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Thomas A. Kucharski

President and CEO

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Thomas A. Kucharski has served as President and CEO of Buffalo Niagara Enterprise (BNE) since 2000. Under his leadership, BNE has grown from a start-up initiative to an innovative regional economic development organization that has secured more than 250 successful project wins representing $3.8 billion in investment in the region and over 35,000 jobs created and/or retained. 

 From the onset, Tom helped BNE form strong, enduring partnerships with business, development and academic leaders throughout the Buffalo Niagara region. Today more than 150 organizations work with BNE to provide support and expertise to companies from the U.S., Canada and other parts of the world looking to set up shop in Western New York.  

Within BNE, Tom has championed initiatives such as compiling business data that is tailored to specific industry sectors within the region, such as life sciences and data centers. He has helped build an advanced research department offering state-of-the-art data mapping capabilities. This has in turn led to the creation of innovative tools such as the Buffalo Niagara Commercial Listing System (CLS), the only GIS-based, searchable commercial real estate database of its kind. The BNE Business Development team has, under Tom’s tutelage, made major strides in improving the economic service delivery system. In fact, the region’s uniform development policy, whereby businesses receive the same incentives no matter where they locate in the region, is held up as a model in other regions around the country.

 Tom is one of less than 1,000 Certified Economic Developers in the U.S. Before joining BNE, he headed up the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation in Eastern Pennsylvania and then served as executive director of the Horizon Council of Southwest Florida, a regional public/private partnership that included Sarasota, Ft. Myers and Naples. He is recognized nationally for his work in the economic development industry and is often quoted and referenced in national publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Newsweek, as well as numerous trade and industry publications.

His other professional accomplishments include serving as an Executive Committee member of the International Economic Development Council as well as Chairman of IEDC’s Finance and Audit Committee.  He is also an Executive Committee Member of the New York State Economic Development Council (NYSEDC) and was selected by his NYSEDC colleagues to serve as Chairman of the 2008 New York Loves BIO Initiative.  Tom also served as Senior Vice Chairman of the Buffalo Economic Renaissance Corporation and was acting Executive Director of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency.  In 2007, he received the Meritorious Service Award from the Western New York Chapter of the New York State Commercial Association of Realtors and that same year was asked to serve on then Erie County Executive Elect Chris Collins Economic Development Transition Team. 

“Since my return to Buffalo Niagara, it’s been clear that this is a region where life works both professionally and personally. The quality of life and the people are unmatched by any others I’ve experienced elsewhere. And where else could I have sailed in the morning, played golf in the afternoon and skied in the evening – all in the same day?”

You can contact Tom at 716-842-1330, ext. 452 or tkucharski@buffaloniagara.org