Business First of Buffalo articles from March 1995

Business First of Buffalo archives from March 1995

Key relocates service unit to Appletree. (Key Bank of New York N.A.; Appletree Business Park, New York)
March 6, 1995... 200 jobs shifted to space being vacated by mortgage operation Key Bank of New York will move about 200 back-office employees into space now leased to KeyCorp Mortgage Inc. in Appletree Business Park in Cheektowaga. The bank's support...

Pizza restaurants say the pie is big enough for all of them. (Western New York)
March 6, 1995... When Parker Greenman Jr. looks out from Papa Leo's, the pizza place he manages in Wheatfield, what he sees are two more pizza places. "We all do well," Greenman says. Most pizza restaurants, whether sit-down or take-out, have a customer...

The big savings can be applied to your funeral. (smoking is bad for you health)
March 6, 1995... "Would you ever consider quitting if the price got too high?" I asked him one day. "Hell, no" he said. I raised the issue of price because he was one of those guys who wouldn't discuss the issue of health. Life was too short to eliminate...

Economy keeps pace, but shows signs of cooling.
March 6, 1995... What a difference a year makes. January 1994 was among the coldest Januarys in Western New York history, and the economy joined the mercury in the deep freeze. The job market was sluggish, construction activity was disappointing, U.S.-Canada...

BRW negotiates with processor to use plant on temporary basis. (BRW Steel Corp.)
March 6, 1995... While it might not be making steel in Lackawanna for many months, BRW Steel Corp. wants to let someone else start some work there sooner. The company is awaiting union approval of an agreement that would let an outside operator use part of a...

Long Island provider acquires Health Source, area's first PPO. (Magna Care; Health Source)
March 6, 1995... Magna Care, a Long Island-based preferred provider organization, has expanded into Buffalo with the purchase of Health Source, a local PPO. The sale was effective at the end of December. Employee Benefit Plans Inc. of Minneapolis, one of the...

Lockport Savings, Evans National open bank branches in Hamburg. (Lockport Savings Bank; Evans National Bank of Angola)
March 6, 1995... All of a sudden, the South Towns has become the promised land for banks. At least two banks plan to open branch offices this year in Hamburg, pending regulatory approval. Evans National Bank of Angola and Lockport Savings Bank have selected...

News floats idea of Homefinder on Fridays. (Buffalo News)
March 6, 1995... The Buffalo News has discussed the possibility of moving its Saturday real estate publication to Friday. The plan to move the weekly Homefinder, which News executives say was just a discussion topic and nowhere near a firm decision, met with a...

Health providers fear potential cost of Pataki cuts. (Gov. Pataki)
March 6, 1995... Western New York health officials predict drastic cuts in service and jobs if Gov. Pataki's proposed budget is approved. Local hospitals, nursing homes, home health-care and other services expect to lose at least $165 million, mostly in...

Falls importer brings taste of the Old World to WNY. (Niagara Falls; Latina Niagra Importing Co.; Western New York)
March 6, 1995... A Niagara Falls company has come up with a way to get its trademark Italian specialty foods to customers who don't want to travel to the company's retail store. Latina Niagara Importing Co. Inc. has launched a cash-and-carry store at its...

Search yields dozens of options for Lockport Savings' new offices.
March 6, 1995... Lockport Savings Bank's announcement in January that it was seeking a new location for administrative headquarters unleashed a flood of site offers from civic leaders and land owners. But four weeks and dozens of proposals later, none of them...

A tank full of enthusiasm fuels a success story. (Colston's Mobil Gas and Service Station)
March 6, 1995... Service station owner Sherrill Colston is pumping leadership into an East Side community When Sherrill Colston makes his weekly trip to M&T Bank's Main-Delavan branch, he almost always carries a box of doughnuts with him for the bank staff....

Nynex seeks end to phone-number shielding service. (Nynex Corp.)
March 6, 1995... The ability of telephone callers to shield themselves at all times from Call ID devices would be eliminated under a new service that Nynex is proposing to state regulators. Pricing for the anonymous call-rejection service is under review at...

Rich Communications still has its AM stations on the market. (Rich Communications Corp.)
March 6, 1995... Though Rich Communications Corp. executives say no, radio industry sources say the company is still shopping its AM stations. Rich, owners of WGR-AM and WWWS-AM, has made official what had been speculated for several weeks: It is selling the FM...

Trade language.
March 6, 1995... A global marketplace has put increasing emphasis on communication, and that translates into more business for translators, teachers and interpreters Although the Iron Curtain has been parted for several years, when Dunkirk Radiator Corp. began...

Don't sacrifice intellectual property when going global.
March 6, 1995... Thanks to the ever-relaxing restrictions on foreign trade, as embodied in such international covenants as NAFTA and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, it's becoming easier for small businesses to enter the world marketplace. For many,...

Fulfillment firms smooth path for importers, exporters.
March 6, 1995... When American Allsafe Co.'s customers north of the border decide they aren't happy with the safety equipment the company manufactures, they don't have to worry about how to ship the package back across the border. Although American Allsafe is...

Sister Cities plans prospecting trip for businesses interested in Poland. (Sister Cities Inc.)
March 6, 1995... About a dozen companies with an eye to expand in Eastern Europe are being invited by Buffalo-Rzeszow Sister Cities Inc. for a business trip to Poland next spring. The Sister Cities group wants to get a head start on next year's meetings by...

Medical office space comes at a higher premium.
March 6, 1995... What goes into the fees a doctor charges? There's the cost of insurance, medical supplies and the value of services. And then there's real estate. Like any other business, real estate costs are rolled into fees. But unlike other traditional...

Disappointment but no surprise as Bon-Ton shuts downtown AM and As. (Bon-Ton Stores Inc.; Adam Medldrum and Anderson Co.)
March 6, 1995... The inevitable became reality when The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. announced Feb. 3 that it was shutting down the former flagship Adam Meldrum & Anderson Co. Inc. store on March 18. The York, Pa.-based department store chain acquired the AM&A's chain...

City brownfields need to be renewed as usable space.
March 6, 1995... "Thousands of acres of only slightly contaminated real estate, much of it slated for new development, are frozen by the inability of owners, developers or lenders to gain any certainty with respect to the costs and liabilities that may be...

Homebuilding in Germany with Buffalo worksmanship. (Buffalo, New York)
March 6, 1995... Housing - as in good, old-fashioned American wood-frame suburban construction - is about to enter the export market, thanks to the Yankeelike ingenuity of a German-born architect who calls Buffalo home. Before the summer is over, up to 45 homes...

Growing Factory Outlet Mall continues to be tourist spot.
March 6, 1995... Looking at the Factory Outlet Mall these days, it's hard to remember that the property was once a neighborhood strip mall, anchored by a Kings department store and Acme supermarket. When Benderson Development Co. Inc. of Buffalo opened the...

Fujisawa contract spurs expansion at Island plant. (Fujisawa USA; Grand Island, New York)
March 13, 1995... Prototype medical ointments that will cure skin disorders and aid in liver transplants have created one of the largest private-sector investments on Grand Island. Fujisawa USA, the former Lyphomed Inc., has won the rights from its Japanese...

Kittinger lines up buyers for plant sites. (Kittinger Co.)
March 13, 1995... Union approaches local investors about buying furniture maker Kittinger Co., the long-time maker of prestigious and expensive furniture, may soon own no manufacturing plants. The beleaguered Buffalo company is close to a sale of its...

Area auto plants humming despite Big 3 downshifts. (Buffalo, New York) (Industry Overview)
March 13, 1995... The Buffalo area's three major automotive parts suppliers are dodging the initial impact of a production downshift by the Big Three domestic automakers. One reason: Sales of some automobiles might be softening, but demand for light trucks and...

Nonprofits ask vendors to help fight budget cuts.
March 13, 1995... Area nonprofit agencies are taking their case against proposed state budget cuts to their vendors. The United Way of Buffalo and Erie County has urged its member agencies to approach their suppliers and contractors to highlight what the ripple...

Circuit City chain ready to make first area connection in Amherst. (Circuit City Stores Inc.)
March 13, 1995... Circuit City Stores Inc., which has powered up and powered down plans for Western New York outlets, is turning on the switch again. The nation's No. 1 consumer electronics chain is reverting to its original plan of opening its first area store...

Four pharmacies leave Independent Health network.
March 13, 1995... Four area pharmacies no longer accept Independent Health to protest the HMO's reimbursement rates for filling prescriptions. Pharmacist Jerry Bergman, owner of the RX Prescription Center in Cheektowaga, said Independent Health's 85-cent filling...

State budget cuts could affect Main-High medical building. (New York)
March 13, 1995... State budget cuts could alter development plans for an anchor building at the Main-High medical campus in downtown Buffalo. If the state budget cuts are too deep, several sources said, Buffalo General Hospital may be forced to reconsider plans...

Niagara Asset nears completion of writing Goldome's last chapter. (Niagara Asset Cop.)
March 13, 1995... Niagara Asset Corp., which was created to put itself out of business, is closing down ahead of schedule. The company, a subsidiary of Key Bank, has been so successful at liquidating $700 million in unsold assets of defunct Buffalo-based...

Dunlop shifts work here from quake-damaged plant. (Dunlop Tire Corp.)
March 13, 1995... Dunlop Tire Corp. is temporarily relocating some motorcycle tire production from its earthquake-damaged plant in Japan to its Town of Tonawanda facility. The increased tire-making requirement is expected to last for at least one year but will...

Sausagemaker links up with site for manufacturing in Buffalo park. (Sausagemaker Inc.; Buffalo, New York)
March 13, 1995... An aggressive approach by the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency has helped the city retain a food industry manufacturer. The Sausagemaker Inc., a company known for its sausage-making products, cookbooks and catalogs, has decided to remain in the...

Rural areas qualify for program designed to attract primary MDs. (New York)
March 13, 1995... Some areas of Erie, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties could have an easier time recruiting doctors because of a designation they've received from the federal government. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has determined that...

E&E lands contract for Mideast canal. (Ecology and Environment Inc.)
March 13, 1995... As a result of the Mideast peace initiative, Ecology & Environment Inc. is working on a hydroelectric canal between the Dead and Red seas and is a Jordanian-Israeli joint venture. Under a $450,000 six-month project awarded by the World Bank,...

Ad agencies say way to grow is look beyond local markets.
March 13, 1995... Local advertising executives say their industry is very much like other area businesses - to grow, they must look beyond Western New York. A quick glance at the client list of the area's major agencies shows most listing at least one...

2 restaurant chains planning expansions. (Ruby Tuesday Group and Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar, also known as Thomas and King Inc.)
March 13, 1995... Two familiar restaurant groups are increasing their local presence while a third may be making its debut. * Ruby Tuesday, which has operations in Walden Galleria and Boulevard Mall, will open a 5,230-square-foot restaurant on McKinley Parkway...

Developer plans Buffalo apartment, condo projects. (Clover Management Inc. President Michael Joseph)
March 13, 1995... An Amherst developer is embarking on a multimillion-dollar plan to build housing in Buffalo. Michael Joseph, president of Clover Management Inc., plans to build or renovate 205 apartment and condominium units in the city' s University Heights...

Deronde Products adds manufacturing space. (Deronde Products Inc.)
March 13, 1995... Deronde Products Inc. has leased an additional 4,000 square feet on Cornwall Avenue to increase its presence in the wooden-door market. The company, founded in 1946, manufactures hollow metal and stainless steel doors and frames and distributes...

Theater at Hamburg fairgrounds will seat up to 25,000 for shows. (Erroe County Fairgrounds)
March 13, 1995... The Erie County Fairgrounds is teaming up with New Jersey concert promoters, Metropolitan Entertainment Inc., to build a 25,000-person outdoor amphitheater. The amphitheater, which is expected to open next summer, will be the area's second in...

The News shifts accounts to M&T Bank. (Buffalo News; Manufacturers and Traderss Trust Co.)
March 13, 1995... The Buffalo News has switched three accounts to M&T Bank, in which News owner Warren Buffett has a large stake. The switch to M&T from Marine Midland Bank takes effect April 1 and affects regular, payroll and charitable accounts as well as two...

Jamestown Savings Bank operators near fund-raising goal of $5 million.
March 13, 1995... This St. Patrick's Day, organizers of the new Jamestown Savings Bank expect to find new meaning for the phrase "Wearing of the Green." That's the day that they confidently predict success for their effort to raise $5 million in seed capital...

D'Amato, LaFalce urging action to head off troubles with thrifts. (Rep. John LaFalce and Sen. Alfonse D'Amato)
March 13, 1995... Rep. John LaFalce and Sen, Alfonse D'Amato have joined in a bipartisan call to head off what they say is a brewing crisis in the nation's thrift industry. They warned that if not dealt with quickly, it could have ramifications similar to the...

M&T completes deal for Statewide Funding. (M and T Mortgage Corp.)
March 13, 1995... M&T Mortgage Corp., the mortgage banking subsidiary of M&T Bank, has completed its acquisition of Statewide Funding Corp. The deal gives the Buffalo-based mortgage company a lock on residential mortgages in the Albany market, where Statewide...

Amherst heads class of area schools. (Amherst Central School District tops ranking of western New York's 102 public-school systems)
March 20, 1995... The 1995 version of Business First's annual public-school ratings inspires a strong sense of deja vu. The Amherst Central School District again ranks No. 1 among Western New York's 102 public-school systems, continuing a streak that began in...

Mark IV decides to stay in Amherst, uses lease option. (Mark IV Industries Inc.)
March 20, 1995... Mark IV Industries Inc. is staying put. The corporate headquarters of the Fortune 500 company is not moving out of state or out of Amherst, which President and CEO Sal Alfiero said in November was a consideration. But Mark IV also won't be...

Flagship AM&A's closing leaves city with big hole, few answers. (Adam, Meldrum and Anderson Co.; Buffalo, New York)
March 20, 1995... The closing of the former Adam Meldrum & Anderson Co. Inc. flagship store on March 18 not only signals the end of an era, it also raises several problems for Buffalo officials and downtown leaders. Bon-Ton Stores Inc., the chain based in York,...

Eastman Machine fashions deal with California-based sail maker. (Eastman Machine Co. acquires North Sails Group Inc. division)
March 20, 1995... Eastman Machine Co. is buying a division of a California sail-making company and moving its automated cutting machines to Buffalo. Terms of the purchase of North Technology Systems, a division of North Sails Co. of San Francisco, were not...

Union pushes job security in Buffalo General talks. (Buffalo General Hospital begins contract negotiations with nurses and technicians)
March 20, 1995... The 2,000 unionized nurses and technicians at Buffalo General Hospital have begun contract talks by acknowledging that changes in the health-care industry will bring layoffs. As part of preliminary negotiations, Nurses United Local 1168 is...

ECMC wants to fold county services into hospital. (Erie County Medical Center in New York)
March 20, 1995... Erie County Medical Center wants to build a county health network that would treat patients from birth to old age while reducing administrative costs and drawing Medicaid dollars into the county. A comprehensive network of primary care clinics,...

Target, Kohl stores find home at Windsor Park in Amherst. (Target Stores and Kohl's Department Stores Inc. start operations in Amherst, New York)
March 20, 1995... Two of the newest national retailers to the area will open local stores in Amherst's newest shopping plaza. Target Stores and Kohl's Department Stores will co-anchor the Windsor Park Place plaza, a nearly 200,000-square-foot shopping center...

Northwest buys majority stake in fledgling Jamestown bank. (Northwest Savings Bank; Jamestown Savings Bank)
March 20, 1995... A Pennsylvania bank has purchased a controlling interest in Jamestown Savings Bank, a newly formed bank that expects to open this summer. Northwest Savings Bank's $4 million investment to buy 50.1 percent of the shares in an initial stock...

Servicing industry watches KeyCorp Mortgage acquisition. (KeyCorp Mortgage Inc.)
March 20, 1995... In less than two weeks, NationsBanc Mortgage Corp. will become the Buffalo area's newest financial services employer. The unit of Charlotte-based NationsBank Corp., the fourth-largest U.S. banking company, bought the $25 billion mortgage...

Consignment stores think upscale in niche market of recycled retail.
March 20, 1995... Shirley Scalice and partner Shirley Barillari found they had more in common than a first name. The owners of Shirley'SS Attic, a Cheektowaga consignment store, also shared a goal of marketing items that people don't want for their home...

OHL franchise may skate into WNY. (Ontario Hockey League may put up expansion team in western New York)(includes related article)
March 27, 1995... Top junior league for the NHL looks at Buffalo for expansion The Ontario Hockey League, the league that supplies the vast majority of players to the National Hockey League, could be a slapshot away from putting an expansion team in Western New...

Feds peg Orleans as N.Y.'s fastest-growing county. (Orleans County)(includes related article)
March 27, 1995... Erie, Niagara growth stagnant in estimates from Census Bureau Outsiders might assume that change comes slowly in Orleans County. They might conclude that its tidy villages and rolling farmland offer little more than a pleasant interlude between...

Remedies laid out for overburdened Buffalo schools.
March 27, 1995... Buffalo Public Schools can save $188.5 million in obvious and not-so-obvious places by the turn of the century. All leaders need do is follow a list of 34 recommendations developed in a two-year study by the Buffalo Financial Plan Commission....

Rising pulp prices fuel seller's market for paper products. (Industry Overview)
March 27, 1995... At High-Spot Pizza, the costs that manager Lyle Morgan pays to package a pie or put a sub in a bag are rising. At area office buildings, recycling programs are getting paid more for waste paper in some case are no longer paying to have...

VA adds programs, services to make care more accessible. (Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, Buffalo, NY)
March 27, 1995... Buffalo's Veterans Affairs Medical Center is beginning an expansion program that will move it beyond its traditional all-male, inpatient orientation. Beginning in April, the medical center will open an ambulatory-care surgical unit. In...

Shakeups at Falls firms put leadership in flux. (Niagara Falls, NY; Occidental Chemical Corp; Carborundum Co.)
March 27, 1995... Changes at two major Niagara Falls corporations have civic leaders concerned about losing hometown leadership. Fueling the uncertainty are: * The departure of the former operations manager for Occidental Chemical Corp., Aubrey Blackwell,...

State's shutoff of money spigot may sink Olcott Harbor revamp. (New York)
March 27, 1995... The long-delayed Olcott Harbor project, on the verge last fall of receiving final funding to get under way, is back in limbo, its future again an unanswered question. Although real estate and construction sources say the project has been...

WBLK alters music format to appeal to wider audience. (FM radio station)
March 27, 1995... WBLK-FM, the area's leading urban contemporary and highest rated locally owned and operated radio station, is changing its format. The change will shift the station from a traditional urban contemporary format to one emphasizing classic soul...

Former Forbush employees build new firm on poplar's popularity. (Millwork Distributors Inc.)
March 27, 1995... Robert Minkel hopes to build a business out of poplar where others are using pine. Ever since buying and resurrecting a part of the former Forbush Lumber this year, Minkel has been carving a niche in poplar trim and molding. His new...

RCSB to create holding company to chart expansion in Buffalo area. (Rochester Community Savings Bank; RCSB Financial Inc.)
March 27, 1995... Rochester Community Savings Bank, which turned its financial fortunes around in 1994, announced plans to create a savings and loan holding company to ease its future expansion. The new company, to be named RCSB Financial Inc., would be the...

Airline commission caps force travel agencies to explore other sources of revenue. (Special Report: Business Travel) (Industry Overview)
March 27, 1995... When the airlines imposed commission caps on ticketing, travel agents began brainstorming about how they could make up the anticipated loss. Commissions on airline tickets make up the bulk of most travel agencies' business. Where before...

And the survey says: travel, entertainment spending is up. (includes related article) (Special Report: Business Travel) (Industry Overview)
March 27, 1995... When Moog Inc. acquired a division of Allied Signal in Torrance, Calif., it added yet another city to its list of business travel destinations. The East Aurora company also has locations in England, Ireland, Germany, the Philippines, Hong...

3 things business travelers need: receipts, receipts, receipts. (Special Report: Business Travel)
March 27, 1995... April 15 is less than one month away, and the thought of it strikes fear in many a taxpayer's heart. Besides a quick refund, we would all like to get something back. For business travelers, that may be even more than they think. Even absent...