Business First of Buffalo articles from July 1997

Business First of Buffalo archives from July 1997

Poll: don't raise taxes to keep bills. (Erie County, New York survey)
July 28, 1997... Erie County residents surveyed say $100 assessment is too much Local taxpayers are sending two messages to Erie County Executive Dennis Gorski. Keep the Buffalo Bills in Rich Stadium, they're telling the county exec, but don't raise...

Townhouse units proposed for theater district. (Buffalo, New York)
July 28, 1997... Two vacant buildings in the 700 block of Main Street in downtown Buffalo could soon be home to a multi-unit townhouse. City officials are working with Revival Downtown and private developers to acquire the former Schmitt and Verner buildings,...

Development, history clash at Fort Niagara. (New York)
July 28, 1997... New York is looking to put new life into Fort Niagara. Nearly 35 years after the Army post closed, the fort - not to be confused with Old Fort Niagara with its "British Redcoats" which adjoins it could be turned into a moneymaking,...

City ice complex could include hockey team. (Buffalo, New York)
July 28, 1997... Not to be outdone by Amherst, Buffalo is proceeding with plans for an ice complex that may include a Canadian junior hockey club. Business First reported Dec. 16, 1996, that preliminary talks had begun among a number of groups hoping to see...

Ingram Micro expands again, acquires Quest building. (Ingram Micro Inc.; Quest Diagnostic Labs building)
July 28, 1997... Rapidly growing Ingram Micro Inc. has quietly moved forward with yet another expansion in Amherst. The computer industry giant has cut a deal to acquire the neighboring Quest Diagnostic Labs building on Youngs Road. The move is expected to...

Amherst office buildings added to Uniland holdings. (Uniland Development Co.)
July 28, 1997... Uniland Development Co. has increased its already vast real estate holdings by acquiring five Amherst office buildings. Uniland has struck a deal with B.G. Sulzle Inc. to acquire the buildings they built and developed along John Muir Drive...

ECMC subacute care unit broadens health services. (Erie County Medical Center)
July 28, 1997... Erie County Medical Center is the most recent among area health-care facilities to develop a special unit for care of patients who aren't sick enough for the hospital and who don't need a nursing home. Called subacute care, this service...

Local GM plants go public with cost, quality themes. (General Motors Corp.)
July 28, 1997... General Motors Corp. last week brought concerns for cost-cutting, quality and safety improvements at its Western New York plants to the attention of community and business leaders. It was the same message the area's largest industrial...

Health provider network forming for federal workers. (United Payors and United Providers)
July 28, 1997... A publicly traded preferred provider organization is forming a network of Western New York doctors and hospitals for government employees. The Maryland-based United Payors & United Providers was awarded the contract July 7 to develop a panel...

HCP doctors from own practice. (HealthCarePlan)
July 28, 1997... The physicians once employed by HealthCarePlan have officially formed their own practice that will provide care for the HMO and other health plans as an outside contractor. Called Medical Partners of Western New York, the group became its own...

Delaware North subsidiary seeks greater comfort zone. (Delaware North Cos. Inc.)
July 28, 1997... Fan Zone's emergence as a retail entity. within Delaware North Cos. Inc. corporate family is just beginning to hit its stride. That's the assessment of Sharon Gottlieb, Sportservice's director of retail and head of their rapidly emerging...

Boulevard commercial strip pushes into Niagara County. (Niagara Falls Boulevard)
July 28, 1997... Niagara Falls Boulevard, known for its retail plazas and large chain stores in Amherst and the Town of Tonawanda, is carrying its commerce into Niagara County. Where open fields, used car lots and cabin motels once dominated the landscape, a...

Budget cuts won't dim plabns for Fall's Festival of Lights. (Niagara Falls)
July 28, 1997... The shrinking area presence of Occidental Chemical and Carborundum companies has forced a Niagara Falls nonprofit to cut its budget by 20 percent and come up with new ways to generate revenue. A Festival of Lights, Niagara Falls' wintertime...

Knox patriarch surprised by demise of F.W. Woolworth. (Northrup Knox)
July 28, 1997... Last week's announced closing of all F.W. Woolworth stores across the country didn't surprise Northrup Knox. Knox, whose grandfather helped bring the chain to national prominence, called the decision "an end of an era." "Times change," he...

Simon ready to develop Niagara County's potential. (Niagara County Industrial Development Agency executive director John Simon)
July 28, 1997... John Simon, hired last week as executive director of the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency, has one word for development potential in Niagara County: "Tremendous." Set to start in the job Sept. 4, he said he believes in building...

On the fast track. (racer's business)(Company Profile)
July 28, 1997... Racer's business is built for speed What's going on: "They're not go-karts, they're sprint karts," said owner Fred Kreutter of the professional dream he turned into reality nearly a year ago. For $5 per ride, drivers - six at a time -...

Courses everywhere do the soft-shoe routine, like it or not. (Neqw York golf courses)
July 28, 1997... Think of the top names in golf: Palmer, Nicklaus, more recently Woods. Maybe the name of the starter at your favorite course - the person who can sneak you into a prime tee-time at the last minute. You won't hear anyone touting Ernie Deacon,...

Fisher family of companies still moving with success. (The Fisher Group)
July 28, 1997... Albert Fisher was a pragmatist. During a time of national giddiness, he kept his wits about him, staying at Bethlehem Steel while starting his own moving business with his wife, Etha. Albert Fisher knew what he was doing. Seventy years...

Canadians help make Elcottville boom.
July 28, 1997... Ellicottville, the long-touted Aspen of the East, clings to its small-town atmosphere that helps draw Canadians to this year-round tourist magnet to ski, golf, swim and shop at eclectic boutiques. Ellicottville is a jewel for Cattaraugus...

6 investors from Fort Niagara group. (Fort Niagara Partnership LLC)
July 28, 1997... For the Fort Niagara development project, six investors joined to form Fort Niagara Partners LLC. Only two members of the investment group have been identified: W. Kirk Hastings, who is president, and Michael McCabe. Hastings said he will...

Fleet's moves shift focus to WNY. (Western New York)
July 14, 1997... Erland Kailbourne's return to Buffalo shows that Fleet Financial Group is putting its money where its focus is. The $85 billion-asset regional banking giant wants to beef up its upstate commercial loan business, especially small business...

New Yorkers' income among nation's highest.
July 14, 1997... People come to New York to find their fortune. Though the streets are not lined with gold, fortune-seekers will likely find a job - and earn a higher income than in most other states, according to a research report by Business First. The...

Wins, not economy, sell tix. (Buffalo Bills)
July 14, 1997... Ralph Wilson says he knows the reason. The Buffalo Bills are suffering a serious decline in season ticket sales. Wilson, the team's owner, predicts that the Bills will sell 34,000 season tickets this year, down 18.1 percent from last year's...

Doctors extend deadline for enrollment in HMO. (Western New York health maintenance organizations)
July 14, 1997... Western New York doctors forming their own HMO are moving ahead with a business strategy while keeping an open invitation to their colleagues to get involved. Physicians organizing the Western New York version of MDNY Healthcare Inc. had...

Demand growing for regional passenger air carriers.
July 14, 1997... Regional air carriers are seeing double digit growth in area passenger traffic. But Ken Paulin Jr. doesn't need statistics to tell him that, nor does Sandy Weller. Paulin is M&T Bank's corporate purchasing and travel manager and Weller is...

Canadian health network may send patients to WNY. (Toronto-based Free Trade Medical Network; Western New York)
July 14, 1997... Patients from north of the border could be coming to Western New York for health care through a fledgling Toronto company founded to shorten delays in the Canadian health system. The company, Free Trade Medical Network, was begun by...

Airport Commerce signs tenant for Cheektowaga park. (business park)
July 14, 1997... Airport Commerce Park East, a Cheektowaga office park being developed by Ciminelli Development Co., has landed its first tenant. Mobile Diagnostic Testing Services Inc., a high-tech medical industries firm, is expected to receive a $5.03...

Healthy numbers. (profile of Electronic Management Services Inc.)(Company Profile)
July 14, 1997... What's going on: EMS specializes in information systems consulting and creating customized software products for health care organizations through the United States. About 85 percent of the business so far has been in developing software...

Counting on success; women accountants team up as partners to run firm.(Special Report: Accounting)
July 14, 1997... A lot has changed in the years since Lynn Domachowski, Sarahann Kempisty and Carol Salvatore entered the accounting profession. The three women, all certified public accountants, are partners in the Clarence accounting firm of Domachowski...

Buffalo accountant is dealing with 2,000. (CPA and partner in Gaines Metzler Kriner and Co. James Metzler)(Special Report: Accounting)
July 14, 1997... Even if you've kept yourself in good health, exercised, eaten the right foods, quit smoking, it might not matter: You might have what the professionals are calling a Y2K problem. Everyone will understand if you want to get a second opinion....

Accountants may soon offer loans as well as advice.(Special Report: Accounting)
July 14, 1997... Don't leave home without it," has been a long-standing marketing theme for American Express. For small businesses, the company wants to modify the them to "Don't run your company without AmEx financial services." American Express has...

Private Industry Council launches The Teaching Factory.(Chautauqua Fanfare)
July 14, 1997... The Private Industry Council of Chautauqua County (PIC), with the support of several local manufacturers and the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency, has established an innovative support service for industry in the county located...

Lakeshore Orthopedic handles 20,000 appointments a year.
July 14, 1997... "Why didn't you come and see us before?" a doctor peered over the base of my hospital bed. I was barely free from the effects of general anesthesia and dimly began to wonder if I had ever seen him before. I began to embellish on the sterile...

Dr. Dennis Hefner, new SUNY Fredonia president, initiates ambitious plans for college's future.
July 14, 1997... SUNY College at Fredonia has long been a major force in the economy and quality of life in Chautauqua County. As with any such institution, its fortunes are inextricably linked to its community's health. Over the past few years this institution...

New company establishes international headquarters in Jamestown: CLI Oncology licenses technology that is cancer treatment breakthrough.
July 14, 1997... A new company with an international market has opened its headquarters in Jamestown, NY. CLI Oncology, Inc. is a privately held corporation specializing in research, development and commercialization of diagnostics and therapeutics related to...

186 year old Fancher Chair booming, building over 57,000 chairs annually.
July 14, 1997... One of the Oldest Woodworking Plants in the Country In a huge, red, century-old, frame building near the heart of the village of Falconer, NY resides a business that has been quietly going about its rather remarkable business for 186 years....

Timber industry provides $105 million products worldwide.
July 14, 1997... Chautauqua County's timber travels to North Carolina, Europe, Japan and the Pacific Rim Imagine a land filled with trees so thick you could barely walk through he entanglement. Imagine forests of pine trees 150 feet high and ten feet around...

Van Stee building beds and booming after 93 years.(Chautauqua Fanfare)
July 14, 1997... 3rd & 4th Generation Business Few family owned companies can claim the longevity that marks the Van Stee Corporation of Jamestown, New York. Founded in 1904 by Jacob Van Stee, the company began as the American Carving Works. Ninety-three...

Lake Eire Regional Center for Grape Research and Extension: solid research, practical help.(Chautauqua Fanfare)
July 14, 1997... Grapes are a minor crop. Tell this to farmers in Chautauqua County and see expressions of surprise, disbelief, and even distrust. But nationwide, considering all the millions of acres planted in com and wheat, grapes are a minor crop even...

Master Carvers carves only the best. (Master Carvers of Jamestown, Ltd.)(Chautauqua Fanfare)
July 14, 1997... From Steinway and Ralph Lauren Home Collection to Gerald Ford Museum... Jamestown has a grand history, in wood products and furniture manufacturing. Though the height of furniture manufacturing in the area has long since past, this company...

$15 million upgrades, entirely new approach keeps MRC at top as worldwide aerospace bearing supplier. (MRC Bearings)(Chautauqua Fanfare)
July 14, 1997... This is a story about a place where passion is palpable. People at MRC Bearings are demonstrating ever more dramatically each day that an energetic commitment to vision yields results. MRC Bearings has long been known as the worldwide leader...

Monofrax is hot, as glass industry booms worldwide. (Monofrax, Inc.)(Chautauqua Fanfare)
July 14, 1997... Ores from the Gulf Coast, Florida and Australia Processed and Shipped Throughout US and to Europe, South America, and Middle and Far East Monofrax, Inc., the world's largest fused cast refractories manufacturer independent of a glass company,...

School-to-work apprenticeship program wins national recognition.(Chautauqua Fanfare)
July 14, 1997... Chautauqua County has several school-to-work apprenticeship opportunities for area high school students to work with area businesses and integrate their learning into their school work and graduation requirements. Those involved, students,...

The Jamestown Jammers keeps "The Greatest Show on Dirt" alive in baseball's grand tradition.(Chautauqua Fanfare)
July 14, 1997... What do Baseball Hall of Famer, Nellie Fox, and current major leaguers, Randy Johnson, Andres Galarraga, Marquis Grissom and most recently, Bubba Trammell, have in common? All of them got their start in baseball right here in Jamestown, New...

Jamestown Savings Bank proves need for local banking.(Chautauqua Fanfare)
July 14, 1997... First De Noro Shareholder Owned Bank Formed in New York Settles in Chautauqua County If it's true that small-town banking is a thing of the past - no market exists for a bank based in Jamestown - loan demand is too slack and investors too...

Time Warner Cable invests $.5 million, launches local television news program.(Chautauqua Fanfare)
July 14, 1997... A year ago the executives at Time Warner Cable in Chautauqua County noticed a slight erosion of their customer base as a few customers moved to satellite reception. This prompted them to analyze their own service closely and determine that...

Fredonia Opera House on a roll. (Fredonia, New York)(Chautauqua Fanfare)
July 14, 1997... $100,000 New Air Conditioning System and New Business Plan Is Working Surviving ten years in the process of restoration, and three in initial operation, the 1891 Fredonia Opera House is well on its way to establishing itself as a permanent...

Lucy-Desi Museum learns lessons of success.(Chautauqua Fanfare)
July 14, 1997... Hosts 12,000 Visitors in First Year, Launches Successful Mail Order Catalog Jamestown, NY has found its way onto the metaphorical map many times and in many ways. For the past year it has been because of the Lucy-Desi Museum. As the hometown...