Creating Economic Capital and Jobs

• Generated $6.25+ million in grants/sponsorships since founding (ongoing)

• Generated positive national publicity for Buffalo Niagara Region
  • 1992-2014 hosting national conferences earning eight All America City FINALIST status and winning two All America City awards from the National Civic League
  • National leadership positions held, national public speaking appearances, and honors earned by the Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo.

• Pioneering in advocacy action for workforce health promotion to impact productivity and health care costs
• Helped to save the City of Buffalo millions of dollars in health insurance spending by paving way to healthier workforce through 16 year employee wellnes program management.

• Job creation – twelve employees, 300+ interns trained.

• First in Buffalo, NY region to publicly champion “Health Promotion” as a growth industry for Buffalo Niagara region (1997).
• Helped incubate multiple health-enhancing and revenue-generating organizations; resulting in 15 additional full-time jobs created in community!
  • Massachusetts Avenue Project (1998)
  • BWI Health Promotions (2004)
  • Green Options Buffalo (2009)
  • Buffalo Car Share (2010)
  • Net Positive (2012)
  • Explore Buffalo (2013)
  • Citizen science Community Resources

• Participated in creation of City of Buffalo Creativity and Civic Solutions Commission (2004) – first in the United States.

• Advocated to relocate Bicycle History Center and Childrens Museum as “cultural tourism” attractions to downtown Buffalo water front location at Canalside.

• Partnered with Arden Farm in East Aurora, NY to strengthen their efforts in agri-tourism, health education and small scale organic farming (2014-present).

• Established partnership with BWI Health Promotion to open National Worksite Health Promotion Training Institute in the Innovation Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (2010).
• Certified 10 Worksite Health Promotion trainees Spring 2011.(ongoing training)

• Brought statewide presence of BeActive New York State (2002) and National Association for Health and Fitness (2008) to Western New York through management services contracts.

• Wellness Institute Executive Director Serves As Board Member of Health Promotion Advocates and National Walking Summit in 2013 & 2015.

More Information….

NY State Community Health Indicator Reports (CHIRS)