The Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY) articles from November 2001

The Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY) archives from November 2001

Washington Mutual to Acquire Bank Servicing Center in Albion, N.Y.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 30--Washington Mutual, one of the nation's fastest growing banks, announced Thursday that it will create 450 new positions at a Dime Bancorp service center it is acquiring in Albion. The bank plans to make...

Delays in Airport De-Icing Systems Strain Radiant Energy's Finances.
November 30, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 30--Four months ago, Radiant Energy Corp. executives were looking forward to having its aircraft de-icing systems operating at airports in Cleveland and Oslo, Norway, in time for winter. Now, with the snow...

Buffalo, N.Y., Economic Development Agency May Get Funds for Business Loans.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 30--A new program funded by banks and the U.S Treasury may give Buffalo's economic development arm an additional $2.4 million for small business loans next year. The additional capital would expand the...

General Motors' Engine Plant Expansion Is on Time, Budget in Tonawanda, N.Y.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Matt Glynn Nov. 30--The contractors and workers building General Motors' engine plant expansion in the Town of Tonawanda know they've had the weather on their side. They also know it won't last forever. "We've been very,...

Truck Contract Drives Expansion at Auto-Parts Maker's Arcade, N.Y., Plant.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Matt Glynn Nov. 29--Prestolite Electric sees a heavier workload coming to its Village of Arcade plant and plans to add 246 jobs over the next two years to handle it. The maker of alternators and starter motors also expects to...

The Buffalo News, N.Y., Business Briefs.
November 29, 2001... Nov. 29--NASDAQ DELISTS OWNER, FRANCHISOR OF BAGEL CHAINS: The stock of New World Restaurant Group, which is the franchisor of Manhattan Bagel, was delisted Tuesday from the Nasdaq Stock Market for rule violations. In the interim, New...

New York Governor Calls for Quicker Crossings for Trucks at U.S.-Canada Border.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Fred O. Williams Nov. 29--Gov. George Pataki on Wednesday called for a renewed push to streamline truck traffic on the U.S.-Canada border, an economic bottleneck for some Western New York businesses. "We believe there are...

Regulators Approve Syracuse, N.Y., Utility Sale to British Firm National Grid.
November 29, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 29--State regulators Wednesday approved the merger between Niagara Mohawk and British power transmission giant National Grid Group Plc., clearing one of the final hurdles facing the $3 billion deal. As...

Tops Markets' Netherlands-Based Parent Posts 17 Percent Rise in Profits.
November 28, 2001... Byline: Lisa Haarlander Nov. 28--The parent company of Tops Markets, Royal Ahold, saw profits rise 17 percent in the third quarter through a combination of acquisitions and expanding its existing business. Net income in the third...

Buffalo, N.Y.-Area Retailers Delighted by Lack of Snow.
November 28, 2001... Byline: Lisa Haarlander Nov. 28--With not a snow flake in sight, area shoppers flocked to malls and stores, much to retailers' delight. While national reports indicate that sales rose 2 percent to 3 percent the weekend after...

Ontario, Canada and New York Officials Discuss Overhaul of Border Policy.
November 27, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 27--An estimated 18,000 Canadians watched the Buffalo Bills drop a heart breaker to the Miami Dolphins in Ralph Wilson Stadium Sunday. Then many of them waited on their way home in a line of cars, buses and...

To Avoid Credit Card Debts, Shop Wisely or Give Homemade Gifts.
November 27, 2001... Byline: Matt Glynn Nov. 27--If you're going to use credit cards, the experts advise keeping your purchases to one or two cards. Myvesta.org suggests using one card for purchases you'll pay off in full every month, and a second,...

Clarence, N.Y., Advertising Agency Grows through Quality Work.
November 26, 2001... Byline: Lisa Haarlander Nov. 26--The phone rang a few times before Dave Napierala tore himself away from his laptop. The call was from a consultant asking if Gelia Wells & Mohr, one of Buffalo's largest advertising agencies, would be...

Manhattan Bagel Decides to Keep Twin Towers in Its Logo.
November 26, 2001... Byline: Lisa Haarlander Nov. 26--Logos can be a key to a company's identity and are often synonymous with the business. The Nike swoosh. Target's red and white bull's eye. McDonald's golden arches. But what does a company do when...

Erie County, N.Y., Reflects on Tax Deals Given to Fledgling Businesses.
November 26, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 26--Reciprocal, a company with technology for exchanging digital files on the Internet, avoided $857,250 of sales tax on $12.7 million of computer equipment purchases because of incentives granted by the Erie...

Buffalo, N.Y., Area Succeeds in Diversifying Economy.
November 26, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 26--What happens when you put an industrial hub like Buffalo through 30 years of painful restructuring? You end up with a region that, while still dependent on factory jobs, is beginning to have an economy...

Rochester, N.Y.-Based Biotech Firm Helps Develop New Type of Pacemaker.
November 24, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 24--Clarence inventor Wilson Greatbatch is hoping he's come up with the next big breakthrough for the pacemaker he developed more than 40 years ago. Greatbatch, working as a scientific adviser for...

York, Pa.-Based Bon-Ton Reports Loss in Third Quarter, but Beats Projections.
November 23, 2001... Byline: Lisa Haarlander Nov. 23--The Bon-Ton, which operates 10 department stores in Western New York, reported a net loss of $500,000, or 3 cents per share, for the three months ending Nov. 3. That compares with a net profit of $1...

HSBC Teams With Yahoo! on E-Mailing of Money.
November 23, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 23--HSBC Bank USA has launched its Internet-based payment system with Yahoo!, making the bank's Buffalo-based information technology group a competitor in the race to develop a market for the new funds transfer...

Good News on Heart Device Boosts Stock of Clarence, N.Y., Company.
November 23, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 23--Wilson Greatbatch Technologies stock shot up by 10 percent Wednesday after a study found implantable defibrillators cut deaths by 30 percent in heart-attack survivors, which potentially could boost sales...

Web Site Lists Buffalo, N.Y., Area's Minority Businesses.
November 23, 2001... Byline: Lisa Haarlander Nov. 23--When the International Association of Professional Black Firefighters considered holding its annual convention in Buffalo, representatives wanted to spend as much money as possible with minority-owned...

Die-Hard Shoppers Seeking Deals Line Up Before Dawn in Buffalo, N.Y., Area.
November 23, 2001... Byline: Lisa Haarlander Nov. 23--The early birds got something better than worms this morning, the first official day of the holiday shopping season. At KB Toys, die-hard shoppers snatched Aero aluminium scooters that normally sell...

Survey Shows Office Vacancy Rates Declining In Buffalo, N.Y., Region.
November 21, 2001... Byline: Lisa Haarlander Nov. 21--A recent survey of office space in the Buffalo Niagara region contained some positive news: not only are vacancy rates falling in the heart of Buffalo, but they are also decreasing in many suburban areas...

Survey Of Stores, Including Three in Buffalo, N.Y., Finds 71 Unsafe Toys.
November 21, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 21--The New York Public Interest Research Group thinks Walk-n-Wag Baby Pluto is a bad puppy. The Fisher-Price toy was one of 71 toys cited by the public interest group Tuesday as a potential safety hazard....

Expert Economist Advises Buffalo, N.Y., Residents to Be Courageous.
November 20, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 20--Economist David Kelly is preaching courage. "This economic rebound has been postponed," said Kelly, the senior vice president and economic adviser for the Putnam Investments mutual fund company. "The...

Federalizing of Screeners Means Doubt for Buffalo, N.Y., Airport Workers.
November 19, 2001... Byline: Sharon Linstedt Nov. 19--More than 100 airport security workers at Buffalo Niagara International Airport are wondering about their fate now that Congress has approved a compromise bill that will federalize screeners and tighten...

Buffalo, N.Y., Company Makes Memorial of World Trade Center.
November 19, 2001... Byline: Fred O. Williams Nov. 19--The new memorial in the shape of the World Trade Center is made of more than 4,400 metal squares. They rise on wires 20 feet to the ceiling of the State Museum in Albany, but they look as if they're...

Buffalo, N.Y.-Area Companies Apply for Federal Disaster Loans Due to Attacks.
November 19, 2001... Byline: Matt Glynn Nov. 19--Creative Plastics in Buffalo lost a key customer in Manhattan on Sept. 11. When the Twin Towers fell, the nearby Century 21 department store suffered heavy damage. None of the employees were hurt, but the...

Employers, Health Plans Complain about Rise in Health Care Costs.
November 19, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 19--Peter O'Keefe has a case of health insurance sticker shock. O'Keefe, president of O'Keefe Shaw & Co., has seen the cost of providing health insurance for each of the Amherst investment company's...

Buffalo, N.Y., MBA Students Survive Year after Winning Business Start-up Award.
November 19, 2001... Byline: Matt Glynn Nov. 19--They've rented modest office space in East Aurora, lined up clients and lost track of how many hours they're spending at their jobs each week. It's exactly what the founders of Student Voice signed up for....

One in Five Employees Will Encounter Workplace Bullying, Study Finds.
November 19, 2001... Byline: Sharon Linstedt Nov. 19--Most bosses have said or done something during their tenure that their employees might consider rude or demeaning -- a sharp remark during a meeting or criticism about a project that got a little too...

Drug Maker Bristol-Myers Squibb Cuts 20 Workers at Buffalo, N.Y., Plant.
November 17, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 17--Bristol-Myers Squibb laid off 20 employees at its Forest Avenue plant this week as part of a restructuring to eliminate 1,000 jobs within the pharmaceutical company. The plant, which makes skin creams...

Stores in Buffalo, N.Y.-Area Are Doing Better Than Rest of the Nation.
November 16, 2001... Byline: Lisa Haarlander Nov. 16--Holiday shopping has taken on a new importance this year. Government leaders, automakers and retailers are imploring Americans to keep spending to ward off predictions that this could be the worst...

Labor Department says Buffalo, N.Y., Region Loses 2,900 Jobs Over Last Year.
November 16, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 16--The prolonged slump in manufacturing, coupled with a slow start to the holiday hiring surge by local stores, contributed to the Buffalo Niagara region to lose 2,900 jobs over the last year, the state Labor...

Downtown Buffalo, N.Y., Entertainment Strip Gets Three New Tenants.
November 16, 2001... Byline: Lisa Haarlander Nov. 16--When the Hampton Inn & Suites first opened at the corner of Delaware Avenue and Chippewa Street this summer, it drew new business to the entertainment strip. But its own ground floor windows remained...

Western New York Employers Struggle to Trim Health Costs.
November 16, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 16--Peter O'Keefe has a case of health insurance sticker shock. O'Keefe, president of O'Keefe Shaw & Co., has seen the cost of providing health insurance for each of the Amherst investment company's...

Erie County, N.Y., Development Agency to Aid Construction of Building Projects.
November 15, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 15--The Erie County Industrial Development Agency approved a new policy Wednesday moving into the developer-friendly practice of providing tax incentives for speculative building projects. The new policy is...

HSBC USA Notes Cash Profits of $225 Million for Quarter.
November 15, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 15--HSBC USA set aside $575 million in the third quarter to settle lawsuits it acquired when it bought Republic New York Corp. in 1999. The extraordinary charge, far exceeding the $481 million the company...

New York's University of Buffalo to Offer Master's Degrees in Bioinformatics.
November 15, 2001... Byline: Fred O. Williams Nov. 15--The University at Buffalo has won a $225,000 grant to create new degree programs in emerging fields including "bioinformatics," the use of high-powered computers to make sense of the human genetic code....

Ohio-Based Viking Industries May Expand Western New York Auto-Parts Plants.
November 14, 2001... Byline: Matt Glynn Nov. 14--The new owner of Avon Automotive North America plants in Lockport and Albion is considering an expansion that could add 200 jobs over three years. Viking Industries, based in Solon, Ohio, acquired the two...

Two Buffalo, N.Y., Technology Firms Work with Global Internet Software.
November 14, 2001... Byline: Fred O. Williams Nov. 14--Two technology firms in Buffalo are combining to profit from the increasingly global makeup of the Internet. Algonquin Studios has agreed to acquire E-merge Strategies, a provider of translation...

Heavy-Equipment Manufacturers Hope for Rebound in Sales Figures.
November 14, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 14--Rob Rogers sat in the driver's seat of a $200,000 Vermeer directional boring machine at the International Agri-Center in Hamburg Tuesday and tried to predict why orders for the rig will soon rebound. ...

Tonawanda, N.Y.-Based Noco Energy Branches into Environmentally Friendly Fuels.
November 13, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 13--The third generation of the Newman family has taken over Noco Energy Corp., determined to position the regional petroleum distribution company for the future by branching into environmentally friendly fuels...

Buffalo, N.Y.-Area Ford Program Makes Family Job One.
November 12, 2001... Byline: Matt Glynn Nov. 12--Health classes, after-school tutoring and trips for seniors might not seem to have any connection to automaking. But Ford Motor Co. and the United Auto Workers will offer those types of activities locally...

Bakery Caters to Coffee Craze at Buffalo, N.Y., Store.
November 11, 2001... Byline: Lisa Haarlander Nov. 11--A favorite local bakery is going beyond offering bread and butter to customers by adding coffee cafes to some stores. Montana Mills recently installed a small seating area and micro-roasted coffee to...

The Buffalo News, N.Y., Buffalo's Business Column.
November 11, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 11--The drive to push down interest rates has broken out into a two-front war. At one end of the battlefield, we have the Federal Reserve, which last week launched yet another widely publicized attack...

Coudersport, Pa.-Based Adelphia Communications to Spin Off Business Phone Unit.
November 11, 2001... Byline: Fred O. Williams Nov. 11--Adelphia Communications took some bitter medicine on Friday for the sake of its financial health. The Coudersport, Pa.-based cable company said it will split from its money-losing telephone...

GM Plants Keep Just-in-time Inventory despite September Disruptions.
November 11, 2001... Byline: Matt Glynn Nov. 11--When traffic was snarled at the U.S.-Canada border in the aftermath of Sept. 11, General Motors' trucks took the long way -- around Lake Erie -- between Detroit and the Buffalo area. GM is back to using...

Economics Forcing `Blue Blood' Law Firms in Buffalo, N.Y., to Fold.
November 11, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 11--It was the steel companies, the locally owned department stores and the old savings banks that got killed first. Now some of Buffalo's prestigious "blue blood" law firms are following them into the...

Amherst, N.Y., Materials Handling Equipment Maker May Close 10 More Plants.
November 9, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 9--Columbus McKinnon Corp. could close up to 10 more facilities as the Amherst materials handling equipment maker tries to cut costs as it deals with declining sales and two straight quarters of losses. ...

Syracuse, N.Y.-Based Utility Faces Criticism over Rate Plan.
November 9, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 9--David Tosetto believes Elderwood Associates can save money and use less electricity by generating its own power at its senior citizens homes. Tosetto, an Elderwood vice president, thinks companies...

Seniors Group Accuses Citigroup Office in New York of Credit-Insurance Abuse.
November 8, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 8--The AARP, pushing for tougher consumer lending laws in New York, claims a CitiFinancial office in Tonawanda is a prime example of the need to curb abuses. A former assistant manager at the Sheridan Drive...

Buffalo, N.Y.-Based Natural Gas Company Sees Pipelines Boosting U.S. Security.
November 8, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 8--Building more natural gas pipelines would be an effective way to protect the nation's fuel supplies from being disrupted for a long time by a terrorist attack, the president of National Fuel Gas Co. said...

Profits Up at Elma, N.Y.-Based Aerospace Manufacturer Moog.
November 8, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 8--Stronger earnings from its space products and aircraft equipment businesses helped Moog Inc. increase profits by 15 percent during the fourth quarter, the Elma aerospace products manufacturer said...

Buffalo, N.Y.-Based Aerospace Firm Astronics Declares 1-for-4 Stock Dividend.
November 7, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 7--Astronics Corp. will give its shareholders one additional share of the Buffalo aerospace and printing company's stock for every four that they now own in a move to put more shares into circulation and make...

Grape Company Welch Foods to Close Westfield, N.Y., Office.
November 7, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 7--Welch Foods will close its Westfield office, laying off 93 workers and further severing Chautauqua County's ties to the worldwide grape label that once was headquartered there. The office will be...

Workers with Odd Hours Sing Babysitter Blues in Western New York.
November 6, 2001... Byline: Sharon Linstedt Nov. 6--Finding quality child care is something most working parents struggle with at some point in their careers, but it can be an insurmountable hurdle for those whose work days don't fall within the traditional...

Rivalry among Western New York Grocers Keeps Service High, Prices Low.
November 6, 2001... Byline: Lisa Haarlander Nov. 6--The competition among grocery stores in Western New York is fierce, and it can be great for consumers. From clean, well-stocked shelves to courteous store employees, the fight for consumers' money fuels...

Technology Skeptic Clifford Stoll Says Internet Harms Learning, Social Skills.
November 6, 2001... Byline: Fred O. Williams Nov. 6--Clifford Stoll leaps off the stage and bounds into the sparsely filled auditorium, his wild gray hair flying. "When was it not the Information Age?" he demands of his audience at the University at...

Buffalo, N.Y.-Area Development Efforts Focus on Retention.
November 5, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 5--Local economic development leaders are beginning to pursue a plan that a football coach might call building around defense. Buffalo and Erie County are focusing an increasing amount of time and resources...

Buffalo, N.Y., Advertising Agency to Relocate to Downtown Tower.
November 2, 2001... Byline: Sharon Linstedt Nov. 2--Eric Mower & Associates, one of the area's largest advertising agencies, will relocate to the Key Center in downtown Buffalo by late February. EMA, which employs more than 50 staffers at 360 Delaware...

Business Activity Continues to Slow in Buffalo, N.Y., Region.
November 2, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 2--Local purchasing managers noted a continued weakening at the Buffalo Niagara region's factories last month, but nowhere near the plunge found by a similar nationwide survey Thursday that indicated that U.S....

Buffalo, N.Y.-Area Home Heating Costs Drift Lower.
November 2, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 2--The outlook keeps getting better for home heating costs this winter. National Fuel Gas Co. is charging 10 percent less for its natural gas this month than it did during October, pushing its rates to...

AFL-CIO Uses Regional Approach to Win New York Campaigns.
November 2, 2001... Byline: Matt Glynn Nov. 2--The AFL-CIO believes its new regional approach will make better use of its vast New York state membership in organizing campaigns and political activities. The Western New York Area Labor Federation is one...

Self-Help Author Tells Buffalo, N.Y., Audience to Build Lives around Passions.
November 2, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 2--There are hundreds of self-help books in print, but Stedman Graham's program makes the road to success quite personal. Graham encourages people to look within and build their careers, businesses and lives...

Florida Psychic Network May Be Fined for Breaking New York Telemarketing Rules.
November 2, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 2--State regulators have a reading of their own for Miss Cleo; their vision of her future involves paying a hefty fine. The New York State Consumer Protection Board is accusing the company that employs the...

Lack of Funding Stalls Work at Business Park in Buffalo, N.Y.
November 1, 2001... Byline: Chet Bridger Nov. 1--Buffalo needs $4 million from the state to continue developing a 70-acre business park on the Union Ship Canal site in South Buffalo. Mayor Anthony M. Masiello said Wednesday the city is ready to start...

Wholesale Club in Clarence, N.Y., Offers Gasoline at Lower Prices to Members.
November 1, 2001... Byline: Lisa Haarlander Nov. 1--Although BJ's Wholesale Club in Clarence won't open until the end of this year, shoppers can already get a frugal fill-up on gasoline. On Wednesday, the members-only store at 5183 Transit Road in the...

Federal Agency May Take Over Steel Maker's Pension in Dunkirk, N.Y.
November 1, 2001... Byline: David Robinson Nov. 1--The federal agency that props up sagging pension plans is moving to take control of the underfunded retirement plans at defunct Dunkirk steel maker Empire Specialty Steel Corp. The Pension Benefit...

University of Buffalo, N.Y., to Hold Summit on Society, Technology.
November 1, 2001... Byline: Fred O. Williams Nov. 1--You can sample the view from Steve Mann's eyes at a site on the World Wide Web. Miniature electronics built into his glasses can freeze-frame the scene before him and transmit it to others --...