Prospectus 2026: Dealing with uncertainty in Buffalo Niagara
Welcome to Prospectus 2026:Â This year is when Buffalo Niagara businesses will come to grips with the uncertainty. Fewer Canadian visitors. Higher prices. A housing crunch. And a consumer base whose budgets are coming under increasing strain from the rising costs they face.
(30) updates to this series since
More local private colleges and the State University of New York are turning their attention to keeping students from dropping out by focusing on more than just assisting with academics. Their retention efforts are now homed in on the importance of providing life essentials to help students stay in school.
High expenses for construction materials and labor, rising interest rates and tighter lending criteria that made it harder to borrow or forced developers to accept less funding are combining to make many projects less financially viable. That's forced developers to put projects on hold, or to redesign them in a way that saves money.
Bank mergers picked up steam in 2025, and that trend is expected to continue this year.
Niagara Falls Memorial Hospital is embarking on a multiyear, $53 million overhaul that will add new services, freshen up outdated units, repla…
Niagara Falls Memorial is embarking on a "transformative project," a $53 million overhaul that will add new services, freshen up outdated units, replace an aging parking structure and upgrade equipment.
Take a look at some of the renovations coming to Niagara Falls Memorial Hospital.
Prospectus takes a look at food manufacturing around Western New York.
Companies from cheese maker Lactalis USA to meatball producer Rosina Foods and artisan cracker startup TopSeedz have been expanding their operations in the region, becoming a source of hiring and opportunity across the region.
Sights and sounds from the TopSeedz production facility in Buffalo.
The Rosina Foods plant in West Seneca is a major producer nationally of meatballs and other specialty products.
The hybrid work trend and the push by tenants to downsize or upgrade their space to lure workers back to the office has forced landlords to think – and operate – differently.
After a successful launch in Rochester in 2023, the Golisano Institute of Business & Entrepreneurship opens soon in Buffalo. What kind of students is it trying to attract?
Jim Dentinger, executive vice president and Buffalo regional director of the Golisano Institute, talks about how the school is growing the for…
The Trump administration's tariffs are a prominent source of that uncertainty for manufacturers, forcing them to decide how to handle those costs and to take a close look at their supply chains.
Independent Health President and CEO Dr. Michael W. Cropp spoke to The Buffalo News about the decision to affiliate with Schenectady-based MVP Health Care.
Independent Health president and CEO Dr. Michael Cropp talks about how he thinks the upcoming affiliation will benefit the company's Western N…
As uncertainty over tariffs continues, and with inventory thinning, Western New Yorkers are starting to feel higher prices.
From the uncertain future of the Boulevard and Eastern Hills malls to the long-awaited arrival of Costco in Amherst and renewed momentum at Station Twelve, retail projects across the Buffalo Niagara region reflect both the challenges and opportunities facing brick-and-mortar development. Here are the latest updates on five suburban retail projects everybody is watching.
The Buffalo Niagara housing market remains red-hot, and there's no sign that's going to change in 2026, with homes still in short supply.
For Western New York's health systems, 2026 will be a year of controlling costs, identifying efficiencies and preparing for major change in 2027.
Don Boyd, president and CEO of Kaleida Health, talks about the health system’s upcoming conversion to a new electronic health record and why i…
While there are high hopes as the Buffalo Bills move into a new $2 billion stadium, there are major questions about whether any development will come with it.
To ensure the grid is well fed and avoid blackouts in the state, clean energy advocates say an aggressive buildout of renewable energy sources, transmission infrastructure and energy storage systems is needed in New York.
Affordability is the buzzword of the year in state government and the theme of several proposals directly impacting business – from corporate franchises to grocery stores to farmers – across New York.
As auto dealerships look to hire more technicians, local training programs at the Northland complex and though SUNY Erie Community College are…
Erie Community College is helping fill the need for newly trained automotive technicians, including in Orchard Park and at the Northland Workforce Training Center.
As auto dealerships look to hire more technicians, local training programs are stepping up to meet the demand.
Over the past year, visitation to Western New York from Canada has dropped 25%. That's a problem for the region's tourist sites, as well as the retailers and restaurants around them.
Prospectus is The Buffalo News’ annual look at where our region has been and where it is going. This year's edition takes an inside look at how Buffalo Niagara is forging a path forward after an unpredictable year.
Patrick Kaler, president and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara, talks about how the agency has pivoted to marketing Buffalo tourism to other Americ…
Kyle Ciminelli, president of Ciminelli Real Estate Corp., describes his creative solutions as a building owner meeting challenges in attractin…
Jake Robins, VP of Marketing and Sales for RubberForm Recycled Products talks about the Lockport company and its plans for the upcoming year.
Dr. Matthew Giordano, president of Villa Maria College, talks about how the school has been successful in a challenging higher education envir…
It's hard enough to run a business. It's even harder when you're not sure what's coming next. Here's how six local executives are dealing with today's uncertain times.
There is an obvious need for startups to connect with investors to help fuel their businesses, but that has become even more difficult with venture capital funding harder to come by over the last few years.
Buffalo Niagara businesses are starting to come to grips with the uncertainty that has shrouded the region for most of the past year. For many, they've fallen into a holding pattern until conditions become more clear.
