Business First of Buffalo articles from October 1999

Business First of Buffalo archives from October 1999

'Ralph Wilson Theater?'.
October 25, 1999... Seating dimensions may force county to seek variance for Bills' stadium Football, as one cliche goes, is a game of inches and next month a New York Department of State Board of Review will be asked to get to the bottom of a confining...

Trocaire discounts tuition for Canadian students.
October 25, 1999... Trocaire College is giving Canadians another reason to come across the bridge besides shopping and football. The college is accepting Canadian money at par for tuition on all program offerings. At current exchange rates, that's a savings...

Keating hopes to infuse BNE with more intensity.
October 25, 1999... When Brian Keating was unanimously elected chairman of the Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, he stepped into a role that will put him at the forefront of a closely watched economic development effort. The fledgling BNE was created earlier this...

5th Coast.
October 25, 1999... Thumbs up ... to the Kids Voting program for drumming up interest in what used to be called civics. Who knows, if they keep plugging away, maybe the next generation will learn from our mistakes and have better choices on future election...

On the Street.
October 25, 1999... On the Street Buffett edition Subject Word on the street Buy low Berkshire Hathaway shares have lost 19 percent of their value this year, going from a weekly...

Numbers don't lie.
October 25, 1999... Pity those poor UB students: Their football team stinks and they hate the place. Or so says the online version of The Princeton Review. About this time last year the Review said the downstaters huddled around the crummy UB dorms yearning...

Business First staff takes top ACBJ award.
October 25, 1999... Business First received the top award from its parent company, American City Business Journals Inc., for the Aug. 2 "Moving Out" package. The 22-page package focused on why people are leaving Buffalo and based the findings on a survey...

Russell Bond & Co. launches new affiliate.(Brief Article)
October 25, 1999... Russell Bond & Co., a Buffalo broker and general agent for excess and surplus insurance, has formed an affiliate, Access Funding LLC, to provide access to insurance premium and commerical financing products and services. The new...

Chase moves offices in Buffalo, Jamestown.(Brief Article)
October 25, 1999... Chase Manhattan Bank has moved its mortgage origination offices in suburban Buffalo and Jamestown to new locations. The Buffalo office has moved from 5920 Main St., Williamsville, to a larger, 2,453-square-foot site in the new...

More parking on order at airport.(Brief Article)
October 25, 1999... With the former Westinghouse Electric Co. plant now just a pile of rubble, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is turning its attention to redevelopment of the 120-acre property. The last sections of the sprawling plant that...

Service sector grows in WNY labor market.(western New York state)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 25, 1999... The service sector in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls labor market continues to grow, accounting for almost one-third of area non-farm jobs. The market had 166,500 jobs in the service sector in June 1999 out of a total 551,800 jobs, or 30.17...

MDNY steps up marketing efforts to area employers.(health maintenance organization promotes coverage)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 25, 1999... Buffalo's fledgling MDNY health maintenance organization has hired the employee benefits management company Priselac & Associates to spread the word about its health coverage services in Western New York. Under the agreement, P&A agents...

Buffalo musical acts stay in tune with success.(airplay and concert activity of local performers)(Statistical Data Included)
October 25, 1999... Rarely in the region's recent past has the area music scene been as vibrant as it has been during the waning days of the century. Musical acts with direct or indirect ties to Western New York have been dominating the charts and concert...

Innovative search engine boosts Amherst firm.(Kanoodle.com)(Statistical Data Included)
October 25, 1999... If you've ever been frustrated by the millions of nonrelevant listings that come up when you're searching for an item on an Internet search engine, it's time to use your kanoodle. Kanoodle.com, created as a division of Innovative...

Villa Maria College adds jazz curriculum.(Brief Article)
October 25, 1999... Villa Maria College will begin the region's first degree program in jazz, starting September 2000. The private, two-year college received approval from the state Education Department to begin offering the associate's degree program, set...

Plastics is where it's at for trade group head.(profile of Mark Casey of Curbell Inc.)(Statistical Data Included)
October 25, 1999... Mark Casey can attest to the power of plastics. "Sales of plastic (have) grown faster than the GDP every year for the past 20 years," he said. "It is biodegradable and there are still many new advanced polymers coming out to replace...

Smaller Trico Products settles into new plant.(Trico Products Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 25, 1999... Trico Products Corp., which was housed at 817 Washington St. for more than 70 years, officially opened its new windshield wiper manufacturing facility Oct. 19 in Buffalo. The move to the 14-acre site at 50 Theilman Drive in Buffalo near...

Bush Industries considers stock repurchase plan.(Bush Industries Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 25, 1999... Jamestown-based Bush Industries Inc. said it might repurchase up to $6 million of the company's Class A common stock from time to time on the open market under a previously authorized stock buyback plan. Chairman and President Paul Bush...

Region's HMOs rate well in national survey.(western New York, health maintenance organizations)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 25, 1999... Area employees of the nation's largest companies have rated Western New York HMOs well above health plans across the country for patient satisfaction. The area's plans received an average 82 percent satisfaction rate, soaring above the...

Benderson plans Halloween blast.(Benderson Development Company Inc.to implode buildings, build hotel)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 25, 1999... Benderson Development Co. Inc. is planning a Halloween blast. Dust. will fly Oct. 31 when Benderson implodes two Delaware Avenue buildings to make way for a new downtown hotel. "This is the quickest and easiest way to take the...

Delaware North locks up more space in Key Center.
October 25, 1999... Before they even moved into their new offices, Delaware North Cos. Inc. has already expanded its presence in downtown Buffalo. The food service and concession behemoth, which is also one of the region's largest privately held companies,...

Nurses at Suburban sign on with CWA local.
October 25, 1999... Registered nurses at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital have joined their colleagues from other Millard sites and elected to be represented by Nurses United Communications Workers of America 1168. The addition of the 491 nurses gives...

Lockport Savings Bank expanding to Rochester.
October 25, 1999... Lockport Savings Bank is expanding its branch office network to 20 locations and moving into Monroe County with plans to open an office in Irondequoit, a Rochester suburb. The branch, which is the Lockport bank's first in metropolitan...

Shaw Festival accorded top destination award.
October 25, 1999... The American Bus Association has named the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., the Top Canadian Event for the 2000 Top 100 Events in North America. The award recognizes the Shaw Festival's level of quality and cultural and...

Gorski and Giambra target business issues.
October 25, 1999... Gorski vs. Giambra The race for the county executive's seat, one which is a regional political and leadership stronghold, pits incumbent County Executive Dennis Gorski against Buffalo City Comptroller and former Common Councilmember Joel...

Lockport targeting development obstacles.
October 25, 1999... A Lockport business development task force formed by the Eastern Niagara Chamber of Commerce has released proposals that it says will enhance business development in the city. The findings, which were drawn from interviews over a...

Philosophy department receives $1 million gift.
October 25, 1999... A University at Buffalo professor has given the college's department of philosophy two gifts totaling $1 million. Peter Hare, a SUNY distinguished service professor in the department, gave the university a cash gift of $500,000 to...

High-powered Marshall is D-I prototype for UB.
October 25, 1999... Here comes Marshall. In the sometimes used words of University at Buffalo foot ball coach Craig Cirbus, "Whew boy." The Thundering Herd represents everything the Bulls want to be and everything they aren't. Only: three years. into...

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE ATTENDANCE TRACKER.
October 25, 1999... NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE ATTENDANCE TRACKER NFL SEASON-TO-DATE Team Dates Total Average Arizona Cardinals 3 177,008 59,003 Atlanta Falcons 3 172,240...

Jamestown Container expands operations.
October 25, 1999... Jamestown Container Cos, has solidified its future in Western New York with plans for expansion at its Falconer facility. As part of a $941,000 investment, the company will acquire and demolish part of an adjacent facility and will retain...

Mount St. Mary's expanding ER.
October 25, 1999... Mount St. Mary's Hospital in Lewiston is embarking on a $1.9 million renovation and expansion of the emergency department to accommodate an increase in patient visits. The emergency department has had 9 percent more patients in the past...

Colad Group achieves national certification.
October 25, 1999... The Colad Group Inc. successfully achieved national certification from the Women's Business Enterprise National Council as a manufacturer of film-laminated and presentation products. WBENC grants, third-party certification for businesses...

NHL fans pay top dollar as ticket prices take off.
October 25, 1999... NHL tix prices take top. The Buffalo Sabres acknowledge the cost of tickets for the 1999-2000 hockey season is up nearly 5 percent, yet those figures are not part of a survey that indicates the National Hockey League is once more the highest...

Another golf project on tap in Southern Ontario.
October 25, 1999... Another golf project on tap in Southern Ontario. Along with a $20 million (Canadian), 45-hole golf project in Niagara Falls, Ont., by the Niagara. Parks Commission, comes another planned course that designers predict will be the most...

Horak is top local pro golfer.
October 25, 1999... Horak is top local pro golfer. The Western New York section of the Professional Golfers' Association of America handed out its annual awards Oct. 18 and once again Lonnie Nielsen, head pro at Crag Bum Golf Club In East Aurora was honored, but...

Brierwood entry wins national Oldsmobile Scramble event.
October 25, 1999... Brierwood entry wins national Oldsmobile Scramble event. No need for five-member team from Brierwood Country Club in Hamburg to plan a celebratory trip to Disney World -- it was already on location after the group captured the 1999 Women's...

WNY's largest employers.
October 25, 1999... WNY's largest employers David Fink Ranked by number of full-time employees in Western New York. Full-time ...

Final expansion planned for Amherst office park.
October 25, 1999... Centerpointe Corporate Park is about to undergo its last expansion. Ciminelli Development Co. officials have filed a request with the Amherst Industrial Development Agency for a $6.07 million inducement package to help finance the...

Kaminsky appointed to small-business panel.
October 25, 1999... A Buffalo businesswoman has been appointed to a national post to provide advice and counsel to small businesses. Loretta Kaminsky, owner of Lou-Retta's Custom Chocolates Inc., was appointed chairman of the advisory board for the Small...

Small businesses press for EPA exemptions.
October 25, 1999... The Feb. 10 mail from the Environmental Protection Agency was no valentine; instead, the letter asked JK Creative Partners pay $42,000 help clean up the landfill in Quincy, Ill. The EPA didn't accuse the commercial printer of illegally...

Redesign of CVS store satisfies Olean officials.
October 25, 1999... Construction delays will likely end soon for a prototype CVS drug store that's been redesigned to help improve downtown Olean's appearance. A building redesign to soften its look, which will now feature several false storefronts the...

RMI Group acquires PR agency.
October 25, 1999... The RMI Group Inc. has acquired Campbell & Associates Public Relations in a move designed to make the Amherst firm a full-service advertising agency. The 4-year-old RMI has built its reputation by focusing on food industry and nonprofit...

Telecom firms, airlines lagging in Y2K work.
October 25, 1999... Telecommunications companies like MCI WorldGom may be on the cutting edge of technology, but they're lagging behind in dealing with the Year 2000 computer glitch. That's the verdict of Weiss Ratings Inc., which bases its Y2K readiness...

Digital divide keeps paper records alive.
October 25, 1999... Digital signatures may soon have the same legal authority as handwritten ones, but paper documents aren't museum pieces yet. The House Judiciary Committee approved a bill Oct. 13 that calls for a national standard for electronic...

Bill provides legal ammo against 'cybersquatters'.
October 25, 1999... The House Judiciary Committee unanimously approved legislation that would make it easier for owners of trademarks to take legal action against "cybersquatters" who steal their names for Web sites. There currently is no law against people...

Electronic filing system starts for biotech patents.
October 25, 1999... The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is a step closer to full-service e-commerce: It inaugurated its electronic filing system for biotechnology patents Sept. 29 with the filing of a gene sequence listing for a pending application. The...

Protective Closures expands facility.
October 25, 1999... Protective Closures Co., a division of Mark IV Industries Inc., has officially opened its new newest -- and largest -- expansion. The Buffalo-based producer of product protection devices added 220,000 square feet to its Elmwood Avenue...

EPA pushes regulations to reduce lake pollution.
October 25, 1999... Federal officials are attempting to reduce pollution of the Great Lakes by significantly reducing discharges of the most toxic chemicals. The proposal by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner would phase out the...

Non-traditional students aren't so traditional on all college campuses.
October 25, 1999... Thanks to changing college student demographics and the economics involved in obtaining a degree, area colleges and universities have been forced to develop new ways of providing quality education outside the traditional classroom and...

College students look to sharpen soft skills.
October 25, 1999... Just last summer, 21-year-old college student Gogi Gupta sat every day on the 43rd floor of a famous Manhattan skyscraper, 55 Water St. The Cornell University senior had an expansive office with a huge window. (OK, so it was really a cubicle....

Educator seeks help for 'forgotten students'.
October 25, 1999... Every year, hundreds of thousands of students walk across a stage to receive their high school diploma. Some of them go on to college or the military. Some find jobs. But there's a good chunk who spend months or even years sort of in limbo,...

`Snapshot' shows UB passes enrollment goals.
October 25, 1999... For the first time in four years, the University at Buffalo has exceeded its enrollment targets for full-time students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and has increased its number of graduate students by more than 15 percent...

Program aims to help students help each other.
October 25, 1999... Reconnecting Youth, an expanded program first offered in Western New York by the Erie County Council for the Prevention of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Inc. (ECCPASA), will be part of the curriculum at the Native American Magnet School, Seneca...

Medaille's ACCEL excels at helping its students.
October 25, 1999... Education officials predict that by 2001, 42 percent of higher education students will be 24 or older. For them, Medaille College's ACCEL program leads to an associate's degree in business, a bachelor's in business administration and an...

Farm Credit scholarship winners are announced.
October 25, 1999... Farm Credit of Western New York, announced winners of its three $1,000 scholarships. Joseph Barbi of Lyons, is pursuing a degree in biological sciences from Cornell University. Amy Lynn Becker of Oakfield attends Cornell University,...

MENU OF SUCCESS.(Expectations and education of high school students.)
October 25, 1999... Trocaire College program benefits high school students Jason Ciamaga dreams of someday owning his own restaurant in New York City or New Orleans. But though he's still in high school, Ciamaga knows it will take a lot more than...

CREATE PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS.
October 25, 1999... Focus on how to accomplish your goals Ask five people what their definition of success is and you will most likely get five different answers. According to motivational speaker Stephen Covey, success can be achieved by following the...

UB INVESTIGATES HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN ENHANCE LEARNING.
October 25, 1999... Study will also look at how to lower costs The University at Buffalo has begun a two-year project to design a course in information technology that is expected to enhance the quality of teaching and increase learning while reducing...

Students can go the distance to get a degree.
October 25, 1999... Geographical distance has in the past been a formidable barrier for many would-be students, preventing them from following their academic aspirations or forcing them to move miles away from their homes. But Internet and videoconferencing...

Companies investing in educating workers.
October 25, 1999... There's some serious investing going on in Western New York with returns that don't have anything to do with the stock market. Area companies are investing in their employees through educational assistance programs. For many, it's paying off...

More adults trading briefcase in for chalk.
October 25, 1999... Heidi Hoffman was lying in bed one morning thinking of ways to motivate herself to go to work. Then she realized she was in the wrong field. "What got me up in the morning was thinking about teaching and explaining things to people,"...

Tanning Bed announces its scholarship winners.
October 25, 1999... Tanning Bed awarded scholarships to five high school seniors for their creative business ideas. The locally owned company will issue over $2,000 in awards this year. This is the eighth year Tanning Bed has awarded these scholarships, and...

Training on the Web helps tailor learning.
October 25, 1999... As more and more companies realize the benefits that Web-based training offers their employees as well as their bottom lines, the training method is booming. Companies spent $100 million on Internet-based training last year, and that...

Anti-smoking project earns Corfu teen scholarship.
October 25, 1999... Michelle Davis of Pembroke High School in Corfu has won a $1,000 academic scholarship for her work on a project that encourages people to avoid tobacco use. The project, "Live Big," was part of the Key Club Ambassadors for Smoke-Free...

New breed of coaches want to stand by you.
October 25, 1999... Are you perpetually 15 minutes late? Are you hitting your head on the glass ceiling? Are you pondering a career switch? Do you feel like a Ping-Pong ball bouncing back and forth between work, family, community and social...

Project aims to help girls gain high-tech advantages.
October 25, 1999... The University at Buffalo has teamed up with Squeaky Wheel/Buffalo Media Resources to offer an extracurricular arts-and-technology outreach program for disadvantaged girls in grades five to seven to help overcome the technological gender gap....

Online training saves time and travel costs.
October 25, 1999... Anyone who has watched a late movie on television has heard a pitch from a correspondence school offering a list of 20 or more courses, all promising a path to an "exciting new career." Education at a distance has been a popular way for...

Staffing companies boost wages of temp workers.
October 25, 1999... More than one-half of staffing companies say that hourly wages for temporary employees have increased more than 5 percent in the past six months, according to a national survey by the American Staffing Association. The majority of companies...

Experts warn talking techie can lose a sale.
October 25, 1999... With technology changing at the speed of light, high-tech companies are trying new venues to keep their sales staff ahead of the competition. But teaching a technical expert to speak a, salesman's language poses challenges for high-tech...

Teachers called upon to focus on life skills.
October 25, 1999... Lynn Goldman attended an organizational meeting for a continuing education program at AutoNation last fall when the national training manager asked the group what skills they wanted in employees. Hands went up and people expressed such...

UB engineering school honors first woman grad.
October 25, 1999... The University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is honoring its first woman graduate, Dorothy Price (`49), with its first Vital Partners award for individual achievement. Price attributes her pioneering foray into...

Buffalo State College student wins scholarship.
October 25, 1999... The Ford Dealers of Western New York and Northern Pennsylvania have awarded Stephanie Zajgert, a Buffalo State College student from Stafford, the first Buffalo ADI Ford Dealers Cooperative Scholarship. Zajgert, an interior design student,...

Cheektowaga honors business.
October 25, 1999... Gordon Jackson, owner of the Trio Co. of Cheektowaga Ltd., has been selected to receive the Sam Walton Business Leader Award, sponsored by the Wal-Mart Foundation. He was chosen as the award recipient by the Cheektowaga Chamber of...

Perfect rhythm.
October 25, 1999... Buff State prof and crew sing a different tune away from school SMALL BUSINESS PROFILE What's up: Guitarist and vocalist Phil Santa Maria won't be quitting his day job any time soon, but not because of lack of talent. On the...

Customized printing caters to client needs.
October 25, 1999... In spite of the Internet hoopla, people still like the printed page, whether it's their favorite magazine or a slick, glossy brochure. An interesting fact about printing is that it really hasn't changed much in the past 25 years with the...

Passion, it's relationship to network marketing sales.
October 25, 1999... So, you want to get involved in network marketing. and live the American dream. Great! If you want to get involved, that means you want to succeed, right? I mean you're willing to give whatever it takes to get to the top, become...

Canisius names rectory in honor of 1942 grad.
October 25, 1999... Canisius College renamed the former St. Vincent, de Paul Church Rectory in honor of the college's special counsel to the president who is a 1942 graduate. The building, a new residence hall for Canisius honor students, will now be known...

Veto kills bill creating loan program.
October 25, 1999... High tech Bill A471. Sponsor: Destito Gov. Pataki vetoed a bill to create a high technology loan program to help start-up high-technology companies commercialize the developments of research institutions. The program would have...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
October 25, 1999... Bill Womelsdorf will sell Strippit/LVD machinery in Alabama, Georgia and parts of Florida as a sales engineer/machinery for Strippit Inc. The Akron-based metalforming equipment manufacturer also promoted Paul Schlegel, who joined Strippit in...

BUSINESS FIRST ECONOMIC INDEX.
October 25, 1999... BUSINESS FIRST ECONOMIC INDEX Quarter Index 2nd 1999 1,242 1st 1999 1,264 4th 1998 1,210 3rd 1998 1,226 2nd 1998 1,281 The Business First Economic Index tracks the level of business activity in Erie and...

LOCAL ECONOMIC INDICATORS.
October 25, 1999... LOCAL ECONOMIC INDICATORS Indicator Period Total 1-year trend Business bankruptcy filings (per week) Sept. 8.5 +18.1% Construction contracts ...

BUFFALO-NIAGARA FALLS METRO EMPLOYMENT.
October 25, 1999... BUFFALO-NIAGARA FALLS METRO EMPLOYMENT Current 1 year ago 2 years ago 5 years ago Sector Aug.99 Aug. 98 98-99 Aug. 97 97-99 Aug.94 All nonfarm jobs 544,100 ...

MORTGAGE RATES.
October 25, 1999... MORTGAGE RATES Fixed Adjustable Lender (phone) 30 yr. 15 yr. 1 yr. 3 yr. Alliance Mortgage Banking (684-5020) * * ...

LOCAL STOCKS AND LARGE EMPLOYERS.
October 25, 1999... LOCAL STOCKS AND LARGE EMPLOYERS Company Oct. 19 Acme Electric 5.94 Alpha Bytes 7.50 American Precision 9.00 Aria Wireless Systems 0.25 Astronics ...