994... Banks coming off the long Presidents' Day weekend may find themselves caught once again between the rip-off artist and FDIC rules that say they must make certain funds available within a scheduled amount of time. And it's a loss that, when...

Burger King serving up deal for in-store restaurant in Tops. (Resser Management Corp. to build Burger King kiosk-style restaurant in Tops Markets Inc. supermarket)
February 21, 1994... Resser Management Corp. wants to take a bite out of Tops Markets Inc. customers, and it is doing so with Tops' blessing. Resser is building a prototype Burger King kiosk-style restaurant in the Tops store on Elmwood Avenue near Hinman Road in...

Feds start bidding process for failed Columbia Savings. (Resolution Trust Corp. set to sell Columbia Savings Bank Assets)
February 21, 1994... The Resolution Trust Corp. is preparing to sell assets of the failed Columbia Savings Bank in Rochester, and it marks the beginning of bidding that could see smaller banks band together to beat out the hungry merger machines of the larger, more...

Firms tackle major upgrade at Rich Stadium. (engineering firms)(includes article on design awareness campaign)
February 21, 1994... The work of engineers and architects will help Buffalo Bills fans have a better view of the game at Rich Stadium. A project that began Feb. 7 is the first of two phases of upgrading that will eventually lead to 14 climate-controlled club...

Color experts say new name can perk up old enamel. (enhancing paint sales through use of clever color names) (Special Report: Printing/Signs/Graphics)
February 21, 1994... In Jean Luck's world, gray is not gray, pink is not pink and yellow is not yellow. They're Winter's Gate, Froufrou and Lemon Whip and are three of the hundreds of colors that Luck has dubbed for Pratt & Lambert Inc. in Buffalo. Every 10...

Good logos put a face on company, products. (role logos in establishing business identity) (Special Report: Printing/Signs/Graphics)
February 21, 1994... Fisher-Price. NBC. McDonald's. Coca-Cola. They all have at least one thing in common: distinctive logos. Logos become brand names, or trade or service marks, taking on a life of their own and needing little further identification or...

Mix of elements makes games' logo a winner. (logo of 1993 World University Games) (Special Report: Printing/Signs/Graphics)
February 21, 1994... What's in a logo? For last summer's World University Games in Buffalo, the symbol had to be all things to all people because of the competition's global nature. Among other things, the logo had to convey what was happening and where and...

Rich Publications taking work out to the ballpark. (prepares program brochures and newsletters for sports teams) (Special Report: Printing/Signs/Graphics)
February 21, 1994... It makes sense that the in-house publications unit of Rich Products Corp. would put together program brochures and newsletters for the minor-league baseball subsidiary, the Buffalo Bisons. But why are the off-season writers, editors and...

If you can't beat competition, join them and network. (joint ventures between small businesses) (Small Business First)
February 21, 1994... Arlene Paul runs a one-woman business, a commercial space planning and interior design firm in Williamsville. She is happy being her own boss and doing smaller jobs, but a part of her also wants to be involved in the big jobs that usually go to...

Local economy catches fire: index reaches highest scores of the decade. (western New York State)
February 14, 1994... Western New York's economy ended 1993 on an upbeat note, no matter which way you look at it. * The monthly Business First Economic Index climbed 6 percent in December to 1,095 points, its highest score of the decade. * The composite...

Enviro Cop hopes to spin garbage into licensing gold. (inventor Ken Hunt markets product licenses for Enviro Cop character)
February 14, 1994... Ken Hunt estimates that he has spent hundreds of hours in the past 18 months encased in 40 pounds of garbage. But as his partner-in-grime Ted Barnes is quick to point out, it's all clean, recyclable materials. Barnes, an Amherst...

Benderson buys choice chunks of Cheektowaga. (Benderson Development Company Inc.; Cheektowaga, New York, real estate)
February 14, 1994... Benderson Development Co. Inc. is spending big in Cheektowaga. In a two-week period, the Buffalo real estate developer has spent almost $3.5 million on property around the red-hot Walden Galleria. Though company officials won't comment on...

Health reform prods hospitals into networking. (western New York State)
February 14, 1994... Western New York hospitals are developing ways to link services, programs and staffs in a new air of cooperation. Two compelling reasons are driving this increased warming among the facilities: * Large entities will have power and...

Pleasuredome partner wants out; Falls club in dispute with IDA. (Niagara Falls, New York, nightclub; Niagara County Industrial Development Agency)
February 14, 1994... Legal troubles are brewing at the Pleasuredome nightclub in downtown Niagara Falls. On Jan. 3, the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency won a $127,558 judgment for the unpaid balance and interest on a $120,000 loan made to Rainbow...

Small banks seeking reforms in community investment rules.
February 14, 1994... Cattaraugus County Bank had just shipped out several boxes of paperwork that state regulators needed to judge if the bank was serving the needs of Little Valley and the Southern Tier. It was the third time in a year that bank President...

Public offering on tap at Buffalo Brewing. (Buffalo Brewing Co.)
February 14, 1994... The man who brought beer brewing back to Buffalo is taking his microbrewery public. Kevin Townsell wants to expand Buffalo Brewing Co.'s product line and capacity, and open a fourth restaurant. The Lackawanna-based company -- ranked in...

National Fuel Gas Company. (proxy report excerpts) (Company Profile)
February 14, 1994... New York Stock Exchange -- NFG National Fuel Gas Co., based in New York City with managing headquarters in Buffalo, is a utility holding company and the corporate parent of National Fuel Gas Supply Corp. and National Fuel Gas Distribution...

Schools, economic base push Amherst to top of the pile. (New York)
February 7, 1994... Amherst was a much different place in 1960, when Jo Spencer and her late husband, David, moved there from the Chicago area. It was smaller, for one thing. Amherst had just 62,837 residents in 1960, a mere shadow of its current population of...

Cuomo gets split marks in poll of Erie County residents. (reelection New York Gov. Mario M. Cuomo)
February 7, 1994... Erie County voters are sending Gov. Cuomo an early warning that he could face a tough campaign for re-election this year. Forty-nine percent of county residents surveyed by the Business First-Goldhaber Research Associates Poll gave the...

Cavages record chain reaches final stanza. (Cavages Inc.)
February 7, 1994... The music has stopped for Cavages Inc., one of the area's oldest entertainment-related retailers. The Cheektowaga-based company closed three stores and sold three others to Camelot Music Inc., a national chain that already has two local...

National Health Care Affiliates takes global approach to industry. (healthcare industry)
February 7, 1994... Mark Hamister is hedging his health-care bets. The owner of Buffalo-based National Health Care Affiliates Inc. says he is building another nursing home and adding home health care to his portfolio of nursing facilities so he will be prepared...

Local job market expected to open up this year. (Western New York)
February 7, 1994... Western New York's tough job market may become a bit easier to crack in 1994 because for the first time in four years, the region's job forecast is brighter. The state Labor Department projects a gain of 3,000 local jobs this year, a marked...

Analysts see no slowdown in insurance agency mergers. (Western New York insurance angencies)
February 7, 1994... The business-to-business insurance agents in Western New York are being caught up in a merger frenzy that many of them say is fueled by high-volume demands from the carrier companies across the country. Retirements, a change in technology and...

Falls chamber survey finds business support for casinos. (Niagara Falls Area Chamber of Commerce)
February 7, 1994... More than 70 percent of Niagara Falls area businesses responding to a chamber of commerce survey favor high-stakes casino gambling in the city. But the survey by the Niagara Falls Area Chamber of Commerce found that support for legalized...

A new leader takes over, but it's the same packaging at Cello-Pak. (Cello-Pack Pres. and CEO William Yardley)
February 7, 1994... Consider the challenges of packaging those tree-shaped air fresheners that hang from a car's rearview mirror. Robert Cornelius sits at his desk at Cello-Pak Corp. in Cheektowaga and flicks the shiny packet back and forth under his nose....

ECMC sets up foundation to raise money and support. (Erie County Medical Center; ECMC Lifeline Foundation Inc.)
February 7, 1994... A charitable foundation is being formed to raise money and friends for Erie County Medical Center. Called the ECMC Lifeline Foundation Inc., it will benefit the hospital by raising money for special projects, hosting events and drumming up...

Forbes' tax list inspires cry for business reforms. (magazine; New York)
February 7, 1994... As executive director of the Amherst Industrial Development Agency, James Allen tries to persuade companies to expand or relocate in the town. It isn't easy. And it just got tougher. Forbes magazine recently identified New York as one of...

Scaling the heights of commerce. (business loans) (Special Report: Banking and Finance)
February 7, 1994... Landing a business loan can be as simple as knowing the right banker and the right banker knowing your business. With the economy beginning to generate some steam, many small businesses may be deciding that the time has finally come to expand...

Convenience, service are checking priorities. (banks' checking account services) (Special Report: Banking and Finance)
February 7, 1994... Time was, a prospective bank customer went down to the neighborhood institution and opened a checking and savings account. But branch banking and bank failures, among other factors, have changed all that. Banks offer a myriad of choices and...

Moog Inc. (Proxy Report Excerpts) (Company Profile)
February 7, 1994... Moog Inc., East Aurora-based, designs, manufactures and distributes high-performance hydraulic, electromagnetic and pneumatic precision motion control components and systems. Beneficial shareholders of the company's Class A common stock are...

Best places to live in Western New York. (listing of cities and towns; includes information on economy, education, government, housing and others)
February 7, 1994... outside of Buffalo. Most of the region's major parks and shopping centers are a good distance away. Surprise: Town police annually investigate 54 crimes per 1,000 residents, compared to just 25 per 1,000 in the Village of Hamburg. Bottom...