Local, State & Federal Resources for Businesses

Resources for Businesses

If you’re like us, you are constantly getting barraged with information – emails, social media, texts, and constant news alerts about the COVID-19 pandemic and the resources available to businesses and individuals. We have started this page as a place for you to find accurate, timely information that can help your business today. Many of our colleagues and partners are doing a great job collecting this information – we are going to link to their resources as opposed to recreating the wheel. Please let us know of resources or information that you think should be added.

Upcoming Webinars

  • In our final IC Success Zooms, Kyria features home schooling tips and resources on Tuesday, May 5th, and grants, loans and business resources on Thursday, May 7th. RSVP for these free community conversations today!

Additional Resources

 

last updated 4.27.20

BNMC Update: April 2020

Update on the BNMC Inc.

For nearly 20 years, the BNMC Inc. has been an organization built around the concept that bringing diverse groups of people together drives innovation and builds community. Throughout that time, “together” has meant in person. Moving to a remote workplace may have challenged our work, but it definitely hasn’t stopped our dedication to leveraging opportunities to solve problems, strengthen partnerships, and continuously learn from each other.

 

How are we doing this? We’ve shifted all of our work councils to virtual meetings, ensuring that our partners are still able to “see” each other and benefit from longstanding relationships. We continue to manage and monitor the parking and transportation system across the Campus, and continue to keep the grounds clean and safe for the essential staff, patients, and visitors that are on the Medical Campus each day. Our team is also still advancing planning efforts around infrastructure, healthy food access, building operations and management, and community-building on and around the Campus.

 

We will never get used to seeing the Innovation Center empty, our usually bustling building stilled as our friends and colleagues adhere to social distancing and working from home, but we continue to engage with our tenants and partners. We have moved some of our programming and social gatherings online, and our next series of IC Success begins virtually tomorrow.  We are also offering a small business seminar for our Neighborhood Explorer business this week in partnership with Lumsden & McCormick.

 

We continue to join our peer districts around the globe through the Global Institute for Innovation Districts for regular video calls to stay in touch. It is sobering to hear from our European colleagues, especially those in Switzerland, just 10 minutes from the Italian border, but encouraging to see the research and discovery around COVID-19 also coming from these districts. We discuss how this pandemic makes all of our focus on innovating and strengthening transportation and energy systems, building healthy communities, integrating technology, and encouraging creativity even more necessary, and wonder what it will look like moving forward. Some of the work being done in Buffalo to fight COVID-19 was featured in GIID’s recent blog.

 

We’ve also recently partnered with Mission:Ignite and Say Yes Buffalo to provide home computers for students in the Buffalo Public School district, creating a connection that helps increase access to technology and education for students who did not otherwise have that opportunity. We are looking for individuals and companies to support this effort to ensure even more kids have access to computers at home – for $150 Mission:Ignite can refurbish and certify a computer.

 

We are proud to have helped launch a telemedicine platform for sleep apnea with partner and longtime Innovation Center tenant Dr. Dan Rifkin. We have been working on this together since last year in partnership with Topcoder, UB School of Business MIS students, and Buffalo State’s International Center for Studies in Creativity, but the timeliness and importance given today’s landscape of effective telemedicine makes last week’s launch especially gratifying.

 

We share all of this to say that, like most of you, we continue to do what we can to grow and improve our little corner of the world, while taking care of ourselves, our families, and our community.

 

We will get through this in the same way we have all worked to rebuild Buffalo – together.

 

Stay healthy and safe.

 

Matt and the BNMC Team

BNMC Inc., Mission:Ignite & Say Yes Buffalo Provide Computers for Students

BNMC Inc. Partners with Mission:Ignite & Say Yes Buffalo to Provide Home Computers for Buffalo Public School Students

More Support Needed to Increase Available Computers

BUFFALO (April 6, 2020) – Three Buffalo not-for-profit organizations partnered to provide desktop computers to Buffalo Public School students who would otherwise not have access to this technology at home. More than 65 families will receive computers through an initial donation of $5,000, and the partners are seeking additional donations from individuals and corporations to reach even more families. For the cost of $150, Mission:Ignite will refurbish and certify a computer, and Say Yes will distribute to their families.

The first 20 computers were distributed on April 6th at P.S. 89 Dr. Lydia T. Wright School of Excellence and P.S. 80 Highgate Heights Elementary, with additional computers delivered on April 16th to South Park High School, PR 74 and iPrep Academy.

“When I thought about education shifting to homes when the schools began closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my mind immediately went to the technology gap,” said Sam Marrazzo, BNMC’s Chief Innovation Officer. “I knew that Mission:Ignite could help provide the hardware, so we reached out to Say Yes to see if they could help with the connection to the families. We hope to see other companies and individuals step up as well to help make sure kids have access to technology during these times.”

“We immediately agreed to help when we got Sam’s call,” said Christine Carr, Executive Director for Mission:Ignite. “Providing technology solutions for kids is our core mission. We are able to build computers relatively quickly to meet the tremendous needs of our community.”

“We were thrilled that BNMC and Mission:Ignite wp-contentroached us with this idea,” said David Rust, Executive Director of Say Yes Buffalo. “Our team has been providing basic needs to the 500+ families in Buffalo that we serve, and we know that parents are concerned that their kids will fall behind in school without access to the right technology.”

Say Yes Buffalo Family Support Specialists and BPS Principals will work to determine families with the highest need to distribute the laptops. The first 20 computers were distributed this morning.

For more information about how you can get involved with this initiative, including donate online, visit http://techforkids.716innovations.com or contact Sam Marrazzo at smarrazzo@bnmc-old.local.

Partners

Mission: Ignite, Buffalo’s source for affordable technology and refurbished computers; the BNMC, Inc., an organization focused on furthering economic growth, igniting urban revitalization, and building a strong thriving community; and Say Yes Buffalo, dedicated to strengthening the Western New York economy by investing in the education of Buffalo’s future workforce.

 

 

BNMC Summer Block Party

BNMC Hosts 3rd Annual Summer Block Party

The BNMC Summer Block Party is on Thursday, August 22nd from 4-7 p.m. at Kaminski Park & Gardens at Roswell Park. Employees, neighbors, and friends of the BNMC are invited to join us in celebrating a fun summer night on Campus! This free, family-friendly event is held in partnership with Roswell Park, the University at Buffalo, and Northwest Bank, and features food, live music, community organizations, kids’ activities, and more.

Event Highlights:

  • Clown Around Entertainment will provide carnival games with tents, popcorn machines, face painters, and a prize booth.
  • Live music from the band, A-Team.
  • Plenty of food
  • Community organizations with hands-on activities
  • Fun activities for all ages!

Grand Opening of New Indoor Bike Parking and Bike to Work Celebration this Friday on Medical Campus

BNMC Inc. and partners highlight improvements that support biking and commuting options across the Medical Campus, promoting health, environmental responsibility, and pedestrian-friendly streets.

BUFFALO, NY – The BNMC Inc. will officially open its new secure indoor bike parking at a breakfast gathering on Friday, May 17th at the culmination of National Bike to Work Week as they celebrate those who commute to work by bike and help to build a bike-friendly culture on the Medical Campus.

The BNMC Inc. has more than doubled the indoor bike parking available to employees who work on the Medical Campus with the opening of the new bike parking with lockers in the parking garage at 854 Ellicott, adjacent to Oishei Children’s Hospital, Buffalo General Medical Center, and the Gates Vascular Institute. In addition to lockers for the cyclists use, there is a bike vending machine stocked with bike-related amenities, such as tubes, patch kits, and lights, to aid commuters.

This adds to the secure bike parking in the renovated shipping container and bike fix-it station at the corner of Ellicott & Virginia Street that the BNMC Inc. installed in 2013. GObike Buffalo will manage the indoor parking as part of its longtime partnership with the BNMC.

The Medical Campus already has the densest bicycle parking in the City of Buffalo with 333 spaces (an increase of 100 spaces over last year) and secure bike parking, two Reddy Bikeshare stations with a total of 12 racks with bikes available for short term use, and free parking zone anywhere on the Medical Campus to allow users to park closer to their destination on any public rack or infrastructure without a fee.

WHEN:                                 Friday, May 17th  7:00 AM – 10 AM

Brief remarks begin at 9:00 AM from:

  • Mayor Byron Brown (invited)
  • Matt Enstice, President & CEO, BNMC
  • Allegra Jaros, President, John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital
  • Justin Booth, Executive Director, GObike Buffalo
  • Jennifer White, Communications Director, Reddy Bikeshare

LOCATION:         854 Ellicott Street (corner of Ellicott & Goodrich) on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

WHO:                   BNMC Inc. is hosting the event in partnership with GObike Buffalo and Reddy Bikeshare to celebrate bike commuters and those using active commuting options to get to work.

                                There will be a bike train beginning at City Hall for anyone looking to ride as a group to the event on the Medical Campus.

Collaborating partners in transportation planning will be on hand to share information about transportation options, programs and amenities on the Medical Campus that encourage employees to try biking, walking, transit, and carpooling.  Partners include GObike Buffalo, GO Buffalo Niagara, Reddy Bikeshare, NFTA, and others.

Free breakfast and coffee provided by Ashker’s and lloyd taco truck.  

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BNMC Receives USDA Grant to Enhance Local Food Procurement Efforts in Health Care

BNMC Receives USDA Grant to Enhance Local Food Procurement Efforts in Health Care

Three-Year, $351K Grant Prioritizes Local Agriculture from New York State

Buffalo, NY – October 1, 2018 – The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) has received a $260,325 grant to create a model for health care institutions to integrate technology and cultivate a culture of healthy food practices to increase local food procurement. The grant includes a local match of $91,063 bringing the project total to $351,388. The BNMC is one of 44 organizations around the country, and one of only 4 organizations to receive funding in New York State,  through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) during this grant cycle.

“Increasing access to local foods, especially in a place with such robust agriculture and other locally-sourced food, is good for the health of our people and good for the health of our economy,” said Jonathan McNeice, project director for the grant and director of healthy communities efforts for the BNMC.  “Supporting local food procurement is part of our overall effort to continue to create a culture of health and wellbeing both on the BNMC and throughout our region.”

This grant builds upon the more than $2M in public and private funding that the BNMC and its community partners have secured over the past fifteen years to support healthy eating, healthy worksites, and active living policies and programs in Western New York.

BNMC’s Farm-to-Hospital Initiative began in 2015 with a $25,000 grant from the USDA Local Food Promotion Program to assess feasibility for sourcing local food on the Medical Campus. The process included identifying champions inside each organization, providing learning opportunities, gathering data, engaging suppliers, partnering with experts in the field, and creating a foundational plan for future implementation. This project will now shift to an implementation phase and seek to work with food service providers, hospital staff, and farmers dedicated to this initiative and partner closely with Health Care Without Harm to implement a local model on the BNMC. Health Care without Harm is an international group dedicated to transforming health care worldwide to reduce its environmental footprint and become a leader in sustainability, environmental health, and justice.

“BNMC Fresh: Farm to Hospital Implementation” will create a model that prioritizes local agriculture from New York State, enabling farms to access new markets (hospitals), and can be replicated across the state. The initiative aims to establish enhanced food chain transparency from farmers to distributors to institutions; as well as implement customized crop plans in both hospitals that merge New York State’s top crops with institutional demand.

This collaborative work is expected to create a culture that embraces local farms through prioritizing local procurement; establishes and expands community supported agriculture (CSA) and farmers’ market programs; establishes food chain transparency; increases awareness and knowledge among consumers of local food procurement efforts; and provides knowledge and skill-building opportunities to agribusiness stakeholders (farmers, distributor, food service teams). This project ultimately aims to make local procurement a regular practice and culture among health care institutions.

“Roswell Park has been thrilled to partner with the BNMC on both the planning grant and the upcoming implementation grant,” said Christina Dibble, director of nutrition and food services at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Given the unique needs of cancer patients, we’ve made it a priority to provide seasonal, local foods for our patients, visitors, and employees when available, and we look forward to expanding our local offerings through channels that this grant opens up for us.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $102.7 million to increase opportunities for farmers, ranchers, and other growers across the country through five grant programs. The funding supports a variety of locally-led projects intended to expand markets for local food promotion and specialty crops. Of that total, $13.45 million is directed to 44 projects, including the BNMC’s, to support the development and expansion of local and regional food businesses to increase domestic consumption of, and access to, locally and regionally produced agricultural products, and to develop new market opportunities for farm and ranch operations serving local markets through the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP).

 About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

 The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) is a multi-anchor social enterprise focused on driving innovation in partnership with our community. As the non-profit charged with addressing shared issues among our member institutions, the BNMC plays a significant role in driving positive change that builds a vibrant, innovative environment. We focus on improving infrastructure, managing our transportation system, creating a culture of health and wellbeing, driving innovation, and working with our partners to continue to build an innovative district that reflects the best of our community.

Episode 44: Power Is With The States

Talking Cities Episode 44: Power is with the States

Matt talks with New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul about how humble beginnings with her very socially-conscious family pulled her toward public service at a very young age; her start in politics working with legendary Buffalonian Tim Russert and longtime Senator of New York Daniel Patrick Moynahan; her enthusiasm around Buffalo’s burgeoning tech scene as seen on the BNMC; and her pride in her role to support Governor Cuomo’s laser focus on bringing back upstate New York by turning upside the typical economic development model.

Lt. Gov. Hochul has been an elected official at the town, county, state, and federal levels, providing her with an extraordinarily unique perspective of how government can truly work for the people. She view her ability to find common issues to “cross the aisle” as a hallmark of her success in Washington. She notes the importance of collaboration among women of different parties to enact great positive change.

She is chairing the NYS Women’s Suffrage Commission and speaks passionately about encouraging everyone, especially women, to step up and take risks to do great things.

Listen now!

 

Buffalo Building a Biomedical Powerhouse

Buffalo Building a Biomedical Powerhouse

Buffalo Business First

Observers say there are several reasons why a cluster of ambitious biomedical companies emerged on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

It partly has to do with investments in local facilities such as the University at Buffalo’s Center for Computational Research, the local center for big data projects.

It also is owed to general technological advances, allowing researchers to turn their science into more specific medical testing and more effective cures.

And it has to do with an evolving economy of entrepreneurship in Buffalo, which is finally turning research hotbeds such as UB, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute into engines of economic growth.

“It’s the computing power along with the science and the confluence of all those facilities that are allowing this to occur,” said Kim Grant, a UB business development executive who works with emerging companies.

Those who are paying attention, such as Grant, recognize an obvious trend in biomedical entrepreneurship in Buffalo. There are more companies being founded, gaining funding and building out real businesses rather than just research projects.

One of the breakouts is Athenex, which was established out of UB in 2002 but more recently raised more than $200 million and is leveraging significant government subsidies to build factories in China and Western New York. Company officials are aggressively pursuing an international strategy to design and manufacture cancer therapies.

But it’s not just about one company. Buffalo now hosts dozens of high-tech companies attacking many sides of the medical industry. Companies that are pursuing cancer therapies which direct chemicals directly to tumors won both the UB Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship Competition (POP Biotechnologies) and the 43North competition (Oncolinx).

They join the list of growing personalized cancer companies that includes Roswell spin-offs OmniSeq, Photolitec and MimiVax; and For-Robin, out of UB.

Meanwhile, a Buffalo Billion program directed multimillion-dollar grants to two companies in 2016, Garwood Medical Devices and Circuit Clinical. Both are located downtown.

Garwood raised $3.6 million in venture capital in 2016 while Circuit Clinical raised more than $1 million.

Then there are the companies tackling medical testing, such as Empire Genomics, AccuTheranostics and Disease Diagnostic Group.

And that’s just an unscientific sampling of the young companies sprinkled throughout facilities on the medical campus or based near UB’s Amherst footprint, some of which were founded here and others that were recruited.

So when Grant goes to trade shows in Boston or New York City, she doesn’t hear snow jokes anymore, she gets genuine interest.

Local experts are starting to make bold comparisons about historical precedents for the Buffalo medical ecosystem. Dr. Steven Schwaitzberg, an entrepreneur who was a professor at Harvard University before he was recruited to become surgery chair at UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, recently said Buffalo looks like Boston in the late 1980s just before it became an international biomedical powerhouse.

And Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute CEO Edward Snell said Buffalo is starting to resemble the Stanford area in California, where a long history of top-notch research blossomed dramatically into a worldwide medical and tech hotbed.

“You’re seeing the same thing in Buffalo, a mixture of industry, academia and clinical experts all in the same area,” Snell said. “We’re seeing incremental growth but we’re nowhere near saturation point yet.”

He said the final key is pulling in more private investment. There are a handful of investment groups that actively consider seed funding for medical companies in Buffalo. But these types of companies often require major capital infusions to catalyze their growth.

Snell said he’s optimistic.

“I see a steady increase in venture capital and federal research funding,” he said. “And I think you’re going to see quite a few stories about that in the not-too-distant future.”

A medical campus leader

A medical campus leader

Vic Nole had spent the past decade trying to help medical companies commercialize products and technologies when, in 2014, he was hired to do a similar job on behalf of an entire region.

Nole is director of business development for Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Inc., a process that involves getting personally involved with companies on the medical campus and building broader strategies to support their growth.

BNMC Inc. owns several facilities that house high-tech companies and also exists to serve other major commercialization actors on the campus, including the University at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute.

Nole holds an important job on the campus, where the combined public and private investment of the last 10 years has been more than $1 billion, partly to improve health care in Buffalo but also to help generate a new economy.

How would you describe your job? Part of it is working with small teams to help them build business models to commercialize a product or technology. BNMC Inc. doesn’t have a huge staff or depth of knowledge in that area, so we rely on our network to facilitate introductions and access to resources. Another area is working with our member institutions on the medical campus, helping them map out assets and open doors so we can market a broader capability outside of Buffalo in the hopes of attracting new companies.

What kind of environment are you trying to build for startups? We’re trying to provide workspace, education, access to business resources and then networking opportunities, and to put in place infrastructure and amenities in those four areas. Then any company that is part of the campus community can plug into any of those things. They can come to me and say, “Hey, do you know an expert in regulatory affairs?” Or “Can you help me sell my product in China?” There is still a lot of work to do. Lab facilities are quickly filling up across campus. Our mentor network still needs to grow. We recently launched our i4 Studio (in collaboration with SUNY Buffalo State’s International Center for Studies in Creativity), a creativity lab that’s part of our evolving education program.

The campus is a widely used symbol of Buffalo’s economic resurgence. Is there real momentum here? The reason the campus has been so successful is that everyone is working together. Three years ago, we had 35 to 40 companies on the campus; now there are more than 120, and nearly 50 of them are in life sciences. Ten years ago, most intellectual property generated at the University at Buffalo or Roswell Park Cancer Institute got licensed and went outside of Buffalo. We’re finally at a point where we have enough infrastructure, processes and systems in place, and enough collaboration between our members, that we can design and launch our own life sciences companies. The growth is good but we still need critical mass. When I am out in Boston talking to investors, you need a certain amount of companies to get them on a plane. If you tell them you have 200 companies, it’s going to catch their attention.

What do you think the future of the campus holds? I’m bullish. Some of these companies are going to start to emerge and catch the attention of people outside the area. The image of the campus has grown, which is helping us attract more talent and more money. And as you start to bring in more assets, it just accelerates your programs. So I would think that if we’re sitting here today at 120 companies, we could double that in five years.

Dan Miner covers startups, education, manufacturing and public companies.

BNMC Sees Explosive Growth

In recent years – the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus has become “the place to be” for entrepreneurs and new companies.

In just three years, the number of businesses on the Medical Campus increased 300%.

“Going in to 2013 we had about 40 companies that were located here in the Innovation Center. And at the close of 2016 we’re supporting a little over 120 companies across the Medical Campus,” said Vic Nole, the BNMC’s Director of Business Development.

Nole says, they’re not all involved in healthcare or life sciences either. There’s a diverse mix of companies.

“We’ve got quite a bit of technology, we’ve got a little bit of manufacturing. We have some social impact entrepreneurs,” Nole said.

There’s even some retail and a few artists. Nole says the strategy is to have an open door and bring in anyone who has an interest in starting or growing a business. The state recently designated the BNMC’s Innovation Center as a certified business incubator.

“So in the Innovation Center we’ve really been successful in creating a self-contained little ecosystem. And then our intent is to get them scaling to a point where we can transplant them in to the community and they can continue to grow and create new jobs for Buffalo,” Nole said.

The state recently awarded the BNMC $625,000  to expand its business development program.

City Shapers: Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

By Kelly Dudzik, WGRZ
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Each Monday, we are highlighting someone who is helping to build Buffalo and Western New York in our City Shapers segment.

This week, we are profiling Matt Enstice. Enstice leads a group that is leading Buffalo’s growth and innovation: The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

“You always know you can come back home to Buffalo. You know, that’s what my wife and I saw, and I think that’s what I see with most of the youth that’s out there. They know that they can come back here. What we’re trying to do is to create more of a special place for them to continuously come back to because at Buffalo’s roots, it has all the great pieces in place,” says Enstice.

Enstice is one of the people making sure all of those pieces work together to generate smart growth and innovative ideas as the President and CEO of the non-profit Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. Enstice grew up here, and a career in the entertainment industry took him across the country before he moved back.

“In Los Angeles, I was an intern at Broadway Pictures. And in New York, I worked for Saturday Night Live, and it was really on the production side, so a lot of the production was about, you know, bringing people together and moving a live show forward with a team of people, and that’s what this is here at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus,” says Enstice.

Since 2002, Enstice and his team have led the effort to redevelop the Medical Campus.

“So there are a lot of moving parts,” said 2 On Your Side’s Kelly Dudzik.

“Lots of moving parts here, and that’s a really good thing. Over the years, for a while we weren’t moving, and now what you see here is you look out the windows and look around this campus, there’s a lot of things in motion,” says Enstice.

Part of his mission is to grow the Medical Campus and build on the success that’s already there.

“How does it make you feel to be a part of all of this and to be one of the driving forces with your team to make this hwp-contenten for Buffalo?” asked Dudzik.

“The real exciting thing to myself and to our team is that every day we come to work and we’re trying to figure out by what we’re doing, how is this going to take Buffalo to the next level?”

The Medical Campus is much more than the health care industry. When we visited, the DIG workspace was hosting a Wine Down Wednesday networking event. The Kevin Guest House extension, which will be connected by a walkway to Allen Street, is being transformed into this year’s Decorators’ Show House.

By the end of this year, around 17,000 employees or students will be working on the Medical Campus.

“Is it more competitive now? Do you have more people contacting you saying hey, I want to be a part of this? How has that changed?” asked Dudzik.

“Yeah, I what you’ve seen with our institutions and the various companies that have moved down here have created a buzz. And so you’re seeing a lot of different companies, whether it’s a local company or a company from out of town that wants to be down on this campus,” says Enstice.

Over the next decade, Enstice says more companies will put down roots here and he predicts more academic involvement from local colleges and universities.

“I think the beauty of it is that, together with the community, we’re imagining what could this still really become,” he says.

Enstice also does a weekly podcast called “Talking Cities” where he and his guests talk about creating innovative growth in cities around the world.

If you know someone who is doing something great for Buffalo and Western New York, send Kelly Dudzik email and they might be our next City Shaper.

Meet Our Team: Q & A with Vic Nole

A Conversation with Vic Nole

Vic Nole joined the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) in early 2014 as Director of Business Development, heading up the non-profit organization’s focus on building Buffalo’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Vic is a life sciences industry executive with more than 20 years of operations, business management, and entrepreneurial experience.  Prior to the BNMC, he managed a private consulting firm that focused on helping life science researchers and inventors to bring their products and technologies to market. He also served as President of Invitrogen Corporation’s GIBCO cell culture products division, Vice President of Manufacturing Operations for Strategic Diagnostics, Inc., Vice President of Site Operations for Life Technologies Inc., and as General Manager and Chief Operating Officer for United Biochemicals.

As a former researcher, entrepreneur, and life science business executive, what attracted you to working at the BNMC?

While at Invitrogen, my focus was to develop a business model for our cell biology business that became very successful and during that time I became involved with BUFFLink, a group of local business leaders that was trying to catalyze the life sciences work being done here as an economic driver for the region. It was really ahead of its time, but it afforded me the opportunity to learn about a lot of cool research that was going on at UB and Roswell Park Cancer Institute. At that time, there was no formal mechanism for creating new companies based on local research. Most of the intellectual property generated by research being done here was licensed and then left the area. I saw a lot of opportunity in changing that, especially as the Medical Campus began to grow. Years later, while running my consulting business, I had a number of connections to some of the work being done on Campus in life sciences and my interest grew. The actual connection to BNMC came when I attended a social networking event, Beakers and Beer, and started a conversation about creating and attracting new life science companies to Buffalo with Pat Whalen, BNMC’s COO at the time. Joining the team was a perfect fit for me and my background and it gave me the opportunity to stay in Buffalo and contribute to the region.

How do you see the role of the BNMC in the region’s entrepreneurial community?

The Innovation Center has really become the epicenter of entrepreneurial activity on the Medical Campus and in the region. With a full offering of workspace, business services, mentoring, networking and the assets of the overall Campus, it offers resources for those that are starting with just an idea, to companies that are already in the marketplace and growing.

My role, and that of the BNMC, is to provide support for young companies throughout the design, launch, and growth process, so my work can be all over the board depending on where in the development pipeline a young company needs help. We get involved in everything from helping companies develop their business model, to teaching the commercialization process, to connecting them to the resources and service providers they may need to run their business.

Our role is a little different than most incubators in that we don’t take a fee or an equity stake in companies that we work with. Our mission is to create jobs and to actively participate in Buffalo’s revitalization, so we see creating, building and attracting businesses to the area as the most important things that we do.

How do you typically work with a start up company?

We always start with a conversation. Many times, starts-up will come to us looking for connections to the VC community believing that what they need is money. We take the wp-contentroach of asking a lot of questions to determine what they really need at that specific point in their evolution, and often times it is something very different than what they originally thought. Other times people will ask for help with a business plan, when figuring out what their product or business model actually is can be a more important first step. We like to teach them the commercialization process so they know what they are in for, help them to vet their value proposition for market viability, and then get them connected to the right resources to accelerate their growth.

What changes have you seen since you began working with BNMC nearly three years ago?

One of my biggest concerns when I started was the willingness of those working in the local entrepreneurial space to collaborate. Ten years ago things were very parochial with people working in silos and protecting their turf. Around the time I joined the BNMC, however, there were also a number of others in the life sciences community who were starting in new business development roles and I think we all had the sense that talking to each other, working together and leveraging our connections was going to make everyone more successful. The community is far more collaborative then it has ever been and there is a lot of willingness to guide start-ups to other incubators or resources if they can be better served. You can see these connections on display at various networking events around town. Everyone seems to be working for the greater good – building a better Buffalo!

The other really important change has been that we have some very real successes to point to. There is a big difference between talking about what you want to do and actually demonstrating that success. Five years ago there was no functioning eco-system to speak of. Today, there are nearly 120 companies that have a presence here on the medical campus so there is a lot of talent, skills and other resources that can be leveraged to attract new companies.

What type of company could really benefit by working with the Medical Campus?

It really starts with the assets we have on Campus. Any start-up in the area of life sciences would be well served given the world-class research, clinical resources, and our focus on bioengineering, bioinformatics, genomics and similar fields that can be found here. It is an ideal setting for companies focused on healthcare, therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical devices.  We also have a growing core of technology companies that are supported by other incubator programs here at the Innovation Center like 43North and Z80 Labs.

We don’t limit our work to life science and tech companies, however, as we frequently work with businesses of all types. We especially like to help social innovators and entrepreneurs who live in our adjacent neighborhoods because these groups are working to improve and enrich our surrounding community. And we are proud of our role as connectors and facilitators, shepherding people and companies to those resources in the community that can be most helpful in ensuring their business success.

What’s next – how do you see the next few years in terms of entrepreneurial growth?

I believe we are poised for exponential growth now that we have demonstrated success. It is tough to sell a concept but we now have tangible assets – growing companies, life science expertise, physical space and a networked community dedicated to getting companies on their feet and growing. We also have proximity to Toronto and we are in great position to offer Canadian companies a gateway to the U.S. market.  One of the other really exciting and encouraging developments is that young people want to be here and they tend to be entrepreneurial. Our challenge now is keeping our home grown talent here in town, attracting new talent from outside of Buffalo, and then connecting those young people to exciting new business opportunities.

Campus workforce to hit 15,000 as hospital, med school move

Campus workforce to hit 15,000 as hospital, med school move

By Stephen T. Watson
The Buffalo News

Published Friday, Jan. 27, 2017

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is a focal point for development in Buffalo.

Over the past 12 years, the University at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Kaleida Health and Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute all have finished construction on major research or clinical centers on the campus. In the new buildings, doctors treat patients, scientists seek cures for deadly diseases and entrepreneurs build companies.

When the organization that oversees campus operations formed in 2001, 7,000 people worked at its existing institutions. Once the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital and UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences complete their moves to the campus this fall, 15,000 people are expected to work there.

Work is taking place across the campus, but two projects are at the center of attention.

Workers broke ground on the $270 million John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in fall 2014, and construction was 80 percent complete as of December.

[See the rest of Prospectus 2017: Unveiling the New Buffalo]

The 12-story, 410,000-square-foot facility has 185 beds. It is smaller than the existing Children’s Hospital on Bryant Street but is designed to give patients, their families and staff a better experience.

In November, the Children’s Hospital inpatient and emergency departments will make the highly choreographed shift to 818 Ellicott St.

[Gallery: The John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital]

The University at Buffalo this fall is expected to complete its Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, a $375 million undertaking that began in October 2013. The eight-story, 628,000-square-foot building is the largest construction project in UB’s 170-year history.

The new school will bring 2,000 students, faculty and staff to the Medical Campus from their current home on UB’s South Campus once it is finished. The building is 75 percent complete now.

[Gallery: UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences]

Many other projects will take shape on the Medical Campus in 2017. Notable projects include:

• Construction should begin in March on the $90 million Campus Square project, a redevelopment of the 12-acre Pilgrim Village affordable housing complex into a community with apartments, commercial space and parking.

• The Medical Campus should begin renovations to 980 Ellicott St. this spring and complete them by the end of the year. The complex has a mix of office and laboratory space.
The organization acquired the facility because it is running out of room in its Thomas R. Beecher Jr. Innovation Center, an incubator for startups. The campus spent $3.75 million to buy the buildings at Ellicott and Best streets from Osmose Holdings.

• Ciminelli Real Estate Corp. has selected a design for an 11-story medical and research building to cost up to $140 million. The architectural firm Perkins + Will is designing the new clinical, research and office building at 33 High St., the site of the old Langston Hughes Institute building, which will be torn down. The project is across the street from Ciminelli’s successful Conventus medical research and office building, at Main and High streets, and the new building would be similar in size and scope. The developer said it hopes to begin construction on the project in 2017.

 

Innovation Center on Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus named certified incubator

Innovation Center on Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus named certified incubator

By Stephen T. Watson
The Buffalo News

Published

Empire State Development has named the Thomas R. Beecher Jr. Innovation Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus a state certified incubator, a designation that includes funding of up to $625,000 over five years to support local entrepreneurs.

The Innovation Center at 640 Ellicott St. now joins the state’s network of regional hotspots and certified business incubators. The designation and funding, $125,000 per year over five years, are part of the governor’s Regional Economic Development Councils.

The Innovation Center opened in 2010 and is one of three locations, and additional properties, where the Medical Campus organization serves more than 120 companies and startups.

The Medical Campus will use the Empire State Development funding to expand its business development programming at the Innovation Center, starting with the launch of the i4 Studio, an idea lab that teaches how to wp-contently creative thinking in the entrepreneurial process. Additional money will support the development of product prototypes and helping company founders connect with investors.

Welcome New Children’s Hospital Employees!

Earlier this month, the first round of employees from Children’s Hospital Outpatient Center settled in their new offices on the third floor of the Conventus building at 1001 Main St. located on the northern end of Campus. We’re thrilled to share that both patients and staff had “a remarkable response to the new space and facility,” commenting on how inviting, safe and accessible it is.
The move will occur in several stages throughout 2017, with more clinics moving in April and then a final round of employees coming over in October. The opening of Children’s Hospital and the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will lead to nearly 15,000 people working and learning on the Medical Campus within the next year.

BNMC’s Innovation Center and the International Center for Studies in Creativity Launch Buffalo’s First Idea Lab

BNMC’s Innovation Center and the International Center for Studies in Creativity Launch Buffalo’s First Idea Lab

New i4 Studio on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus to teach the wp-contentlication of creativity to the business planning process

Buffalo, N.Y., January 23, 2017 – The Innovation Center, powered by the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. has announced the launch of i4 Studio, the first Idea Lab located in Western New York, in collaboration with the International Center for Studies in Creativity located at SUNY Buffalo State.

Located at the Innovation Center, i4 Studio will wp-contently creative thinking tools and processes to generate breakthroughs in idea generation, creative problem solving, strategic planning, and business modeling. The methodologies employed are designed to significantly improve personal and professional performance, and will be particularly focused on assisting entrepreneurs and start-up companies in the wp-contentlication of creativity to the business planning process.

Intended as a hub for creative thinking, i4 Studio was created to stimulate imagination, inspiration, ideation and innovation.  The studio will offer workshops and programming designed to spur creative thinking and problem solving that can be employed to address business challenges or to develop new concepts and ideas.

Official launch of i4Studio is scheduled for February 28 with a launch party to be held in the new studio space on the second floor of the Innovation Center at 640 Ellicott Street from 5 pm – 7 pm. Registration for the free event can be found at the events page at www.i4studiobuffalo.com.

Offerings will include private consultation to define and address challenges, comprehensive programs to learn the creative problem solving process for improving personal or professional performance, intensive workshops employing “trained brains” – industry experts and those trained in the creative problem solving process to help facilitate the creative problem solving process, as well as programs designed for entire teams focused on strategic planning and team building.

The concept for i4 Studios was a result of collaboration between Vic Nole, Director of Business Development for the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. and Roger Firestien, a senior faculty member of the International Center for Studies in Creativity (ICSC).  Part of SUNY Buffalo State and the first program to offer the science of creativity at the graduate level, ICSC is globally recognized for its programs that cultivate skills in creative thinking, innovative leadership practices and problem solving skills.

According to Nole, “As any entrepreneur can attest, the need for creative idea generation and problem solving can be critical to getting a start-up off the ground. Understanding that many of the principles of creative thinking can be taught, it seemed like a natural fit to work with ICSC and to bring more creative resources to the heart of Buffalo’s entrepreneurial community at the Innovation Center.  We are thrilled to be able to add another critical tool to our tool kit that can help young companies work through their business challenges and potentially find new and better ways to model their businesses.”

In addition to housing i4 Studio, the BNMC team will provide administrative oversight and business development resources. Both Nole and Firestien will serve as co-directors of i4 Studio.

The Innovation Center, powered by the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc., is the largest business incubator in Buffalo. It is home to dig, 43North, Z80 Labs, and some of the fastest growing, most successful companies and start-ups in the region. Through its Innovation Center, the BNMC provides workspace, education, business services, and networking opportunities to entrepreneurs and young companies in all industry sectors.

Contact: Susan Kirkpatrick
skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local
716-866-8002

Local Chefs Compete to Create Healthy School Lunches for Buffalo Farm to School Initiative

 
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Contact: Susan Kirkpatrick

716-866-8002/SKirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local

 

Local Chefs Compete to Create Healthy School Lunches for Buffalo Farm to School Initiative

Buffalo Bill Thurman Thomas, along with student, chef, farmer and administrator representatives to judge offerings

 

What: The first-ever Buffalo Farm to School Chef Challenge, a competition to develop new menu ideas for the Buffalo Public School’s Harvest of the Month initiative that introduces and encourages healthy food choices for students.

Local chefs from some of Buffalo’s favorite restaurants and a team of Buffalo Public School students will compete to develop recipes for student lunches that conform to USDA standards and that incorporate local, seasonal food. Participating students have trained with Chef Bobby Anderson, Executive Director of F Bites, a program, which uses culinary instruction as a vehicle to develop leadership, professional skills, college and career readiness. Winning recipes will be highlighted on the December school menu in participating Buffalo Public Schools. Preparation, judging and sampling will be included in the event.

Admission is free and open to parents, staff, students of Buffalo Public Schools (BPS) and some limited public tickets for non-BPS community members. Non-BPS families and community should reserve tickets at: http://bit.ly/2d4cbfD.

Special thanks to the American Dairy Association North East for partnering with the Buffalo Farm to School program on this event.

 

When: Tuesday, October 4 at 4 PM.

 

Where: Southside Elementary School at 430 Southside Pkwy, Buffalo, NY 14210.

 

Who: Janet Snyder of Kiss 98.5 will act as Master of Ceremonies and Brian Higgins, U.S. Representative will make short remarks regarding the impact of the Farm to School Program.

 Participating Chefs include:

  • Bobby Anderson of F Bites
  • Clyde Chaplin, Owner of the Wecken Wagen, a German culinary experience; and Baker at The Fire Spot
  • Jim Guarino of Oshun and Shango
  • Ross Warhol of Oliver’s

Recipes will be prepared on site and judged by a panel including:

  • Thurman Thomas, former running back for the Buffalo Bills, advocate for healthy eating and breakfast in the classroom!
  • Chef Steven Binks, entrepreneur and “Buffalo’s celebrity Chef”
  • Caleb Graham, senior at PS #198 International Prep High School, HYPE member, and Buffalo and Erie County Food Policy Council member
  • Dr. Barbara Seals Nevergold, President and At-Large-Member of the Buffalo Board of Education
  • Daniel Oles, farmer from Promised Land CSA and Oles Family Farm
  • Yourlisa Stinson, BPS Food Service Pre-Pack Leader at Early Childhood Center #82

 

About: The Chef Challenge is part of Buffalo Farm to School, a pilot program for 12 Buffalo Public Schools that have introduced locally grown, seasonal produce to school lunch menus. The program highlights seasonal offerings, encourages student trial and asks for feedback. The Buffalo Farm to School program’s goals are to introduce more fresh, locally grown produce in school lunches and to encourage healthy eating habits in students.

Buffalo Farm to School is an initiative of the Buffalo Public Schools Food Services Department, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC), Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County, Grassroots Gardens of WNY and the Massachusetts Avenue Project. For more information go to http://buffalofarmtoschool.org

BNMC’s Innovation Center to Host Startup Grind

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Susan Kirkpatrick

716-866-8002/skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local

 

BNMC’s Innovation Center to Host Startup Grind

BNMC Team Member Sean Heidinger Selected as New Co-Director of Google Entrepreneurial Forum

 

Buffalo, N.Y., September 26, 2016 – The Thomas R. Beecher Jr. Innovation Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus will continue to host Startup Grind Buffalo, Powered by Google for Entrepreneurs, and Sean Heidinger, Manager of the dig co-working space at the Innovation Center will serve as co-director along with David Murphy, Programmer Analyst of Rich Products who continues in the co-director role. Startup Grind is the largest independent startup community, actively educating, inspiring, and connecting 400,000 founders in over 200 cities. The monthly events, featuring speakers in the entrepreneurial community, nurture startup ecosystems in 85 countries.

Zach Schneider, founder of 15 Fingers, a digital branding and marketing firm, and founder/owner of Ru’s Pierogi will be the first of this season’s featured speakers this Thursday, September 29 at 7pm. 

Startup Grind Buffalo has been active in the Buffalo area since 2014, helping to connect entrepreneurs with each other for a monthly conversation about issues and ideas impacting those with new and emerging businesses. The Buffalo Chapter and its events will now have a permanent home within Western New York’s largest start-up incubator at the Innovation Center where BNMC, Inc., 43 North, Z80 Labs and more hthan 80 start up and growing companies are located. Startup Grind Buffalo had previously been led in the Buffalo area by Eben Piazza, before he re-located to San Diego.

Heidinger, who currently manages dig, the co-working and event space at the Innovation Center, will be responsible for event logistics, securing speakers, attracting sponsors and all promotional activity for the monthly meet-ups. Vic Nole, director of Business Development for BNMC, will lead a board of advisors that will oversee Startup Grind Buffalo activities as well as assist with speaker and sponsor attraction.

According to Nole, “As long time supporters of the entrepreneurial community, we are thrilled that Startup Grind Buffalo will be a regular offering at the Innovation Center. There is already tremendous energy, support and mentorship for new and emerging businesses here and we hope to bring new ideas and new people here through the Startup Grind Buffalo events for continued conversation, collaboration and support for young businesses.”

Schneider’s wp-contentearance will kick off Startup Grind Buffalo’s first monthly conversation of the new season in the Innovation Center. Additional local entrepreneurs will be featured and will pair a local craft brewery for each event to highlight a local start up.  Start Up Grind Buffalo events are open to the public and registration is required at  https://www.startupgrind.com/buffalo/

About the Innovation Center

The Innovation Center, powered by the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc., is the largest business incubator in Buffalo.  It is currently serving over 100 companies including some of the fastest growing, most successful small businesses and start-ups in the region. The Innovation Center provides workspace, education, business resources, and networking opportunities to entrepreneurs and young companies.

About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC Inc.)

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC Inc.) is a self-sustaining social enterprise successfully combining innovation, job creation, and urban revitalization. It serves as the umbrella organization of the anchor institutions that make up the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus located within the 120-acre campus bordering Allentown, the Fruit Belt and Downtown. The BNMC Inc. fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, its partners and the community to address critical issues impacting them, including entrepreneurship, energy, access and transportation, workforce and procurement, neighborhoods, and healthy communities, with the goal of increasing economic development and building a strong community. bnmc-old.local.

 

Local Minority, Women and Veteran-Owned Small Business Fair to be Held September 20 on Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                         
September 19, 2016

For more information, contact:

Susan Kirkpatrick, BNMC Inc. skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local

716.866.8002(m)

 

Local Minority, Women and Veteran-Owned Small Business Fair to be Held

September 20 on Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

Event Goal is to Connect Local Vendors with Institution Purchasers

 

What: The Business Enterprise Fair will provide an in-person forum to connect local vendors, particularly minority, women and veteran business owners, with those who make purchasing decisions for organizations based on and around the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. Purchasers include the City of Buffalo, University at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Kaleida Health, and more.

When: Tuesday, September 20, 2016
1 pm – 5 pm

Where: UB’s Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Center on the Medical Campus at 555 Ellicott Street. Free parking will be available at the Gateway Building at 77 Goodell Street and at the parking lot at 589 Ellicott Street across from the Innovation Center.

Who: Local vendors will include those offering business services, catering, printing, solar energy services, health & wellness, medical devices, travel services and architectural & engineering services and more!

Anyone who makes decisions about purchasing products or services for their company or organization is encouraged to attend.

Why: It can be difficult for small local businesses to make connections with the people who make purchasing decisions in larger institutions for everything from catering to janitorial services.  Likewise, larger institutions may not be aware of the availability of local resources that can meet their needs.

Sponsors: The Business Enterprise Fair is hosted by BNMC Works, a collaboration of BNMC institutions including the University at Buffalo, Kaleida Health, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the BNMC, Inc. The mission of BNMC Works is to increase employment of local residents and to increase the purchase of goods and services from local suppliers by organizations located on the Medical Campus.

 

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Local Small Businesses Interested in Providing Goods and Services to Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Institutions Sought for Business Enterprise Fair

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2016                                                           

For more information, contact:

Susan Kirkpatrick, BNMC Inc. skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local

716.566.2339/716.866.8002(m)

Local Small Businesses Interested in Providing Goods and Services to Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Institutions Sought for Business Enterprise Fair  

Event to Connect Local Vendors with Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

 Institution Purchasers with a focus on Minority, Women and Veteran-owned business

Buffalo, N.Y., September 2, 2016 – Local small businesses interested in doing business with institutions and businesses on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus are encouraged to participate in the Business Enterprise Fair to be held on September 20 at UB’s Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Center on the Medical Campus.

The Business Enterprise Fair will provide an in-person forum to connect local vendors, particularly minority, women and veteran business owners, with those who make purchasing decisions for organizations based on and around the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. Purchasers include the City of Buffalo, University at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Kaleida Health, and more.

The event is free to small businesses and will provide an opportunity to highlight products and services and to make personal connections with purchasers from the major Campus institutions. A previous Business Enterprise Fair held in late 2014 resulted in a number of new relationships and business opportunities for local vendors.

Vendors must commit to participating from 1 pm – 5 pm on Tuesday, September 20 and will be provided a table to display information. Free parking will be available at the Gateway Building at 77 Goodell Street and at the parking lot at 589 Ellicott Street across from the Innovation Center.

The Business Enterprise Fair is hosted by BNMC Works, a collaboration of BNMC institutions including the University at Buffalo, Kaleida Health, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the BNMC, Inc, in partnership with the City of Buffalo and the Small Business Association. The mission of BNMC Works is to increase employment of local residents and to increase the purchase of goods and services from local suppliers by organizations located on the Medical Campus.

To learn more and sign up for the Business Enterprise Fair, go to www.bnmcworksvendorfair.eventbrite.com.

 

Buffalo Public Schools Seeks Local Chefs to Participate in Buffalo Farm-to-School Chef Challenge

Buffalo Farm to School Chef Challenge
Press Release/August 10, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Susan Kirkpatrick

skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local 716-866-8002

 

Buffalo Public Schools Seeks Local Chefs to Participate in Buffalo Farm-to-School Chef Challenge

Challenge Issued to Develop New Menu Ideas to Take Advantage of Local, Seasonal Food that Conform to USDA Standards

Buffalo, N.Y., August 10, 2016 – Buffalo Public Schools is seeking local chefs to participate in the Buffalo Farm-to-School Chef Challenge as a means to seek input on recipe development for student lunches that conform to USDA standards and that incorporate local, seasonal food.  Participating chefs will compete against one another as well as against a team of Buffalo Public School students.  Winning recipes will be highlighted on the December school menu in participating Buffalo Public Schools.

The student team, made up of 8-10 students in grades 7-12 will be led by Chef Bobby Anderson, famed Chef recognized for his role in the Season 4 Fox television series Hell’s Kitchen, where he finished 4th place out of 17 contestants under the fiery tutelage of Gordon Ramsay.  Chef Bobby now serves as the Executive Director of F Bites, an organization that uses culinary instruction as a vehicle to develop leadership, professional skills, as well as college and career readiness in youth and adults.

Interested chefs will be challenged to prepare a complete school meal that meets the nutritional requirements as mandated by the USDA Child Nutrition Meal Requirements.  Meal preparation, judging and sampling will take place on October 4 at an event to kick off the 2016-2017 Farm-to-School Program at Southside Elementary School.  The event is intended to engage and educate the school community about local farms and the importance of eating healthy fruits and vegetables.  Interested chefs can learn more and download the wp-contentlication form HERE.  All wp-contentlications must be received no later than August 25.

The Farm-to-School program began last year and is a pilot program for 12 Buffalo Public Schools that have introduced locally grown, seasonal produce to school lunch menus. The Farm-to-School program highlights seasonal offerings, encourages student trial and asks for feedback. The program’s goals are to introduce more fresh, locally grown produce in school lunches and to encourage healthy eating habits in students.

On-site meal preparation and cook time will be held from 2 pm – 4:30 pm and judging and public sampling will take place between 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm at the October 4th event.  The school district will provide all ingredients for the meal preparation.  Meals will be judged on meeting USDA criteria including the use of 2 ounces of protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and how successfully the meal meets the nutritional guidelines of less than 30 grams of fat, less than 10 grams of saturated fat, less than 640 milligrams of sodium and be between 550-650 calories.

Bridget O’Brien Wood, Food Service Director Buffalo Public Schools commented, “The Buffalo Farm to School, Harvest of the Month pilot program has really afforded our students the opportunity to have a voice in their school nutrition program.  These students are trying locally grown foods and learning about New York State agriculture, and they get to tell us what they think about the new menu items. This Chef Challenge is another way to engage our youth in a fun, friendly competition with local area Chefs who can help create wp-contentealing recipes that will be incorporated into the school meal program! We can’t wait to see what they cook up in October!”

Chef Anderson added, “Both the Buffalo Public Schools and our team at F Bites see the importance of engaging kids in the power of their own future. This Chef Challenge allows them to use their creativity and explore new opportunities while having a role in creating healthier schools. By creating menus for their classmates, we hope to further their engagement and their understanding of healthier food choices.”

The winning meal will be chosen based on the highest number of points awarded for meeting nutritional standards, as well as for taste, visual presentation, ease of replication, and other factors.

Partners in the Farm to School Program include the Buffalo Public Schools, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP), Grassroots Gardens, and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc (BNMC).  Pilot schools encompass grades Kindergarten through 12 and include Buffalo Public Schools #27, #32, #33, #43, #54, #64, #94, #195, #198, #81, #93, and #301.

 

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. to Acquire Former Osmose Holdings, Inc. Property at 980 Ellicott Street

 
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Kari Bonaro
202-904-7034/kbonaro@bnmc-old.local

Susan Kirkpatrick
716-866-8002/skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. to Acquire Former Osmose Holdings, Inc. Property at 980 Ellicott Street

Adding Property Addresses Need for Additional Office Space and Parking

 

Buffalo, N.Y., June 29, 2016 – The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) today announced plans to purchase property located at 980 Ellicott Street on the Medical Campus from Osmose Holdings, Inc. The 4.4-acre site is located on the northern end of the Medical Campus and includes the majority of the block bordered by Ellicott, Main, Best and Dodge Streets. It includes office, laboratory and warehouse space, as well as two parking lots with wp-contentroximately 200 spaces. The deal is expected to close late this summer.

Plans for the property have not been finalized although it will likely include renovations to the existing buildings in order to make it available to current companies on the Medical Campus that are in need of additional office and/or laboratory space, and to new companies seeking to locate to the Medical Campus. The current parking lot will provide additional Campus parking. The property is ideally located adjacent to the Summer-Best Metro rail station.

Matt Enstice, President and CEO of the BNMC stated, “The long term vision of the Medical Campus as an economic driver is now becoming a reality as young companies located here are growing and are in need of more space, and others are realizing the value of locating in close proximity to Medical Campus resources.  We are thrilled to add this property to our portfolio to address two of the biggest needs on the Medical Campus today: additional room for companies to grow and support for our overall transportation plan in the form of both additional parking spaces and proximity to transit.”

About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC Inc.)

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC Inc.) is a self-sustaining social enterprise successfully combining innovation, job creation, and urban revitalization. It serves as the umbrella organization of the anchor institutions that make up the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus located within the 120-acre campus bordering Allentown, the Fruit Belt and Downtown. The BNMC Inc. fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, its partners and the community to address critical issues impacting them, including entrepreneurship, energy, access and transportation, workforce and procurement, neighborhoods, and healthy communities, with the goal of increasing economic development and building a strong community. bnmc-old.local.

 

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Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Offers “Walking on Wednesdays”

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MEDIA ADVISORY

CONTACT:  Susan Kirkpatrick

skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local/716-866-8002

 

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Offers “Walking on Wednesdays”

Free guided tours offer lunchtime exercise and an insider’s guide to the growing Medical Campus

 

What: “Walking on Wednesdays” (W.O.W.) is a series of free guided tours of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus in Downtown Buffalo every Wednesday throughout the summer in partnership with The Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo.  A representative from the Wellness Institute will guide the tours each week in conjunction with a guest tour guide from the Medical Campus.

When:  Each Wednesday at 12:10 PM – 12:40 PM. June 1 through August 31, 2016. Rain or Shine!

Where: All Walks begin and end at Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s Kaminski Park, located at Carlton and Elm Streets. A weekly Farmers Market is also offered there between 11 AM – 2 PM on Wednesdays!

Who: The Walks are ideal for employees on the Medical Campus, as well as for visitors and the interested public and will be led by a variety of guest tour guides.  June guides and topics include:

June 1 – Mark McGovern, BNMC’s Senior Project Manager/Construction Update

June 8 – Justin Booth, GObike Buffalo’s Executive Director/Biking infrastructure along Main Street

June 15 – Matt Enstice, BNMC’s President & CEO along with Tom Beecher, Chair Emeritus/Medical Campus history and progress

June 22 – Craig Coyne, Senior Planner at Roswell Park Cancer Institute/RPCI’s new Clinical Sciences Center

June 29 – Ekua Mends-Aidoo & Sarah Warner, Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus/Neighborhood Explorer program overview

Coordinated by the Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo and sponsored by the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.

 

Why:  Add to your “step count”

Get a break from your workplace

Refresh your spirit

Enjoy the fresh air and Buffalo’s beautiful summer weather

Learn more about the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

Learn more:   Visit bnmc-old.local/wow

About: The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC Inc.) is a self-sustaining social enterprise successfully combining innovation, job creation, and urban revitalization. It serves as the umbrella organization of the anchor institutions that make up the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus located within the 120-acre campus bordering Allentown, the Fruit Belt and Downtown. The BNMC Inc. fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, its partners and the community to address critical issues impacting them, including entrepreneurship, energy, access and transportation, workforce and procurement, neighborhoods, and healthy communities, with the goal of increasing economic development and building a strong community. bnmc-old.local.

 

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“Tunes in the Tent” Resumes on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus July 7

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/July 5, 2016                                                       

For more information, contact: Susan Kirkpatrick, skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local

MEDIA ALERT & PHOTO OP

 

“Tunes in the Tent” Resumes on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus July 7

BNMC Presents Free Lunch Time Concert Series Featuring Local Musicians Employed
on the Medical Campus

 

What: The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. will resume  “Tunes in the Tent,” its popular lunchtime concert series, each Thursday at noon in the heart of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.  The 6-week concert series will feature local bands, all of which include at least one Medical Campus employee. The free concert is open to the public and all are encouraged to grab lunch and enjoy these talented employees and other local musicians performing original music and popular favorites every Thursday this summer!

Where: At the corner of Ellicott and Virginia Streets on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, (across from Hauptman Woodward Institute at 700 Ellicott Street)

When: Every Thursday at noon, beginning July 7th and running through August 11th

Who: Medical Campus employees, visitors and any one who lives or works near the Medical Campus is invited to join the fun! All are encouraged to bring lunch or take advantage of local food trucks that will offer lunch options on-site to enjoy with the tunes!

Line Up:        The Larkin Plan/July 7

The Wilde’s/July 14

Rick Jameson/July 21

Ten Cent Howl/July 28

Nelson Rivera & Jazz Conception/August 4

Theresa Quinn Trio/August 11              

Visit Facebook.com/BNMCSummer to stay up to date on all upcoming events!

About the BNMC

The BNMC is a self-sustaining social enterprise successfully combining innovation, job creation, and urban revitalization. It serves as the umbrella organization of the anchor institutions that make up the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus located within the 120-acre campus bordering Allentown, the Fruit Belt and Downtown. The BNMC fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, its partners and the community to address critical issues impacting them, including entrepreneurship, energy, access and transportation, workforce and procurement, neighborhoods, and healthy communities, with the goal of increasing economic development and building a strong community. bnmc-old.local.

 

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