Invest Buffalo Niagara has attracted more than $6.2 billion in new business investment to the Buffalo Niagara region since 1999. Canadian companies looking to expand their businesses into the U.S. have been a big part of this growth. They choose to expand for many business benefits including selling with a “Made in U.S.” label, mitigating bridge delays, and reducing their hydropower costs. Nearly 100 Canadian based businesses have benefited from our free project management services, saving time and money by leveraging our expertise.
Below are a few of our Canadian success stories and where they are now.
Nutrablend Foods
Nutrablend Foods is a Canadian-based company that is the leading manufacturer in the sports nutrition and nutraceutical industries. In 2009, the company decided their Cambridge, ON headquarters was no longer sufficient on its own, so they expanded into Lancaster, NY for their first U.S. manufacturing facility. At the time, the company pledged 40 new jobs and a $1 million investment in the first five years. Little did they know, by the end of those five years they would be running two shifts daily with 134 employees. After moving into their new 43,000 sq. ft. addition, they are making further investment into new equipment and production lines and are operating with over 200 employees plus a team of temporary workers.
Welded Tube
Welded Tube, headquartered in Concord, ON, is a leading manufacturer of cold formed tubing products that are distributed throughout North America. In 2012, they took on a brownfield expansion project in Lackawanna, NY, pledging to create 121 new jobs and invest over $48 million in the facility within five years. After only two years, the company was employing 60 full time workers and today are employing 86 full time workers.
Fichman Furniture
Fichman Furniture manufactures custom made wooden radiator covers and side tables. Though the business had success at its home in Scarborough, ON, they saw most of their online sales come from America, putting an added burden on them to cover constant international freight charges. They planned their expansion in 2012, purchasing their first U.S. industrial building on Main Street in Holland, NY. The new U.S. address alone drove sales, exceeding their expectations after only two years. The company’s website now features a “Made in New York” banner. The company continues to invest in new equipment and has 11 employees working at the facility.
AMDOR
AMDOR, a division of Whiting Group, specializes in the design and manufacturing of roll-up shutter style doors for emergency and other specialty vehicles. In July 2014, the company purchased a 21,000 sq. ft. building on eight acres in Lancaster, NY, and completed a 10,000 sq. ft. expansion on the building in the following months. They also installed specialized equipment, bringing the total investment costs to over $5 million. Today, the company has 26 employees working on-site, with plans to expand the building and production area again in the near future.
OutFront Portable Solutions
OutFront Portable Solutions, headquartered in Beamsville, ON, started to investigate expanding their business into the U.S. in 2010. OutFront originally found success providing garden and retail display solutions to mass merchandise stores across North America. In 2012, the company expanded its breadth, purchasing an existing Buffalo-based 50,000 sq. ft. metal fabrication facility with eight employees. They have since grown that number to 40 employees, and have gained traction manufacturing salad bars and food buffets. This newest division, Buffalo OutFront Metalworks, has shipped over 50 food trucks all over the U.S.
Avanti Advance Manufacturing
Victory Manufacturing’s first U.S. operation, called Avanti Advanced Manufacturing, opened at 201 Dutton Avenue in the City of Buffalo in 2011. The company strives to redefine manufacturing with their unique capabilities in going from concept to finished product with significant speed. Upon opening, the company pledged to create 15 new jobs over five years and invest $400,000 into the building purchase and renovations. Their rapidly escalating operation outgrew that facility, forcing an expansion into a new 68,000 sq. ft. building, which today houses 15 employees.
SWS Warning Lights Inc.
SWS is a Canadian company that assembles safety warning lights for the construction industry. With existing sales and raw materials in the U.S., they were looking to add the "Made in U.S." label to their products to drive additional U.S. sales and growth. In 2017, the company signed a lease for 4,000 sq. ft. in Tonawanda, NY and has pledged to create 6 new jobs at the facility and invest over $2M in the operation. Their first facility will start as a distribution site and will add assembly operations in the near future. They are already up to 4 employees, along with approximately 25 independent sales agency reps, and sourcing many new American suppliers. They are gearing up to manufacture their first American made product.
TDG
GVA Lighting is a Canadian company based in Oakville, ON that designs and manufactures architectural and commercial LED lighting to illuminate the outside of buildings, bridges and architectural structures. With a high percentage of sales in the U.S. and more demand for a “Made in the U.S.” product, the company reached out to InBN in December of 2017 for assistance. In just over 6 months the company identified a 5,000 sq. ft. building space to lease and began setting up assembly operations. The company pledged to created 13 new jobs in 5 years and invest over $500,000 into the facility. Today the company already expanded their space and have 14 full time workers, with plan to hire 1-2 more as soon as possible.