Business First of Buffalo articles from July 1995

Business First of Buffalo archives from July 1995

Hospitals consider creating blood bank.
July 3, 1995... Health-care providers white-hot over increases by the region's Red Cross A second rate increase in six months for blood products supplied by the region's American Red Cross office is causing local hospitals to look into forming their own blood...

Community Blue anger hospitals over shift in labs.
July 3, 1995... Hospitals in Erie and Niagara counties are protesting a Community Blue decision to use Corning MetPath exclusively for laboratory services. For the health maintenance organization, it means an annual savings of $3 million to $6 million. But it...

American Publishing in line to buy Olean paper. (Olean Times Herald)
July 3, 1995... American Publishing's regional portfolio Newspaper Average daily circulation Olean Times Herald(*) 21,280 Tonawanda News 13,307 The Bradford Era ...

Some would say it looks more like really fast walking. (running)
July 3, 1995... My career as a runner has been marked by consistency rather than performance. In other words, I am slow but regular, committed to the task. There are those who would no doubt be quick to challenge even the use of the term "runner" to describe...

Graphic Controls charts course for sale of company.
July 3, 1995... Graphic Controls Corp. is for sale again. Talks are under way to sell the Buffalo-based medical equipment manufacturer, and company executives predict a deal may be ready by mid-July. "We are seeing what interest we can get in the...

Children's receives state approval for heart-lung transplants. (Children's Hospital, Buffalo, NY)
July 3, 1995... Children's Hospital of Buffalo has been designated by the state as the referral center for pediatric heart and lung transplants for upstate New York. Children's is the only pediatric hospital in the state to have the designation. The...

DEC considers plan to give regional offices more power. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation)
July 3, 1995... If John Spagnoli has his way, the environmental fines a company in Buffalo pays may be slightly different from those in Binghamton. Spagnoli, the top Western New York official for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, is the...

Citibank plugs in home banking to capture PC-literate customers.
July 3, 1995... "Home banking" was a term that bankers thought had a futuristic ring a few years ago. But when consumers weren't quick to grasp the concept, the effort stalled. Now, some banks such as Citibank are wagering that home banking's time - this time...

Analysts see regional banks as next to catch merger fever. (New York)(Industry Overview)
July 3, 1995... Some analysts who follow New York banks think a new wave of mergers is coming, especially among regional players the size of M&T Bank. Kevin Timmons, senior banking analyst with First Albany Corp., said mergers such as that announced June 19 by...

Assembly bill hopes to strike sour notes from hiring a band. (New York)
July 3, 1995... Amid the prolonged state budget negotiations, the Assembly banded together and struck a chord for wedding parties across New York. A bill sponsored by Assemblyman Stephen Kaufman, D-Bronx, seeks to ensure that private functions such as weddings...

State faces new funding hurdles in cleaning up hazardous sites. (New York)
July 3, 1995... The state has uncovered four waste sites in Erie County that it says pose a significant threat to the environment or public health, but don't qualify for current cleanup funds. Efforts to find as much as $1 billion to clean those sites and as...

Small success story. (New York's small architectural firms)(Special Report: Architects & Engineers)
July 3, 1995... Architectural firms are undaunted by facing area Goliaths Sometimes being a David compared to a corporate Goliath isn't such a bad thing. Phil Silvestri doesn't think so. Neither do William Schutt and Charles Gordon. Silvestri is a...

Architects are urging WNY to remain loyal to local sons. (western New York)(Special Report: Architects & Engineers)
July 3, 1995... In the best of all worlds, local firms would win every bid any time a local construction project comes up. In harsh reality, that's not the case. In some cases, that's understandable. But in others, it raises questions and eyebrows. The...

Cutbacks are forcing engineers to cast lots with private sector.(Special Report: Architects & Engineers)(Industry Overview)
July 3, 1995... In years past, E&M Engineers and Surveyors P.C. spent about 80 percent of the time working on state government projects. But recently, that number has fallen to about 60 percent of all jobs that the Springville engineering company takes,...

Hammerson offers courthouse plan; developer pitches county on Main Place Tower. (Hammerson Property Corp. offers office space as courthouse of Buffalo County, New York)
July 10, 1995... Main Place Tower has become the latest player in a complex effort to find new court space in downtown Buffalo without building a $32 million courthouse. Hammerson Property Corp., owners of the sprawling Main Place Mall-Main Place Tower-Liberty...

Federal takeover of student loans would take bite out of Marine. (Marine Midland Bank)(includes related article)
July 10, 1995... Marine Midland Bank stands to lose a big chunk of business if the federal government takes over the student loan business as President Clinton wants. Other losers will be many of the 8,000 or so U.S. banks that also offer student loans. The...

Local economy rebounds, posts strong gains in May. (1995)
July 10, 1995... April brought economic clouds to Western New York, but May showed a silver lining. The Business First Economic Index rebounded impressively from a disappointing April, jumping 6.2 percent in May to 1,096 points, its best mark of the year....

Cannon lands contract in China for industrial park master plan. (architectural firm)
July 10, 1995... Cannon has added to its international resume by landing its first project in China. The Grand Island-based architectural and planning firm beat several U.S. and international firms for what could be a lucrative, long-term contract. Cannon...

Learning to cope with the change from 'Buy American' to 'Bye, American.' (effects of imports on American propducts)
July 10, 1995... I took a strong position a few years ago when I decided it was about time to buy a new bicycle. After looking around, I decided I wanted a bike that was made in the U.S.A. That became the primary consideration. Most of the bikes were from...

Masiello asks state to transfer $400,000 Canadiana grant to city. (Bufallo, New York mayor Anthony Masiello asks for reallocation of some state transportation funds intended for the boat Canadiana)
July 10, 1995... Buffalo's request to reallocate some state transportation funds could dull plans for the Crystal Beach boat but shine brightly on Buffalo Place. The city wants to take $400,000 earmarked for restoration of the Canadiana and spend it on the...

Kittinger creditors include Pittsburgh parent company. (Kittinger Co.)
July 10, 1995... The list of secured creditors at the Kittinger Co. now includes owner Michael Carlow's holding company, which is alleged to be involved in a $31 million check-kiting case. Carlow's First Commerce Investors Inc. has joined a growing list of...

State raises malpractice rates by an average of 2.3 percent. (New York)
July 10, 1995... New York's doctors will pay an average 2.3 percent more for malpractice insurance through mid-1996. The new rates, announced at the end of June, are effective July 1 through June 30, 1996. The state Insurance Department bases its decision on...

Southern Erie County is fertile ground for banks. (Erie County, New York)
July 10, 1995... Cattaraugus County Bank has received a state and federal regulatory go-ahead to open an office in Springville, bank officials said. The 3,000-square-foot branch, in a freestanding structure to be built in Wal-Mart Plaza on Route 219, will be...

Marine buys 4.9 percent stake in Community Bank System Inc. (Marine Midland Bank N.A.)
July 10, 1995... Marine Midland Bank, which has a growing hunger to expand in New York, may have found an acquisition target in Community Bank System Inc. Neither side will say that Community, a holding company based in suburban Syracuse, fits into Marine's...

ART's thin coating is basis of government partnership. (Advanced Refractory Technologies Inc.)
July 10, 1995... Advanced Refractory Technologies Inc. has launched a $250,000 partnership with a federal lab to test methods of making everything from high-tech weapons systems to portable computer screens 50 times thinner than a human hair. The ART...

State law would toughen hotel signage for the disabled. (New York)
July 10, 1995... Specific evacuation plans for people with disabilities would become a requirement at hotels and motels if a bill before the state Senate becomes law. The bill, which passed unanimously in the state Assembly, would affect hotels with two or...

Feeding tourist from Niagara Falls to Yosemite; Dennis Szefel is ready to make Falls restaurant a local landmark. (Delaware North Parks Services Pres. Dennis Szefel)
July 10, 1995... Service Employees Union Has Settled 24 Other Contracts This Week Without A Strike HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- After 10 months of bargaining, District 1199P of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced last night...

Telephone, telegraph, tell a toll shark. (telecommunications fraud)(Special Report: House & Office Security)
July 10, 1995... Communications fraud is reaching new heights and dollar amounts, but a little common sense and tight lips can keep your money out of their jaws When it comes to stealing long-distance service, toll sharks scale the spectrum. Some are...

Residential alarm systems offer homes a security blanket. (includes related article)(Special Report: House & Office Security)
July 10, 1995... As a professional with the Boy Scouts of America, James Hans is frequently out of town and works odd hours. Hans, who owns a two-family house in Buffalo, installed a home security system last year. "I felt more secure having the security...

WNY firm powers up in-store bank network. (Western New York; Integrated Delivery Technologies Inc.)
July 17, 1995... ATM pioneer returns with retail innovation When he was in his mid-20s, Joseph Wolfson introduced the nation to the first electronic banking network. Now 47, Wolfson and Craig McIntyre, 43, his partner from those days, are back with a new...

Labor debate is in holding pattern on airport project. (Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority; Buffalo Building and Construction Trades Council; Greater Buffalo International Airport)
July 17, 1995... Daniel Boody doesn't rebel against the word entitlement. He embraces it. In negotiations over whether the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Should accept a project labor agreement to build the new terminal at the Greater Buffalo...

Advantage Co. buys Baxter building in Amherst. (Advantage Companies Inc.; Baxter Healthcare Corp.; New York)
July 17, 1995... A familiar name in local retailing is putting its name on an Amherst distribution facility. The Forrestel Clothing Co., a division of the Advantage Co., is buying Baxter Healthcare Corp.'s building on Wehrle Drive. Forrestel will relocate its...

Marine, KeyCorp, RCSB bank on customer surveys. (Marine Midland Bank N.A.; KeyCorp Inc.; Rochester Community Savings Bank)
July 17, 1995... Before redesigning its new Marinextra 3 premium relationship package, Marine Midland Bank asked customers how they thought it should be improved. When Rochester Community Savings Bank wondered if "Rochester" gave it a name liability in the...

State penalizes attorneys for unprofessional conduct. (New York)
July 17, 1995... Fourteen attorneys from Western New York were among the 270 statewide who were disbarred, censured or suspended last year by the state courts. Three local attorneys were reinstated in 1994 after having been suspended. Complaints of...

Kittinger creditors push Chapter 7 to force disclosure ownership. (Kittinger Co.)
July 17, 1995... The attorneys who are attempting to force Kittinger Co. into involuntary bankruptcy say they want the proceedings to show who owns the Elmwood Avenue furniture plant. Although Kittinger offered the property as collateral on recent mortgages,...

Demise of big banks, retailers shrinks WNY's ad agencies. (Western New York)(Special Report: Advertising/PR/Marketing/Printing)
July 17, 1995... What a difference a decade can make. Ten years ago the local advertising industry was tripping over itself trying to land such prestigious clients as Goldome, Empire of America, AM&A's and The Sample. But in the last few years Goldome,...

What's in a name? (Flynn and Friends Advertising)(Special Report: Advertising PR Marketing Printing)
July 17, 1995... Plenty, if there's a tax lien mix-up and your clients think your company is in financial trouble When Mitchell Flynn Associates was listed in the Business First tax liens section some months back, Mitch Flynn was surprised, and a little...

Zaepfel, Krog split, start own firms. (Zaepfel-Krog Corp. principals James Zaepfel and Peter Krog)
July 24, 1995... The principals in one of the area's oldest development companies have split, and each has formed his own development company. Zaepfel-Krog Corp, principals James Zaepfel and Peter Krog, who had been partners for 17 years, called the split...

Community papers feeling squeeze of newsprint hikes.
July 24, 1995... Four months ago, Denise Young worked as a full-time news reporter. Now she's selling wine and cheese at a gourmet shop. Young, an employee laid off from the Metro Community News in March, is just one example of how rising paper costs are...

They make banking a family affair; community lenders seek their niche in changing market. (family-owned banks)(includes related article)
July 24, 1995... The way Peter Humphrey got into banking sounds a little like George Bailey. Bailey, the fictional banker in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life," and Humphrey grew up in small towns, came from banking families though neither wanted to be a...

Viewers tuning out local channels, turning on cable.
July 24, 1995... Bruce Springsteen may sing about 57 channels with nothing on, but local TV viewers are probably too busy watching to hear his song - unless it's on MTV. According to a study by Cable Media, the advertising arm of cable TV giant Adelphia...

Women take greater roles in growth of small business.
July 24, 1995... As Buffalo's small-business community grows, women are taking a greater role in the economic community. This growth has been fueled in part by regional and statewide banks eager to take on the small-business market and to support programs...

Pact may boost business for auto industry suppliers. (US-Japan trade deal)
July 24, 1995... Auto parts suppliers with operations in Western New York are hopeful that a recent U.S.-Japanese trade deal will lead to more business. But they make no predictions, even in the face of Japanese forecasts that their car makers will spend $9...

Dental company could route manufacturing to WNY plant. (Ivoclar North America Inc.; Western New York)
July 24, 1995... Officials at a company that makes raw dental materials are studying a plan that could consolidate the company's North American manufacturing operations into a new Buffalo area plant. A one-year study is assessing the comparative advantages of...

Cuba hospital seeks rural designation. (Cuba Memorial Hospital in Allegany County, New York)
July 24, 1995... Cuba Memorial Hospital is seeking state permission to become a new kind of hospital and shift its focus from acute care to primary care. The result would be a slimmed-down version of the Allegany County facility - one with 12 beds, a 72-hour...

Vintners hope new law boosts tourism, economy. (New York State's Farm Winery Opportunity Act)
July 24, 1995... Some New York grape growers and vintners may soon be adding innkeeper to their titles. Once approved by Gov. Pataki, the Farm Winery Opportunity Act will allow grape growers and wine makers to operate a conference center, bed and breakfast,...

A CEO's ABCs: CSK Technical's owner is learning the building blocks of leadership. (Richard Posa of CSK Technical Inc.)(Special Report: Small Business Handbook)
July 24, 1995... When he needs to relax and relieve stress, Richard Posa sits down and plays the keyboard in his office. Although he plays in a band and composes music, Posa is not a musician by trade. But he uses music to feed the creative processes at his...

Have hard figures at hand if business needs cold cash.(Commercial Lending Directory 1995)
July 24, 1995... When John Clark wanted to expand his business a few years ago, all the signs told him that he has making a smart decision. "The economy was right and everything was going gangbusters at that time," said the one-time president of the...

Auto dealers shift gears on lines and sites. (Western New York, NY)
July 31, 1995... It's "Let's Make a Deal" time for several of Western New York's leading auto dealers. Franchises are changing hands and one dealership is switching locations. Contracts are not all signed. But in August when that is anticipated, here is how...

Key Center complex for sale. (office building in Buffalo, NY)
July 31, 1995... Key Center at Fountain Plaza, one of the newest office buildings on the Buffalo skyline, is going on the market. The 5-year-old twin-tower complex is joining a growing legion of downtown multi-tenant office buildings that have come on the...

Tops, Wegman take control of market. (Tops Markets Inc.; Wegman Food Markets Inc.)
July 31, 1995... Vicky DiCenzo doesn't clip coupons. As a working, single mother of two, DiCenzo puts a higher premium on time than coupons and loss leaders. She doesn't respond to supermarket price wars. She is a typical supermarket customer. "Convenience...

Economy gives mixed signals at halfway mark. (Buffalo, NY)
July 31, 1995... Has the local economy reached a plateau or will it continue to expand? That's the question posed by the Business First Economic Index's performance during the second quarter. No clear answer was available. The index moved erratically in April,...

New product lines, growth on line at Cooper Cameron.
July 31, 1995... When Syracuse University engineering professor Eric Spina brings freshmen to visit high-tech Western New York, his field trip stops at Calspan on Genesee Street and the former Cooper Turbocompressor facility on Broadway in Cheektowaga....

Wheatfield sees Amtrak station as growth engine for Falls airport. (Wheatfield, NY; Niagara Falls International Airport)
July 31, 1995... Wheatfield officials see a proposed Amtrak station in Wheatfield spurring development at Niagara Falls International Airport. The proposal, which targets a site east of Walmore Road and north of Niagara Falls Boulevard, is being reviewed by the...