Business First of Buffalo articles from July 2000

Business First of Buffalo archives from July 2000

Children's follows national trend.(Statistical Data Included)
July 3, 2000... That Buffalo is poised for a high-cost, brand new Children's Hospital puts it on par with cities across the country where hospital systems are spending millions of dollars on the newest designs to attract children and their families and make...

Stovroff acquires Wolfer agency.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 3, 2000... Stovroff Realty has acquired Wolfer Realty in Arcade, a move that corporately marries the region's largest residential real estate agency with the largest -- and one of the oldest -- Southern Tier agencies. The deal takes effect June 30...

Uniland finds niche in Rochester.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 3, 2000... Uniland Development Co., one of the area's largest real estate developers, is heading east -- about one hour down the New York State Thruway. The Amherst-based development company has agreed to purchase nearly 850,000 square feet of Class...

5th Coast.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Thumbs up to the Buffalo City School District, which filed a plan on time (Imagine that!) to get state funds to build probably six more schools. Now everyone will be happy. Who cares what they teach in those new schools, we're just excited...

Who DOES do what?
July 3, 2000... They have the right idea, but we're not convinced they can do the whole job. Yet if the idea fails, at least the Buffalo Niagara Partnership can say it tried. The Partnership's new "Who Does What?" commission was set up at the behest of...

Roswell bicycle riders raise funds for research.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 3, 2000... Over 2,000 bicycle riders raised $289,750 during the fifth Ride for Roswell last week. The fundraiser, which benefits research and patient care at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, is presented by the Roswell Park Alliance Community...

Buffalo Bills, UPS help kids hit the books.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 3, 2000... The Buffalo Bills are teaming with United Parcel Service for the "2000 Hit the Books Summer Reading Program." The program, now in its second season, involves more than 100 libraries in Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. The aim...

Many hospitals cancel contracts with HMOs.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 3, 2000... Nearly one-third of America's hospitals have canceled contracts with managed care companies, citing poor financial results. That number increases to 60 percent for large hospitals, according to a survey of hospital CEOs by Deloitte & Touche....

Entrepreneurs' group eyes WNY.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 3, 2000... Young entrepreneurs looking for some advice and guidance on growing their businesses may soon have a new resource. A Buffalo chapter of Young Entrepreneurs' Organization, a national nonprofit organization, is in the formative stages, with...

CEO's retirement triggers changes at The Bon-Ton.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 3, 2000... Heywood wilansky, one of the leading forces at The Bon-Ton Stores Inc., has taken an early retirement option. Wilansky's retirement is part of an upper management realignment with the York, pa.-headquartered department store chain. ...

New online technology powers Amherst firm.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 3, 2000... More than one executive has purchased the latest, greatest software only to see that technology become outdated when newer versions are introduced months later. An Amherst firm is helping to solve that problem by introducing the...

New museum president described as 'visionary'.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... The Buffalo Museum of Science's new president brings a comprehensive background to the museum. The museum announced June 28 its selection of David Chesebrough as president, following a six-month national search. He joins the...

Turnover rates higher at large businesses.
July 3, 2000... Employee turnover is a bigger problem for large businesses than it is for small businesses, according to a new Society for Human Resource Management study. Half of the human resource professionals surveyed at businesses with 1,000 or more...

Olean hospital system receives accreditation.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Olean General Healthcare Systems Inc. has received full accreditation with commendation by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care Inc. The three-year accreditation certifies the organization to provide infusion nursing, clinical...

ASI customers sign on to firm's growth plans.(ASI Sign Systems)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... An aging, rusted sign doesn't do much to bring in visitors. An Amherst firm is sure their classic-looking hunter green and gold signs anchored by stone columns will do just the reverse. ASI Sign Systems recently completed a $200,000 job...

Gallery paints rosy picture of James Tissot exhibition.(Albright-Knox Art Gallery)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... James Tissot may not have made the same impression with local art fans as did Claude Monet, but officials, at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery said they were pleased with the French artist's exhibit. The 15-week Tissot exhibit, which opened...

U.S. Chamber launches Space Enterprise Council.
July 3, 2000... The U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched the Space Enterprise Council to help American businesses benefit from the commercialization of space. Founding members of the council include aerospace giants Lockheed Martin and Boeing, as well as Banc...

Krispy Kreme looks to make holes in WNY.(new stores planned for western New York)
July 3, 2000... Over the years James Cosentino has opened upscale hotels, restaurants and a long line of TGI Friday's. However, few things have him as excited as his first Krispy Kreme Doughnuts store. Cosentino, president of Dynamic Enterprise,...

Products, technology boost telecom providers.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... The advent of digital subscriber lines (DSL) has created opportunities for many companies in the telecommunications industry. While no longer considered unique, DSL adds extra capabilities to existing telephone lines, including high-speed...

New ice cream flavor raises Roswell donations.(Perry's Ice Cream Sweet Hope ice cream flavor benefits Roswell Park Cancer Institute)
July 3, 2000... Perry's Ice Cream has introduced a new, limited-edition flavor that will benefit pediatric programs at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. The new Sweet Hope ice cream is cotton candy flavored, pink and blue colored ice cream. The flavor will be...

EPA to reward businesses that go beyond compliance.(Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Businesses that take extra steps to reduce pollution will be rewarded with national recognition and greater flexibility in meeting regulatory requirements. The Environmental Protection Agency says its National Environmental Performance...

ECC ready to tackle gridiron sales pitch.(Erie Community College markets new football team)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Erie Community College President William Mariani concedes that hiring the junior college's first football coach may have been the easy part. The larger challenge ECC faces now is seeking corporate and community support to get the football...

MAAC, HSBC Arena prepare NCAA bid.(Buffalo area bids for 2004 and 2005 Final Four)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... The National Collegiate Athletic Association is ready to begin accepting bids from prospective cities and arenas to host the first, second and regional rounds of the men's basketball tournament in 2004 and 2005. Buffalo, coming off a highly...

Bills add Verizon as corporate sponsor.(Buffalo Bill, Verizon Wireless)
July 3, 2000... The Buffalo Bills have signed Verizon Wireless to what team officials describe as a top-level, two-year sponsorship package. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed though a Bills' official said Verizon, the nation's largest wireless...

Council on Disability urges ADA enforcement.(Americans with Disabilities Act)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... The Justice Department will step up its enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act if the National Council on Disability has its way. The council, an independent federal agency, says lack of aggressive enforcement has hampered the...

Amherst building won't be unoccupied for long.(Edscha of New York shuts down operation)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... In some aspects it was a mild surprise that Edscha of New York Inc. decided to pull out of Western New York so soon after it arrived. In other respects, it really wasn't that surprising. Some quick history: Edscha is a German-based auto...

Demographics Daily makes debut on Web.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Bizjournals.com/buffalo, in partnership with Business First, has launched Demographics Daily, a Web-only publication with demographic and metropolitan statistics from around the nation. "Demographics Daily is a major new initiative for...

Ergonomics rule may be pulled.(OSHA's proposed ergonomics regulation)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Opponents of OSHA's proposed ergonomics regulation called on the agency to withdraw it after the Senate voted 57-41 to strip funding for the rule's implementation. The House passed the same amendment two weeks earlier. Congress is using...

Demand for capacitors prompts contract deal.(Olean Advanced Products labor contract with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Workers at Olean Advanced Products approved a three-year contract that brings wage and benefit improvements, plus introduces a voluntary 12-hour shift program to give flexibility in meeting production needs. Mel Rathbun, vice president of...

Partnership ready to make move from Main Place Tower offices.(Buffalo Niagara Partnership)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... For years the Buffalo Niagara Partnership has reviewed the local downtown commercial office scene. Now, they will get to see it from a different perspective -- as someone looking for Class A office space. The partnership, with...

Winds of change buffet waterfront.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Catching up on a couple of topics of the week gone by... To be on the upper level deck outside HSBC Arena on June 21 would have exposed one to a fairly stiff breeze, wind not uncommon on Buffalo's waterfront. Much of the prevailing...

Gas transportation costs add to cost at pump.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... The cost of transporting gasoline to the thousands of convenience stores across the county is contributing to rising prices at the pump. Consumers are unaware of the costs to refine and deliver petroleum products to area stations as the...

Counting on change.
July 3, 2000... Bank tellers of yesteryear needed only a friendly demeanor and the ability to count a drawer full of money. Today, a career in banking or finance requires a knowledge of technology, the ability to use multiple software programs as well as...

Bank wants customers to know they come first.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... When it came to remaking itself for the new millennium, what once was the Lockport Savings Bank gave new meaning earlier this year to its old motto, "You'd be surprised what our little bank can do." Almost overnight, or so it seemed, 130...

Financial guru eats up chance to help clients.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Going from Buffalo restaurateur to investment adviser wasn't a big jump for Bryan Tenney, 41. "At Shayleen's I was on the floor a lot greeting customers and talking to the clientele. As a financial adviser it's still a one-to-one...

Accountants take a bite out of white-collar crime.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... A police chief who stole village funds intended for drug-fighting programs is headed to prison. A pharmacist was jailed after it was discovered he committed health-care fraud. And the chief financial officer of a construction company...

Banks poised to help businesses on the 'Net.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Tomorrow's business winners are broadening their capabilities to effectively compete on the Internet. What advantages can electronic commerce offer to small businesses and middle-market companies? Venturing into business through a presence in...

Medaille enters Nottingham tradition.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... History has a funny way of repeating itself. Take the Nottingham campus of the Nichols School. For nearly 70 years it had ties, either directly or indirectly to the Miller family, one of the most prominent families in Buffalo history....

Prodigal son.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... John Lennon once wrote that "life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." William "Bill" Pearce Jr. is proof of that. It wasn't that long ago that Pearce, 43, was a senior vice president with Stern Stewart & Co.,...

Alfred State College.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Alfred State College recognized the Pike Co. Inc. of Rochester for the company's support of the construction management technology program at the college. The company has purchased a workstation, including computer, digitizer and software, for...

American Society of Civil Engineers.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... The Buffalo Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers received the Outstanding Small Section Award for 1998-1999 by the National Society of Civil Engineers during the zone conference in Pittsburgh in March. The citation commended the...

Largo Real Estate Advisors Inc.
July 3, 2000... Largo Real Estate Advisors Inc. arranged several first mortgage financing projects: $5 million for a package of seven Wilson Farms stores in Western and Central New York ranging in size from 2,835 square feet to 4,000 square feet; $2.2 minion...

URS Corp.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... The Buffalo office of URS Corp. was selected by the U.S. Army Carps of Engineers Baltimore District to perform data validation services for the Atlantic Woods Inc. Project. The $40,000 contract includes URS verifying the precision, accuracy and...

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... A University at Buffalo program in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences aims to make freshman year for engineering students easier to manage academically and less emotionally agonizing. The Student Excellence Initiatives program helps...

Kevin Guest House.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Kevin Guest House received expert garden and landscape help through a crew from Napier & Sons Landscape Service Inc. in Tonawanda, which donated their time during a Dig In Day at the house on Ellicott Street. The crew was assisted by several...

Erdman Anthony and Associates Inc.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Erdman Anthony and Associates Inc. was awarded the American Consulting Engineers Council 2000 Engineering Excellence Gold Medal Award for the renovation of the Hochstein Music School. The project included adding new systems to a 100-year-old...

Stovroff Realty.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Stovroff Realty is sponsoring a life-size, fiberglass bison statue as part of the ongoing Herd About Buffalo campaign, a public art project sponsored by the Roswell Park Alliance Community Fundraising Board and the Burchfield-Penney Art Center...

El Team Inc.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... El Team Inc. was selected by Sverdrup Technology to provide engineering and day-to-day support for its automotive testing operations in Western New York. The company was also selected by Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems in Lockport as a provider...

TVGA Engineering Surveying P.C.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... TVGA Engineering Surveying P.C. was awarded a contract by the Chautauqua County Department of Public Facilities to complete a site investigation/remedial alternative report for a brownfield site in the Village of Brocton. Another contract with...

Nussbaumer & Clarke Inc.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Nussbaumer & Clarke Inc., a consulting engineering and surveying firm in Buffalo, received a contract award with the state Department of Transportation for construction inspection and services during construction for the reconstruction, of...

Hopevale Inc.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Hopevale Inc. has broken ground on a new family activity center, funded by a grant of $443,500 from the Department of Health and Human Services Appropriation Act of 1999. The center will provide a setting for group meetings, social events,...

Buffalo Engineering P.C.(celebrates tenth anniversary)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Buffalo Engineering P.C. celebrated its 10th anniversary June 29. The company, a mechanical and electrical engineering firm based in Cheektowaga, has grown from two to 36 engineers and designers. Some projects currently under way include the...

Greater Buffalo Association of Realtors.(May sales statistics for real estate)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 3, 2000... Real estate brokers across Erie County were busier than usual in May. Make that a very busy month. According to statistics from the Greater Buffalo Association of Realtors, there were 1,032 homes sold in May with virtually one-third...

An environment for planning.(Alice King Rosen and Fleming open Buffalo office)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Consultants find a niche in WNY What's up: Armed with big-picture perspective and high hopes, three Western New Yorkers have opened a local office of Alice King Rosen & Fleming, a New York City-based planning and environmental consulting...

Carmina joins Mach in architecture firm.(Steve Carmina, Robin Mach)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Steve Carmina, who a decade ago formed his own architectural firm, has left that firm to join another agency. Carmina has teamed up with local architect Robin Mach to form Mach & Carmina Architects & Engineers P.C. The new firm debuted on...

Cooperation critical for Realtors, home owners.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Inside the gunpowder storage room at Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown are wall paintings tracing the history of the site from a known meeting place for American Indian tribes in 1400, to a stone trading post built by the French in 1680, to a...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(appointments and selections in Buffalo business)
July 3, 2000... Beardsley Design Associates has named Kathleen Mietz to its staff as office clerk in the support services department. Allee King Rosen & Fleming Inc., an environmental and planning consulting firm in East Aurora, named Elizabeth Cheteny to...

Check power sources before you excavate.(Niagara Mohawk Power service)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. offers an important safety information to customers undertaking excavation projects: Call before you dig. A simple phone call to the Underground Facilities Protection Organization (JFPO) at 1-800-962-7962 can prevent...

AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS.(Buffalo, New York)
July 3, 2000... Alfred State College staffers Michelle Green and Neil Benedict received SUNY Chancellor's Awards for Excellence. Green, a professor of physical and life sciences who joined the faculty in 1984, was honored for excellence in teaching. Benedict,...

The cold call has an important place in sales.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... What is a cold call anyway? Calling someone you don't know (for the first time), and trying to gain interest, make an appointment, and/or make a sale. It can take place on the phone or face-to-face. See if this sounds familiar -- "Hello, my...

Telemarketing bill protects customers.(New York legislature passes new bills)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... State lawmakers ended the week, and the legislative session, by passing a flurry of controversial bills designed to help members in their re-election bids this November. Among the bills passed in the late hours of the night were a...

Academic programs proposed for GCC.(Genesee Community College)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Genesee Community College students could see seven new academic programs within the next year. The college board of trustees granted initial approval for two new degree programs and five new certificate programs. All seven will now be...

Success stories are taking off at renovated airport.(Buffalo Niagara International Airport)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Expansion of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport and the recent addition of Southwest Airlines to its low-cost carrier pool provided a big boost to transportation industry in Western New York. Andrew Rudnick, president of the Buffalo...

Legislation would split Office of Advocacy SBA.(Jere Glover of the Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Jere Glover, chief counsel of the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, gets good marks from both Republicans and Democrats for being a strong voice for small business inside the federal government. "You've brought a period...

Meeting the standards gets nod of approval.(the productivity of office meetings)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... There is no good time to have a meeting. Everyone realizes that. Yet they continue arranging meetings at a rate that is boggling the schedules as well as the minds of many people, all of whom wish they could be somewhere else, anywhere else, at...

Good news on the homefront.(Adelphia, Southwest Airlines enter the Buffalo market)(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... On the economic development front, Southwest Airlines and Adelphia Communications combined to make the week of June 19 the region's biggest good news story in a long time. The Adelphia deal could do more for promoting the region's attitude...

Desperation precludes wise choices.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... There's one sure-fire way to tell what's the biggest issue facing business owners in today's marketplace. Look for whatever's making them act the stupidest. A call came a week or so ago. From an area of the West Coast I'd never consider...

Architectural firms.
July 3, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Clarifications & amplifications.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... Health care services offered by the Catholic Health System at Our Lady of Victory Hospital in Lackawanna include outpatient gastroenterology. The service was not listed in a story published June 26 in Business First.

Anchor Bar takes wing with new dining area.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 3, 2000... The Anchor Bar, birthplace of the Buffalo chicken wing, completed its first major face lift in 15 years and, at the same time debuted a new sauce. The revamped Anchor Bar comes after its owners spent more than $300,000 changing such things...

ECMC-based service adds new MRI system.(Brief Article)
July 3, 2000... University MRI, a service located at Erie County Medical Center, has added a new magnetic resonance imaging system that expands the technology's use in cardiology, neurology and pelvic imaging. It also allows better access to patient during...

The Institute of Museum and Library Services and Heritage Preservation.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 3, 2000... The Institute of Museum and Library Services and Heritage Preservation have announced The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University has received a 2000 Conservation Assessment Program grant valued at $3,390.

[0] PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
July 3, 2000... Kimberly Johnson was promoted to administrative manager at Ka-Bar Knives, a subsidiary of Alcas Corporation in Olean. A Scio resident, she joined the company in 1996 and was previously staff accountant. Alden Schutte was appointed to the...

Rochester winning population race.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 10, 2000... It will take 15 years, but Rochester is on apace to pass Buffalo as the state's second most populous metropolitan area. That's according to newly released population projections from Bizjournals.com Demographics Daily, an Internet...

Bills take sponsors to camp.(Buffalo Bills)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 10, 2000... Without doubt, this offseason has been one of conversion for the Buffalo Bills. Pared from the roster were several veteran players, many who held a prominent role in the team's successes during the past decade. Another significant change...

Engineered to taste.(Statistical Data Included)
July 10, 2000... Push a cart down a grocery store aisle, and you'd be hard-pressed to roll past salad oils, tortilla chips, soda pops, cake mixes, sour creams and butters that science hasn't tweaked in some way. Most of the tinkering has been done in the...

Women seek higher impact in info-tech.(Statistical Data Included)
July 10, 2000... On several occasions, Jenny Hartnett has found herself in business meetings where she's the only woman. In other cases, she's been brought along to meetings simply because she is a woman. It's one of the ironies she deals with as a female...

5th Coast.(Brief Article)
July 10, 2000... Thumbs up...to Michael Palko, who complained to the FCC about the garbage on WGR radio. Hey, even Danny Neaverth's outdated '60s AND '70s humor on WHTT is better than what's on WGR these days. Thumbs down...to management at WGR, which...

Show us any money.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 10, 2000... In a noble gesture unusual of us and therefore worthy of sainthood, Squire Coast took our starry-eyed summer intern to lunch a few days ago. (We wanted to get even more work out of aforementioned intern and figured if we plied him with lunch he...

Gemcor emerges from Chapter 11 protection.(General Electro Mechanical Corp)(Brief Article)
July 10, 2000... Gerncor, officially known as General Electro Mechanical Corp., has successfully emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the West Seneca corporation announced. The company, after experiencing downturns in the market, had voluntarily petitioned...

Destroyers TV ratings on par with league.(Buffalo Destroyers)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 10, 2000... The Buffalo Destroyers first-ever appearance on national television drew about the same rating as other Arena Football League games have on TNN, which is in the first year of a new package with the Arena Football League. While the June 29...

Hospital in Olean starts building project.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 10, 2000... Olean General Hospital has begun construction of a $3.5 million healthcare services building. The 20,000-square-foot building at First Avenue and Center Street will house cardiac rehabilitation, a sleep laboratory weight management...

Clarifications & amplifications.(Brief Article)
July 10, 2000... Reed Smith is associate professor of accounting in the University at Buffalo School of Management. His name was incorrect in a Special Report story in the July 3 issue.

M&T ends search for office space.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 10, 2000... M&T Bank's search for 60,000-square-feet of new downtown office space has apparently ended right where it began, within the bank's own offices. Bank officials have scrapped plans for finding a new home for the estimated 300 workers,...