Text Box: If you want to see what the Empire Zone can do for the Town of Tonawanda and for the region, look no further than the state-of-the-art Great Lakes Orthodontics facility located at 200 Cooper Avenue. The employee-owned company was started in Buffalo in 1967 and has been in the region ever since. Growth forced them to move out of Buffalo in 1985 to a larger facility in the Fire Tower Industrial Park. The company continued to thrive and expand and, as a result, was faced with relocation again. The issue became, whether or not to stay in the Tonawanda area, or to find affordable space elsewhere. Discussions with Uniland Development resulted in a decision to build a new facility and remain in Tonawanda. Text Box: Uniland had reserved the signature parcel in their Interstate Commerce Center for just such an opportunity and when the parcel was included in the Zone, it was a perfect fit for Great Lakes. “This particular parcel of land was ideal for Great Lakes for a variety of reasons,” said John H. DenBeste, Great Lakes’ Vice President of Administration. “This showcase location allowed us to stay local, design and build a facility that meets our present and future growth needs, retain 100% of our employees, and take advantage of significant Zone program benefits. Great Lakes became the first certified Empire Zone Business Enterprise on November 26, 2001. Specifically, Great Lakes will benefit from sales tax exemptions on all materials purchased after March Text Box: 2002. Other Empire Zone benefits Great Lakes is entitled to, include property tax abatement on the new building, enhanced Investment Tax Credits, and Wage Tax Credits on all new hires. It is worth noting that on September 20, 2002 Oden Corporation, a recently certified Empire Zone enterprise, moved into Great Lake’s former building on Fire Tower Drive. Zone certification has helped to make the renovations Oden needed for their Liquid Filling Technology significantly more cost effective. You don’t need to be building a new, state of the art facility to benefit from Empire Zone Certification. Any company making investments of jobs or capital will see tangible results from the program (see benefits summary on page 3). Text Box: Zone Board Institutes Workforce Plan Text Box: The Empire Zone Administrative Board has approved a workforce development plan to be used as a guide for workforce initiatives in Sheridan Parkside Village. One of the focal points of the plan is to use the Parkside Village Community Building as a central resource for programs from skills training through job matching, based on the needs Text Box: of individual residents (see page 3). Early efforts include supporting a Holy Cross sponsored G.E.D. Program in the Community Building, recruiting, and coordinating a Job Fair in Spring 2003, in conjunction with the Department of Labor. Text Box: The plan also attempts to address barriers to employment, including childcare and transportation needs. The plan is intended to be an evolving document with action items that are updated quarterly with input from a Human Resource Task Force made up of representative stakeholders from all aspects of life in the Village. Text Box: Your Information Source for the Tonawanda Empire Zone Text Box: Inside this issue: Text Box: Great Lakes Orthodontics Benefiting from Zone Certification Text Box: “This showcase location allowed us to stay local, design and build a facility that meets our present and future growth needs, retain 100% of our employees, and take advantage of significant Zone program benefits” -John DenBeste Vice President of Administration Text Box: Great Lakes Facility 200 Cooper Avenue Text Box: Business Feature Text Box: Employment

Business Feature

 

   Great Lakes Orthodontics

 1

Neighborhood Features

 

   Workforce Plan

 1

   Resource Center

 2

   HOPE Program

 2

Zone Administration

 

   Boundary Revision

 2

   Benefits Summary

 3

   Certification Requirements

 3

   Business Visitations

 4

   Resources

 4