Business First of Buffalo articles from September 2000

Business First of Buffalo archives from September 2000

Bills cash in on higher ticket costs.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... With the Buffalo Bills on their bye week, here are some accrued business notes on the gains and losses that really matter most in the National Football League. * Team Marketing Report of Chicago is out with its annual "Fan Cost Index,"...

Proposed ice rink gets boost from Hasek.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... With a $1 million donation offer from Buffalo Sabres goalie Dominik Hasek, the Variety Club of Buffalo is eyeing the possibility of helping to finance a downtown ice rink. The complex would be built on apiece of property owned by National...

Small businesses may be in line for less costly health insurance.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Small businesses in the Buffalo region that want to offer health insurance to employees could have an option that costs less than a similar state initiative set to roll out Jan. 1, 2001. Both plans will have a scaled-back benefits package...

WNY banks await impact of Chase merger.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Chase Manhattan Corp. and J.P. Morgan & Co. Inc. have agreed to merge in a blockbuster $33 billion marriage that would solidify Chase's position as the nation's third-largest banking company. The merged firm would be named J.P. Morgan...

5th Coast.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Thumbs up ... to the UB football team for a moral victory against UConn. But the real test is still to come. The Bulls, with the second-longest losing streak in the nation (18 games), plays leader Ball State (20 losses in a row) Oct. 21....

Playing with our minds.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Double-yah has been criticized lately for a plan to subliminally tell voters that Al Gore is a rat. In the immortal words of Bugs Bunny, usually after he has snookered a big-hatted hunter or duck into believing that it's duck season,...

Acme Electric extends acquisition deadline.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Acme Electric Corp., which agreed co be acquired four months ago, has had second thoughts about that decision. The East Aurora company has asked its adviser, Ernst & Young, to provide an updated opinion on the fairness to shareholders of...

Tech First publication makes debut this week.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Business First this week introduces the Tech.First publication, developed collaboratively with InfoTech Niagara to keep our readers abreast of news and trends at technology firms in the Western New York region. The publication, which...

Works in Progress' deadline is Oct. 6.
September 25, 2000... Do you have a new office building or shopping center on the drawing board? If your company is expanding, building or renovating, we want to know about it for our Oct. 30 "Works in Progress" section, set for the next "Structures" special...

Clarifications & amplifications.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... A Sept. 11 article about the Niagara Falls School District's new high school omitted the fact that Ronco Communications and Electronics Inc. was the exclusive design/build contractor for all communications for the new school and districtwide...

Hospitals continue to combine services.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Batavia's United Memorial Medical Center has contracted for imaging services for both its facilities, with radiologists connected with Northtowns Imaging of Amherst. The four-member Genesee Radiology Associates P.C. replaces two...

Dairy industry bottles up market.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
September 25, 2000... Upstate Farms Cooperative Inc. has expanded its product line with a healthier alternative to your traditional glass of milk. Milk For Life, a low-fat blend of calcium and protein rich white and chocolate milks, is in stores. One serving...

Engineer finds fulfillment on the road.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Jack Brandes drives around all day listening to a chorus of blips and beeps and voices that say things like "These days, a chicken leg is a rare dish" and "It's hard to hit from a round block of marble." These phrases might sound...

Bank industry survey boosts WNY market.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... The Buffalo-area real estate market is one of nine large- and mid-size markets that improved in the first half of this year, a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. survey finds. Specific data was not available but an upturn in area residential...

Fiddler expands services in computer consulting.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Fiddler and Company, Certified Public Accountants, has expanded its computer consulting services in response to client request for e-business solutions. As part of the expansion, Fiddler and Company now markets the Great Plains Dynamics...

Staffing at flashpoint of Kaleida negotiations.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Dissatisfied with contract negotiations, nurses and other workers at six hospitals in Erie and Niagara counties have taken or are threatening job action against their employers. Nearly 7,000 union workers employed by Kaleida Health began...

Harder directs promotion of Rt. 219 corridor.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... A Buffalo executive will lead development efforts for an international trade and travel corridor from Toronto, Ont., to Miami, Fla. Natalie Harder was named executive director of Continental 1, an organization of business, community and...

NU, Canisius make bid to join ECAC hockey.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... They have become archrivals on the ice but Canisius College and Niagara University officials are teaming up to strengthen their hockey programs. Canisius Athletic Director Tim Dillon and Niagara Athletic Director Mike Hermann will meet...

Canisius aims for 'commumty outreach'.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... As part of the effort to boost its overall sports programs, Canisius College has developed new ticketing options directed toward-families and youth. The choices include a "Family Pass" that costs $99 and will allow a family of four to...

Sabres ticket sales plan no slight to Canadians.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... The Buffalo Sabres are not trying to keep fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs from infiltrating HSBC Arena for the two meetings between the division rivals in the 2000-01 season. "We just want to take care of season ticket holders and our...

Indoor soccer team inks new radio deal.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... The Buffalo Blizzard of the National Professional Soccer League will have its games broadcast this season on WWKB Radio KB is a 50,000-watt signal at 1520 on the AM dial and is owned by Entercom Communications. Blizzard General Manager...

Nat'l Lacrosse League appoints commissioner.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... The National Lacrosse League has found a successor to Buffalo resident John Livsey as commissioner. Jim Jennings has been named to replace Livsey, who stepped down after three years to take ownership of an expansion franchise in Columbus,...

Demand for tickets bodes well for BPO.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra has struck a chord, not only with classical music fans, but with Western New Yorkers in general. With the classical season, the orchestra's bread-and-butter, set to get under way this weekend, the BPO's...

Stasiak named to lead auto dealers group.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Paul Stasiak, district manager in the Pittsburgh regional office for Ford Motor Co., has-been named to succeed Richard Welte as president of the Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association. Welte, 66, is stepping down Oct. 1 after...

Agreement reduces assessment at Huntley.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Officials representing Erie County, Town of Tonawanda, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and NRG Energy announced an agreement that will reduce the assessment of the Huntley Generating Station on River Road. NRG recently...

Dot-corn founders ready to appraise future of firms.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Mark Yellen has been busy in recent months, meeting with venture capital firms in an effort to raise enough money to take his company national and international. "We're looking to raise a significant round of venture capital, in the $30...

IDA rejects aid plan for Williamsville hotel.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... A decision by the Amherst Industrial Development Agency to veto an incentive package for a proposed Williamsville hotel may find the agency back in court against a familiar foe. Developer Carl Paladino, whose request for a $3.4 million...

M&T Bank shareholders OK Keystone acquisition.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... M&T Bank Corp. shareholders have approved the Buffalo-based bank's proposed acquisition of Keystone Financial Inc. and a related 10-for-1 split of M&T's common stock. Under the merger agreement, shareholders of Harrisburg, Pa.-based...

New name, same game for computer companies.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... They say change is the only constant among technology companies. That's proven to be true among Western New York computer technology executives, several of whom have seen their businesses close, change names or be reborn under new...

New top Realtor selling association on job.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... By all accounts, A. Bruce Wilson had big shoes to fill. Very big. Wilson in January became the executive vice president of the Greater Buffalo Association of Realtors, replacing Dan Symoniak, who had been with GBAR for 22 years, including...

Doughnut franchise gaining fame in WNY.
September 25, 2000... Patrick Cosentino III couldn't believe what happened to him last week. Cosentino, director of operations for Dynamic Enterprises Inc. and its subsidiary Dynamic Doughnuts Inc., was on the site of the region's first Krispy Kreme Doughnut...

Bill doesn't ease employers' fears.
September 25, 2000... A leading employee benefits association says a revised managed care reform bill gaining steam on Capitol Hill does not protect employers from being sued over health insurance coverage decisions. Rep. Charles Norwood, R-Ga., and Rep. John...

IDA incentives boost growing Amherst firm.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Fast growing Account Solutions Group, an Amherst company whose employment has shot up more than 250 Percent in-the past year, received a-major boost in its latest expansion plan. The Amherst Industrial Development Agency, at its Sept. 15...

IDA approves inducements for six companies.
September 25, 2000... The Erie County Industrial Development Association approved six inducement packages at its Sept. 20 board meeting. The deals included: * A $4.39 million inducement package for FedEx Ground Package System Inc., an arm of FedEx, to build a...

New commish gets a kick out of indoor soccer.
September 25, 2000... This autumn there will be one less team and fewer games, yet renewed potency surrounds the National Professional Soccer League and, by extension, the Buffalo Blizzard. That is because the meandering indoor circuit is now under the...

Utilities may become targets for takeovers.
September 25, 2000... National Grid Group's acquisition of Nilagara Mohawk may signify future ownership of New York's utility infrastructure by foreign or out-of-state Proprietors; experts warn. John Wilson, president of Power-GasSmart.com, an Internet site...

Library adds databases for student research.
September 25, 2000... New databases for students have been added to the electronic resources collection of the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. Infotrac Junior, designed for middle and high school students, and Infotrac Kid's Edition, for students in...

Curtain rising soon on Shea's 2nd stage.
September 25, 2000... Shea's Performing Arts Center's longtime dream of running a second stage is about to become a reality. Thanks to a $500,000 grant from the George G. and Elizabeth G. Smith Foundation, Shea's has been able to buy and begin renovations to...

Park School gets grant from family of '54 grad.
September 25, 2000... The Park School of Buffalo has received a gift of $250,000 for music programming and scholarships. The gift will be used to endow the Elster-Goldstein Family Music Fund which will fund operating expenses of the school's music department...

Robert-James Sales opens branch in N. Carolina.
September 25, 2000... Robert-James Sales, a distributor of corrosion resistant piping products, has opened a branch in Raleigh, N.C. The new office is managed by Jim Bierwirth. Sales representatives Gary Halychyn, Cheryl Daughtry and Scott Moulton will be based in...

Expansion is sweet for syrup producer.
September 25, 2000... Sprague's Maple Farms is a few months away from completing a destination-point facility that will house expanded syrup production with, capabilities for public tours, plus a 225-seat restaurant and a retail shop. Randy Sprague, president...

Olean General Hospital awarded certificate.
September 25, 2000... Olean General Hospital has been awarded certification for its cardiac rehabilitation program. The certification by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation recognizes programs found to meet essential...

Univera named winner of BBB Torch Award.
September 25, 2000... Univera Healthcare has been named the Better Business Bureau's 2000 Torch Award winner for marketplace ethics. The award recognizes a business for its commitment to maintaining a culture that consistently sets high standards of behavior...

Produce 'slotting' fees puts squeeze on growers.
September 25, 2000... As a result of supermarket industry consolidation, produce growers say they now must pay the same kinds of fees that dry goods manufacturers have paid for years to get their products on store shelves. In the past, retailers have defended...

Clock running out for sports gambling bill.
September 25, 2000... The odds are against, legislation to ban gambling on college sports, despite the House Judiciary Committee's 19-9 approval of the bill Sept. 13. Supporters say they could win a vote in the full House, hut congressional leaders are not...

Unsuit yourself.
September 25, 2000... A relaxed office atmosphere can be a perk to getting potential employees Looking to purchase a new business wardrobe? You may want to take a rain check on that tailored suit or business skirt. Across the nation, employers are quickly...

CTG exec has capital ideas for firm's employees.(Valerie DeBerry)(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Valerie DeBerry stepped into uncharted territory with her first job after college. Twenty-five years later, as head of CTG Inc.'s new Human Capital Group, she's at it again. But "workplace pioneer" is not a title the Buffalo native...

Insurance industry gears up for its future.(integrated disability management)(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Deepening interest in an integrated approach to workplace insurance has industry experts predicting that it will be the wave of the future among big business and small business alike. Integrated disability management, or IDM, coordinates...

HR pros juggle high costs with pleasing employees.(human resources)(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Take a stroll down to your company's human resources office, and you might well find the staff doing headstands. That's because employee benefits professionals are having to balance the pressures of a tight labor market on one hand, and...

UB classes go online for distance learning.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... The University at Buffalo's Millard Fillmore College, UB's continuing education division, will provide online enrichment and professional courses through Fathom.com, a Web site that provides distance learning on the Internet. The site...

Microsoft donates Windows to group.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Computers for Children Inc. received a donation from Microsoft Corp. that includes copies of its Windows Millennium Edition (Me) operating system for the agency's computer lab. Windows Me is the latest version of the Microsoft operating...

Film company offers scholarships.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Keystone Film Productions Inc., a Buffalo visual communications firm specializing in photography, film and video services, has launched a scholarship program for local college students majoring in graphic arts, design, fine arts, video art,...

Labor crunch drives creative hiring.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... A software solutions provider in Chautauqua County is battling the technical labor crunch with a grow-your-own program aimed at retaining local talent. Just two years into its internship program, Jamestown-based Libera hired Eric Clark,...

e-Bill me.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Electronic billing offers high-tech alternatives The bottled water industry has a recurring problem. When its drivers deliver a load of 5-gallon bottles to a company break room, an anonymous worker on lunch break generally signs the...

WNY firm finds magic in the (business) cards.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Most professionals collect business cards as part of the standard networking routine. But once back at the office, remembering exactly what the person -- or their company -- does can be a challenge, especially if there are more than a...

Robinson has vision for region's IT sector.(Cian Robinson)(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Cian Robinson compares the opportunity to grow Western New York's information technology sector to the job of a conductor. "It's sort of like conducting a symphony," says Robinson, who assumes the post of executive director for InfoTech...

Online lob searches take savvy and patience.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Never has finding out about job openings been so fast or convenient or so frustrating and risky. With the advent of online job banks, anyone with Internet access can learn in a matter of minutes about job openings in just about any...

Finding more space is what Alto does best.(ATTO Technology Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... When officers of Atto Technology sat down to design its new building, there were 80 employees and plans to add more. Eighteen months later, and two months after moving into the 40,000-square-foot facility at Uniland CrossPoint Business...

More schools sign on WNY network.(Buffalo Independent Secondary School Network)(Western New York)(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Students and staff at Niagara Catholic Jr./Sr. High School will have access to an expanded computer network and unique software products through its new affiliation with BISSNET. BISSNET, the Buffalo Independent Secondary School Network,...

Reciprocal Inc. announced a partnership with Pearson Education Canada that will allow the educational publisher to provide digital content online.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Pearson is utilizing the electronic Publishing Clearing Service, a joint offering of Reciprocal and ContentGuard Inc., to sell entire digital books, as well as select chapters. The partnership furthers Buffalo-based Reciprocal's push into...

E-Merge Strategies Inc.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... E-Merge Strategies Inc. has announced a new Japanese direct marketing program designed to allow individual wineries to reach new retail consumers abroad. The first winery to work with the firm will be Glenora Wme Cellars Inc. of Dundee. The...

Broadview Networks.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Broadview Networks, a network-based integrated communications provider to business and residential customers, selected Gisco Systems Inc. to provide advanced multiservice switching systems for an ATM backbone network designed to enhance the...

Phoenix Networks.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Phoenix Networks, a St. Louis-based firm whose service network includes Buffalo, launched a new Web site featuring live online sales, service and technical support functions for the Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) industry. The site also...

AdvanteXCel.com Communications Corp.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... AdvanteXCel.com Communications Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding with Fac-simile E-Commerce Systems Inc. for revenue and distribution of its Surecode Courier application to customers in the United States and Canada. The agreement...

XCel Communications.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... XCel Communications, a subsidiary of AdvanteXCel.com Communications Corp., has introduced a Web site to add stickiness to Web sites at www.gotsticky.com. The site offers Web-based business tools that can make the site a resource and to...

Software Solutions Group Inc.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Software Solutions Group Inc. was recognized by Great Plains Software for outstanding sales achievement and was named to the Great Plains Small and Medium Business Circle of Excellence. The East Amherst firm was recognized for its commitment...

Chek.com.(International Pages)(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Chek.com, an e-communications services provider, has partnered with GNG to provide free Web-based email on its Web site. The company's proprietary e-mail technology and standard mail protocols will give subscribers a range of e-mail services,...

Crowley Webb and Associates.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Crowley Webb and Associates was selected by Shea's Performing Arts Center to handle its Web site development and interactive design business. The Buffalo-based marketing communications agency recently added a full range of high-level...

Syrinex Communications Corp.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Syrinex Communications Corp. has entered into an agreement with F-Secure Corp. of San Jose. Based in Buffalo, Syrinex is a provider of Internet communications solutions for small- and mid-size businesses. Syrinex has implemented F-Secures...

Genesee Community College.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Genesee Community College dedicated its new technology building in honor of former U.S. Congressman and World Bank president Barber Conable Jr. and his wife, Charlotte. The new 43,000-square-foot structure, located on the Batavia Campus,...

LiquidMatrix Corp.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... LiquidMatrix Corp., formerly Cyber Design, has announced a strategic decision to focus exclusively on developing Web-based strategies that assist colleges and universities achieve critical business objectives. The firm designs interactive Web...

BuffaloAtHome.com.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... BuffaloAtHome.com has launched its new interactive online magazine in conjunction with the grand opening of its new downtown offices at 403 Main St. in the Brisbane Building. The firm's 5,000-square-foot office houses 17 employees. The site...

Data company finds answers in the network.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... What's going on: Annese & Associates provides data communications services and network solutions, including design and management of network systems on both the local and globe-spanning level. The company also provides digital network...

In-house tech 'experts' should have limits.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Every company has one or two do-it-yourself computer experts. He has a trick computer at home, might even have built it himself. She's been to a few software seminars and knows a thing or two. Together, they can save your...

TECH PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Fisher Towne & Associates announced three appointments: Beth Jacobs who has worked in the past for Black Cat Computer Wholesale, M&M Business Machines and Ingram Micro, was named senior account executive; James Flannery, who worked previously...

UB pioneer research to examine spin of electrons.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... The University at Buffalo is the lead institution in a $10 million project to develop specific ferromagnetic materials for use in "spintronics," the emerging research field in physics focused on spin-dependent phenomena applied to electronic...

Buffalo company distributes 'cashless' product line.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Linstar, a Buffalo-based technology company, has been named U.S. distributor for Campus Network Solution product line for Infineer, a Publicard Co., based in Ireland. "Safety is an increasing concern in the education market, and there...

IN STYLE FOR SCHOOL.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Dress codes keep students focused on school, educators say When students come to class at St. Mary's High School they are expected to be dressed in appropriate, clean, properly sized clothes. The dress code also has some specifics:...

WORLD AT YOUR FINGER TIPS.
September 25, 2000... Web offers students research opportunities and responsibilities Independent Health recently launched an updated version of our Web site (http://www.independenthealth.com) that is complete with interactive features such as an online health...

761 area students earn over $818,000 in grants.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo granted $818,000 in scholarships to 761 college-bound students from Western New York. The scholarships represent a 125 percent raise in funds given to students from the number in 1999, when...

Tanning Bed awards five scholarships.(Brief Article)
September 25, 2000... Tanning Bed has awarded $250 scholarships to five high school seniors for their creative business ideas. This is the ninth year that Tanning Bed has awarded scholarships and donated $100 to each of their schools. The winners were chosen...

Lew-Port sets pace for NU freshman class.
September 25, 2000... Twenty-three students from Lewiston-Porter's class of 2000 have chosen to attend Niagara University for the fall semester. The group is the largest from one high school graduating class to enter Niagara. "The number of Lew-Port students...

Interclub Council sets skills training program.
September 25, 2000... Interclub Council of Western New York, an association of 20 area women's organizations, is hosting a leadership and organizational skills training program for sophomores and juniors at four, high schools: Bennett, City Honors, Hutchinson...

Area college students win scholarships.
September 25, 2000... The Niagara Frontier Chapter of the Construction Financial Management Association awarded $750 scholarships to Joseph D'Angelis, an engineering student at the University of Buffalo, and Kelly Dante, an accounting student at Niagara University.