Tag: economic development

Nov 13

2017

Zemsky pressed on Buffalo Billion projects

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Howard Zemsky, the state’s economic development czar, told state Assembly members Monday that state officials are pushing IBM to create more high-tech jobs in Buffalo. “The kinds of jobs that we’re going to see at the IBM center are not going to continue to be call center jobs,” Zemsky said. The state pledged $55 million to renovate and equipment the six floors of Key Center’s south tower to lure IBM here on the promise of creating good-paying, high-tech jobs. But, as Investigative Post reported last week, many of the employees at the company’s office downtown work call center jobs for[...]

Posted 7 years ago

Nov 9

2017

IBM another Buffalo Billion letdown

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Bringing IBM to Buffalo was meant to create good-paying jobs and develop a technology hub downtown. Three years ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the state would spend $55 million on equipment and office space for the company to set up a “center for cutting-edge software development.” In exchange, IBM and its partners agreed to create 500 jobs over five years. State officials made the point over and over: these would be good-paying, high-tech jobs. But many of the employees in IBM’s Buffalo office, at least so far, are working in low-skilled, relatively low-paying, call center jobs. Most of them[...]

Posted 7 years ago

Oct 11

2017

Heaney talks 43North on ‘Pressroom

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Jim Heaney tells Susan Arbetter of The Capitol Pressroom that out-of-town entrepreneurs who take state money and then leave after just a year remind him of a Steve Miller song … “Take the Money and Run.”    

Posted 8 years ago

Oct 4

2017

Entrepreneurs take state grants and flee WNY

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Cory Rosenfield knew the deal: in exchange for up to a $1 million state investment in his fledgling company, he would have to move the business to Buffalo for at least a year – and hopefully much longer. So, when he made his pitch to the judges of the 43North competition two years ago, he assured them this wouldn’t be a problem. “We are so excited to be making our new home in Buffalo,” he said. “We are here to stay no matter what.” Just over a year later, the company had gone back to Toronto – despite winning $250,000.[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 18

2017

SolarCity’s expanded escape clause

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk was bullish about Buffalo on a call with investors last month. “We made that commitment to the state of New York,” he said, describing the company’s plan to hire thousands at a huge factory opening in Buffalo that was built at taxpayer expense. “We are going to keep that commitment.” In late 2015, though – before SolarCity was bought by Tesla – the contract that governs the company’s commitment to New York was tweaked to give it more ways out of the deal if its business goes south. Added to the list of reasons SolarCity could[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Jul 13

2017

Heaney talks transit extension on ‘Pressroom

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Jim Heaney discusses two recent stories done by Investigative Post on the proposed extension of Metro Rail and Buffalo’s continuing lead poisoning crisis. Heaney explained to Susan Arbetter of The Capitol Pressroom why he thinks the rail extension is a bad idea and chastises city and county officials for their failure to address lead poisoning with a greater sense of urgency.

Posted 8 years ago

Jul 12

2017

Hurdles ahead for Metro Rail extension

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An extension of Buffalo’s light rail system to Amherst is as close as it’s ever been – which still isn’t very close. The plan gained momentum when Gov. Cuomo threw his support behind it in his State of the State earlier this year, as part of the second phase of the Buffalo Billion initiative. Still, the decision to build an extension has not yet been made, said Thomas George, director of public transit for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority. “We’re not moving along in a process to the construction, we’re moving along in the evaluation process,” he said. “It’s absolutely not[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Jul 5

2017

Heaney talks “corruption coalition” on ‘Pressroom

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Jim Heaney tells Susan Arbetter of The Capitol Pressroom there’s a “corruption coalition” at play in Albany that explains the failure of the state Legislature to reform New York’s troubled economic development programs. Heaney also discusses the challenges faced by  investigative reporting.

Posted 8 years ago
Investigative Post