• M&T Bank announced that it is moving 230 jobs downtown from the suburbs.  250 of the employees are moving into a new building on Delaware Avenue.  M&T has 5,200 employees in WNY, including more than 2,800 jobs in downtown Buffalo.

• According to the State Labor Department, a surge in hiring at schools and health care firms helped the Buffalo Niagara region start the year with its strongest monthly job growth in more than two years.

• According to a Report issued by McGraw-Hill, Inc., contracts for future construction in Erie and Niagara counties soared 27% in January, totaling $66.1 million.  Compared to $51.9 million in January 2006.

• UB’s supercomputer already ranked at number #7 on the top 500 list of the world’s fastest machines has been upgraded to 13 trillion calculations per second.  High-end computing is a critical tool for engineering, physics and other fields.  UB’s supercomputer which is utilized by local businesses is among an exclusive group in terms of computing power.

• The 190 acre Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park, once a contaminated brownfield is now home to two companies.  Certain Teed Corp. and Cobey Inc. that employ 350 workers.  The park, through the purchase of additional land is growing by another 60 acres, making available more land to turn into shovel ready development sites.

• Forbes magazine rated Buffalo Number 1 among cities for affordable cost of living.  While we still have a long way to go in terms of jobs, Buffalo did move up 5 places for its jobs ranking.

• Orchard Park has a TV network called Bridges TV that employes 25 people.  Started in 2004, Bridges TV is available on cable and satellite outlets across the U.S. and Canada.

*Thanks to Paul Wolf, Chief of Staff for the Buffalo Common Council for this info!

On Wednesday, March 28, 2007, the public is invited to
learn first-hand about initiatives for improving upstate New York's
economy from one of the state's key economic development leaders. In one
of his first personal appearances in the area, Daniel Gundersen, the new
Upstate Chair of the Empire State Development Corporation, will speak at
the second Buffalo City Forum and buffet luncheon on Wednesday, March 28
at 12:15 pm. After a brief presentation, Gundersen will answer written
questions presented by audience members.

This quarterly speaker series is produced by WNED-AM 970 and Leadership
Buffalo and is sponsored by Independent Health. The hour-long FORUM will
be broadcast live (on WNED-AM and wned.org/AM) from the WNED studios in
downtown Buffalo, beginning at 1 pm. WNED-AM News Director Jim Ranney
will host.

Governor Eliot Spitzer nominated Gundersen to his new Buffalo-based post
in January. As Upstate Co-Chair, he is responsible for implementing
Governor Spitzer's strategies to revitalize the upstate economy that
include improving the business climate, developing strategic industries
and revitalizing diverse communities.

Previously, as Executive Deputy Secretary of Pennsylvania's Department
of Community and Economic Development, Gundersen directed operations
that exceeded $665 million annually. He also led Pennsylvania's
international business development office as well as global
competitiveness strategies. Prior to that, Gundersen was part of the
economic team that helped guide Maryland into the top tier in the nation
for economic growth.

Buffalo City Forum events are $20 ($15 for members of WNED or Leadership
Buffalo). Advanced registration is encouraged; RSVPs must be received by
Monday, March 26.  Tickets can be purchased by contacting Leadership
Buffalo at 716-849-2626, ext. 17 or by writing to
shiller@leadershipbuffalo.org.   Please note: Lunch is served from 12:15
pm to 12:45 pm.  The live BUFFALO CITY FORUM radio broadcast begins at 1
pm, so attendees must be seated by 12:45 pm.

BUFFALO CITY FORUM is made possible by the support of Independent
Health, the lead sponsor, and the vision and support of Hunt Real
Estate, M&T Bank and Phillips Lytle LLP.

If you haven’t checked this out, it’s worth the 2+ minutes on youtube!

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

What does it mean? Find out HERE.

Albright Knox

Originally uploaded by gbrolives.

Last night, I attended the special meeting of the City of Buffalo’s Common Council in regards to the deaccession of antiquities at the Albright Knox. There were several speakers, Louis Grachos and Charles Banta of the gallery and Carl Dennis and William Stanton of the Buffalo Art Keepers. After two hours, I left because there were still a dozen or so speakers remaining.

One of the things I love about this community is the passion it possesses. It’s that passion that drives us. I saw a lot of that passion last night - on both sides.

If you look at it from one angle, preventing the deaccession would mean that the future of the gallery is in jeopardy. On the other hand, are we depriving museum visitors of seeing these works of art? It’s a decision I’m glad I don’t have to make, although I know which side I am clearly in favor of.

Either way, I encourage you to read all you can about the process and reasoning behind it (for discussion points, e-mail me or jgillespie@mercurycapitalpartners.com) and then join the gallery so your voice can be heard.

The Albright Knox is a treasure of the WNY community and it’s up to us to ensure it’s relevance in the future.

Biron Poster

Originally uploaded by valorfaerie.

Our thanks go out to *former* goaltender Marty Biron who was traded to Philadelphia today. Marty has been the ultimate team guy. He’s been the kind of teammate that you hope for in that situation. He’s rarely complained about being a back up and never rustled feathers as he could have.

Bflo Blog had this crazy open thread today…and you can see comments from me on there. (Actually, as it turns out, an old high school friend was on there and we will catch up soon.)

You have to wish Marty nothing but the very best. Hopefully, it’s the opportunity he’s been waiting for. And I may even find myself rooting for Philly…just a little!

So unless you live in a cave somewhere, you are well aware of the hit and subsequent fight involving the Sabres and the Senators last Thursday at HSBC Arena. (For a recap of the events, check out Bflo Blog. They always have the best take on sports.) It was one of the craziest and best games of hockey ever played. Watching Marty Biron fight was…well, it was funny. Marty isn’t a fighter, but when put to the test he went out and supported his team against a player (Ray Emery) with 50 lbs. on him. Anyhow, the league ended up fining Coach Lindy Ruff $10,000 because he admitted to telling his ‘enforcer line’ to “go out and run em” after the Neil hit on Drury.

Buffalo Sabres’ fans’ response? To pay the fine for him. And the statement from the Sabres’ office:

The Buffalo Sabres organization is aware of some fans wanting to donate money to help pay for the fine that was levied on Lindy Ruff by the NHL on Saturday. It certainly is a wonderful gesture by our fans to want to assist Lindy through various fundraisers, but the team will pay the fine. We do not want fans to donate any money to Lindy or the organization as a result of the fine.

The two gentlemen planning fundraisers to raise $ have said that any money raised will be donated to the charity of the Sabres’ choice.

We take care of our own here in Buffalo. If you come after one of us, you come after all of us. Buffalo may have its share of problems, but we are a tight knit city when it comes to getting down and dirty. It’s a mentality that doesn’t exist everywhere. It didn’t even exist in Buffalo on Thursday night with the Senators because nobody came to Ray Emery’s defense after he was attacked by our own Andrew Peters. Now, Emery is their toughest player, but something has to be said for principle. Protecting our own. It’s what we do.

Common Council Chamber

Originally uploaded by buffalo_amy.

What: Common Council Meeting - they passed a resolution opposing the sale of the arts at the Albright Knox Art Gallery. This is a public hearing.

Where: City Hall, 13th Floor (65 Niagara Square)

When: Tuesday, February 27, 6:00 PM

Who: Louis Grachos, Director of the gallery and Charles Banta, President of the Board will present the Gallery’s deaccession plan to the Council in response to the resolution

I was going to post the discussion points, but they were rather lengthy. If you are interested in reading them, please e-mail Joanna: jgillespie@mercurycapitalpartners.com and she will be happy to forward them on.

cityOriginally uploaded by buffalo_amy.

ARTVOICE DOCUMENTARY SERIES and KNUCKLE CITY FILMS

PRESENTS | A FREE SCREENING of The Forgotten City

At: Gallery 164 |164 Allen St. Buffalo, NY 1420| For More Info: 716.883.7539
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24 @ 7PM

From Knuckle Film’s website

The Forgotten City is a soul stirring documentary taking place in Buffalo, New York exploring race relations, segregation, crime, and politics. Through exclusive breathtaking footage and one-on-one interviews with many citizens and some of Buffalo’s most influential leaders, The Forgotten City exposes the bitter truth about Buffalo and all inner cities. It challenges stereotypes, encourages change and shakes up the status quo. Buffalo was once a booming city; one of richest in the United States and is now a place where crime, racism and poverty plague a once great city.

This film is a personal journey of two young filmmakers who forged an unlikely partnership following a 2001 murder; one a friend of the victim and the other a friend of the murderer. Instead of waging war, they embarked on a documentary film project that would take them into the heart of Buffalo’s most dispossessed communities and crime ridden streets. The result of their exploration is a documentary film with a raw, hard-hitting, unblinking first-hand look at the way some of us really live in America. This film brings to light the racial turmoil and economic hardships that have become the lifestyle of so many living in Buffalo’s inner city.

The Forgotten City, however, is not simply a film about the problems that plague Buffalo’s inner city; it can easily be the story of any American city and is a film that everyone should see.

This is an extremely important film about young people in this city…

akOriginally uploaded by buffalo_amy.

There is an interesting article in Artvoice today about the deaccessioning of antiquities by the Albright Knox.

I’ll admit…I know very little about either art, art history or deaccessioning. So, when someone contacted me last week to see if I would help spread the word, I agreed to meet and learn more about the process and what it would mean for the future of the gallery.

After spending time with Charles Banta, President of the board of the Albright Knox (BFAA) yesterday, I have to admit that I found myself asking why people are opposing it? Am I in support of the deaccession? No…I haven’t heard the opposition’s side of it. Do I oppose the deaccession? No. BUT, it seems to me that without the deaccession, the future of the gallery is unclear…and if the majority of the pieces to be auctioned off are kept in storage, who is really missing them?

Tomorrow, I’ll upload a file with the gallery’s discussion points about the deaccession and why it’s necessary to sustain the gallery. After you’ve read the discussion points, I encourage you to find out the opposite point of view - information is always our best ally - and then to consider joining the gallery.

The first auction is scheduled for March 19. If the opposers of the deaccession obtain 300 signatures, they can bring them to the gallery and request a special meeting, even though it is without legal standing. At the special meeting a membership vote would be held (hence the importance of joining if you want your voice to be heard). What’s interesting to note is that the board voted unanimously to deaccess back in November…and after another pole of the members, that remains unchanged.

For more information, check out this article in the News today.
I’m interested to know what you have to say about this…