The Foundry business incubator is building out a second floor to add to its entrepreneurial repertoire. Thanks to a $100,000 grant from First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FNFG), and an additional $35,000 raised at their annual Bid to Build fundraiser, The Foundry has enough in its coffers to break ground on its second floor build out.
The additional space will give The Foundry the room that it needs to add more start-ups to the already formidable mix of creative businesses that it hosts on the first floor. The general contractor for the project is Spicer Group (a Minority and Women Businesses – MWBE – firm).
“The Foundry is excited to offer 12 new spaces for start-up businesses through the development of our second floor. We are grateful to First Niagara and all who attended the Bid to Build auction, both of which provided us with the funds to make this happen,” said Megan McNally, executive director of The Foundry. “We are especially excited to work with Spicer Group as our general contractor. The Foundry is committed to supporting minority, women-owned and neighborhood-based businesses, so Spicer Group is a perfect fit.”
“First Niagara is proud to support The Foundry in their efforts to help start-up companies join the growing Buffalo economy and contribute to the redevelopment taking place on and around the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus,” said Buford Sears, First Niagara Regional President, Western New York. “Since dedicating funding to The Foundry last fall, First Niagara has rolled up our sleeves to clean and paint the growing business incubator, and so we are pleased to see the official groundbreaking of the second floor and expansion of business incubator space. We’re excited to see some of the success stories from these businesses emerge in the future.”
“Spicer Group is very excited to work with The Foundry on this very exciting investment in entrepreneurship in the heart of the City of Buffalo and more importantly the East Side of Buffalo,” said Shandra Spicer, president & CEO of Spicer Group. “Over the past several years Buffalo has experienced redevelopment in the medical corridor, Canalside, and Larkinville. But, it is so very exciting to see a new focus directly in this neighborhood itself. As a company that started in Buffalo over 16 years ago, we are proud to be a part of a project that will help others in our communities start and grow their businesses as well, because of the wonderful vision The Foundry team and volunteers have made come to life.”
The Foundry‘s Second Floor Groundbreaking
WHEN: 10:00 a.m., July 1, 2015
WHERE: 298 Northampton Street, Buffalo, NY 14208
Photo: The Foundry