City August 19, 2010 5:04 PM

Canisius Supports its own... and UB's own.

queenseyes 20

It's funny how things turn out sometimes. In a world where it is increasingly the right thing to do by supporting homegrown projects and businesses, University at Buffalo dropped the ball when it dropped Buffalo CarShare (BCS). It was a crushing blow to the company, not because CarShare was dependent on UB, but because it would have been such a natural relationship and source of growth. After all, CarShare was incubated at the university. Instead of tucking its tail between its legs, CarShare went out in search for partners that would understand the importance of 'buying into local". It didn't take long to earn the trust of Canisius College, which has agreed to bring CarShare onboard as its car sharing business of choice.

To think that another local higher education institution would bring a University at Buffalo castoff under its wing is... well, it's really something. Canisius could have taken UB's lead and gone with a national. Instead, it decided to go with a homegrown business, run by a young team made up of mostly UB alumns. Interestingly, Todd Salansky, board member of both CarShare and Buffalo First was one of the first to share the good news and was, "Extremely happy that my alma mater has chosen to support Buffalo CarShare for their car sharing needs. BCS provides students access to a car to shop and explore what our area has to offer. In addition to their first car on campus, they also have access to 10 other vehicles across the city. I think this is a great win for Buffalo!"

Canisius has already expressed an interest in a second car as demand increases, which both parties assume will happen after school starts.

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Comments

20 Comments Leave a comment

Chris

August 19, 2010 4:02 PM

UB is a public school. To be honest with you I'm glad that went with the lowest bidder. I hope they do that with all of their bids and projects.

The Golden Griffins private so they can do whatever they want. I'm glad that Carshare made sense for Canisus.

I'm all about buying local and supporting local businesses, but when it is other peoples money being spent you should always go with the lowest bidder.

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Score: 2 ( 8 votes )

bhorvath

August 19, 2010 4:09 PM

I'm not falling for this again.

BRO is possessing my mind.....

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Score: 0 ( 0 votes )

Liberty10

August 19, 2010 4:18 PM

Great job by Canisius supporting the local economy not to mention a great organization.

UB did drop the ball. We are assuming that buffalo carshare did not have the lowest bid. (Ub did the same thing to the NFTA about their bus service basically wanting their own private fleet of buses). Ub 2020 is a JOKE, suppose to support local businesses and the community and did not do either of those things with the selection of Zipcar. Just makes people wonder who is making the decisions up there at the University at Amherst.

But that aside, kudos to Canisius hopefully Buff. State follows suite and goes with the locally grown business.

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Score: 3 ( 9 votes )

DTK2OD

August 19, 2010 8:31 PM

You forget that a lot of what UB2020 embodies and aspires to be is unfortunately lost in the entropy that is the NYS legislature. It sort of reminds me of situations like the Statler, The University Heights, Shea's, etc. when people expect UB to step in an save the day. Yet, when the University tries to advance legislation that would allow them to invest more in their own community and in projects like those mentioned they get a slap in the face... you can't have it both ways.

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replied to Liberty10

Score: 1 ( 3 votes )

phrank

August 19, 2010 7:32 PM

I think part of the bill UB is trying to get passed is meant to give more local control and autonomy to UB instead of every decision made by Albany. Perhaps that would affect these kind of outcomes.

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Score: -1 ( 1 votes )

JohnQBuffalo

August 19, 2010 8:33 PM

Im not sure whether UB should with hold participating in the NFTA until the NFTA agrees to extend the light rail to the north campus or include tuition for the NFTA bus and threaten to cancel if the NFTA does not come up with a light rail plan.

Still, there is something terribly wrong with the NFTA if the NFTA cannot provide cost effective services to UB such that UB must run its own bus system between campuses (is is the plural campii lol).

oh yeah, I side with the local company...the dollar multiplier says that even though they may not have been the lowest cost....a dollar multiplier of a local business would more than make up its benefit to the community.

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Score: 0 ( 4 votes )

BuildMe

August 20, 2010 10:09 AM

I think the bigger question here is does anyone really care what you think queenseye?

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Score: -5 ( 9 votes )

LouisTully

August 20, 2010 11:22 AM

I don't think that's really the bigger queestion. But it is essentially his blog.

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replied to BuildMe

Score: 1 ( 1 votes )

galaxyjay

August 20, 2010 11:34 AM

I'll assume you don't...it's funny tho, because I do.

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replied to BuildMe

Score: 0 ( 0 votes )

whatever

August 20, 2010 12:26 PM

So much crybaby sense of entitlement.

Are SUNY schools even allowed to set aside normal procedures for selecting vendors every time an alumnus they helped in the past asks for a contract?

If Zipcar happened to be a Buffalo-headquartered national co, would Queenseyes favor them being able to add customers across the U.S.?

Should the companies from Buffalo that sell products or services to colleges in other cities be denied the right to be selected as vendors by those places in favor of buy-local there?

If Buffalo Rising's company had been able to start multiple websites in other cities, wouldn't they try to convince advertisers in those cities to not "buy local" for that advertising? Inconsistent?

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Score: 3 ( 5 votes )

LouisTully

August 20, 2010 11:20 PM

Meh. What if you were born deaf? I forget what movie that was from. Oh nevermind, "Waiting". Whatever. No pun intended, literally. Buy local is the craze. These kids are alum. Got it, it's a state school. But you can't do the right thing and support your blood? Maybe I'm just a guido, but when it is family vs not I go for family. Was Zipcar a cheaper bid? How much? If only people knew how much money the military blows. The difference is change, I'm sure. Further, It'd stay local. Where is Zipcar from, the Midwest? Wouldn't spending ten dollars local be better than spending six out of state?

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replied to whatever

Score: 0 ( 0 votes )

whatever

August 21, 2010 1:54 PM

Louis, maybe some feel it's "the right thing" for colleges to always choose a local bidder just because they're local. That doesn't make it the right thing, just that some feel that way.

Louis>"Was Zipcar a cheaper bid? How much?"

I've no idea if the deciding factor was price or anything else. But if there's real interest about why Zipcar won the contract, maybe CarShare or a citizen journalist could findout using public information laws. Instead, there's a victimized attitude and whiny demands for set-asides.

Louis, question for you -
Are you saying WNY co's should never be able to win a contract from a college outside of WNY if there's any co's more local to those colleges who offer a similar product or service?

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replied to LouisTully

Score: 2 ( 2 votes )

Armchair MBA

August 21, 2010 5:01 PM

Whatever>"Louis, maybe some feel it's "the right thing" for colleges to always choose a local bidder just because they're local. That doesn't make it the right thing, just that some feel that way. "

To me it would seem like the "right thing" to at least give some preference to local companies. Keeping money in the local economy by spending it with people who live here sounds good enough of a reason for me.

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replied to whatever

Score: 0 ( 2 votes )

whatever

August 21, 2010 6:55 PM

pit, look at it this way -
If Zipcar happened to be HQed in Buffalo's city limits, wouldn't BR and QE massively praise it and cheer along its nationwide success?
Buffalo + "green" + nationally known = you guys would say it's the coolest thing ever.

Now suppose Zipcar was HQed here and won contacts with Ohio State or Michigan State.

Would you guys complain it isn't the "right thing" for colleges like OSU, MSU, etc. to do business with a Buffalo co and instead they should have to use a vendor more local to Columbus, Lansing, etc? Of course you wouldn't.

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replied to Armchair MBA

Score: 3 ( 3 votes )

Armchair MBA

August 21, 2010 7:32 PM

Whatever>"Of course you wouldn't."

You are right because than the local company would be keeping local money as well as bringing in revenue from elsewhere.

Similar to M+T negotiating to doubling its size by acquiring Sovereign Bank. If this goes through it will boost the economy by taking work and wealth currently outside the region and bring it to WNY.

Is there something wrong with wanting local companies to succeed even if it is at the expense of other regions?

Is there something wrong with a local public university, with vested interest in the economic well being in the region, to give priority to locally owned companies? If there is a large discrepancy in price and quality of service I would understand but if the difference was close why not give the edge to someone who may be more likely to return the favor by sending their kids to UB?

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replied to whatever

Score: 0 ( 0 votes )

whatever

August 21, 2010 8:30 PM

pit>"than the local company would be keeping local money as well as bringing in revenue from elsewhere"

Huh? It would be the same thing. Zipcar operates in its home town (Cambridge MA) as well as a growing number of other cities.

Yes or no, are you saying all colleges outside of WNY shouldn't buy products or services from companies having Buffalo HQ's?

If you want for Buffalo co's to have fair-and-square ability to bid for work at colleges nationwide, then why shouldn't a co with a Cambridge HQ be able do the same for colleges in WNY?

(I don't see how M&T is relevant, but hopefully for Buffalo's sake if it merges with someone the HQ will stay here. That isn't guaranteed.)

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Armchair MBA

August 22, 2010 2:07 PM

Whatever>"Yes or no, are you saying all colleges outside of WNY shouldn't buy products or services from companies having Buffalo HQ's?"

You seem to think that supporting UB giving preference to local businesses means I have to also support other universities excluding local companies from contracts. I'd like to see UB favor local companies and for local companies to be competitive outside the area.
Other universities give preference to local vendors for the sake of PR and bolstering their local economy and I dont see why UB cant do the same. Again if there is a big discrepancy between price and service I would understand but why not give an edge to local people. I dont see how feeling this way has anything to do with how local companies compete outside the area. As I said many currently unfairly compete with companies given preferential treatment by their local institutions.

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replied to whatever

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Armchair MBA

August 22, 2010 2:20 PM

Whatever>" I don't see how M&T is relevant, but hopefully for Buffalo's sake if it merges with someone the HQ will stay here. That isn't guaranteed.

I was using M+T as an example of a local company successfully competing with local and out of town competition. I wont pretend to fully understand the complexities of large bank mergers but from what I read in the limited local coverage, M+T seems to have the upper hand in the negotiation.

http://www.buffalonews.com/business/article103739.ece

Basically Banco Santander bought Sovereign and has since taken a bath on the move. M+T wants to buy Sovereign but the deal is held up because both Santander and M+T want to control the new company. If M+T doesnt get its way it walks and moves on while Santander is stuck with a declining investment with limited suitors. Even if M+T ceded control the new company would likely upgrade, or maintain the local workforce as back office banking operations are a good fit for the area. (See HSBC) Nothing is certain but it appears M+T's local HQ is safe.

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NoBoGuy

August 21, 2010 10:50 AM

I'm proud of Canisius College for all that it does for the neighborhood, for the community and for the advancement of Buffalo. I'm also proud to have a service such as Buffalo CarShare in our area. It's much needed. Kudos to both.

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bryan

August 22, 2010 11:17 PM

I support and generally agree with the merits of buying local, but it doesn't mean that something should be given preference solely because it's local.

Among the reasons why UB chose Zipcar over Buffalo CarShare was because the latter could not provide insurance coverage to drivers under 21, and their fleet of vehicles is nowhere near enough for the potential market.

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Score: 1 ( 1 votes )