Business First of Buffalo articles from November 1998

Business First of Buffalo archives from November 1998

Bills gear up for final seat drive.(includes related article on its print advertising message)(Buffalo Bills)
November 2, 1998... When all the votes are counted, November could be one of the most critical months in the history of the Buffalo Bills. At stake is whether fans will elect to buy enough premium seats to keep the franchise in Western New York. On the field,...

Region's sluggish economy slows growth of jobs.(western New York)
November 2, 1998... Lenard Morris, area manager of Manpower Inc. in Williamsville, say his clients aren't hiring because demand for their products has slowed or projects have slowed down. "We desperately need an influx of new businesses," he said. "If you...

HealthCarePlan expansion mirrors national trends.(to acquire HMO North AmeriCare)
November 2, 1998... HealthCarePlan has begun inching across the state with the announcement this week that it will buy North AmeriCare, the 3-year-old HMO serving the Southern Tier. By acquiring North AmeriCare, HealthCarePlan will add four counties to its...

New Amherst ice rinks spur demand for more ice time.(Amherst Pepsi Center)
November 2, 1998... In hockey terms, it appears the Amherst Pepsi Center has scored a hat trick. Although it has only been open since early September, the four-rink/recreation complex is meeting and exceeding initial expectations. Prime time ice is...

Market forces take toll on hospitals' bottom line.(CGF Health System)
November 2, 1998... The CGF Health System won't reach an anticipated surplus, but the newly merged system won't lose any money by year-end either. CGF's financial head said he expects the system to have a budget shortfall of $12 million to $15 million, money...

Furniture distributor reacts to shifting market demand.(Robert's Showplace Inc.)
November 2, 1998... Robert's Showplace Inc., a longtime North Tonawanda furniture distributor, is moving its showroom and adding a clearance center at its River Road warehouse. The company plans within 30 days to move the showroom from Main Street in North...

Acquisition gives Freed Maxick platform for further expansion.(H&R Block subsidiary to acquire Buffalo accounting firm Freed Maxick Sachs & Murphy)
November 2, 1998... The partnership with H&R Block is giving Freed Maxick Sachs & Murphy, Buffalo's largest locally owned accounting firm, the capital to pursue its longtime expansion plans, including opening more out-of-town offices handling its commercial...

Longtime Lockport printer moving operations to town.(Gooding Company Inc.)
November 2, 1998... Gooding Co. Inc. of Lockport is moving operations to a Town of Lockport industrial park. The printing and fulfillment firm plans to build an 18,000-square-foot, one-story facility on a four-acre parcel in Ulrich Business Park, off Davison...

Union, management still at odds over representation at Channel 2.(WGRZ-TV Channel 2, Buffalo, New York)
November 2, 1998... Management at WGRZ-TV Channel 2 claims that union members at the Buffalo station no longer want union representation, but union officials say otherwise. "We received objective evidence that the majority of the people don't wish to be...

When Wall Street asks 'why' it turns to a Buffalo native.(Special Report: Year-End Investment Strategies)(includes his biographical profile)(Hugh Johnson, Jr., chief investment officer at First Albany Corp.)
November 2, 1998... When Wall Street is in the news, Hugh Johnson Jr. is too. And 1998 is a Wall Street year. Johnson, senior vice president and chief investment officer of First Albany Corp. - and a Buffalo native - is one of the nation's most quoted...

Learning to drive a fork.(Fork Truck Training Ltd.)
November 2, 1998... Grand Island firm trains the drivers to lift the goods What's going on: Companies seeking fork lift training need to look no further than Fork Truck Training Ltd. Known as F.T.T., the company provides instruction and hands-on training...

Main Street top choice for convention center.(New York, New York)
November 9, 1998... The new home for the proposed downtown convention center will likely be the "500 block" of Main Street just across the street from Hyatt Regency Buffalo. That's the word from several sources close to the convention center talks. The...

New CEO wants to keep Tops on top.(Tops Friendly Markets CEO Steve Odland)
November 9, 1998... The smell of fresh paint has joined the aroma of fresh food at Tops Friendly Markets across Western New York. Several of the region's 77 Tops markets are getting facelifts as part of a renovation program by Western New York's largest...

Hungry fans eat cheaper at Buffalo games.(Buffalo Bills football team)
November 9, 1998... The most expensive concession stands in pro sports can be found at one of baseball's most hallowed grounds: Fenway Park in Boston. Based on a Street & Smith's Sports-Business Journal analysis of hot dog, beer and soda prices at all 94...

Adam's Mark launches $12 million renovation.(Adam's Mark Hotel in Buffalo, New York)
November 9, 1998... Guests aren't the only ones checking into the Adam's Mark hotel in downtown Buffalo. Construction crews have arrived at the region's largest hotel for a $12 million facelift that will add 60,000 square feet of convention and meeting space,...

WNY computer companies finding little competition.(Western New York)
November 9, 1998... Manufacturers of computer hardware and software say competition among firms is pretty low in Western New York, resulting in advantages and disadvantages. Though the region has an abundance of computer-related companies, only about a dozen...

Birthing center proposal gaining support in WNY.(Western New York)
November 9, 1998... A birthing center is under consideration to serve women living in rural areas of Western New York. The Healthy Communities Alliance Inc., a group of health-care providers and others in the Southern Tier, is conducting a feasibility study...

Ellicottville manufacturer takes strides in tool market.(Stride Tool Inc.)
November 9, 1998... Specialty tool maker Stride Tool Inc. in Ellicottville has been making enough of the right business moves to be considered among the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the United States. A ranking by Inc. magazine listed Stride Tool...

Coming attractions.(Special Report: Fine Wine & Entertaining)(amusements in New York)
November 9, 1998... Entertaining in WNY can be a roller coaster ride of fun from theater to downtown music and amusement parks From downtown Buffalo to Genesee County, look for some new looks to a few of the area's more popular attractions. The new year...

Chautauqua wineries aging well with demand.(Special Report: Fine Wine & Entertaining)(Chautauqua County, New York)
November 9, 1998... Wine is hot. Well, actually it's best chilled or served at room temperature, depending on which variety you choose. But there appears to be growing consumer interest in the fruity nectar. Popularity of wine seems to be at an all-time high -...

Promotions a savvy way to keep name in view.(Special Report: Fine Wine & Entertaining)
November 9, 1998... You may not know it, but that free comb from the corner barber and the refrigerator magnet from the carpet cleaner are part of a nearly $12 billion industry spanning the globe. Squeeze a stress ball while driving? What about those T-shirts...

Carrousel Society aims to put fun back in amusement parks.(Special Report: Fine Wine & Entertaining)(Carrousel Society of the Niagara Frontier Inc.)
November 9, 1998... Talk to any of the 600 members of the Carrousel Society of the Niagara Frontier Inc. and they'll tell you about a success story that brought a historic manufacturer of amusement park ride parts back to its birthplace, revitalizing the Carrousel...

Local phone companies are dialing into pot of gold.(Buffalo, New York)
November 16, 1998... Local telephone companies and Internet service providers are raking in the bucks because of federal legislation designed to spur telecommunications competition. Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, local access phone companies with...

Canadian bank merger has implications in U.S.(Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Montreal)
November 16, 1998... Six years after the Royal Bank of Canada ended a short-lived Buffalo venture by closing its commercial lending office, the banking giant again is casting an eye at expansion in the United States. But whether Western New York will have a...

Sale of Westwood-Squibb still in negotiation stage.(Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals Inc)
November 16, 1998... Patheon Inc., a Canadian contract pharmaceutical company, continues to pursue purchase of Buffalo's Westwood-Squibb manufacturing plant. The Forest Avenue plant, owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb of New Jersey, recently announced the business...

Smaller office buildings reflect market demands.
November 16, 1998... Office building construction often serves as a sign of the region's economic strength, or lack thereof. In years past, it was common to see developers construct multi-tenant office buildings that in some instances exceeded 100,000 square...

HMO blaming pharmacy costs for proposed premium increase.(health maintenance organization)
November 16, 1998... HealthCarePlan is seeking a 35 percent increase in premiums for pharmacy riders next year in response to a period of rising drug costs. Additionally, HealthCarePlan and Community Blue both plan small increases in rates for general contracts...

ECMC bidding to regain inmate healthcare contract.(Erie County Medical Center)
November 16, 1998... Erie County Medical Center is attempting to win back the contract to provide health care to state inmates - business it lost to a Pennsylvania managed-care company last year. ECMC expects to bid for the job with the state Department of...

Surfing the Net may replace going shopping at the mall.(Special Report: Telecommunications)
November 16, 1998... Maybe you've seen the commercial. A male college student, short on time with a busy academic and social schedule, gets onto his computer and buys a new Saturn car over the Internet. The ease of the transaction is impressive and the speed...

Telemedicine connects the area's doctors.(Special Report: Telecommunications)(Erie County, New York)
November 16, 1998... It might look like Todd Roland is alone in the ER examining room with a patient, but the physician assistant is getting his own assistance from a trauma doctor who's watching, listening and offering advice from afar via an interactive video...

More private businesses choosing Amherst.(includes related article on Rich Products Corp.)
November 23, 1998... Amherst, the area's second largest municipality, now has the largest collection of large private businesses with headquarters in Western New York. Buffalo, which had always held that historic title, dropped to second place, a victim of the...

Most SBA loans awarded to men-owned firms.(Small Business Administration)
November 23, 1998... You won't find frozen spuds or processed desserts at the Sunflower Restaurant in Lancaster. Cindy Mochol and her husband Ken realized a 30-year dream in May when they opened the restaurant. The duo takes pride in the fact that everything,...

Shoppers to keep holiday spending at last year's level.
November 23, 1998... Most Western New Yorkers are anticipating a traditional holiday season, marked by traditional spending levels at traditional shopping places. A new Business First-Goldhaber Research Associates Poll finds that nearly two-thirds of local...

Uniland business park evolved from new airport.(Uniland Development Co.; Buffalo Niagara Airport)
November 23, 1998... When Buffalo Niagara International Airport opened last year, area planners talked of the new terminal serving as an economic development catalyst. Now an area developer is preparing to establish a business park next to the airport. ...

Bank's buyback proposal awaits regulators' decision.(Lockport Savings Bank)
November 23, 1998... Executives of Lockport Savings Bank are hoping that regulators will relax restrictions on stock buybacks for state-chartered thrifts, many of which are loaded with excess capital. The bank is looking at a stock repurchase as a means of...

SBA export loan program boosts WNY companies.(Western New York)
November 23, 1998... A $300,000 loan from the Small Business Administration ensured Pegasus Niagara Inc. won a lucrative overseas contract. The funds provided working capital for the Niagara Falls company to build a $500,000 fuel-from-waste system for Solrec in...

HMOs defend allegations of slow claims payment.(New York State's health maintenance organizations)
November 23, 1998... The state trade group of health-care providers is accusing health insurers of taking more time to pay claims despite a "prompt-payment" law that went into effect early this year. Though the problem is statewide, Western New York insurers...

Lockport leading charge to electricity deregulation.(Lockport, NY)
November 23, 1998... Like soybean, wheat and natural gas, electricity is fast becoming a commodity, at least in Lockport. As utility deregulation unfolds, emerging competition in the electricity market means sweet savings to electric users. Since Aug. 1,...

Mercy Flight lands its plans to service the Southern Tier.(Special Report: Business in the South Towns)
November 23, 1998... Mercy Flight is establishing a second Western New York hub to serve people from the Southern Tier who are critically iii patients or accident victims needing fast transport to hospitals in Buffalo and other urban areas. Officials broke...

Computer industry finding a niche down in Gowanda.(Special Report: Business in the South Towns)(Gowanda, NY)
November 23, 1998... In a quiet part of Western New York that the Iroquois 200 years ago called "Jucgowanda," or beautiful valley between the hills, Gowanda may seem to some like the unlikely birthplace of a growing high-technology company. But in this...

Ad campaign is apple of company's eye.(Special Report: Business in the South Towns)(Mayer Bros.)
November 23, 1998... The marketing folks associated with Mayer Bros. should, in theory, appreciate a story like the one you're reading - because it answers an important "Guess what?" for the company: Mayer Bros. is not just a cider mill anymore. Now it's also...

Fort Niagara officers club cut from project.(plan to build $4.8 million hotel in Fort Niagara, NY)
November 30, 1998... A major obstacle to building a $4.8 million hotel and conference center at "new" Fort Niagara in Youngstown is being lifted. The former officers club, which houses historic murals painted in the 1930s and 1940s and which has been the most...

Pro sports face marketing gender gap.
November 30, 1998... Because of women's enormous impact on the spending habits of men, the best way for professional sports leagues to increase attendance may be by marketing to women, according to a Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal/Goldhaber Research...

A crimp in plans adds up to wrong number.(telephone numbers of West-Herr Ford Inc. and Muck Motor Sales Inc.)
November 30, 1998... Sometimes it doesn't pay to plan. That is what owners of two of Western New York's most prominent Ford dealerships have learned, much to their chagrin. The story begins several months ago when West-Herr Ford Inc. in Hamburg, the...

Sales pitch intenifies as Bills' ticket deadline nears.(Buffalo Bills)
November 30, 1998... Tuesday, Dec. 1, 12 noon. By then, it will all be over and Buffalo will at last have the answer to the question that has been asked repeatedly for the last several years: Will the Buffalo Bills stay or will they go? The effort to sell $11...

Ceramics entrepreneur expands in Niagara Falls.(Standard Ceramics Inc. Pres. Kaiyin Chia)
November 30, 1998... The American dream is real to Kaiyin Chia. He emigrated to the United States with two suitcases and $3,000 in 1980 to attend the University of Rochester. Today, he heads a company on the verge of a multimillion dollar expansion, Standard...

Banking industry wary of market's newest player.(State Farm Financial Services)
November 30, 1998... The birth of a budding nationwide financial services godzilla has bankers and industry representatives driving harder than ever for federal banking reform. The catalyst is the government's Nov. 12 approval of a federal thrift charter to...

High income, slow growth characterizes state economy.(New York)
November 30, 1998... New York residents may complain about high taxes, but they're still bringing home a pretty healthy paycheck on average. On a per capita level, New Yorkers rank among the highest paid in the country, according to a new Business First report....

Restaurants time opening to spring debut of Shea's.(Shea's Performing Art Center)
November 30, 1998... The menu of downtown Buffalo restaurants will be adding two Theater District entrees this spring. Both restaurants are expected to open by March, just before the grand reopening of Shea's Performing Arts Center and its expanded stagehouse....

Niagara County hospitals try to cut losses.
November 30, 1998... The Health System of Niagara has all the financial challenges plaguing hospitals across Western New York, plus one: It is losing customers to Erie County facilities. The health system announced Nov. 19 that plans were off to consolidate...

Happy to be under water: survival under the deep blue sea depends upon Sherwood Scuba.(Small Business Handbook)(Company Profile)
November 30, 1998... What's going on: Timothy Peloza was jetting from Seattle to Buffalo recently and, thousands of miles above the earth, passengers seated around him were intrigued to learn that his work entails outfitting those who go to great depths to explore...

Conventional wisdom says it's nice to know Mel Florczak.(Special Report: Business Meetings & Travel)(Melvin Florczak, facilities manager for the Buffalo Convention Center)
November 30, 1998... Melvin Florczak has made a career out of being nice to people, sometimes thousands of them simultaneously. As facilities manager for the Buffalo Convention Center for the past 16 years, Florczak gets paid to be nice but it's a trait he...