Business First of Buffalo articles from October 1997

Business First of Buffalo archives from October 1997

Growth spurt propels Orleans County. (Orleans County, New York)
October 13, 1997... Victoria Pratt doesn't rely on statistics to prove that Orleans County is growing. She prefers empirical evidence. "I know what I see when I drive down the road," said Pratt, executive director of the County of Orleans Industrial Development...

Rhetoric grows in battle unions' tactics. (disputes between the Buffalo Building and Construction Trades Council and Kulback's Construction Inc)
October 13, 1997... The battle lines at the Oct. 5 Buffalo Bills football game against the Detroit Lions went beyond Bruce Smith tackling Barry Sanders. The 78,025 people who were there witnessed the efforts by union construction trades to target a local non-union...

Startups travel rough road. (new business enterprises in Western New York)(Startup Businesses in WNY)
October 13, 1997... In the last three months, Karen Hopkins has joined a breakfast networking group, made contacts at area senior centers and arranged speaking engagements. It's all part of the marketing plan she created for Kare Personalized Services for...

Erie Canal landmark ready to pack it in at auction. (Packet Inn auction)
October 13, 1997... The former Packet Inn, an anchor in the North Tonawanda downtown business district, is heading for the auction block. Faxed bids are due Nov. 6 on the three-story historically significant building. The auction is being handled by J. Daniels...

HMOs perform well in national quality care survey. (health maintenance organizations in Western New York)
October 13, 1997... Western New York HMOs provide wellness and preventive care better than health plans statewide and across the country, according to a national survey that measured HMO quality. HealthCarePlan, Community Blue and Independent Health exceeded the...

Consumer board chairman seeks utility deregulation. (New York State Consumer Protection Board Chmn Timothy Carey)
October 13, 1997... Timothy Carey is full of energy. Literally and figuratively. Carey, chairman and executive director of the New York State Consumer Protection Board, is focusing on the rising costs of utilities and their impact on the economy. "I'm...

4-lane highway to Lockport opens Niagara County door. (real estate and urban development in Lockport, New York)
October 13, 1997... Four lanes to Lockport has arrived. Not in a stoplight-free expressway connecting Buffalo with the lock city. But in a widened Millersport Highway, linking Interstate 990 to Transit Road. "I think we've already started to see that...

Niagara County forums study IDA tax exemptions. (Industrial Development Agency)
October 13, 1997... A review of the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency will happen in a series of six public forums during the next three months and officials expect changes to tax exemption schedules, known as payment in lieu of taxes. The sessions...

Tempting safety's fate: consultant crosses borders to teach the OSHA way to work. (Occupational Safety & Environmental Associates Inc consultant Lisa Brownson; Occupational Health and Safety Administration)(Special Report: International Trade)
October 13, 1997... Consultant crosses borders to teach the OSHA way to work When Lisa Brownson went to work for Occupational Safety & Environmental Associates Inc., she wasn't told that riding an elephant and handling a python would be part of the job...

Building relationships is key to doing business abroad.(Special Report: International Trade)
October 13, 1997... Doing business abroad may be fraught with cultural and regulatory pitfalls for the unprepared entrepreneur. Making inroads and closing deals can be much more than signing a contract and delivering a product. It often takes building personal...

Medicaid losses mount for HMOs. (health maintenance organizations to suffer losses as Medicaid recipients are mandated to enroll in managed care plans)
October 27, 1997... Treating Western New York's Medicaid population has become neither profitable nor a break-even proposition for area HMOs and affiliated doctors. The health-care providers worry that their losses will continue as New York state requires all...

Bisons remain attendance kings. (Buffalo Bisons rule attendance in minor league baseball)
October 27, 1997... In minor league baseball, there are two things an operator can't control: the weather and the talent on the field. If one of the two elements falls into place, success usually follows. That may be how the Buffalo Bisons view the 1997 season....

Fast forward for CEO Rice. (profile of Victor Rice, CEO of Varity Corp)(Company Profile)
October 27, 1997... When Victor Rice moved Varity Corp. 100 miles from Toronto to Buffalo in 1991, he became a man on the go. Six years later, he is still going. And going. The peripatetic Rice stepped it up a notch in 1996 when he helped create LucasVarity...

Convention center study indicates bigger is better. (Buffalo Convention Center study)
October 27, 1997... The final draft of the long awaited Buffalo Convention Center study is done and planners have come up with a preliminary conclusion that the city needs a new and larger facility. The draft, which was expected to be privately reviewed Oct. 24...

Funeral homes sell out to national corporations. (corporations acquire family-owned funeral businesses)
October 27, 1997... National consolidation of funeral homes continues on the Niagara Frontier. Industry insiders say large corporations continue to pursue purchase of local family-owned funeral businesses. Some well-established funeral homes have sold and...

Courts could be next stop for Amherst ice rink dispute. (Cannon Design Inc vs. Edgewater Ventures Co LLC and Edgewater Services Co.)
October 27, 1997... The dispute between the developer of a new ice rink complex in Amherst and the project's former architect appears headed for the courts. Cannon Design Inc. has filed a complaint in State Supreme Court in Erie County against Edgewater Ventures...

Producer brings Broadway to Buffalo's Main Street. (Albert Nocciolino influences expansion of Shea's Performing Arts Center)
October 27, 1997... A decade ago, Albert Nocciolino was Albert who? Today, Nocciolino's success producing Broadway shows at Shea's Performing Arts Center is at least indirectly responsible for plans to undertake a $14.5 million expansion. Nocciolino, 45, is one...

Apples remain at the core of Niagara County fruit crop.
October 27, 1997... When crisp winds blow cold off Lake Ontario, it means the end of harvest in Niagara County. Falling leaves are a warning of the season to come, prompting farmers to pick apples more diligently. "We hope to be done on Halloween. That's always...

Accounting firm merger creates local CPA giant. (Ernst and Young L.L.P. to merge with KPMG Peat Marwick L.L.P.)
October 27, 1997... The proposed international merger of Ernst & Young and KPMG Peat Marwick will create the largest accounting firm in the world. The firms last week announced an intent to merge, pending approval from partners and regulators internationally. A...

Citicorp mum on area job cuts.
October 27, 1997... Citicorp will cut 9,000 jobs, or 8 percent of its worldwide work force, but a spokesman said it is too early to say if any of the 600 Buffalo-area jobs will be among them. "We are in 98 countries and are not prepared to be more specific about...

Plumbing supply company expands into 21st century. (Erb Co Inc builds warehouse)(Company Profile)
October 27, 1997... Erb Co. Inc. is working on an expansion that will help bring the more than 100-year-old plumbing supplies company into the next century. A new 20,000-square-foot warehouse is expected to be completed by mid-November, an addition that will...

New owner seeks bigger markets for precast concrete products. (Southside Precast Products sold to PJR Industries Inc)
October 27, 1997... A new owner hopes to expand revenues at a 73-year-old Buffalo precast concrete products company through new products and a larger market. Southside Precast Products was sold to PJR Industries Inc., a corporation owned by Paul Rossi. Terms of...

Brownfield redevelopment joins Amherst IDA, Buffalo.
October 27, 1997... The marketing anti economic development ties linking the City of Buffalo, Town of Amherst and Amherst Industrial Development Agency are growing tighter. At the city's urging, the Amherst Industrial Development Agency has written to Gov. George...

Natural gas pipeline would cross Southern Tier. (Columbia Gas Transmission Corp to install 'Millennium' pipeline)
October 27, 1997... A natural gas pipeline stretching from southern Ontario under Lake Erie would traverse the Southern Tier in a plan by Colombia Gas Transmission Corp. The 36-inch-diameter line, dubbed the "Millennium" pipeline, would run from Port Stanley,...

Red Wing's fame spreads on strength of major awards. (Red Wing Co Inc)(Company Profile)
October 27, 1997... A Fredonia firm known nationally for its production of columnist William F. Buckley's favorite peanut butter has added another fan to its list. The Red Wing Co. Inc. recently was named 1996 Supplier of the Year by Oklahoma-based Fleming...

Keeping up with WNY's rich heritage. (profile of Industrial Research Associates)(Company Profile)
October 27, 1997... Buffalo company records region's industrial history What's going on: The firm specializes in documenting and interpreting historic and contemporary industrial settings and operations. It offers a variety of services related to recording the...

Connecting the South Towns: plans for new roads would alter the way WNYers get around. (plans for South Towns highway connector)
October 27, 1997... Elimination of the Skyway over the Buffalo River, coupled with development of outer waterfront areas and former industrial sites in South Buffalo, could take place in the next century because of an ambitious plan to build a South Towns highway...

Sickly soil bugs bioremediation expert. (Marlette National Corp contracts with Waste Stream Technology Inc)
October 27, 1997... A few years ago, when a pile of dirt appeared in the parking lot at Marlette National Corp., some neighbors no doubt wondered whether the Riverside company was taking up vegetable sales as a sideline. "Here in Riverside, I think they thought we...