So remember when Verizon was considering siting a data center in western New York? And remember how that whole thing blew up? Thomas Prohaska at the Buffalo News has an allegorical look into that field, which is now lying fallow (instead of growing soybeans).
Wegmans
Wegmans will not get a "w" in its lawsuit column - it's dropping the logo that Walgreens charged was a trademark infringement, reports Meaghan McDermott at the Democrat and Chronicle:
In its suit, Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens claimed the logo's lettering was too close to its own and that the "W" logo is proprietary. The disputed "W" appears on some Wegmans products such as potato chips. The company agreed to discontinue its use by June 30, 2012. The suit claimed that Wegmans knew of Walgreens' rights to the logo and acted "willfully" in registering for its own trademark. The drug chain had asked the courts to halt Wegmans from further use of the script lettering.
Small business in action
Also at the Buffalo News, Harold McNeil profiles a small business owner who was able to grow her business with help from the Erie County Industrial Development Agency. McNeil walks us through what a $35,000 loan means for seamstress Annette Watts:
The loan also allowed her to purchase new sewing machines and install new dressing rooms. “I needed a nice waiting area with two nice-size dressing rooms, because my old dressing rooms were too small,” Watts said. Nearly 20 years ago, Watts started her business as a seamstress, making dresses and other garments for the sartorially savvy clients in her neighborhood who make up the bulk of her customer base. “It’s been about 10 years since I stopped making clothes, because it was just too much work for one person,” she added. Focusing just on alterations now, Watts has two part-time employees to help.
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