Business First of Buffalo articles from March 1999

Business First of Buffalo archives from March 1999

WNY shops at Tops.(Western New York, Tops Friendly Markets)
March 29, 1999... Grocery store giants build market share Tops remains on top. Fifty-eight percent of Western New Yorkers do most or all of their grocery shopping at Tops Friendly Markets, according to a new Business First-Goldhaber Research Associates...

Marine banker pushes minority involvement.(Rasheed Wyatt, president of the Baffalo, New York, Chapter of the National Association of Urban Bankers)
March 29, 1999... Rasheed Wyatt is on a crusade. The new president of the Buffalo Chapter of the National Association of Urban Bankers wants the 50-member chapter to be more active in the community in ways that will educate consumers and prepare...

TRW takeover of LucasVarity clouds future of landmark.(Buffalo, NY, historic landmark Butler Mansion threatened by sale of LucasVarity to TRW)
March 29, 1999... The Butler Mansion, one of Buffalo's prominent historic buildings, is facing an uncertain future because of the corporate takeover of its owner. LucasVarity plc, a $6.8 billion automotive and aerospace company with headquarters in...

Nurses' union expands membership at Kaleida Health.
March 29, 1999... The union chiefly representing nurses in Kaleida Health has been busily signing up new members at Millard Fillmore hospitals and other facilities in the health system that traditionally have been non-union. The activity follows a master...

Head of transplant program leaves Kaleida for ECMC.(James Houck leaves Kaleida Health for Erie County Medical Center)
March 29, 1999... Dr. James Houck, who for three years led the heart-lung transplant program at Kaleida Health, has joined Erie County Medical Center to head the hospital's heart surgery program. Leadership opportunities, the professional atmosphere and...

New NCCC president sees college as community asset.(includes Cleveland's biodata)(Antonette Cleveland)
March 29, 1999... A photo of Antonette Cleveland rolling in the mud chasing a pig hangs prominently on her office wall. Pursuit of the swine took some time, but finally she caught it. "It was hard, because it was greased," said the newly inaugurated...

Business tax in Michigan threatens WNY parts makers.(Western New York)
March 29, 1999... A little-known Michigan tax law could prove onerous to Western New York companies shipping and selling goods in that state, home of General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. The Michigan Single Business Tax requires companies to pay tax on...

Students pay greater share of community college costs.
March 29, 1999... Students at community colleges in Western New York are paying as much as 43.7 percent of their college's net operating costs out of tuition and fees, despite a state funding model that requires only 30 to 33 percent. And increases in...

Women-owned businesses hope for boost from SBA.(Small Business Administration)
March 29, 1999... Buffalo's odds for receiving federal funding to establish a business center for women have been significantly increased, That's good news for Myrna Young, executive director of Everywomen Opportunity Center, who has been applying for two...

BBB launches examination of not-for-profit agencies.(Better Business Bureau)
March 29, 1999... The Better Business Bureau has long been known as a watchdog for businesses. Now the agency is taking a harder look at not-for-profit agencies in an attempt to help the public get a more accurate picture of whom they're supporting. ...

St. Boneventure computer center caters to entrepreneurs.(St. Boneventure University in Cattaraugus County, NY)
March 29, 1999... Cattaraugus County businesses needing computer skills and Internet access for research now have a one-stop place where they can get both. A Computer Business Resource Center with 23 Gateway computers networked to three printers, funded in...

Counting couch potatoes: Nielsen TV meters could shake up rankings.(Nielsen Media Research)
March 22, 1999... This is a story about television so let's hype it in the fashion that medium might: Coming to Buffalo in April 2000 a small black box will alter the way TV stations keep score on what programs are on and when in this market's 627,000 viewing...

Office occupancy rates creep upward downtown.(includes related article on 1999 commercial leasing guide)(Buffalo, New York)
March 22, 1999... When Mark Kostrzewski went looking for new office space, his search was limited to one place - downtown Buffalo. Kostrzewski, National Life Insurance Co. of Vermont general agent and president of MBK Associates, said the suburbs were not...

Delphi's WNY economic impact jumps by $20 million.(Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems)
March 22, 1999... Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems continued in 1998 to be one of Western New York's biggest economic contributors as well as the area's largest private employer. In 1998, the Lockport-based automotive components and systems manufacturer,...

Jobs decline in N.Y. despite 5-year upswing.
March 22, 1999... Though it continues to be the home of one of the nation's largest workforces, New York's non-farm employment has seen a long-term loss that ranks it among the slowest growing states. Employment in New York declined 0.28 percent from 8.35...

Hatching a new idea: Southern tier farmers let imagination take flight by turning to more exotic products.(Business in the Southern Tier)
March 22, 1999... It's not unusual to see farm stands begin to multiply along the road as one travels south into the Southern Tier. Recent years have seen unique farm businesses sprout up alongside the traditional farms sporting such fare as ostrich, emu,...

Falconer colors its expertise with brownfield renovation.(Business in the Southern Tier)(Falconer town in Chautauqua County, New York)
March 22, 1999... Chautauqua County's town of Falconer was the stage on which the private and public sector came together last year to make an unprecedented curtain call: They took a bow for pulling off a brownfield industrial redevelopment in New York state...

Hamburg touts Agri-Center as area tourism attraction.(Business in the Southern Tier) (Hamburg, New York)
March 22, 1999... Though it rises several stories high and encompasses 75,000 square feet, the International Agri-Center on the grounds at the Erie County Fair & Expo doesn't necessarily stand out by itself. Not as it sits among the more than two dozen...

Rafting firm hits high-water mark in spring.(Business in the Southern Tier) (Zoar Valley Canoe and Rafting Co.)
March 22, 1999... Corporate outings may never be the same, if James Redline has his way. Forget the happy hours at the local watering hole. Scratch that employee 5-K run. Don't even think about another company picnic in the parking lot. Redline's idea of...

Some try to detour Route 219 as project nears end of road.(Business in the Southern Tier)
March 22, 1999... It's been talked about for nearly a half-century, but the U.S. Route 219 improvement project may be inching closer to reality as state transportation officials wrap up the final environmental impact statement this spring. Then it's on to...

Hot, hot, hot: former bank executive takes his passion for spicy sauces on the road.
March 22, 1999... What's going on: Audley McLean came to Buffalo in 1965 as a missionary, working with the Cold Spring Bible Chapel. McLean, these days, remains true to his religious beliefs and backyard, but he is a missionary of a different sort. McLean,...

Convention center will lead the way for development.(1999 Commercial Leasing Guide)
March 22, 1999... Controversy aside, the recent proposal by Benderson Development Co. to build a 144-room Hampton Inn in downtown Buffalo is proof of the economic spin-off from a new convention center. The $127 million project is being touted as an...

Area's population exodus continues.(eight counties of Western New York suffer population declines)
March 15, 1999... Western New York continues to shrink. New estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that all eight counties in the region suffered population declines between July 1997 and July 1998. The total loss amounted to 12,900 residents, the...

Small businesses cash in on Marine name change.(Marine Midland Bank N.A. changes name to HSBC Bank)
March 15, 1999... Name-changing by area banking and health care giants is bringing a bonanza to some small businesses in Western New York. Among the benefactors are companies as diverse as designers and makers of signs, business forms and stationery...

WNY clothing recycler spins rags-to-riches story.(Western New York firm The Rag Machine)(Company Profile)
March 15, 1999... The average person wouldn't see many similarities between scrap metal and an old polyester shirt. But ask Michael Lewkowicz, the new owner of a recycled clothing business, and you're likely to get a very different answer. "There are...

Darien Lake coasting toward big season.(Six Flags Darien Lake amusement and theme park to reopen in May 1999)
March 15, 1999... Six Flags Darien Lake, fortified with $20 million worth of improvements that include the largest roller coaster in the East, is less than 60 days away from opening day. The region's largest amusement and theme park begins its seasonal...

Tops parent extends reach to New York City market.(Tops Markets Inc. acquires Pathmark Stores Inc.)
March 15, 1999... Royal Ahold, the parent company of Tops Markets Inc., has acquired the Pathmark Stores Inc. chain, a 132-store group that is a dominant player in New York City, Long Island and Philadelphia. Royal Ahold is paying $250 million to acquire...

Showdown nears on financing of proposed hotel.(Hampton Inn on Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, New York)
March 15, 1999... When the Erie County Industrial Development Agency's board of directors meets March 17, the agenda will include one, possibly two, controversial requests for agency assistance. On the agenda is a request from Benderson Development Co. for...

Buffalo high-tech supplier boosted by Microsoft deal.(Reciprocal Inc. receives equity investment from Microsoft Corp.)(Company Profile)
March 15, 1999... A Buffalo digital rights management company has received a major boost via a $15 million equity investment from Microsoft Corp. Reciprocal Inc., formerly known as Rights Exchange Inc., announced during a teleconference Monday an agreement...

Medical practice groups gaining favor with doctors.
March 15, 1999... Joining medical practice groups is likely to continue to be the career path of choice for Western New York doctors as the area's health-care industry evolves in a managed care mode. They are joining thousands of their colleagues across...

Adelphia climbs ladder to land of cable TV giants.(Adelphia Communications Corp. becomes fifth-largest cable television company in the US)
March 15, 1999... Adelphia Communications Corp. is showing through its latest blockbuster acquisition - the second in weeks - that bigger is better. The Coudersport, Pa., company's board of directors unanimously agreed to buy Century Communications Corp....

Swist hired by Bethlehem to redevelop plant, property.(former government official Richard Swist retained by Bethlehem Steel Corp.)
March 15, 1999... Bethlehem Steel Corp. has turned to Richard Swist for help with its plans to redevelop its former plant property in Lackawanna. The steelmaking behemoth has retained Swist, former executive director of the Erie County Industrial...

Batavia hospitals combine in face of financial losses.
March 15, 1999... After 82 years of service to Batavia, St. Jerome Hospital will no longer exist as an acute-care facility in the Genesee County community. Ownership of the 96-bed hospital has been transferred by the Catholic Health System to Genesee...

MasterCard banks on Hasek.(MasterCard International Inc.'s advertisement featuring Buffalo Sabre's Dominik Hasek)
March 8, 1999... MasterCard International Inc. is looking to beef up its domination of the competition with an assist from Buffalo Sabres' all-star goalie Dominik Hasek. Hasek, nicknamed "The Dominator" for his National Hockey League and Olympics hockey...

Alpha Bytes stock soars on Nasdaq.
March 8, 1999... A soon-to-be-released Internet network system has fueled a dizzying stock run up at Niagara Falls-based Alpha Bytes. From Feb. 23 to March 2, the price per share of Alpha Bytes stock rose from 56 cents to more than $4 on the Nasdaq...

Sinclair's future may be on the waterfront.(Sinclair Broadcasting Group Inc.'s plans for a building in Waterfront Village)
March 8, 1999... The saga of where Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. will locate its area headquarters has taken on a new twist with the radio and TV ownership group reconsidering a waterfront site and suburban alternatives. Sinclair officials confirmed that...

Private sector is key to Enterprise Council initiative.(Buffalo Niagara Enterprise Council's plans for economic development)
March 8, 1999... For years the private sector has been asked and sometimes cajoled into taking a more proactive role in economic development issues. Results, by most accounts, have been mixed. Now all eyes are on the newly formed Buffalo Niagara...

Marine adds child day care to employee benefit package.(Marine Midland Bank)
March 8, 1999... Marine Midland Bank, which was the buzz of Western New York in 1998 when it gave clothing allowances to employees, has introduced another employee benefit: child day care. Marine Midland HSBC Family Center started March 1 with a first-day...

Merged Bank of America prepares to move, expand.
March 8, 1999... NationsBank and BankAmerica consolidated at the corporate level six months ago. Effective April 1, they will merge their operating units into one bank - Bank of America. In Western New York, the change means that NationsBank mortgage...

Holiday Inn launches upgrade; prepares for its name change.(Holiday-Inn Gateway)
March 8, 1999... The Holiday Inn-Gateway is undergoing a facelift that will see renovations and a new name by early summer. Hart Hotels Inc. is spending about $2.5 million upgrading the Cheektowaga property. The renovation work is the last phase of a...

Start-up phone companies take aim on small business.
March 8, 1999... Small- to medium-size businesses are finding greater choice in telecommunications service as start-up phone companies look to gain customers. "We want to bring large company pricing and functionality and expertise down to that...

Redevelopment supporters assail state building codes.(New York)
March 8, 1999... The vacant L.L. Berger Inc. store downtown is the latest rallying point in a new legislative push to amend New York's building codes. The building is being eyed by a Cleveland group, Landmark Management Ltd., which wants to invest $6.5...

Now open nice and wide: brother and sister grew dental lab from four employees to 21 in just four years.(Small Business)(Genco's Tooth Factory)(Company Profile)
March 8, 1999... What's up: Full-service dental prosthetic and cosmetic service is the name of the game at Genco's Tooth Factory. The company fabricates crowns and bridges, dentures and partials, specializing in dental implants and cosmetic dentistry. ...

Executive charged by work with utility in the region.(Special Report: Energy & the Environment)(Niagara Mohawk Regional Manager Dennis Gleason)
March 8, 1999... Dennis Gleason has a son in college and a daughter in diapers. The age range presents challenges, but none too difficult for the Niagara Mohawk executive. "It keeps us running, it keeps us young. You all of a sudden remember when you're...

Debt-ridden Falls hospital turns to Kaleida.(Kaleida Health; Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center)
March 1, 1999... Kaleida Health has been invited into talks with Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center days after the breakup of the medical center's alliance with Mount St. Mary's Hospital in Lewiston. "We have been formally approached to discuss their...

Critics challenge IDA incentives for proposed hotel.(Erie County Industrial Development Agency)
March 1, 1999... Plans by Benderson Development Co. Inc. to construct a Delaware Avenue hotel are creating battlelines within the hospitality and economic development communities. At the heart of the debate is whether the public sector, in this case the...

Delaware North sales are more than food and beer.(Delaware North Companies Inc.)
March 1, 1999... To the casual observer, Delaware North Cos. Inc. sells hot dogs and beer to hungry sports fans along with trinkets to visitors at any number of national landmarks. Just don't tell that to Barbara Gnann, Delaware North's retail...

Strategic advertising buys target specific audiences.(micromarketing strategy)
March 1, 1999... Like many Western New Yorkers, James Phipps has a weather fixation. But, unlike others, his is based on a client's needs. Phipps is a partner with Gelia Wells & Mohr, the area's second largest advertising agency. One of his firm's clients...

Four contaminated sites added to state waste list.
March 1, 1999... Four sites in Western New York have been added to the state's register of inactive hazardous waste disposal sites. The sites were all classified as significant threats to the public health or environment. Three of the sites were described...

Realtors finding real sales can be found using the Web.(Special Report: Computers and Web Design)
March 1, 1999... About six years ago, Phil Aquila had a revelation. Aquila, general manager for M.J. Peterson Real Estate Inc., was reading some materials when he came across an article about a fledgling high-tech innovation called a Web site. The article...

Computer company owner has become a wizard at job.(Special Report: Computers and Web Design)(Wizard Communication Systems owner James Weber)
March 1, 1999... As a child, James Weber was likely a parent's nightmare as well as a delight. Weber loved to take apart electronic devices to see how they worked. He rebuilt his Lionel train and built a radio from a kit. "I love to see what makes...