Why in 2014 Buffalo is a (Sports Teams) Dream Location
As we know, in other places across the planet Buffalo does not always have the best reputation of itself. Our sports teams are at times
As we know, in other places across the planet Buffalo does not always have the best reputation of itself. Our sports teams are at times laughed at and our economy is well, lets just say “rust belt-ish”. While I cringe every time I hear these claims shouted at my hometown it is hard to deny they are not sometimes routed in truth, especially for the first decade of this new millennium.
Now Buffalo seems to be divided. There is the first faction who faithfully follows where ever the city and its teams lead them. They sell out one of the largest football stadiums in the nation even as the Buffalo Bills missed the playoffs for the 14th season in a row. Then we have the other faction. This consists of those who have fallen out of the former group. Those people who due to the process of constant disappointment have fallen victim to a mood of permanent and lasting skepticism.
I do my best to stay up to date with the happenings and news in Buffalo while watching everything develop from New York City. Lately it has begun to appear to me (a person living in the world outside WNY, looking in) that the winds are changing in Buffalo. Slowly, sometimes slower than I would like, it appears things are turning around for the better in Buffalo.
Investors will tell you to never ignore a market when it is in a recession. That is when you can buy in at a time when the market has currently undervalued its goods. Goods can only become so cheap in a region before investors see growing opportunity to buy in at the bottom level and maximize potential profits. This is what appears to be happening in Buffalo. Forbes recently validated this is the case in the Western New York Region when it named Buffalo the Most Affordable City in America.
HARBOR CENTER
A few examples: recently 43 North has launched a $1 million dollar prize to attract start ups to fill the cheap and available office space downtown. Avant Buffalo has spent $85 million building up luxury condos and office space. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has pledged the Buffalo Billion to the Region.Chippewa Street is becoming classy. And to get to my point, Terry Pegula has bought the Buffalo Sabres and is now also building the Harbor Center.
As Warren Buffet says “Be Fearful When Others Are Greedy and Greedy When Others Are Fearful”. Terry Pegula knows this is and is doing what all the rest of the investors are doing in Buffalo. He saw a market opportunity to buy in at an all time low price and did just that. Just as many smart investors, who are now very rich, did just after the .com and housing bubble’s burst.
““Be Fearful When Others Are Greedy and Greedy When Others Are Fearful”
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In the case of Forbes naming Buffalo the most affordable city in America we can see that might not be the best image for Buffalo currently. The most powerful cities tend to correlate with the most expensive ones. Just visit New York City or London. However, this weak perception can also be a strength. Just ask Malcolm Gladwell who’s new book underlines the advantages and importance of being under rated. It is definitely a sign that the opportunity to invest in the region is happening now and investors recognize this. This affordability can be an opportunity for Buffalo Sports too. A great example of this was recently pointed out by Buffalo Down:
- Players can live like royalty in Buffalo for far less than most NFL cities.
- $7 million in Buffalo is like $9 million in Houston, or Dallas, or pick your “Big Market Team”.
So affordability gives us the potential opportunity to attract bigger talent at lower contracts.
Buffalo now finds itself where it lives best; as the Underdog. Terry Pegula bought in on the ground floor and stands to make a lot of money over the next 20 years, while his investments ride out. The best part of this is that he will most likely bring the city and the teams along for the ride with him. We are at a catalyst moment in Buffalo. The key to making the opportunity ahead of Buffalo have a long lasting and perpetual growing impact is that we all get on board and realize it is happening. There can be no more skepticism and false beliefs. Now is a time for action.
So in the next few months as you live in Buffalo, do yourself a favor and look around. Take it all in and remember the Buffalo of now. I believe after years of watching Buffalo just get by, both economically and in the world of sports, it is time we all stop just circling the wagon and finally get on board full speed ahead!
About Brett Siskar
“If you can dream it, you can do it.” — Walt Disney
Brett Siskar is actively advancing his education in business administration to compliment his background in engineering. He efficiently analyzes and breaks down existing barriers to solve distinct problems. Highly skilled in spatial analysis, Brett Siskar's previous experience includes an engineering internship at military defense company Northrop Grumman. Also, he is currently an expert in 3D Printing, computer-aided design (CAD), and manufacturing.
A New Philosophy: The Future of Mobile Computing
I have decided that it is time to lay out my philosophies regarding the tech industry in the next few segments posted here. I have been following the tech industry
I have decided that it is time to lay out my philosophies regarding the tech industry in the next few segments posted here. I have been following the tech industry for a few years now and during which I have noticed several major macro-economic trends are developing and yes, I used the word macro-economic. I find these facts fascinating, however I will not blame anyone if you don’t share my enthusiasm. Here we go.
MOBILE
Now I know that mobile being the future is usually a gimme and very obvious. However, I feel that most people understand the way mobile is progressing into the future incorrectly. To start we need to lay down some numbers for a foundation. The human population of planet earth hit 7 billion as of March 2012 and is growing. There are 2.5 billion people on this planet that currently have access to the internet and there are 5 billion people with wireless cell phones. The current majority of those cell phone users having what we will call “dumb” phones for lack of a better term. It is important to note that the iPhone and most Android smartphones are now a few years old. If you connect those data points you will see that most older smartphone models which are connected to the internet are now being offered as the free phone by carriers to customers who want to upgrade from their “dumb” phones. These carriers use mostly two year contracts with their customers.
Therefore in the next two years, it is predicted that the actual population of the Internet will almost double thanks to new smartphone users coming online in various countries around the world with their new internet connected mobile devices. That’s not even including the 54.8 million tablets now online that didn’t even exist four years ago. It’s pretty incredible to think that the internet is only half the size of what it will be in just two years time, even though it’s been over 20 years since Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web at CERN. This single statistic shows that the internet as we have experienced it thus far is only the very beginning. The way the internet is experienced, looks, and interacts with human life is going to evolve drastically going forward in time.
There is a second part of the mobile renaissance that is misunderstood as well. Mobile devices won’t be the only devices used in the future. To clarify, mobile devices are referring to both tablets and smartphones, as opposed to PC’s, desktops, and gaming consoles. All of these devices matter and will be used together. There is a major reason why and my next theory/post will show you why.
To be continued…
You Only Live Once
Here we are at “The Starting Line”. Life is a blank slate in front of us. We only get one shot at this thing called life, and if there is one thing this generation knows
Here we are at “The Starting Line”. Life is a blank slate in front of us. We only get one shot at this thing called life, and if there is one thing this generation knows it is that we were raised to never waste a moment of it; to make the most out of every moment and follow our dreams.
YOLO. Extremely cliche but the question still remains, what will we do with our life? Our elders think that we expect too much out of life. That there is a work ethic epidemic. I disagree with that belief. What has happened is that the incentives which motivate a work ethic in younger generations has changed very rapidly in the past decade and at a pace with which many corporations and managers have failed to keep up. The world is more connected than ever, and is exponentially connecting even quicker. This is the first generation to know the existence of, to use, and to understand the repercussions of the Internet. It has always existed in our lives. Where to older generations it is simply another new thing that has come along. However, we are digital natives to this new world of technology. This means we see opportunities and have access to knowledge that our elders only dreamed of having at our age. To think that extreme alteration in mentality won’t have repercussions in the structure and organization of a workplace is naive and what those elders fail to realize is that an entire generation now has this new mentality. And yet, another sub generation still in high school has that mentality even stronger than those coming out of university. YOLO… Yes, this is a fad attributed to a rap song by Drake and true its use in pop culture has diminished its value, but it still has meaning. It’s a reminder to all people of their own mortality and it is a signal to all who are listening that we as a society are beginning to see a shift in paradigms.
In the past, older generations were paid and rewarded with the currency of money. But the future generation doesn’t see money having that same value to them. It’s value is not absent entirely, just very diminished. Younger generations prefer compensation in the form of life experience and personal time. They know “You Only Live Once”. This isn’t to say that the younger generations don’t have the will to work like their elders believe. It just means they don’t have the will to work for things they don’t believe strongly in and that won’t immediately contribute significant experience back into their lives. Time is the new commodity to be traded. In corporations of the future, flexibility could become the main corporate benefit. There is already a growing trend in the availability of flexibility to employees. More and more companies are adopting new technology which gives their employees the ability to work from home, push papers as they attend their relatives 4th of July BBQ, or send an email before they jump from the top of a cliff while living their dream of base jumping.
The companies that fail to acknowledge this shift in paradigms will pass away with those older generations. Corporations that wish to stay alive and avoid extinction will have to be as nimble and agile as these new generations are. Generation Y (born 1980's), Generation Z (born 1990's), and Generation AO (born 2000's) will each be more plugged in than their predecessor and exponentially more plugged in than the older dinosaurs who will inhabit the executive positions within the corporations that hire them. The new exchange system where money is a second best for employees, compared to the ability to gain individual experience will become the norm over time; regardless of if elder generations like it or not. The truth is that there is a new breed about to make their ascent in the modern world. We understand technology in a way that no others have before. This will be our upper hand in the world. Those who fail to embrace the new societal norm will not truly attain greatness in the world. To borrow a word from @Jason,
““Those who fail to strive for greatness will be the rice pickers and the people who do understand the new laws will be the samurais”.”
This is the Starting Line. I’ll ask you one more time. What do you plan to do with your life? I plan to get to the Finish Line. I hope to see you there…
About Kevin Siskar
“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” — Albert Einstein
Short Bio: Kevin Siskar is director of the start up accelerator, The Founder Institute, in New York. He is also the Founder of Brinkway. He applies his degree in Cognitive Neuro-Science, the analytical combination of Neuroscience, Philosophy, Psychology, Linguistics, and Artificial Intelligence, to enable the capacity for innovative problem solving and insights to unique challenges. He has energetic passion for creating new alternatives to identifying hidden obstructions that negatively impact growth. Inventive analytical perspectives from cognitive science have allowed him to pursue multiple aspects of data for innovative outcomes. Previously Kevin worked as a Technology Researcher for Jason Calacanis' Launch Ticker, which served as the inspiration for the new Inside.com.
Long Bio: http://www.siskarsolutions.com/about/