Business First of Buffalo articles from July 1996

Business First of Buffalo archives from July 1996

Buyer says Pierce & Stevens will remain in Buffalo. (Sovereign Specialty Chemicals L.P.)
July 29, 1996... Sovereign Specialty Chemicals L.P., a Midwestern startup company, has signed a letter of intent to purchase Pierce & Stevens Corp., the Buffalo-based unit of former Pratt & Lambert United Inc. Terms of the cash deal and purchase price for the...

Park Communications buyer wants to sell WNY papers. (Media General Inc.; Western New York)
July 29, 1996... Media General Inc., a Richmond, Va.-based company, is buying 110 Park Communications community newspapers in 12 states but wants to unload the three Western New York papers that it gets in the deal. The availability of the Lockport Union-Sun...

Once around: NASCAR store brings the track to the fan. (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing specialty store Winners Circle NASCAR Sports Apparel)
July 29, 1996... What's going on: The Winners Circle specializes in trackside souvenirs. Who's who: The store is operated by Donald Bruning, who runs the shop in late afternoons and evenings after finishing his day job as a custodian at Orleans - Niagara...

Take a number: phone service allows business to act like it's in your back yard.(Special Report: Modern Office/Telecommunications)
July 29, 1996... Phone service allows business to act like it's in your back yard Carolyn Fisher knows that once visitors arrive at her Youngstown bed and breakfast, they'll love it. Her Cameo Inn is surrounded by flowers and greenery set in the peaceful...

West Seneca auto dealer expanding. (Gillogly Chevrolet-Geo)
July 22, 1996... Gillogly Chevrolet-Geo in West Seneca, one of the area's largest auto dealerships, plans a two-phase expansion and renovation that will cost upwards of $2 million and be completed in 1997. The first phase, expected to start in August and be...

Moog and European manufacturer start joint venture. (Moog Inc. and Hydrolux)
July 22, 1996... Moog Inc. has launched a joint venture to refine and distribute the large scale industrial systems of Hydrolux, a Luxembourg-based firm. The venture adds about 10 jobs to the East Aurora manufacturing and aerospace company, and brings both...

Double click on this. (Digital Marketing Group LLC's product demonstrations on CD-ROMs)
July 22, 1996... Why go door-to-door when a CD-ROM explains it all What's going on: Digital Marketing Group is making the old standby - paper brochures - not so slick any more. The company uses top-notch animation, video and graphics to produce...

Personal bankruptcies skyrocketing: experts blame growing consumer debt for surge in filings. (Western New York)
July 15, 1996... Consumer debt is bearing most, but not all, of the blame for the largest climb in bankruptcy filings Western New York has seen in at least seven years. Since July 1995, 5,233 cases have been initiated in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western...

It's a man's world at nonprofits.
July 15, 1996... When Cindy Vastola-Lancaster meets with one of the 13 boards she sits on, chances are good she'll see familiar faces. Vastola-Lancaster, president of Vastola Heating & Air Conditioning Corp., is involved with United Cerebral Palsy Association...

Former Sabre negotiating hockey deal with Russians. (former Buffalo Sabres player Gerry Meehan; contract with Russian Ice Hockey Federation)
July 15, 1996... Gerry Meehan hopes to score his biggest goal since leaving the Buffalo Sabres last year. Meehan is teaming with Hamburg attorney Vincent Gaughan to land the marketing and goodwill rights for the Russian Ice Hockey Federation. With the...

It's official: city seeks bids for reuse of auditorium (Buffalo, New York; Memorial Auditorium)
July 15, 1996... The next chapter in Memorial Auditorium's history begins this week when the city asks for formal proposals for reuse of the old arena. The Aud will be vacant by the end of the summer as its chief tenant, the Buffalo Sabres, move into the...

Lockport banking center will be larger than planned. (Lockport Savings Bank)
July 15, 1996... Lockport Savings Bank plans to start construction in August on its $11.5 million administrative center. The building - containing two stories and 76,000 square feet - is 17 percent larger than the 65,000 square-foot building originally...

Saint-Gobain lines up prospective buyers for Carbo. (Saint-Gobain Corp.; Carborundum Corp.)
July 15, 1996... Saint-Gobain Corp. has reportedly selected five preferred buyers for the former Carborundum Co. refractories plant in Jamestown. Talks broke off with Asahi Glass Ltd. of Tokyo. Several sources have indicated that Asahi Glass may yet emerge as...

Buffalo native goes to court in lawsuit against NCAA. (basketball coach Pete Hermann; National College Athletics Association)(Inside Straight)(Column)
July 15, 1996... Make no doubt about it, Pete Herrmann is hooked on coaching. Since graduating from Geneseo State College, the Buffalo native has been working the sidelines for 26 years, rising through the high school ranks, climbing to the major college...

Taking the plunge: diving company finds out what's up under the water. (Buffalo Industrial Diving Co.)(Small Business Handbook)
July 15, 1996... Small Business Profile Buffalo Industrial Diving Co. Inc. 53 Hopkins St. Buffalo, N.Y. 14220-2130 Phone: 822-2289 Fax: 822-2856 What's going on: The company does commercial diving and underwater construction work including underwater...

Postal service changing more than prices this time.(Small Business Handbook)
July 15, 1996... Every time the United States Postal Service changes the price of a stamp, there is a flurry of articles reminiscing about the days when it cost only pennies to send a letter. Well, the Postal Service has implemented the largest change in...

Sales words and phrases to avoid at all costs.(Small Business Handbook)
July 15, 1996... My friend is the best commercial photographer I know. When shooting a subject he never says, "Smile." That's got to be a major obstacle if you're a photographer. He says it makes him more creative to ask his subject for a smile without ever...

You won'tbe charging your electric car anytime soon.(Special Report: Automotive & Transportation)
July 15, 1996... In development of an electric vehicle, the cart has gone before the horse: Or rather, the car before the battery. "It was as if Henry Ford had built his Model T before the discovery of gasoline," the Wall Street Journal stated recently....

Hustling cars and trust: top Dodge salesperson trades in apron for nurturing of lifelong customers. (Transitowne Dodge salesperson Nikki Switala)(Special Report: Automotive & Transportation)
July 15, 1996... Enter Nikki Switala's office at Transitowne Dodge and the first thing that strikes you are the rows upon rows of sales awards on her wall: 18 for sales leader of the month, three for Transitowne salesperson of the year (1993, 1994, and 1995)...

Hey, Audi, welcome back; we missed your style. (Audi of America)(Special Report: Automotive & Transportation)
July 15, 1996... No more excuses. No more rationalizations. No more blame game. Audi of America has finally put its last horrible decade behind and has paved the road for a real come back in the U.S. market. When Gerd H. Klauss, Audi's U.S. chief announced...

Rugged outdoor living makes Lexus LX 450 the one for you. (Lexus Div. sport utility vehicle)(Special Report: Automotive & Transportation)
July 15, 1996... "Give us a Lexus sport utility vehicle (SUV)," came the impassioned plea from Lexus dealers and customers. Now Toyota, the Japanese automotive giant and parent of Lexus, has responded with the Lexus LX450. Lexus is the first of the luxury...

Load up the Cherokee and get out of here in style. (sport utility vehicles)(Special Report: Automotive & Transportation)
July 15, 1996... Listen up. I've finally got a handle on the sport utility market. After going some miles on bad roads, no roads - as well as pot-hole infested urban streets and high-speed expressways, the whole shebang finally makes some sense. And our test...

If you're moving, know ways to control moving expenses.(Special Report: Automotive & Transportation)
July 15, 1996... According to the American Movers Conference, there are many ways to control expenses on your next move from knowing some simple, common sense tips to being an informed consumer. Nearly 50 percent of interstate moves are made between June 1...

Merger would create hospital giant. (Buffalo General Hospital, Millard Fillmore hospitals and Children's Hospital of Buffalo)
July 8, 1996... The proposed merger of Buffalo General and Millard Fillmore health systems and Children's Hospital could create a potential powerhouse that could thrust Western New York into the future of health care. Health-care officials are praising the...

Tricks of the trade; Magic Marketing teaches others how to catch media's eye.(Special Report: Advertising & Marketing)
July 8, 1996... Why do some companies seem to get all the free press, while other (maybe better) companies miss out? Is it dumb luck? Not likely, says Channel 7's Brian Kahle. He recently began a part-time venture called Magic Marketing, a home-based...

Theater chain targets region for expansion. (American Multi-Cinema Inc. operations in Western New York)
July 1, 1996... Deal for new complex could add 20 screens American Multi-Cinema Inc. is scouting Western New York sites, looking for a parcel large enough to build a 20-screen complex. If the Kansas City-based movie theater operator expands - and sources...

Teletech Inc. deciding soon on expansion.
July 1, 1996... An expansion-minded Denver company that Niagara County and 15 other municipalities are trying to attract could decide in July on a site where it would employ more than 700. Gregory Davis, a Buffalo lawyer representing TeleTech Inc., said the...