Buffalo Rising Online

It is amazing that a creative thinker is getting things done here. You know for this to be possible he cant be from there area or he would have 50 politicians on his back trying to get credit for this accomplishments If I were the city I would give him an open floor to do whatever he wants and it seems so far to be the case

Well, this guy is a true businessman in every sense of the word. He sets to shame the suck every dollar, flip, demolish routine our local business owners have had as their manta for the last 50+ years. Basshar is the kind of businessman this had in its golden age....the creative businessman who tried to build marketshare, build a customer base, build build build.

Now I have absolutely no doubt with these unique fringe benefits that not only will the Statler be a sucess but that he will find the tenants from outside the area his tower and any other project in Buffalo he decides to undertake.

If someone from Canada or some other part of the country knows they can fly into their corporate offices in Buffalo, conduct business, have a low maintenance residence with incredible views and end their day with any one of Issa's amenities......then yes....I can see people from all over the country, canada and europe not just considering Buffalo but putting pen to paper.

It is great to see someone like Bashar Issa bring his visions to Buffalo and follow through with them. Growing up in Buffalo, I am very interested in the prosperity of my home town . I currently reside in Florida and am the Director of Sales for Interconnect Worldwide. www.interconnectworldwide.com . We represent luxury condos throughout the United States and present them to large foreign investors. I would be very interested in helping Bashar receive great international exposure and help bring foreign investors to the Buffalo market.

I am still skeptical about Bassar's skills as a business man and entrepreneur. He has great ideas and a vision, but he has yet to prove profit and sustainability. Didn't we learn anything from the Internet collapse of 2001? The flashy toys and gadgets don't build strong businesses, either do targeted marketing pieces like this one. They are designed to build hype, but you have to have something substantial behind the hype. I just haven't seen it yet.

This guy is a lot like George Bush... he is using his Dad's money to build up his reputation and standing, without having the real world experience to back it up.

I truly hope, and I do expect, that it will work out for him and Buffalo; however I will remain cautiously optimistic until I see the first rooms rented and the first profit turned.

I knew George Bush would be brought up sooner or later............huh?

braden are you serious...unsustainable, unprofitable, marketing hype...living off of daddies money....why dont you say that about the snyders and all the rest of the decay, abandon, demolish, flip monied elit of Buffalo that seem to believe the only way to make money in Buffalo is a government handout or a parking lot.

For years Buffalonians have been bragging about our lake front, our riverfront, our parks, our sports, our all season activities from snow skiing to water skiing, our culture, our history, our down-to-earth humility with our urban feel.....

NOW WE HAVE AN INVESTOR THAT WANTS TO PACKAGE IT AND BUNDLE IT AS AN EXPENSE FOR HIS PROPERTIES (WHICH WOULD MAKE IT MUCH MORE VIABLE THAN IF IT WAS A STAND-ALONE BUSINESS)...AND INSTEAD OF SAYING THIS IS SHREWD ENTREPRENEURIALISM.....YOU CALL IT HYPE MARKETING.

are the builders in clarence and lancaster offering granite counter-tops as freebies to sell their homes ... is that hype or good salesmanship

are the apartment/condo buildings that offer gyms, saunas, jacuzzis and meeting rooms...good salespeople or just hype.

are the hotels and auto-shops that offer free transportation (within a limited radius)...is that good salesmanship or hype.

FOR DECADES THE SCHOOLS, THE CITY, THE COUNTY AND THE STATE HAVE OVER-TAXED AND OVER-CHARGED TO MAINTIAN THEIR BLOATED BURACRACIES WHILE CUTTING SERVICES....IN EFFECT OVERCHARGING FOR UNDER-SERVING AND UNDER-INVESTING.

Guess what....thats the same model that local businesses and property owners have followed...suck as much money out as possible until its worthless then flip it or demolish it.

NOW A BUSINESSMAN COMES TO BUFFALO DOING BUSINESS WITH THE SAME AMENITIES THAT WOULD BE OFFERED IN ANY WORLD CLASS CITY....BECAUSE HE WANTS TO ATTRACT WORLD CLASS HIGH VALUE TENANTS.....AND YOU THINK HE IS UNREALISTIC MARKETING HYPE.

Sorry braden but if this guy was aiming to Buffalonians he could get away with offering nothing...business as usual but if you want to lure another banking company from Manhatten, another bio-informatics company from Boston or a Logistics Company from Toronto.....you cant treat them like their an blue collar worker and coo them with a plate of pierogies and beer.

Chris69 I completely agree, I deal with properties in NYC, LA, Las Vegas, and Miami, they all offer Kitchen Upgrades, helicopter tours, Yacht usage and much more all to attract wealthy clientele. I applaud his efforts and wish him great success. Buffalo needs this type of entrepreneur to help it grow and reach its fullest potential.

I can't wait to see the purchase properties. I'm in a condo now and love it, but would definitely make the move to a place where I can rent a yacht if I need one!!!!!!!

Why don't we take a look at Manchester as an example of what happens when we put our faith in a developer with a track record of big promises and a lack of results. This guy was all bark and no bite in the UK! BSC has great ideas and inspiring vision, especially when he invests in cities that are in dire need of investment (like Manchester). Manchester loved Bashar and his company, and he apparently loved them, by promising to build skyscrapers and renovate several historically significant buildings (sound familiar).

Bashar is supported by his father, who gave him the money to start his enterprise. He used this money to start his company, produce contract winning proposals, use the proposals to secure funding, then use the funding and the contract to win the next project. All the while, he is buying expensive cars and boats and gallivanting through Manchester as the "white knight' who was here to save the day. Ten years later, most of the properties still remain undeveloped, and those that are developed were done so only after public pressure for him to either 'put up or shut up'. If past history does indeed predict future results, then I expect that he will open a portion of the Statler, after he finishes the lobby and exterior. Most of the interior will remain untouched, this area will not be available for public review. He will publicly open the Statler, after ensuring that it will be covered by all local media outlets, and will usher in his first few tenants. Work will cease at that point and he will move on to another project.

I see this boat as little more than a playtoy for him, something that he will enjoy while writing off the expense.

IMADIVA - Try checking out the news about Issa from reputable sources, not from a public hype blog like this one. This guy is living in Daddy's pocket while running around like an over-grown adolescent. He makes a shit load of promises that he hasn't kept. Take a look at www.bsc-group.net and tell me all the projects that he has finished on time and as promised. Then search google for the individual projects, or speak with someone from Manchester or London who has worked with him. They will also tell you that most of his 'wealth' is on paper only, as it is based on the valuation from existing projects that are pending completion.

We can all jump around like the desperate high school chick who just got asked to the prom, but my opinion is that Issa is in this relationship for his own selfish interests and could care less about Buffalo, or Manchester, or any other city. He couldn't pull this off in NYC, Boston, or DC... he chose Buffalo because we are desperate, which makes us an easy score for him. Put this guy against Tishman-Speyer and see how he does in terms of results. He isn't even close to their league and he knows it!

This is a big giant snore... Whoopie, little lord fauntleroy got himself a boat and a couple of lackies to pilot it... Next thing you know, he will open a beer can at the SuperDuper and all the press will be there to cover it... Gee Wiz Buffalo, get it together!

Still waiting for specifics from Bradon...what projects are stalled or incomplete overseas? You've speculated, how about some sources and proof???

Toxic pessimism....toxic pessimism....

It is too bad that the city is so in love with Bashar. Has anyone heard of living wages. How can a laborer live on 9 - 10 dollars an hour. He is using un-trained labor with little or no skill sets. The china solution is just another word for cheap. We need a developer who will use the trained labor that has made this city great. No one involved in this project has any experiance in construction. The city has been taken by his talk, but local labor and suppliers are the loosers here. It is a shame that we can not get the city to tell a developer what he needs to do. Having been involved with him for a short period I can only say, talk is cheap. Why hasn't local labor stood up and say, what is fair is fair. Do we watch this neophite come here and degrade our citizens and businesses, and put a cheap solution in place. Wake up Buffalo.

No axe to grind just the facts. This industry requires huge knowledge and a professional staff. I have done about 40 million in projects. I walked into a clusterfuck. Projects of this size require a very sophisticated knowledge base. I left the position as Bashar was not able to grasp the finer details of what it takes to hire, train and pay labor. Please don't take it the wrong way. We have professionals who do this for a living, all of which met with Bashar. The fee alone to manage this project is about a million dollars. To which he thinks he can do it with a team that dosn't know a hammer from a screwdriver. The industry is quite different in Europe than here in the US. This is one of the most complicated projects in scope. If the project was in anyway do-able don't you think a domestic developer would have jumped on this building long before the former owner dumped it. It cost Bukite about 7 million dollars out of his pocket. Fifty workers off the street are not tradesmen. Fifty is only a number, I don't know of one employee that came from the trades or any of the managers that have worked in the industry. The flood on the 12th floor was quite amusing to watch the organization at its best. Buffalo's workforce has been taken advantage of for years. We already had one death this year locally and two firefighters die in New York. Then more injuries at the Deutsch Bank after the two deaths. All attributed to poor oversite, who protects the workers? Successful projects require professionals that run and manage every step of the project. We are so desperate for Mr. Issa to save Buffalo, bring on the professionals who can deliver this important project a success. All I hear is talk, we all want to believe in Bashar. But renovation begins at the top not at the bottom.

Bradon, I appreciate your presepctive on things...and even though JHill will disagree with me and call me negative, I also agree that Bashar is full of shit.

Although it does not take much to do a little due diligence on Bassar, he has stalled on every one of his projects. There must be a reason for it. Financing?

Even though the Statler was a hunk of shit before, it still does not give him the right to stall; and that is what he is doing.

He should be questioned regarding his time line and completion. This poor little town can't take any more rejection....

Further, people in Buffalo need to get away from "the once great industrial powerhouse" that we used to be. It has been at least 50 years since our demise. There is nothing great about our economy or work force anymore. The sooner people stop living in the past, the faster we can move forward to re-invent the region.

RoBear - I like your style - and you are absolutely right.....a project of this magnitude requires enormous skill and responsibilty.

Hs he issued/received permits yet?

Bashar might be taking hotel guests out on that boat around 2020.....if ever - but I am sure he will enjoy it while he is here.......

Gaustad- thanks. I was hoping that he was the real deal. If you do what he asks you will survive. If you do what is to be done to protect the worker and the project you will not survive. His knowledge of operation is theory. Textbook economics. Not one decision he has made on the project has brought any value to it. He needs to study with a master, as he is only a student. Not that is bad but, he has no basis to make the project a reality. I live for a challenge, as I deliver. Started at the bottom learned, listened, and succeeded. I knew it wasn't going to be a walk in the park. It is like playing tennis, why play with someone who is just learning. Game on

It's nice to see investors thinking outside the box.

Good for him. if you go downtown inside the Statler you can see and hear work going on. i dont know what all the pessimism is all about here. work is being done with his own money. what is there to complain about?

Complain about?

He is not letting it sit empty until a hole in the roof forms, upon which time he will say there is a need to demolish it because it can not be saved. We will then be able to secure the surface parking lot that we are unforunately losing to the new court house.

No.... No! Wake up Buffalo! This guy is positioning himself with Government to take over distressed property with the hopes of developing it. He has a ton of cash due to the Euro and cheap interest rates and wants nothing more than distressed Government owned properties. This game has been played a million times over, it is so transparent as to what he is doing (making big splashes, big promisses and selling you all on his charisma). All he is doing is being a leech on distressed property that is owned by the city...

I hope you are all right, and I sincerely hope this project suceeds.....however the reality is that this guy is young and inexperienced. His track record precedes him.

RoBearsucks, Renovation starts from the top down. You don't start in the middle. Each floor is 13000 squre feet. The demo contractor was paid $2500.00 to demo the 12th floor. In the end he didn't have enough money to pay his people, provide safety equipment for his staff and had no supervision. Yah he sold some scrap and eventually it will go to China and maybe it will then become a faucet in the hotel. But really paying a group of ten guys less than $2.00 a foot seems to be close to slave labor. It was a great oppurtunity to be involved in the project, but the staff and ownership was not even remotely close to having their feet on the ground. Maybe I am spoiled, as I always have had the best team and consultants available to me. I can remember the Purchasing Department their first week. Bashar told them to get pricing on carpeting, so they called every carpet company in the phone book. Well it was carpet for the Hotel floors, to which there was no plan, no design, and no direction. Furthermore they had never heard of Hospitality. This is the area that hotels are designed from. Can you beleive that people are hired without any knowledge,clue, or education to go and source product. I can't wait to see al lof the out of towners in their 150 sq ft hotel room, with the water leaking on their heads and the guest in the adjoining rooms battling the remotes to keep the stations from being changed. This is truely work for professionals, start to finish. Six months at your first job doesn't give you the knowledge to question practice and proceedures. Can't buy everything in China.

If Issa wants to play contactor....then its his money.

and let me tell you something about the deconstruction phase....I have seen ECC tradesman move their tush faster than some professional making 4x the pay scale.

It doesnt take a genius to pull out a rug or paint or plaster. It has to get inspected anyway.

I think he is smart enought to know save his money towards high value trades. He certainly isnt sparing expense on quality for material as we have seen from windows, marble, elevators, etc.

Im not worried.

As for contractors. Hey they have to make a living too and so the skilled and unskilled trades but if Issa pulls this off there willbe alot more projects that have the confidence to get started than if he fails. Maybe you missed out this time...but thereis always the next project.

Where is his wife? He owns a tower called sarah tower. He named it after his wife. You never hear anything about her or even see her with him.