Welke Customs Brokers, a leading privately owned customs brokerage with offices in Buffalo, NY and Toronto, ON, is pleased to announce the addition of John Plante as their sales director. 

Plante brings an extensive background in business-to-business sales to Welke, having most recently been with Time Warner Cable.  He will be responsible for leading strategic growth through Welke’s sales teams in both the U.S. and Canada. 

“John’s extensive sales expertise, along with his clear passion for providing the ‘concierge’ level service Welke is known for, makes him the perfect fit to pursue expanding business opportunities in the U.S. and Canada,” said Damon Piatek, President and CEO, Welke Customs Brokers USA Inc. “We are very pleased to welcome him on board.”

Plante is a graduate of Canisius College and currently resides in Amherst, NY. 

Student teams from the Orleans Niagara BOCES Niagara Career & Technical Education Centers and the Erie 1 BOCES Harkness Career & Technical Center won top honors at the annual NFADA Ron Smith Memorial AutoTech Competition and Tire Rodeo held Saturday in Orchard Park. The competition took place at the Erie Community College-Vehicle Technology Training Center at 5885 Big Tree Road, Orchard Park.

The AutoTech competition featured teams of two high school automotive seniors who were put through a series of diagnostic, workstation and performance tests to measure their automotive technical skills and abilities. The WNY Ford Dealers provided six 2014 Ford Fusions for the students to compete on.

Buffalo, NY :: BREAKING - As of 10:50 PM this evening County Executive Poloncarz has announced a series of travel bans.  The statement was delivered as follows. 

• "As of 10:50 the following municipalities have driving bans in effect: Towns of Brant, Colden, Eden, Hamburg, Orchard Park and West Seneca; Village of Blasdell and City of Lackawanna. In other words, its bad in the southtown."