MAYOR BROWN LEADS BUFFALO DELEGATION TO ICSC NATIONAL CONVENTION

BUFFALO—Mayor Byron W. Brown, First Deputy Mayor Steven M. Casey and Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Planning Timothy E. Wanamaker are in Las Vegas, NV this week attending the International Council of Shopping Center’s annual convention. The conference draws over 50,000 attendees from across the country and the world.

 

“The City of Buffalo has a great story to tell and we intend on spreading the word among the Convention attendees that Buffalo is a great location for investment and retail development,” Mayor Brown said. “With over $3 billion in planned, ongoing or just recently completed development projects, coupled with a declining crime rate, we intend to highlight the proposed Canal Side project and other investment and development opportunities to retailers from across the country. With Bass Pro as the anchor of the Canal Side project, the development has already created a buzz among other retailers. We will also pitch other areas, such as the Central Park Plaza, Elmwood Avenue, Hertel Avenue and Midtown (around the ArtSpace and Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus developments). This is an excellent opportunity to show the country that Buffalo has made significant progress in recent years and the time to come here is now.”

Representatives of the Benderson Development Company have also accompanied Mayor Brown for the Convention, which is described as the “Super Bowl” of retail conventions and conferences.

During the Convention, among dozens of meetings, Mayor Brown will meet with Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s Canyon- Johnson Urban Fund, which specializes in development projects in urban neighborhoods.  

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is the global trade association of the shopping center industry.   Every year, the Buffalo Economic Renaissance Corporation (BERC) holds the Alliance Program with ICSC in Buffalo, bringing national retailers to the city.