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Buffalo Business First
These 20 restaurants opened in June in WNY
In the busiest month yet this year for openings, Buffalo Business First reported in the month of June on 20 restaurants, bars and food-related business opening.<\p> The period also included six business closings — including one that had opened earlier that month — and a few businesses with new owners.<\p>
Nuclear waste removal plan in Lewiston: Robots, a giant dome and $500M
Removing all the World War II-era nuclear waste from Lewiston will require the construction — and subsequent decommissioning — of an entire industrial complex.<\p> The project, part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program will cost between $500 million and $600 million, and even after years of planning, it's just getting started.<\p>
$15M plan would bring mixed-use buildings to block ravaged by fire
The Village of Falconer has had two gaping holes on West Main Street since fires in 2017 and 2018 destroyed a significant part of the block.<\p> Now Peak Development Partners, led by father-and-son team Gary and Lee Crewson, is planning a project that would bring two new buildings to 21-37 West Main St. in the Chautauqua County village.<\p>
Small-business grants you can apply for this month
Small-business owners might be more confident about their future, but they are still worried about inflation.<\p> That’s the big takeaway from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Index, conducted in partnership with MetLife, which hit the highest level of optimism since early 2020, with about 73% of business owners expecting their revenue to grow in the next year. <\p>
YMCA cancels plan to build $35M branch in North Buffalo
The YMCA Buffalo Niagara has canceled plans for a new $35 million North Buffalo branch, at least for the foreseeable future.<\p> Instead, the organization plans to break ground next April on a $5 million day camp facility, which will include a pool, outdoor climbing wall and other outdoor amenities for summer camp programming, as well as seasonal sports in the fall and spring with outside partners.<\p>
Region's top auto dealer saw 7% increase in new car sales last year
New vehicle sales grew 7% last year at the region's top auto dealer.<\p> West Herr Automotive Group again ranked No. 1 on the annual Western New York Auto Dealers List, ranked by new car sales in 2023.<\p>
Businesswoman helps steer some of region's biggest companies
Nora Sullivan has had a top-level view of Buffalo’s business world for years. For the last two decades, she’s sat on the boards of numerous local companies and nonprofits while serving as a corporate adviser and wealth-management consultant. <\p> She’s seen Buffalo’s entrepreneurial ecosystem flourish. The city has built up a level of business expertise that it didn’t have a few decades ago, and local business leaders are unusually willing to share their time and expertise, Sullivan said. <\p>
Aerospace company lands $215M Army contract
An East Aurora aerospace company landed a five-year contract with the U.S. Army. <\p> Astronics Corp. (Nasdaq: ATRO) was awarded a $215 million, five-year contract to engineer and manufacture radio test platform sets for the Army, which has a broad range of radio communication devices. <\p>
Midyear malls occupancy update: from 'full' to less than 10% filled
With current retail conditions, the occupancy rates of indoor malls in the area vary greatly — and can be difficult to discover from the outside.<\p> That’s due to both challenging retail conditions and in-progress redevelopment at some shopping centers. This trend is seen far from just Western New York. Malls across the country are struggling, with post-pandemic effects and the rise of online shopping. <\p>
Supreme Court decision marks 'seismic shift' on federal rules
Federal agency rules that target businesses and the workplace have been dealt a blow by the latest Supreme Court decision.<\p> The case, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Secretary of Commerce, was specifically focused on fees in a rule by the National Marine Fisheries Service, but ultimately targeted the four-decade framework for federal agency rulemaking known as Chevron — named after a previous Supreme Court case. <\p>
See who's in charge at M&T as bank adds to leadership team
This week, M&T Bank Corp. announced the departure of longtime executive Darren King due to "personal reasons." The move saw several of the bank's functions assigned to other executives, and the announcement of several new members of the bank's executive leadership team.<\p> Here's a look at who's who in the highest echelons of the region's biggest bank.<\p>
Hamburg company moves forward on 60,000-sq.-ft. expansion
Two years after a Hamburg manufacturer announced a 60,000-square-foot expansion, the project is underway and expected to be completed in 2025. <\p> Staub Industries announced in early 2022 that it would expand its Staub Drive campus in the Village of Hamburg. The plan was for a 20,000-square-foot addition at its sister company, K&H Industries, across the street at 160 Elmview, and for a new 60,000-square-foot building at the end of Staub Drive — 3 Staub Drive — where Staub had purchased seven acres. Staub declined to say how much money it would invest in the project.<\p>
Former Seneca Mall site is for sale
After being largely empty for about 30 years, the Seneca Mall site is for sale. <\p> Pyramid Brokerage Co. recently posted the online listing for the property at 355 Orchard Park Road, West Seneca. The piece of land is largely the former Seneca Mall site. The move comes after decades of complaints and calls to action among West Seneca residents and officials, as well as others throughout Western New York.<\p>
Hotel group files $2M lawsuit against Hotel Niagara developer
A hotel group with holdings on both sides of the border has filed a lawsuit that could further delay the redevelopment of a historic Niagara Falls hotel.<\p> Merani Hotel Group Inc. and its owner Faisal Merani filed a complaint June 26 in New York State Supreme Court in Niagara County against Brine Wells Development LLC, developer Edward Riley and Hotel Niagara Development LLC, an affiliate company of Brine Wells.<\p>
Clarence home sale is Erie’s most expensive this year, by a lot
A Buffalo waterfront home sale has been dethroned as the most expensive local residential real estate transaction of 2024 so far.<\p> While 48 Waterfront Circle sold for $2.5 million earlier this month, Ludvik and Christina Karl have sold 4745 Goodrich Road, Clarence, for $3.9 million to 22 Fresh Ice SMWK Inc., according to June 21 filings with the Erie County clerk’s office. <\p>
University commits to faster degrees to combat enrollment declines
With enrollment down more than a third from 10 years ago, Canisius University has gotten creative.<\p> That has meant finding ways to increase the school's four-year graduation rate and adopting accelerated advanced degree programs to help students reach professional goals faster.<\p>
Microsoft funding supports Tech Buffalo's second fellowship
More funding dollars, best practices and resources are coming to Western New York amid a local nonprofit getting accepted to the second cohort of a Microsoft fellowship.<\p> TechBuffalo, a local nonprofit working to grow an accessible and inclusive tech community, recently was accepted to round 2 of Microsoft’s TechSpark program. The local organization joined the first round of the six-month program last fall. <\p>
Many managers are posting fake jobs. One reason may surprise you.
Employers are turning to fake job listings as a means of boosting staff morale in the current unsettled hiring market, but those ghost postings could have consequences. <\p> That’s according to a recent Resume Builder survey, which found 40% of 649 hiring managers surveyed have posted a fake job listing in the past year. Three in 10 responded they have an active fake-job posting. <\p>
Proposed 256-unit senior housing project includes pickleball, dog park
M.J. Peterson Real Estate wants to build a 256-unit senior apartment complex at 3880 and 3910 East Robinson Road, Amherst.<\p> The developer this week got the town planning board's recommendation to rezone two vacant parcels totaling about 9.4 acres from general business to multifamily residential.<\p>
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