BUFFALO, NY, Mayl 18, 2004 - - - - - At 10:00 a.m. at 700 Ellicott Street, Home of the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute's new Structural Biology Research Center, representatives from area businesses joined with HWI Board and Staff members to celebrate our joint commitment to Western New York. HWI has always been proud to call Buffalo home. As we embarked on constructing a new Laboratory and office complex in the heart of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, we have been fortunate to have the support of the community and as well as area businesses. In an effort to show our complete commitment to Western New York we have tried to contract with local businesses, whenever possible, for our construction needs. Today, we recognize and salute the Western New York companies that are helping make our dream a reality.

To date the following list represents the various Western New York companies that hold contracts with HWI for building construction. Cannon Design - Architect; KeyBank - Financing Package; Louis P. Ciminelli Construction Co., Inc. - Concrete and Site Preparation and Work & General Trades Package; Buffalo Structural Steel Construction Corp. - Structural Steel and Misc. Light Iron; Thomas Johnson, Inc. - Masonry; Mader Construction Co., Inc. - Exterior Shell Framing & Drywall/Acoustical; Clayton B. Obersheimer Inc. - Windows, Aluminum Entrances and Metal Panels; All Weather Contractors - Roofing Contract; DeSpirt Mosaic and Marble - Ceramic Tile; Shaw Contract Flooring Services, Inc. d/b/a Spectra Contract Flooring - VCT and Carpeting; Color Tech Painting Contractors, Inc. - Painting; Spencer-Virnoche, Inc. - Laboratory Casework/Laboratory Equipment; Schindler Elevator - Elevators; Mollenberg-Betz, Inc. - HVAC-Plumbing; Allied Fire Protection - Fire Protection; Ferguson Electric Construction Co. - Electrical; and U&S Services - Building Automation Systems.

In addition to supporting building trades personnel and companies located in Western New York, Hauptman-Woodward also salutes New York State including, the Governor, Western New York Delegation, and State Senate and Assembly; Erie County and City of Buffalo officials; United States Senator Charles Schumer; local foundations and corporations including, the John R. Oishei Foundation, the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, the James H. Cummings Foundation, the Seymour Knox Foundation, M & T Bank, KeyBank, Ferguson Electric, and many others; and local individuals. This new facility is an excellent example of the public and private sectors working successfully together. It would not have been possible without this joint support and partnership.

A Western New York center for basic biomedical research since 1956, the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute is a world-renowned, independent, non-profit facility located in the heart of the newly emerging Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. Our basic research mission is two-fold; committing ourselves to improving the health of people for generations to come by studying the causes of diseases at their basic molecular level and working to educate the scientists of tomorrow.