U.S. Rep. Tim Kennedy is investing in stronger ties with Canada, and he believes local businesses could benefit. He announced $1.03 million in federal funding for the University at Buffalo's Center of Excellence for Cross-Border Supply Chains on Monday morning.
The money will support a new Center of Excellence focused on cross-border supply chains, helping small- and mid-sized businesses better navigate trade with Canada.
The initiative is expected to strengthen economic growth and make local businesses more competitive on both sides of the border while creating more jobs in the community.
“In practice, this means that our small- and medium-sized businesses here in Western New York, the local manufacturers and machine shops that don't have corporate logistics teams, will have the University at Buffalo in their corner," said Kennedy. "We're going to help them secure their supply chains, keep their supply chains local, keep their businesses, most importantly, creating jobs for our community."
Congressman Kennedy has a vision for Buffalo to be a logistical powerhouse, and this fund will help bring that vision to fruition.
“Between 500 miles of 60% of Canada's entire population, bordered by two Great Lakes and the power of the Niagara River, we are built to supply a manufacturing base and to be a logistical powerhouse driving economic growth on both sides of the border," he said. "The Center of Excellence at the University at Buffalo will help bring that vision to fruition, and I'm incredibly proud to have been able to deliver these funds.”
Dean of the University at Buffalo School of Management, Ananth Iyer, said the funding allows the school to create opportunities for students.
"What this funding allows us to do is create opportunities for the students to engage in topics that could have a material impact on the region," said Iyer. "So what do I mean by that? At the School of Management, we're focused on our strategic plan, which focuses on transformative education, thought leadership, and engaging for impact. This proposal and this center accomplish all of those three things: we do transformative education by informing our students, bringing together all of the data and all of the possibilities to see what is possible."
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz applauded the congressman for securing the funds during what he calls a difficult time to do so.
"It is not easy to secure dollars in Washington, D.C. right now, and I see it all the time with what we deal within county government, because so much of the county's funds actually come from federal resources. So good work to the congressman, and congratulations to the University of Buffalo, my alma mater, for this really important project," said Poloncarz.
Poloncarz added that this is a step in the right direction for a more stable economy on both sides of the border.
"We benefit when our Canadian brothers and sisters are better, and our Canadian brothers and sisters benefit when we are better, and we can all be better by working together to grow our local economies," Poloncarz said. "It will create a better, more stable economy for us here, and it will also show our brothers and sisters in the United States from other parts of the region why we need to have a strong relationship with our Canadian friends, our Canadian neighbors."
The plan for the Center of Excellence is to have faculty-led, student-assisted teams that work directly with firms in the region.
