By Brett DeNeve:
Philips Lytle LLP officially opened its doors at its new address, One Canalside, at 1 p.m. yesterday with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Suits were practically hanging out of the lobby doors as David J. McNamara took the podium; the crimson-red ribbon held tight between two pillars against the wind outside the entrance.
McNamara, Phillips Lytle’s Managing Partner, was the first of a handful to take the stand and speak about this professional, yet somewhat personal milestone. He welcomed everyone in attendance and pointed out those who would be speaking.
The first person to be introduced was none other than Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy. Duffy brought some historical context to the table. He touched on the site’s previous state, the Donovan State Office Building, as well as commended Benderson Development Company for their valiant efforts to turn that 51 year old, eight-story, 160,000-square-foot structure into the mixed-use facility there today.
Next up was Rep. Brian Higgins. To him, One Canalside represents more than just an address; it represents growth in Buffalo. “There were no visitors at Canalside six years ago,” Higgins continued. “It is a statement of confidence in the future of our waterfront, our city, and our region.”
Eric Recoon, VP of Development & Leasing for Benderson, took the stand next. He welcomed Phillips Lytle as the first occupant in the first private sector development “in this emerging district.” “…Prime the pump with public dollars and the private dollars will come,” Recoon continued. He felt this undertaking has been very indicative of that ideal.
Eric County Executive Mark Poloncarz capped this ribbon mitosis pre-game discussion by drawing some parallels between this new building and the city it resides in. “It was a little old, down trotted; didn’t look too great from the outside, didn’t look too great on the inside. But it had wonderful bones that we could build off of. It’s not a ribbon cutting for a building, but for the rebirth of Buffalo,” Poloncarz said.
Robert Gioia, ECHDC Chairman, as well as Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, could not make it to the event.
Previous to the relocation, the firm recycled over 221 tons of paper, digitalized 1.6 million pages of documents, and eliminated a bunch of storage and filing space. With hopes to achieve “paper lite” office status, Phillips Lytle looks to drop its annual paper consumption by at least 20 percent.