Latest news with #Buffalo-based
Fibre2Fashion
04-08-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Buffalo entrepreneurs acquire US' Hankin Brothers Cap Company
Hankin Brothers Cap Company, a Buffalo-based textile manufacturer founded in 1939 and proudly serving for more than 80 years, has officially been sold by longtime owner Richard Hankin to local entrepreneurs and sisters Sara Appleby and Cynthia Rood. The sale ensures that the company—renowned for its craftsmanship, heritage, and dedication to quality—will remain a proud part of Buffalo's business community. Founded in the early 20th century, Hankin Brothers Cap Company has earned a reputation as one of the region's premier producers of uniform caps and specialty headwear, serving industries ranging from transportation and public safety to hospitality and entertainment. With deep roots in Buffalo's manufacturing tradition, the company has thrived through changing markets while upholding its commitment to American-made excellence. Hankin Brothers Cap Company, a historic Buffalo-based textile firm, has been sold by Richard Hankin to local entrepreneurs Sara Appleby and Cynthia Rood. The move ensures the brand's legacy continues in Buffalo. Appleby, who also owns Sewing Tech Uniform, will integrate the cap maker into her existing operations, preserving jobs and heritage at a new South Park Avenue location. New owners Sara Appleby and Cynthia Rood bring a fresh perspective and renewed energy to the business, along with a dedication to honoring its longstanding values. Appleby is also the principal owner of Sewing Tech Uniform, another established Buffalo-based business specializing in uniform manufacturing and textile services. The acquisition of Hankin Brothers Cap Company complements her existing operations and reinforces her commitment to keeping quality manufacturing jobs and heritage brands in Western New York. 'I am honored to carry forward the history and integrity of Hankin Brothers,' said Appleby . 'Buffalo has always been at the heart of this company, and I'm proud to keep that tradition alive as we grow into the future.' The company's operations will relocate to 1884 South Park Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14220, where production will continue using the same trusted techniques and equipment that have defined the Hankin Brothers brand for generations. Richard Hankin, whose grandfather started the business, expressed confidence in the transition. 'It was important to me that the company stay in Buffalo and in capable hands. Sara is exactly the right person to lead the next chapter.' The sale marks both the end of an era and the beginning of a new journey for one of Buffalo's most enduring manufacturing businesses. Hankin Brothers Cap Company remains a shining example of the city's resilience, craftsmanship, and entrepreneurial spirit. Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RM)
Calgary Herald
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Trump's $5-million 'gold card' visa might never happen
Article content The Supreme Court has established that Congress has 'plenary power' over immigration and has suggested in multiple instances that Congress has supremacy over the executive branch in establishing immigration policy, said George Fishman, senior legal fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies and a deputy general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration. Article content However, Fishman added that in one 1950 decision, the court also said that 'when Congress prescribes a procedure concerning the admissibility of aliens, it is not dealing alone with a legislative power. It is implementing an inherent executive power.' The decision also didn't specifically say the executive branch could act without congressional authorization. Article content Article content 'I'm very dubious it can be done without an act of Congress,' Fishman said. Article content Congress hasn't changed visa categories in 35 years and has at times pushed back when previous administrations took steps that they thought impeded their powers. Republicans in Congress argued that the executive branch had overstepped its authority when President Barack Obama sought to give legal status to children brought to the U.S. and when Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expanded parole programs without congressional approval under Biden. Article content 'It would be hard to reconcile those views with the ability of the administration to create a new green card,' Fishman said. Article content Cato Institute's Alex Nowrasteh said the current Republican-held Congress is especially resistant to creating pathways for residency or citizenship. Nowrasteh was a witness at a June 25 House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, 'Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process,' where the gold card didn't come up and Republicans called for further scrutiny of the existing visa process. Article content Article content 'There's zero appetite for people in Congress to consider this right now,' Nowrasteh said. Article content The legality issues have led to immigration attorneys warning clients to steer clear of the gold card. Article content Philadelphia-based immigration attorney Ron Klasko said he has had some clients from Canada and Europe express interest in the visa, but he has told them there is little use in even signing up for the waiting list until the path becomes clearer. Article content 'Why would I want to do that before I know if it's a law, what the law says, what the requirements are, what information the form is going to ask me for, what documents I have to produce, what the terms and conditions are,' Klasko said. Article content Klasko also warned that more needs to be done to clarify how these wealthy people would be taxed under this new form of residency. Article content Buffalo-based immigration attorney Rosanna Berardi said she was among the tens of thousands who have signed up on the website to learn more. However, she was dubious that any more would come from signing up after the administration has not provided clarity on the plan for creating a new visa category. She added that the White House has also not specified whether this would be a new visa category or replace an existing visa for foreign investors who create jobs. Article content 'This administration keeps forgetting that the executive branch doesn't make the law,' Berardi said. Article content Lutnick's comments have offered some lofty ideas of what the gold card program could look like. Article content In a March interview on the All-In podcast, he said that the funds raised by sales would pay off the country's $1.3-trillion annual deficit, or about 260,000 visa sales. He also said that eventually the program could effectively pay off the entirety of the U.S. debt, more than $36 trillion, meaning more than 7 million people would need to sign up for visas. Article content He told the Financial Times in mid-June that 70,000 people have signed up to learn more about the card. Article content Lutnick has said the idea for the gold card came from hedge fund manager John Paulson, who spoke with Trump and Lutnick about the project. Elon Musk's U.S. DOGE Service played a key role in organizing that effort, including standing up a website that advertises 'The Trump Card Is Coming,' according to records obtained by The Washington Post and a Department of Homeland Security official familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal discussions. The website instructs visitors to enter their name, email address and region to 'be notified the moment access opens.' Article content Article content In mid-April, DOGE representatives Edward Coristine and Marko Elez asked employees at DHS and the State Department to quickly set up a system that would pass gold card visa applicants' data among different parts of DHS, the records show. The data that would be transferred was sensitive, detailing applicants' names, birth dates, places of residence and other personal information, the records show. Article content The DHS team finished setting up its requested data transfer pipeline in less than a week, the employee said, then settled in to wait for applicants. But as of late June, not a single application had come along on a webpage for the visa application, which isn't public, the employee said. Article content Lutnick told Axios in late May that the website would roll out in a week, and details about the visas would come out 'over a matter of the next weeks; not months, weeks.' Article content Article content Around the world, other countries that had once offered similar costly green cards have reversed course after controversies over granting rich people unfettered residency and the fallout from that, said Kate Hooper, a senior policy analyst for the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. For instance, Spain ended its golden visa after an explosion in housing prices fuelled by wealthy buyers. Article content 'There's been a bit of a backlash to that … the optics of selling citizenship and worries about due diligence,' Hooper said. Article content Hooper, who studies the gold visa programs globally, said the U.S. proposal would be the most expensive one out there if it were feasible. Wealthy foreigners who want to spend less could easily acquire a visa to several Caribbean island nations for a fraction of the cost Trump has proposed. For instance, Antigua and Barbuda requires a contribution of $230,000 to a national development fund for a visa.
Edmonton Journal
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Trump's $5-million 'gold card' visa might never happen
Article content The Supreme Court has established that Congress has 'plenary power' over immigration and has suggested in multiple instances that Congress has supremacy over the executive branch in establishing immigration policy, said George Fishman, senior legal fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies and a deputy general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration. Article content However, Fishman added that in one 1950 decision, the court also said that 'when Congress prescribes a procedure concerning the admissibility of aliens, it is not dealing alone with a legislative power. It is implementing an inherent executive power.' The decision also didn't specifically say the executive branch could act without congressional authorization. Article content Article content 'I'm very dubious it can be done without an act of Congress,' Fishman said. Article content Congress hasn't changed visa categories in 35 years and has at times pushed back when previous administrations took steps that they thought impeded their powers. Republicans in Congress argued that the executive branch had overstepped its authority when President Barack Obama sought to give legal status to children brought to the U.S. and when Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expanded parole programs without congressional approval under Biden. Article content 'It would be hard to reconcile those views with the ability of the administration to create a new green card,' Fishman said. Article content Cato Institute's Alex Nowrasteh said the current Republican-held Congress is especially resistant to creating pathways for residency or citizenship. Nowrasteh was a witness at a June 25 House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, 'Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process,' where the gold card didn't come up and Republicans called for further scrutiny of the existing visa process. Article content Article content 'There's zero appetite for people in Congress to consider this right now,' Nowrasteh said. Article content The legality issues have led to immigration attorneys warning clients to steer clear of the gold card. Article content Philadelphia-based immigration attorney Ron Klasko said he has had some clients from Canada and Europe express interest in the visa, but he has told them there is little use in even signing up for the waiting list until the path becomes clearer. Article content 'Why would I want to do that before I know if it's a law, what the law says, what the requirements are, what information the form is going to ask me for, what documents I have to produce, what the terms and conditions are,' Klasko said. Article content Klasko also warned that more needs to be done to clarify how these wealthy people would be taxed under this new form of residency. Article content Buffalo-based immigration attorney Rosanna Berardi said she was among the tens of thousands who have signed up on the website to learn more. However, she was dubious that any more would come from signing up after the administration has not provided clarity on the plan for creating a new visa category. She added that the White House has also not specified whether this would be a new visa category or replace an existing visa for foreign investors who create jobs. Article content 'This administration keeps forgetting that the executive branch doesn't make the law,' Berardi said. Article content Lutnick's comments have offered some lofty ideas of what the gold card program could look like. Article content In a March interview on the All-In podcast, he said that the funds raised by sales would pay off the country's $1.3-trillion annual deficit, or about 260,000 visa sales. He also said that eventually the program could effectively pay off the entirety of the U.S. debt, more than $36 trillion, meaning more than 7 million people would need to sign up for visas. Article content He told the Financial Times in mid-June that 70,000 people have signed up to learn more about the card. Article content Lutnick has said the idea for the gold card came from hedge fund manager John Paulson, who spoke with Trump and Lutnick about the project. Elon Musk's U.S. DOGE Service played a key role in organizing that effort, including standing up a website that advertises 'The Trump Card Is Coming,' according to records obtained by The Washington Post and a Department of Homeland Security official familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal discussions. The website instructs visitors to enter their name, email address and region to 'be notified the moment access opens.' Article content Article content In mid-April, DOGE representatives Edward Coristine and Marko Elez asked employees at DHS and the State Department to quickly set up a system that would pass gold card visa applicants' data among different parts of DHS, the records show. The data that would be transferred was sensitive, detailing applicants' names, birth dates, places of residence and other personal information, the records show. Article content The DHS team finished setting up its requested data transfer pipeline in less than a week, the employee said, then settled in to wait for applicants. But as of late June, not a single application had come along on a webpage for the visa application, which isn't public, the employee said. Article content Lutnick told Axios in late May that the website would roll out in a week, and details about the visas would come out 'over a matter of the next weeks; not months, weeks.' Article content Article content Around the world, other countries that had once offered similar costly green cards have reversed course after controversies over granting rich people unfettered residency and the fallout from that, said Kate Hooper, a senior policy analyst for the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. For instance, Spain ended its golden visa after an explosion in housing prices fuelled by wealthy buyers. Article content 'There's been a bit of a backlash to that … the optics of selling citizenship and worries about due diligence,' Hooper said. Article content Hooper, who studies the gold visa programs globally, said the U.S. proposal would be the most expensive one out there if it were feasible. Wealthy foreigners who want to spend less could easily acquire a visa to several Caribbean island nations for a fraction of the cost Trump has proposed. For instance, Antigua and Barbuda requires a contribution of $230,000 to a national development fund for a visa.
Business Journals
13-06-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Rich Products tops Buffalo's private company list with $5.6B revenue
A Buffalo-based food manufacturer is the region's top-ranked private company in 2025, earning over $5 billion in revenue last year.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Appeals court rejects NFR effort to re-open Centennial Park eminent domain case
A state appellate court has again rejected a request from a South End land owner to overturn its decision in an eminent domain proceeding seeking 10 to 12 acres of land for the proposed Centennial Park project. The request, by Niagara Falls Redevelopment (NFR) and an affiliated company, Blue Apple Properties Inc., came in response to efforts by city officials to reclaim ownership of approximately 5 of the roughly 12 acres of property subject to the eminent domain ruling because NFR never properly gained title to what was previously the 10th Street Park. NFR filed a motion in the Appellate Division Fourth Department of New York State Supreme Court in March asking the justices there to review and reverse their July 28, 2023, unanimous ruling that the city was justified in seeking to use eminent domain to take up to 12 acres of undeveloped land for the park and events center project. Lawyers for NFR had argued that the claim by the city that it already owns some of the proposed park property, based on newly discovered evidence, 'probably would have produced a different result' if the appeals court justices had been aware of it in 2023. 'Because this new evidence is manifestly inconsistent with the facts on which (the July 2023 ruling) is based, (NFR) respectfully asks this Court to vacate (the ruling),' NFR's lead lawyer, John Horn, wrote in a filing with the Fourth Department. Horn also asked the appeals court to 'reject and annul' findings by the Niagara Falls Common Council that the proposed park project would be a public benefit or serve a public purpose. In a blunt, but unsigned, three-sentence decision released on Friday, the court wrote, 'Now upon reading and filing the papers with respect to the motion, and due deliberation having been had thereon, it is hereby ordered that the motion is denied.' Mayor Robert Restaino did not comment on the appeals court ruling. A spokesman for NFR could not immediately be reached for comment. In their original ruling, the Appellate Division justices wrote that 'the city's determination to exercise its eminent domain power 'is rationally related to a conceivable public purpose.'' The justices said they came to that conclusion because the Centennial Park proposal would develop parkland and other recreational space as well as 'revitalizing and redeveloping a longstanding vacant lot, which was a blight on the city.' The Niagara Falls City Council has directed the city's corporation counsel to 'take all necessary steps to commence any and all legal action ... in order to declare the transfer of (10th Street Playground, 907 Falls St.) null and void.' The city's special counsel for the Centennial Park project, the Buffalo-based law firm of Hodgson Russ, has filed what is known as a quiet title action to reclaim the former parkland. A quiet title action is a legal proceeding where a lawsuit is filed to establish clear ownership of a property. The city claims the transfer of the playground property in 2004 was not properly completed. NFR has insisted the property was 'lawfully' transferred, and is fighting the quiet title action.
