Business First of Buffalo articles from March 1998

Business First of Buffalo archives from March 1998

Banking towers of power: growth spurt boosts prestige of Marine, M&T. (Marine Midland Bank; Manufacturers and Traders Trust Co)
March 30, 1998... The rise of two Buffalo-based banking powerhouses has lifted the city to the status of upstate New York's dominant financial center. From the Niagara Frontier to the Hudson Valley and from the North Country to Pennsylvania, M&T Bank and...

Good Earth's garden grows after buying BFI Organics. (Good Earth Organics Corp)
March 30, 1998... If you ran into Guenter Burkhardt on the street and he said he just bought a $45 million gardening products company, you might be inclined to ask for some proof. Burkhardt, 67, who still carries traces of a German accent 45 years after...

Healthcare at brink of new era as 3-way hospital merger nears.
March 30, 1998... The merger of the CGF Health System - the creation of a colossal health-care provider in the Buffalo area - is moments away from becoming official. On March 31, the hospitals once known as Buffalo General, Millard Fillmore and Children's...

Heinz & Weber spices up product line.
March 30, 1998... It's not difficult to find the company that makes Buffalo's most popular mustard: Heinz & Weber Co. Inc.'s building is the only mustard-colored building on Louisiana Street. The color of the building has remained true for more than 60 years,...

Small urban businesses look for competitive edge. (Buffalo, NY)
March 30, 1998... Urban business owners are learning how to compete against larger, suburban competitors while building relationships with like-minded entrepreneurs. The Center for Entrepreneurship at Canisius College is providing the help through its Urban...

Microsoft, Compaq give VTG a national platform. (Voice Technologies Group Inc)
March 30, 1998... Deals with Microsoft and Compaq are expected to boost revenues at Amherst-based Voice Technologies Group Inc. by more than $10 million in 1998. Both deals involve VTG providing its hardware for use in computer systems built by the industry...

Working together: area chambers of commerce work to sell Buffalo as a place to meet. (Buffalo, NY)(Chambers and Associations)
March 30, 1998... By day, Michael Raab is Erie County's deputy commissioner of environment and planning. And, he's proud to say, he's a Buffalo Ambassador. Raab is one of about 967 individuals or groups who have helped the Greater Buffalo Convention &...

Clubs may need new motto: change with the times. (service clubs in Buffalo, NY)
March 30, 1998... America's major social service clubs are often identified by signature slogans, as in the Kiwanis Club's "We Build" and the Rotary Club's "Service Above Self." The Kiwanis Club of Buffalo, chartered in 1916, was the 18th club formed in the...

Women's associations hang out welcome sign for men. (Buffalo, NY)(Chambers and Associations)
March 30, 1998... Herb Knoll always stood out a little when he attended association meetings in Buffalo. Knoll, a KeyBank senior vice president, was the sole male member of Financial Women International's Buffalo chapter before he moved to Albany to head up...

Public projects caught in middle of latest PLA debate. (Buffalo, New York; project labor agreement)
March 23, 1998... On the union side is a tradition of promoting better work conditions and wages, of fighting to uphold middle class jobs. On the other is the nonunion construction contractor, the carpenter and roofer, bricklayer and mason, plumber and...

Fast growing hotel chain seeking parcel in Amherst. (AmeriSuites)
March 23, 1998... AmeriSuites, one of the hotel industry's fastest growing chains, is looking to make a reservation in Western New York. The Fairfield, N.J.-based company has scouted several sites in a search of its first Western New York operation. Most of...

Ford Motor Co., Wilson firm team up in war against rust. (R. Sharpe Industries Inc.)
March 23, 1998... Big-time auto companies are showing interest in a rust-resistant plating process developed by a Niagara County firm. R. Sharpe Industries Inc. in the Village of Wilson is moving to step up metal plating operations to meet production...

Trico expects decision this year on company's future. (Trico Products Corp.)
March 23, 1998... Trico Products Corp. said it will begin an evaluation this month to determine the company's future in Buffalo. A decision is expected by mid-July, said Patrick DiNicola, vice president of finance for the leading windshield wiper systems...

Domestic cars 'most wanted' by auto thieves across WNY. (Western New York)
March 23, 1998... There's something about an Olds. In metropolitan Buffalo, the Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera is at the top of car thieves' most-wanted lists. Second is the Oldsmobile Delta 88/Royale, according to statistics compiled by the National...

Speedier border crossings goal of Canpass system.
March 23, 1998... Commercial trucks crossing over the Niagara River on the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge to Canada will be banned April 1. The move is the first step in instituting Canpass, a commuter border crossing system that will eliminate standard customs...

Refi demand remains hot despite interest rate upturn. (mortgage loan refinancing)
March 16, 1998... With interest rates inching up slightly, the refinancing boom in home mortgages has cooled a bit. But some Western New York lenders say it is not the end of the frenzy that industrywide was on a pace to match 1993s record. Nor does it...

Buffalo firm at the forefront of puzzling modern art trend. (Buffalo Games Inc.)
March 16, 1998... To piece together a jigsaw puzzle requires the ability to pick out something small and apply it to a bigger picture. Buffalo Games Inc. has used that same vision - take a small idea and see it as a larger creation - to develop a hot new product...

Sinclair may move stations to Waterfront Village site. (Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.)
March 16, 1998... Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. is close to cutting a deal with Buffalo officials to bring its six radio stations and one TV station to the city's Waterfront Village area. Last fall, Sinclair had agreed in principle to lease a former Sorrento...

Federal credit unions in no hurry to switch charters. (Western New York federal credit unions)
March 16, 1998... The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in February against federal credit unions, which is a majority of the 175 in Western New York, does not apply to state-chartered institutions. But federal credit unions are not rushing to convert to state...

Main St. fiber optic network builds city's high-tech lure. (establishment of a business incubator in Buffalo, New York)
March 16, 1998... A network of wires running underneath Main Street has caught the eye of Mayor Anthony Masiello's development team. Those wires could lead the way to the development of a high-tech business incubator in downtown Buffalo. Fiber optic wiring...

Upgrade or uproot? (retirement housing of senior citizens)
March 16, 1998... Market observers see senior citizens fixing homes rather than flying to Florida As Western New Yorkers advance in years and accumulate more wealth, their inclination is to put the "For Sale" sign on their house and be lured by the beckoning...

Graying boomers color future changes. (baby-boom generation)
March 16, 1998... Things are going to look a little different around here when Western New York begins accommodating the graying set. From new buildings to brighter lights, creative living arrangements and more services, there will be plenty of reminders that...

AirTran's arrival in WNY could pull down airfares. (AirTran Airlines)
March 16, 1998... When ValuJet airlines began low-cost leisure service from Atlanta in 1993, Delta Air Lines, the number one carrier, took notice. "They matched or beat ValuJet's pricing," said April Majors, spokesman for Hartsfield Atlanta International...

Counterfeiters cashing in on phony checks. (bogus pay checks in western New York area)
March 9, 1998... The same technology that threatened to turn counterfeiting into a cottage industry for criminals has hatched a lesser-known activity: Phony payroll checks. As a phenomenon, counterfeit paychecks were noticed in certain areas of the country...

Hyatt Regency, Adam's Mark hotels in line for face-lifts. (former Buffalo Hilton to be called Adam's Mark Buffalo; Hyatt Regency Buffalo)
March 9, 1998... Two prominent downtown hotels are undergoing $17 million worth of face-lifts. The Buffalo Hilton, soon-to-be Adam's Mark Buffalo, is embarking on a $12 million renovation program announced in December when the hotel's sale was reported....

Enrollment climb continues for health care providers. (western New York area health maintenance organizations)
March 9, 1998... The area's HMOs report adding between one-half percent to 6 percent more members during the peak enrollment period ending Jan. 1. The single-digit growth is about on target for Western New York, where health maintenance organizations already...

Marshmallow levy taxes sensibilities. (marshmallows to be excluded from New York state sales taxes under state Taxation and Finance Dept's revised regulations)
March 9, 1998... Hold off stocking up on bags of big marshmallows until June 1, if you can. That's when those puffy delights will make an epiphany from a candy to a food item and, as such, will no longer be subject to New York state sales tax. It's part...

Acquisition of Blue Bird continues national trend. (Blue Bird Coach Lines Inc)
March 9, 1998... A growing North American network of motorcoach, taxi and shuttle service companies may have consolidated a grip on Western New York. The recent purchase of Olean-based Blue Bird Coach Lines Inc. by Coach USA Inc. of Houston heightens the...

Technology gains exposure for Softbank. (Softbank Net Solutions Inc)
March 9, 1998... A revolutionary computer product could generate millions of dollars for a Buffalo company and change the way digital technology is used. Softbank Net Solutions, a spinoff of Softbank Services Group, projects revenues for 1998 at about $10...

Fire truck manufacturer expands plant. (RDMurray)
March 9, 1998... A Hamburg fire truck manufacturer is moving to extinguish a burning need for space. RDMurray plans to consolidate operations from its Maelou Drive and Pleasant Avenue facilities to a larger plant at 4760 Camp Road. Consolidation will allow...

Competition heating up in long-distance market. (long-distance telephone service competition in western New York area)
March 9, 1998... Western New Yorkers may have another choice for long-distance phone service this summer. Bell Atlantic, the "junior" bell formed last August from the baby bell merger of NYNEX and Bell Atlantic, plans to file an application this spring with...

Cleaning up the environment. (dry cleaning business in western New York and the nation)
March 9, 1998... Dry cleaning - once hazardous by the very nature of chemical processing - has evolved to be non-harmful and environmentally sound, industry experts say. Spurred by government regulations passed in the early 1990s, dry cleaning plants in...

He's the real power broker in Western New York towns. (Oxbow Power Services Inc's North Tonawanda, NY, plant manager Gary Snedakar)
March 9, 1998... When Gary Snedaker graduated from high school in the 1980s, he was destined for power. Some 15 years later, at age 33, he has it. Snedaker manages a cogeneration power plant in North Tonawanda that generates enough electricity to power...

Nuttall gearing up. (Nuttall Gear LLC acquires Delroyd Worm Gear)
March 2, 1998... Nuttall Gear LLC, a Niagara County maker of industrial gear boxes, has purchased the assets of a New Jersey-based leader in the design and manufacture of speed-reducing gears. The acquisition of Delroyd Worm Gear, which will boost Nuttall's...

Commercial lenders catch refinance wave. (Western New York)
March 2, 1998... Though less visible than home mortgages, commercial lending is enjoying its own version of a refinancing boom. It first became noticeable in Western New York in mid-1996, 18 months earlier than the residential variety. But unlike the latter,...

Women seeking greater roles on nonprofit boards.
March 2, 1998... Cherry Lynn Atkinson wants to make a difference in the community and hopes to do it by offering her time to a nonprofit group that works with children or teens. Atkinson, a 37-year-old senior representative in the Fisher-Price consumer...

New Ont. casino could be boost for area business. (Buffalo, NY)
March 2, 1998... For years, consultants and convention/tourism industry experts have called the presence of Niagara Falls an international symbol that Buffalo has never fully exploited. Now, local experts say, Buffalo has an even greater incentive to tie...

Study addresses impact of new convention center. (Buffalo, NY)
March 2, 1998... The impact of a new convention center in downtown Buffalo on the existing hotel market will be addressed by a private-sector funded study. The new study, conducted by Economic Research Associates of Washington D.C. will give a detailed...

Winds of change fail to deter sports center. (Lancaster, NY)
March 2, 1998... It was one year ago, Feb. 27 to be exact. A day Mike Weis will never forget. Business First was printed and on its way to subscribers and newsstands with a front page story about Weis' new venture. But a day before the paper arrived, Mother...

Bookings fail to cut losses at Falls convention center. (Niagara Falls, NY)
March 2, 1998... After falling for two years, conventions booked by the Niagara Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau are rebounding. A total of 175 conventions are booked for 1998, up from 141 last year and 134 in 1996. This year's bookings surpass a peak of...

Sweet dreams. (Lockport Mattress Co., Lockport, NY)(Company Profile)
March 2, 1998... Lockport Mattress Co. makes its own bed What's going on: Lockport Mattress Co. Inc. is a factory-direct manufacturer that sells through a storefront operation at its Lockport production facility and from a retail outlet in Orchard Park....

Company found solution to ease county's paperload. (AOP Solutions, Erie County, NY)
March 2, 1998... During a span of three or four days, the Erie County Department of Social Services generates enough documentation to fill one four-drawer file cabinet, or about 10,000 pieces of paper. In a year's time, the department produces about 80 file...