The resurgence in Buffalo is real. There is finally enough momentum to sustain growth, and that sense of fragility, that feeling that the slightest hint of failure could derail the entire process, has faded.
In Why Buffalo is Rising (Again), and Why It's Only the Start, Jenna Kavanaugh of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership explores the roots of the resurgence in no less than The Huffington Post. Score!
Kavanugh points first to teamwork: "The local economy's current turnaround is happening because people of all ages, backgrounds, experiences, and areas of influence -- sole proprietors and CEOs, state and local officials, artists and academics, economists and environmentalists -- have come together to make it work." And although it might sound trite, "valuing everything in this region that makes it unique" rather than disparaging grain silos, for example, really is helping to feed the momentum. It's finally cool to care about Buffalo, and not just the Bills.
She acknowledges that "This 'new' zeitgeist is really the fruition of more than a decade of investment and it's created a tremendous environment for entrepreneurship." Witness 43 North, Steve Case's inclusion of Buffalo on his Rise of the Rest tour last week, and the proliferation of new restaurants, retail and residences in our burgeoning Downtown, to name just a few key indicators.
"This unprecedented -- and, just a decade ago, essentially unimaginable -- boom means that we have incredible opportunities to show the world the great things we always knew about Buffalo Niagara."
Written to showcase the very successful Rise of the Rest Tour stop in Buffalo last week, Huff Post is the perfect forum for this upbeat, accurate representation of the resurgence. Thanks, Jenna. Bring it on!