She's building a digital audience of millions, from right here; 25 ways to unlock Buffalo's potential

Whitney D. Singleton starts a typical workday by checking what videos and songs are trending. From there, she unleashes her creativity to craft a skit, do the audio, film the footage, edit the video and post it.

Between all her social media platforms for KeepUpRadio LLC, she has amassed an audience of more than 2.8 million, and the singer, songwriter and video game streamer reaches those viewers from her Buffalo-area home.

“I always give this spiel to everybody: Buffalo is a hidden gem,” Singleton said. “You kind of get everything and a really big bang for your buck.”

Why does Singleton's story matter? Buffalo Niagara — a region that needs to be on the rise, but with a largely stagnant population — needs more people like her. The digital age presents an opportunity for more remote work and online entrepreneurs to opt for an affordable metro like the Queen City.

Click here to read more from Lian Bunny.

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Workforce to word of mouth: How you can unlock Buffalo's potential

Speaking of a region that needs to be on the rise ... that exact topic has been the subject of Business First's Buffalo Unlocked series.

All year, we've been asking business leaders and other key stakeholders what it will take to reach Buffalo’s full potential.

Some ideas came up over and over again: Continue to develop the waterfront. Create equitable opportunities in all neighborhoods. Increase public transportation. Tear down silos. Brag about what makes Buffalo special.

Click here to read more about what you — individually or through your company — can do to make a difference right now, then reach out to Michelle Cioci Adams to let her know what we're missing.

Buffalo Unlocked will continue in 2025.

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Dozens to retire from Buffalo State in cost-saving measure

More than 50 Buffalo State University employees will retire this year through the SUNY school's voluntary separation program.

Fifty-one applicants were approved for the program, which included one-time payouts to full-time, retirement-eligible employees, according to documents requested by Buffalo Business First under the Freedom of Information Act.

The “annual salary savings are anticipated to be about $3 million, though given a number of factors, it is not possible to precisely quantify the impact of the voluntary separation program on the elimination of the structural deficit,” according to the university. The school will begin to see those savings in the 2024-25 school year, but see the rest of it in 2025-26. | Read more

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BPO sues nursing home chain for $95.5,000

One of the region’s largest nursing home chains is being sued for nonpayment on a two-year corporate sponsorship.

The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra filed a complaint Dec. 1 in State Supreme Court in Erie County against three Elderwood companies seeking $95,500 for sponsorships of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Coffee Concert Series.

According to the breach of contract complaint, the Elderwood companies agreed to pay $50,000 per year to sponsor the concert series in exchange for being promoted and featured in the BPO’s promotional materials prior to and during performances over the two-year period. | Read more

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New York Fries wants in on Western New York

New York Fries is actively recruiting franchisees to bring the concept to malls in Western New York. In addition to fresh-cut French fries, the franchise offers gourmet loaded fries, poutine and all-beef hot dogs. | Read more

Plus, the founder of Mothers restaurant is taking over the just-vacated Downtown Bazaar space; an Italian specialty eatery is opening in Clarence; Pierogi Pete's is closing; the region's largest Tim Hortons franchisee has added another 10 local stores to its portfolio; and the Mister Sizzle's legal saga continues, this time in federal court.

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Top 25 nonprofits in Western New York, ranked by revenue

Western New York's nonprofit community has an enormous economic impact, especially the largest organizations that provide paychecks to thousands – nearly 62,000 in the year we studied for our 2024 Million-Dollar Nonprofits special report. Take a look at financial details from this year's top 25 nonprofits. | Read more

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These 11 jobs pay more than $200K a year in Buffalo

If you want to be at the top of the wage earners locally, there's one occupation you need to look at — and hopefully you've got time for plenty of schooling. | Read more

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This Weekly Edition was compiled by Sara Paulson Meehan. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Send them to smeehan@bizjournals.com.