Business First of Buffalo articles from June 1997

Business First of Buffalo archives from June 1997

Wilmers not done building Empire. (Robert Wilmers; First Empire State Corp)
June 30, 1997... Mention retirement to Robert Wilmers and you will surely raise his hackles. The Buffalo banker sides with renowned investor Warren Buffett, a major stockholder in First Empire State Corp. which Wilmers heads as chairman, president and CEO....

Oh baby! WNY maternity units ready to compete for customers. (Western New York)
June 30, 1997... Two Catholic hospitals have invested millions of dollars in their maternity units in a move that could help the emerging Catholic health system compete in Western New York. Officials at Sisters of Charity and Mercy hospitals said their units,...

GM engine plant is North America's 8th most efficient. (General Motors Corp)
June 30, 1997... General Motors Corp.'s Tonawanda engine plant improved productivity in 1996 but lost its exclusive ranking as North America's eighth most efficient engine plant, an industry consultant says. The area facility now must share that distinction...

'World class' urban planner has designs on Falls project. (City of Niagara Falls project of Jon Jerde)
June 30, 1997... An urban planner responsible for the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas and Minnesota's Mall of the Americas sees incredible promise in the City of Niagara Falls. Jon Jerde, who visited the city during discussions with the Niagara Falls...

Sign up: third generation finds ways to expand and diversify. (Cooper Sign Co)(Company Profile)
June 30, 1997... What's going on: The company manufactures all types of signs, including illuminated, hand-painted and screen-printed signs. Materials used include aluminum, vinyl banners, wood, magnetic, foam core, overlay board, plastics, pressure sensitive...

'For sale or lease': region struggles to find ways to use brownfields. (Buffalo, New York)
June 30, 1997... Step by agonizingly slow bureaucratic step, environmentalists, community development coordinators and government planners are beginning to make inroads on one of the Buffalo area's mega problems - converting hundreds of acres of brownfields...

Riley not sheepish about KeyCorp career. (Victor Riley)
June 30, 1997... For more than two decades, Victor Riley directed KeyCorp's fate and fortunes. But the days of empire building are gone. The former banker who oftentimes was described as autocratic, opinionated and colorful, is away from the limelight that...

WNY still tops Graphic Controls list. (Western New York; Graphic Controls Corp.)
June 23, 1997... Management of Graphic Controls Corp. will seek authorization to move the company from its Buffalo location at next month's board of directors meeting. If given the go-ahead, President and CEO Duane Hopper said the next task will be to...

Newest health care player on call. (nurse practitioners)
June 23, 1997... D'Youville college is developing the area's fourth master's degree program for one of the newest players in the health-care arena - nurse practitioners. The state Department of Education in May approved the West Side college's program to...

Ranks grow at region's law firms. (Buffalo, New York)
June 23, 1997... Expansion into hot practice areas has bumped up the number of attorneys employed at Buffalo's largest law firms. The Business First list of the 25 largest law firms shows modest growth in the attorney ranks at many of the city-based offices...

Banks fighting proposals that ban ATM user fees. (automated teller machine)
June 23, 1997... Legislative assaults on ATM user fees, also called surcharges, have brought many small and large banks together in a common cause. Community banks such as Cattaraugus County Bank in Little Valley, superregionals the size of Fleet Bank, and...

Added benefits: consulting company sticks to plain ol' English. (P&A Administrative Services Inc.)(Small Business)(Company Profile)
June 23, 1997... What's going on: Employee benefits may be a popular buzzword in business circles these days but to P&A Administrative Services Inc. and its sister company, Priselac & Associates, it's their lifeblood. The downtown Buffalo firm specializes in...

Certification workshop designed for minorities. (minority- and women-owned businesses)
June 23, 1997... Though many Western New York companies are state certified as women-owned or minority businesses, that status offers little help securing contracts outside of the state. The government and major corporations rely on certification databases...

Reviews slowing hospital mergers.
June 16, 1997... Western New York hospitals have taken procedural steps toward forming two regional health-care systems. The pair - CGF Health System and the Catholic Health System of Western New York - individually intend to come together by the end of...

Women business owners closing the SBA loan gap. (Small Business Administration)
June 16, 1997... With eight years' experience in the transportation industry, Jodi Chick decided last summer it was time to get into business for herself. She knew it wouldn't be easy, especially when it came to funding for the startup freight brokerage...

Job growth in New York falls behind national rate.
June 16, 1997... When Barbara Jordan graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a social sciences degree in 1989, she didn't think she would have too much trouble finding a job in criminal justice. Eight years later, Jordan is working at Cole's...

Developer proposes office center in Amherst. (Uniland Development Co.)
June 16, 1997... Uniland Development Co. is moving ahead with plans for its latest building in its flagship University Corporate Centre park. Uniland has filed a proposal with the Amherst Planning Board for a two-story, 86,000-square-foot building,...

Erie County Health Department celebrates 50 years.(Health First)
June 16, 1997... Decked in blue-and-gold golden anniversary letterhead, the letter from the Erie County Department of Health proclaimed the department's "50 Years in Public Health." "As you will discover," the letter stated, "we are not just restaurant...

The answers to wellness start at work. (work-site health promotion program)(Health First)
June 16, 1997... At Praxair Inc. in the Town of Tonawanda, employees take step-aerobics and stretch and toning classes during breaks and relax with a session of Tai Chi after 5 p.m. Workers at Buffalo's Outokumpu American Brass Co. have a biennial health...

Get out: West Seneca store sports the lure of hunting and fishing. (G & R Tackle)
June 16, 1997... What's going on: When you walk indoors at G & R Tackle you are immediately reminded of one thing: the great outdoors. Fishing poles, racks of guns, camouflaged coats and, of course, orange caps with ear flaps help fill this specialized store in...

The quest for the golden lease: the popularity of used car leasing is getting out of first gear.(Truck & Auto Leasing)
June 16, 1997... It was bound to happen. As soon as carbuyers embraced leasing as an alternative to buying a new car, the evolution of automotive financing was almost certain to spread tO used cars. And it has. Used car leasing has multiplied tenfold since...

More customers rolling down to dealers for truck leases. (truck leasing)(Truck & Auto Leasing)
June 16, 1997... The differences between a pickup and a Peterbilt are greater than you might think. Pickups, of course, are small trucks. Peterbilts are not. Pickups fit in a house garage. Peterbilts resemble a garage on wheels. Well, the list goes on....

Jim Doyle deals with the past every day he goes to work. (Jim Doyle Ford Inc.)
June 16, 1997... Jim Doyle cannot escape his heritage. Not that he wants to. Every time he goes to work, it's there. Every time he sees the familiar shamrock on the back of a Ford, it's there. Every time he signs his name, it's there. It has been nine...

Database. (tabular economics and financial data)
June 16, 1997... Stats of the week Total housing units sold The Greater Buffalo Association of Realtors reported the sales of 763 homes in April. That was 7.6 percent below the total for the same month in 1996. The best April in the 1990s came in 1993,...

WNY residents on the move. (Western New York)
June 2, 1997... Many expect to leave during next decade Michael Toppo faced a crucial decision last year. The 30-year-old producer of Channel 7's "AM/Buffalo" took a phone call from Atlanta one spring day. At the other end was a Cable News Network...

Rust Belt success stories serve as a model for Falls. (Niagara Falls)
June 2, 1997... Niagara Falls has hitched its dreams of redevelopment to a pledge by private investors to spend $130 million to turn an area near the Falls into a resort-style destination. The success of any plan will depend on its ability to draw tourism...

In charter one financial, WNY gets expanding thrift. (Charter One Financial Inc.; Western New York banking community)
June 2, 1997... Western New York's banking community has a new member, Charter One Financial Inc. The Cleveland-based company, which has agreed to buy RCSB Financial Inc., the parent of Rochester Community Savings Bank, is one of the country's most...

Travelers to WNY helped pay for Marine Midland Arena. (Western New York)
June 2, 1997... WASHINGTON - Trying to avoid fiscal collisions with their citizens, communities may have finally figured out a way to build public stadiums: Tax the travelers who visit the city. At least 19 cities across the country are using or have used...