Business First of Buffalo articles from January 2001

Business First of Buffalo archives from January 2001

Canisius COLLEGE.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Where leaders are made Jennifer Webster Albion Central High School Senior School activities: soccer, swimming * Birthdate: 1/26/83 Honors and achievements: ranked eighth in class, high honor roll, NHS, All-American...

CELEBRATING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Education helps us appreciate our differences How often do you take the time to look around and appreciate the unique qualities of your friends, classmates or neighbors? Do you ever think about just how amazingly diverse our world really...

Home builders.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 29, 2001... Home builders Ranked by gross sales for 2000 Phone Prior ...

Annual real estate 'Leasing Guide' due in March.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Attention all commercial property owners, managers and developers, Business First will be publishing its annual "Leasing Guide of WNY Real Estate" on March 19, 2001. A key part of the guide is a listing of Western New York commercial real...

REAL ESTATE PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(Midland Asphalt Corp. president retires, Bradford Banks)
January 29, 2001... Buffalo Engineering P.C. named professional engineer Christopher Sendker, who has been with the firm for over a year and has also worked for Trautman Associates, as an associate. The company also hired Paul Bukowski as an electrical designer...

SINGING A DIFFERENT TUNE.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... St. Joe's has new music, athletic facilities that are on par with many colleges Last year, students at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute reported to the school's basement for singing and band practice. When the band's spring concert...

New Ellicottville Inn reopens after renovations.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The New Ellicottville Inn has reopened after a structural renovation and redecoration of the interior. The inn had been closed since April 2000. The inn has 23 rooms arid suites which includes on-site parking, private ski lockers and...

Marrano finds Florida to be new gold coast.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 29, 2001... Florida, to Patrick Marrano, means more than sunshine, orange groves and pristine golf courses. For Marrano, president of Marrano/Marc Equity Corp., the area's largest home builder, Florida is living up to its reputation as the gold...

ECIDA closes big year for jobs and projects.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Thanks to an array of projects, the Erie County Industrial Development Agency had one of its better years in 2000. According, to the agency's annual bond closing report, the ECIDA closed on 38 projects totaling $126.69 million in new...

Elia welcomes development to Niagara Falls.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Niagara Falls Mayor Irene Elia wants her city to be a good partner in economic development. Ella made that pledge during a Jan. 18 speech to the New York State Commercial Association of Realtors/Buffalo Chapter meeting. Elia is just...

Walkway to honor women who made an impact.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... A commemorative walkway along Buffalo's waterfront will pay tribute to women leaders from the region's past and present. The Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency is taking part in the Bricks for Buffalo campaign to help create a "Women's Walkway"...

Great Lakes dealership to add more space.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 29, 2001... A Clarence auto dealership plans to expand Main Street operations. Great Lakes Motor Corp., a longtime Mercedes-Benz dealership, has submitted a proposal to Clarence officials to build administrative offices and showroom building. The...

Realtors call for cooperation on tax reduction.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 29, 2001... We can't have "business as usual on taxes." A $100,000 home faces a tax assessment of about $2,500 in the Buffalo Niagara area This tax rate is one of the highest in the country. For example, homeowners in many cities pay about $1,200 on a...

Snowy holiday season slows down home sales.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 29, 2001... Sales figures released by the Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors for December show a market slowdown by Mother Nature as well as the hectic holiday season. The association reports that sales dipped 27 percent compared to last...

Niagara County Community College and Johnson Controls.(contract)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Niagara County Community College and Johnson Controls launched a $4.3 million energy contract guaranteed to save the college $7 million over 15 years at the 30-year-old Sanborn campus. The contract is a joint project of Niagara County,...

State Department of Transportation.(airport impovement)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... More than $2 million was approved in state funding from the state Department of Transportation to improve regional airports across the state. In Western New York, funds include: $31,500 to the Genesee County Airport in Batavia; $63,486 to the...

Wendel Duchscherer Architects & Engineers P.C.(sponsored GIS Day 2000)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Wendel Duchscherer Architects & Engineers P.C. sponsored GIS Day 2000 to promote geographic literacy at Newfane Intermediate School and Spruce Elementary School, North Tonawanda. The presentation was part of Geography Awareness Week,...

Hunt Real Estate.(contributions)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Hunt Real Estate raised a record $53,000 during the 2000 United Way campaign. Each of the company's 13 offices helped through individual agent donations and fundraising activities, with the Amherst and Ellicottville offices achieving 100...

Silvestri Architects P.C.(new offices)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Silvestri Architects P.C. has relocated its offices to 80 Pineview Drive, Amherst 14228. Telephone number is 691-0900. Fax number is 691-4773. The firm provides architecture, planing and interior design services.

TVGA Engineering Surveying P.C.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... TVGA Engineering Surveying P.C. celebrated its fifth anniversary of the opening of corporate headquarters in Elma. The firm, founded in 1917, employs more than 120 people locally. The firm, which provides engineering, surveying,...

Largo Real Estate Advisors Inc.(arranges financing)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Largo Real Estate Advisors Inc. arranged first mortgage financing for several area projects: $3.5 million for LoVullo Associates for a 60,000-square-foot office building in Cheektowaga; $8.25 million for Eastview Commons, a 75,060-square-foot...

Allied Builders Inc.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Allied Builders Inc. was awarded contract work by Monroe County for the new airport transportation operation center in Rochester. The $2.6 million project will be a multi-purpose structure. Allied Builders is a division of The Allied Group, a...

Severn Trent Laboratories.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Severn Trent Laboratories of Amherst was awarded two contracts valued at $734,000 to perform analytical services on environmental waste and wastewater discharge samples from the West Valley Demonstration Project. Non-radiologically...

BCS of Tonawanda.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... BCS of Tonawanda was selected by IBM Fishkill to provide a batch transfer system for its process waste water stream. The company was also selected by the Buffalo Sewer Authority to provide a sludge incinerator control system at the Bird...

Cannon Design.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Cannon Design, an architectural, engineering and planning firm, has been honored with the Presidential Award for Design Excellence for its work on the U.S. Port of Entry in Calexico, Calif. The award was presented to Robert Newsom,...

Lovejoy District Neighborhood Revitalization Services Inc.(aids business owners in Lovejoy District of Buffalo, New York)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Lovejoy District Neighborhood Revitalization Services Inc. has begun a commercial facade improvement program on Genesee, Lovejoy and Clinton streets. The program provides a 50/50 matching grant to business owners who want to make improvements...

Life's a ball for Gordon Anderson.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Gordon Anderson spends a lot of time in court. For both work and pleasure. One of The top-ranked squash players, Anderson has carved out a niche with the sport that has been an integral part of his life for nearly four decades. Anderson,...

Holy work.(religious architecture in Buffalo)
January 29, 2001... Churches defined a neighborhood, yesterday and today Think of an urban landscape. While it's usually dominated by the steel and glass structure of an office building, there's always a steeple or two. Religious structures, be it a...

Erie County Soil and Water Conservation District.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The Erie County Soil and Water Conservation District has order forms available for the 2001 Conservation Tree and Shrub Seedling Sale. The program includes 37 species of trees and shrubs, as well as marking flags, fertilizer tablets and tree...

Associated General Contractors of America.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The Associated General Contractors of America has released six new and revised 200 series standard form contracts for the construction industry. The documents are setting new standards in cooperative contractual relations among owners, design...

Giving is easier now than ever.(Excess Access links donors to charities willing to take items)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Most people's New Year's resolutions are bout being a better person, a better manager, maybe better spouse. How about a better giver? But the holidays have just passed, you're thinking to yourself. And that's exactly my point. The season...

Watching out for small business.(President George W. Bush should sign repeal of estate tax to benefit small businesses)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 29, 2001... As George W. Bush takes his place as president of the United States, he inherits an economy that's not quite sure where it's going. Lackluster stock performances, failing e-commerce companies and large corporate layoffs have crowded, out...

This morsal of news can't be sugarcoated.(chocolate chip packages are shrinking)(Brief Article)(Column)
January 29, 2001... I had no reason to gripe when they quietly reduced the number of diapers in a carton from 240 to 228, but didn't change the price. I never uttered a word when they surreptitiously cut the weight of tortilla chips in the bag from 14.5 ounces...

MONEY MARKET AND CD RATES-YIELDS.(for banks in western New York)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 29, 2001... MONEY MARKET AND CD RATES-YIELDS MM 6 mos. 12 mos. 24 mos. 48 mos. Cattaraugus County Bank 2.45-2.48 4.60-4.71 5.05-5.18 5.05-5.18 5.05-5.18 Charter One Bank ...

NEW YORK METROS ECONOMIC RATINGS (JANUARY).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 29, 2001... NEW YORK METROS ECONOMIC RATINGS (JANUARY) Albany-Schenectady-Troy *** Binghamton *** Buffalo-Niagara Falls * Elmira ...

MORTGAGE RATES.(for banks in western New York state)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 29, 2001... MORTGAGE RATES Conventional Fixed Adjustable Lender (phone) 30 yr. 15 yr. 1 yr. Anderson Funding (662-8924) 7.13 ...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The following new members were elected to the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society board of managers: Yvonne Evans, president of the Gamma Phi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.; Paul Koessler, former president of...

HSBC signs on to sponsor guitar festival.(HSBC Bank USA to help sponsor WNED Buffalo Niagara Guitar Festival)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The WNED Buffalo Niagara Guitar Festival has landed its first major sponsor. HSBC Bank USA has agreed to help sponsor the four-day event, set for mid-June in downtown Buffalo. The festival will present a number of live concerts,...

Ex-Im Bank offers more to small businesses.(expands eligibility, reduces premiums on credit insurance)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Businesses with up to $5 million in annual credit sales are now eligible for small business credit insurance programs offered by the Export-Import Bank of the United States. The previous eligibility threshold was $3 million. The...

Tech group wants privacy legislation.(governing collection of data about Web users)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The nation's largest high-tech trade association called for Congress to pass online privacy legislation that would pre-empt state laws. AeA says the legislation should require Web sites that collect personally identifiable information to...

Chamber says ad limits would violate rights.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Business lobbyists expect campaign finance reform legislation to pass this year, but they say the 2001 version of the McCain-Feingold bill includes unconstitutional restrictions on issue advertising. In addition to banning unlimited soft...

Health deductibility sought for self-employed.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., introduced legislation to allow the self-employed to deduct 100 percent of their health insurance costs this year. Under current law, self-employed individuals can deduct 60 percent of their health insurance...

Car care.(Brief Article)(Interview)
January 29, 2001... 'Doctor' is passionate about challenge of keeping cars on the road For Greg Falkner, repairing automobiles is second nature. The grease and grime has been on his hands since he was a teenager fixing cars in the driveway for his...

A postage meter can tip the scales for you.
January 29, 2001... Does your mouth go dry at the thought of sending out a large mailing? Of course not, if you regularly send out substantial amounts of mail, you probably long ago gave up licking stamps and have already invested in a postage meter. If you...

AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The Arts Council in Buffalo and Erie County and Buffalo Niagara Partnership will honor several individuals and organizations at its March 15 awards luncheon at the Adam's Mark Hotel. Individual Artist Awards will go to Lorna Hill, founder,...

State to honor small business.(Empire State Development)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Empire State Development is seeking nominations for the 2001 New York State Small Business Awards. Award categories are Small Business Person of the Year, Small Business Advocate and Small Business Not-for-Profit Organizations. ...

Everywoman to give awards.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Each year for the last 16 years, Everywoman Opportunity Center Inc. has presented an Award of Excellence to four women who have been risk takers and role models for women and made a difference in the choices and avenues available for women....

Eastern chamber elects officers.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Dennis Johnson, owner of Xact Tax & Financial Services; has been elected chairman of the Eastern Niagara Chamber of Commerce. He is serving his fifth year on the board and was treasurer in 1999. He has chaired several chamber committees....

'On the road again' often business theme.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The job takes more than one in five Americans on the road every year. But how many of them get paid to shop while they're at it? One is Christy Petri, who makes about six weeklong trips a year with her husband to shop for items for Willis...

Business meeting mistakes often costly.(National Speakers Association)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Everyone makes mistakes. But business meeting and travel mistakes can be costly on the pocketbook, and perhaps the career. Especially if you're the person responsible for coordinating such plans. Here are some of the more common mistakes...

Do your business lunch right.
January 29, 2001... Many people assume that arranging a business lunch is no big deal. Simply review the topics you need to discuss, make the reservations and show up at the appointed time. That approach could lose you business. A luncheon invitation is...

Hospitality seminars set.
January 29, 2001... Niagara University. will hold a series of seminars this spring aimed at hospitality professionals. Six workshops will be held between April 28 and June 5 at three locations: Aerospace Museum at the Summit Park Mall; Niagara Falls...

Travel records keep you and IRS smiling.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Conventions and business meetings in exotic locales, or anywhere else, have a certain notoriety in lore and legend not exactly compatible with the stuffed-shirt formalities of the Internal Revenue Service. But traveling for business, whether...

Not all 5-star hotels are the same.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... What is the best way to judge the quality of a hotel? Follow our country by country guide to the rating systems and you will understand what type of hotel you are considering. When is a five-star hotel not a five-star hotel? When it is in...

Pleasant trips.(Jan Van Harsell of Niagara University)
January 29, 2001... Travelers want service providers to sweat both big and small stuff When you think about your worst travel experiences, more often than not the things that made them unpleasant were rude staff or slow check-in procedures. In the grand...

Guide books detail 1901 Expo souvenirs.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... They came, they saw, they shopped. Trinket manufacturers anticipated the arrival of millions of visitors to the Pan-American Exposition, knowing that many wanted go home with a souvenir, and they were happy to oblige. All kinds of...

Silicon Valley connects with India.(Tality Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... A cheap and plentiful work force, the ability to develop products around the clock and open access to one of world's largest markets have Silicon Valley technology companies looking east all the way to. India. With the cap on H-lB visas...

Labor group interested in running cogen plant.(The Western New York AFL-CIO Economic Development Group)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... A nonprofit agency may be the owner/operator of the city's first cogeneration plant. The Western New York AFL-CIO Economic Development Group could be tapped as the asset holder of an energy project tied to the redevelopment of the former...

Lewiston nursing home receives state approval.(Mount St. Mary's Hospital)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Mount St. Mary's Hospital has received state approval to build a 250-bed nursing home on the hospital's Lewiston campus. The $39 million project is an expansion of a plan announced eight years ago to build a replacement facility for the...

Newfane hospital employees OK union contract.(Inter-Community Memorial Hospital)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Inter-Community Memorial Hospital employees have approved a labor agreement after 10 months of working without a contract. The settlement covers 125 employees who are members of the SEIU Local 1199 Upstate, and work as licensed practical...

Shuttle system closes as ridership dwindles.(Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The NYWest Shuttle, the last remaining remnant of a pre-Buffalo Niagara Enterprise economic development effort, will end this week. The shuttle, which debuted three years ago, was designed to get workers from Niagara Frontier...

Financial stability slips away from NHL.(National Hockey League)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... As a longtime franchisee in both the National Football League and the National Hockey League, Buffalo is positioned as an interesting fit. Support, knowledge and passion directed toward the Bills and Sabres runs deep. Buffalo also...

St. Bonaventure offers leadership certificate.(St. Bonaventure University's Achievement Center for Continuous Learning)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... St. Bonaventure University's Achievement Center for Continuous Learning will offer a new leadership foundations certificate this spring. Courses in the six-session program will run from Feb. 7 through April 25 with classes including...

Collection firms squeeze library deadbeats.(Unique Management Services Inc.)
January 29, 2001... Library patrons beware. Overdue books and other materials lost or forgotten now warrant a telephone call or written notice from a collection agency. More and more libraries are utilizing collection agencies. The Buffalo & Erie County...

West Side housing agency receives credit line.(Local Initiatives Support Corp. )(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The Local Initiatives Support Corp. has awarded West Side Neighborhood Housing Services a $100,000 line of credit to acquire and rehabilitate one- and two-story family homes. The agency will select homes that require moderate...

Destroyers initiate speakers program.(Buffalo Destroyers)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The Buffalo Destroyers of the Arena Football League are forming a speaker's bureau to address local groups. Head coach Ray Bentley, who also works as an NFL broadcaster for Fox, will headline the Destroyers' list of speakers.

Jamestown to host skating competition.
January 29, 2001... The first Chautauqua Winter Challenge will be at Jamestown's Allen Park Ice Arena from Jan. 27-28 and will feature 170 skaters from the Northeast. Competitors from various skating levels will participate and officials will award prize money...

Alfred State featured in Compaq advertising.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Alfred State College will be featured nationally in promotional advertising produced by Compaq Computer Corp. The college is included in the computer company's color fliers as a textbook case of an institution using the computer company's...

Management changes follow Andalon layoffs.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Just days after Andalon.com laid off 40 of its 50 employees, investors at the Amherst tech firm have removed president and CEO Chuck Fried and brought in a new corporate team to take over management. The new management team is headed by...

Auto show spotlights cars, people.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The 24th annual Buffalo Auto Show will have a new focus when it opens its five-day run Feb. 7 in the Buffalo Convention Center. The show will still feature what's hot in new, pre-production and concept vehicles, but the spotlight this...

Charter One Financial completes acquisition.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Charter One Financial Inc., the banking company operating former Rochester Community Savings Bank branches and other operations in the Buffalo area, said it has completed its acquisition of Alliance Bancorp. The cash and stock transaction...

Office park planned for Sweet Home Road site.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... For many years, people were wondering what was going to happen to the former Asbury United Methodist Church property on Sweet Home Road in Amherst. In recent years, the property, located just across the street from Sweet Home Senior High...

Blizzard gets a kick out of all-star game.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... For the third time Buffalo will play host to an indoor all-star soccer game when the Blizzard welcomes the National Professional Soccer League to town Feb. 14. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in HSBC Arena and will feature the best...

Bills TV viewership among NFL's highest.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Whether they play on Sunday at 1 p.m. or Monday at 9 p.m., the Buffalo Bills are sure to draw a crowd around the television. According to figures from Nielsen Media Research, the Bills posted the fourth-highest local TV ratings during the...

LaFontaine turns to book writing.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Former Buffalo Sabres' center Pat LaFontaine has released a book, "Companions in Courage," a series of inspirational stories compiled by athletes, some well-known and some not, who have overcome odds in various fields of competition. ...

Incentives are key for proposed office park.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Uniland Development Co. continues to push ahead with the construction of its Sheridan Meadows North office Park. Sheridan Meadows North is a companion to Uniland's Sheridan Meadows Office Park, a complex that dates to 1986 and has 200,000...

E&E approved for wetland treatment.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center in- Port Hueneme, Calif., has approved Ecology & Environments Inc.'s treatment of wetlands. E&E's remediation treatment is included in the U.S. Department of Defense's Innovative...

Gowanda Electronics to show in San Jose.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Gowanda Electronics is introducing a series of surface mount inductors at the 2001 Wireless Sympoisum, being held. Feb. 13-15 in San Jose, Calif. The inductors are used in the electronics industry especially for wireless and test and...

Niagara Gear makes $1 million investment.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Niagara Gear Corp., a gear-grinding specialist for the transportation, aerospace, defense and machine tool industries, has completed installation of $1 million in equipment at its Buffalo plant. Five jobs have been added in the last year as a...

Amherst chamber forms Internet alliance.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... The Amherst Chamber of Commerce has formed a strategic alliance with Chek.com, a Buffalo Internet company with more than 5 million e-mail users. Chek.com allows member companies to access information from any computer with Internet...

IHOP comes to town with two sites.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... IHOP Corp. will create a local menu with two restaurants. The California restaurant chain, formerly known as the International House of Pancakes, plans operations in Cheektowaga on Walden Avenue near the Thruway Mall and on Maple Road in...

Nonprofit food program targets high-risk seniors.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... Three nonprofit agencies have teamed up to help feed hungry seniors and homebound residents in Erie County. The Food Bank of WNY, Goodwill Industries and Meals on Wheels of Buffalo & Erie County have begun a pilot program to provide a...

Portions of Florida can't be beat in economic race.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... It may be a cliche, but it's true. The economic forecast for Florida can best be described as sunny. Consider this Twenty-two U.S. metropolitan areas earned five stars, the highest possible score, in Demographics Daily's economic ratings...

Lower rates could fuel 'refi' boom.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2001... With the mortgage industry beginning to reap benefits from lower interest rates, some Western New York lenders say another refinancing boom could be in the works. Throughout the country, a six-month slide in rates from a peak last May of...