By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – New business is coming to the region according to the Buffalo Niagara Enterprise. The organization says it has posted a record number of new private sector business investments.
Six years ago, the BNE set an ambitious goal to create 50,000 new jobs in five years. But as the local economy dipped, the BNE pulled back on that goal. Instead, the region's marketing arm stepped up its concentration on making sure Buffalo Niagara was on the radar screens of economic developers across the US.
After chipping away at site selectors objections of cold, snowy weather and high union membership, BNE President Tom Kurcharski says things are finally turning around. He says honesty about area is the best way to deal with challenges.
"When we used to call on a prospect five years ago, we would tell them we were not even one of the top 20 snowiest cities," Kucharski said. "They would say well I don't know if I believe that, but I'm not so sure there is anything going on in your region."
But Thursday, at its annual investors meeting, the BNE said it has gained 36 project wins in its 2004-2005 fiscal year. That created more than 4,700 jobs, and translates into more than $229 million in new private sector investment.
"I believe this is the second year in a row where our average household income, adjusted for inflation, actually exceeded the US average," Kucharski said. "Right now, going forward in the year 2007, we have close to 100 active deals going on, big and small, in different phases of development."
Remarkably, the BNE survived the loss of Erie County funding during the height of the ounty's fiscal crisis. Kucharski says thanks to private investors and renewed state funding, the BNE has managed to sustain its marketing effort.