Major business groups move to their offices

The shakeup comes as the two business groups prepare to vacate 257 W. Genesee St., the office building along the Niagara Thruway where Highmark BlueCross BlueShield of Western State was based. New York.

The Partnership and Invest Buffalo Niagara have been in their current location for eight years, but have been planning to move for some time. Both organizations sublease space from Highmark, which announced in April 2023 that it would move its offices to the Seneca One tower. Highmark’s lease at the West Genesee Street complex expires at the end of the month.

The owner of the West Genesee Street complex, Phoenix-based Orion Office REIT, announced plans to begin renovations after tenants move out. Orion said it wants the building to remain an office complex, rather than convert it to a different use.

The Partnership has not yet announced the new permanent location of its offices. In the meantime, the group of companies will move to Evans Bank’s headquarters at 6460 Main St. David Nasca, president and CEO of Evans and member of the Partnership’s board of directors, donated the space until October.

The Partnership will hold some of its meetings and events at the Evans headquarters, and others in other locations, depending on size, needs and other considerations.

Invest Buffalo Niagara, which focuses on attracting businesses and talent, will move its employees to the sixth floor of the Brisbane Building at 403 Main St.

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership and Invest Buffalo Niagara – originally called Buffalo Niagara Enterprise – have shared the same address since 2000. That’s the year Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, a newly formed offshoot of the Partnership, moved into offices adjacent to those of the Partnership at Main Place Tower. .

In 2002, both organizations moved to a new building at 665 Main St. in the Theater District. They continued to be co-located when they moved again, to the building on West Genesee Street.

“We looked at options for co-location and separation,” said Greg Pokriki, a spokesman for Invest Buffalo Niagara. “Our needs and wish list in a new space were different. Ultimately, the option that best met our needs and the wishes of staff and our board was the Brisbane Building.”

Invest Buffalo Niagara partners with dozens of area organizations without sharing office space with them, Pokriki said.

“Our mission and that of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership remain strategically aligned and we will continue our collaborative leadership for the good of our region and its economy,” he said.

Grant Loomis, senior vice president of the Partnership, said the two business groups “have been exploring a number of spaces together.”

“Ultimately, each organization makes a new location decision based on its specific needs for space size, location and amenities,” Loomis said, adding that both organizations “continue to ‘be strategic partners’.