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Buffalo Business First
Elmwood Village condo sells for over $1 million
An Elmwood Village condo recently sold for over $1 million.<\p> Affinity Elmwood Gateway Properties LLC sold a condo at 1111 Elmwood Ave., Unit 404, Buffalo, for $1.29 million to John and Elizabeth Mitchell as co-trustees of the John A. Mitchell Revocable Trust and Elizabeth S. Mitchell Revocable Trust, according to May 23 financial filings with the Erie County clerk’s office.<\p>
The AI boom is coming for these at-risk manager roles
For years, front-line workers have worried about automation taking their jobs. It may end up being middle managers who are most in danger.<\p> Companies are gaining access to new artificial-intelligence tools and capabilities at the same time many are re-assessing their operations in a challenging post-pandemic economic environment. That combination of potential new efficiencies and a desire for cost savings is putting management-level employees in the crosshairs.<\p>
Shake Shack to open first full-service site in the Northtowns
Shake Shack is planning its first full-service location in Western New York.<\p> The franchise has leased space at The Boulevard, the shopping plaza owned by Benderson Development, where it will open a new 3,200-square-foot store in 2025. Hiring has begun through the company's online site.<\p>
The view from inside: Can WNY's real estate scene regain its momentum?
Buffalo’s renaissance needs to be put in context, according to Paul Ciminelli, CEO of Ciminelli Real Estate Corp. What looked to locals like a development boom over the last 15 years is less impressive when compared to other metro areas — though it’s still a lot better than what came before.<\p> “Relative to our other offices, it was just normal growth,” Ciminelli said. “But Buffalo did not even have that in the early parts of my career. ... We were never invited to the party before, and now we are.”<\p>
Clarence manufacturer partners with Indy 500 team
A local manufacturer partnered with an Indy 500 race team as its power tools sponsor, just in time for Sunday’s big race: the 108th Indianapolis 500. <\p> Dynabrade Power Tools Inc., on Sheridan Drive in Clarence, became the power tool sponsor for Juncos Hollinger Racing Team, Indianapolis-based motorsport team owned by Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger. <\p>
Dollars can boost health equity, but broad change is just as important
Various grants will bring millions of dollars into Western New York to allow agencies to further health equity initiatives in their communities. <\p> The money will help, according to Pastor George Nicholas, CEO of the Buffalo Center for Health Equity. But given the area's needs, more needs to be done.<\p>
Optics field is hot and she is helping staff it
Alexis Vogt knows there’s a huge need for optics technicians — from her time spent working in the industry in Rochester to sharing a bench with people in France who whipped out their business cards at the mention of her program.<\p> It's a challenge she’s working on. Vogt, endowed chair and optics professor of the optical systems technology program at Monroe Community College in Rochester, has grown the program over the last nine years from five students to 129 with 100% job placement.<\p>
Buffalo Grand Hotel owner: 'I'm not going to give up and walk away'
Buffalo travelers will have to wait at least a few months more to hear the fate of the city’s largest downtown hotel.<\p> Six months after being fined by Canadian authorities and ordered to repay investors $13 million, developer Harry Stinson is sticking to his plans to reopen the shuttered Buffalo Grand Hotel. <\p>
Regional malls and reinvention: Where WNY's shopping centers stand
A decade ago, the retail industry was still evolving and the future held a lot of question marks. Today, many strategies to successfully redevelop malls are well known.<\p> “There’s basically a clear structure that developers all know: mixed-use and multi-purpose projects are the way to go,” said David Caputo, Moody’s data scientist and retail real estate expert. “Now it’s more about the blueprint is out for what will be successful and what won’t be.”<\p>
Fast-growing local cookie shop chooses Buffalo for its third site
A fast-growing cookie shop is targeting Elmwood Village for its third location.<\p> Half-Baked Cookies expects to open in July after signing a lease to take 1,500 square feet at the Pardee at 451 Elmwood Ave. in Buffalo, where Billionaire Creamery closed its doors last summer. It’s part of the larger Elmwood Crossing campus under development by Ellicott Development and Sinatra & Co.<\p>
See who tops the 2024 Buffalo Public Companies List
M&T Bank remains the largest public company based in Western New York, according to our annual Public Companies List.<\p> Three of the 14 companies on this year's list topped $1 billion in revenue in 2023. M&T reported $9 billion in 2023 total revenue, nearly three times that of the No. 2 on the list — Moog Inc. with $3.32 billion.<\p>
Robotic surgery advances what's possible at Millard Fillmore Suburban
It’s been about 14 years since the region’s largest hospitals began using da Vinci robotic surgical systems for urological and OB-GYN procedures.<\p> Today, these systems are being used in just about every specialty, including thoracic, orthopedics and general surgery, giving even smaller community hospitals the opportunity to offer minimally invasive procedures with quicker recovery times.<\p>
Eastern Niagara Hospital goes up for online auction — again
Lockport's Eastern Niagara Hospital is heading to the auction block for the second time this spring.<\p> The online auction with Tranzon Auction Properties will run from May 30 to June 6, with a minimum starting bid of $500,000. Promotion for the auction began online May 22.<\p>
Safety is No. 1 focus for Linde executive and her 1,000 employees
Cynthia Hoover is vice president of Linde Engineering Americas. She's also the site executive for Linde’s multiple units in Tonawanda and Niagara Falls. There are about 1,000 Linde employees in Tonawanda and Niagara Falls, where a new green hydrogen plant is to be operational by 2025. <\p> A chemistry Ph.D. with 10 patents to her name, Hoover is a 27-year employee with Linde, a global industrial gas and engineering company with 2023 sales of $33 billion.There are countless applications for Linde gases from oxygen in hospitals to specialty gases for electronics manufacturing to hydrogen for clean fuels.<\p>
Real estate commissions shakeup will require more agent scrutiny
The National Association of Realtors and several brokerages have struck big money deals to settle an array of class-action lawsuits around real estate commissions.<\p> It might become harder for homebuyers to figure out how to pick the right agent to work with in the wake of the settlements. That's because the settlements, which now add up to hundreds of millions of dollars, will also bring with them changes in how buying agents are paid, how homes are listed and may require more buyers to pay for an agent directly when buying a home. And if buyers potentially shell out thousands of dollars or more, they will have to do their own due diligence.<\p>
Five tough courses for Buffalo golfers who want a challenge
If you're an avid Buffalo golfer and you want a challenge, where can you head?<\p> You've got plenty of choices across the country, as shown by a recent American City Business Journals List: America's Most Difficult Golf Courses. <\p>
DiPaolos expanding Woodlawn Beach events venue
A modest expansion is expected to have a major impact at the Lodge at Woodlawn Beach, the events center operated by the owners of Ilio DiPaolo's Restaurant in Blasdell.<\p> Construction started this month on an addition of just over 1,000 square feet, which is planned to wrap up by June. Concept Construction is the general contractor.<\p>
What employers need to know about the crushing childcare costs
In the coming weeks, schools around the nation will be out, and many employees will find themselves scrambling for child-care options. <\p> But child-care costs are soaring, thanks to the child-care cliff, a lack of new child-care centers and workforce shortages in the industry, among other factors. <\p>
More layoffs at Buffalo health plan as IT division cuts 98 jobs
Another seven Buffalo employees received layoff notices May 23 as Highmark Inc. continues to shed employees across its footprint.<\p> The jobs here were among 98 cut by the Pittsburgh-based health organization with nearly all coming from its enGen healthtech and IT subsidiary. Nearly half of the job losses were in the Pittsburgh and Erie regions of Pennsylvania.<\p>
Cigar bar will take over Brennan's space on Transit Road
Two years after Brennan’s Bowery Bar closed, a new tenant has signed a lease to take over the space.<\p> The Tinder Box will move to 4401 Transit Road in Clarence at the Shops at Main Transit plaza, from the spot at 8212 Transit where it has operated for 29 years. The new 2,900-square-foot location is double its current operation.<\p>
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