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Empire State Entrepreneurs: NY Business Law

Empire State Entrepreneurs: NY Business Law

Written by: David Pfalzgraf
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Hosted by David Pfalzgraf, the managing partner of the law firm Rupp Pfalzgraf, LLC, Empire State Entrepreneurs is a fun and informative venue to feature clients, strategic partners, community leaders, and team members to talk about relevant issues for entrepreneurs and business owners throughout New York State. Guests of the podcast offer dynamic insight into the many stages of business ownership, along with opportunities to understand the legal issues surrounding entrepreneurship in NYS.2024 Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Larry Quinn of Great Point Studios & The Golisano Institute

    Larry Quinn of Great Point Studios & The Golisano Institute
    Jul 7 2026
    In this wide-ranging conversation, David Pfalzgraf sits down with Larry Quinn, one of Buffalo's most prolific behind-the-scenes forces, for a deeply personal and candid look at a career spanning city government, Manhattan real estate, professional sports ownership, the film industry, and education reform. From his early days as the youngest commissioner in Buffalo city government to co-owning the Sabres, helping build KeyBank Center, launching Great Point Studios, and now leading the charge on Tom Golisano's transformative Golisano Institute, Larry Quinn's story is ultimately about one thing: people.The Topics:The Golisano Institute Larry's primary focus today is the Golisano Institute, a two-year post-secondary program founded by Tom Golisano designed to bridge the gap between high school and the workforce. The program is business-focused, covering Finance, Accounting, Public Speaking, and AI, with an emphasis on real-world work experience. Students graduate within two years, paying a maximum of $18,000 in tuition, with no summer breaks. Courses are accredited by Niagara University, Daemen University, St. John Fisher, Syracuse University, and RIT. Job placement runs at approximately 90%.The institute is opening its Buffalo location this fall (September) in the renovated former Buffalo News building downtown. The facility will include a stunning 700-seat forum with a 38-foot interactive video wall, designed not just for student programming but as a community venue for corporate events and major speakers.Building KeyBank Center Larry was recruited back to Buffalo by Seymour Knox to oversee the design and construction of what is now KeyBank Center, a $97 million hard-cost project that opened in 1996. He shared a memorable opening-night story: being summoned by Nordy Knox, who stood at the top of the escalator watching fans pour in, in tears, overcome with pride for Buffalo. "Those are the things I remember most," said Larry.Buying the Buffalo Sabres with Tom Golisano Larry recounted how Carl Paladino first connected him with Tom Golisano, who was interested in saving the Sabres from relocation. After initial skepticism (Tom famously told Larry "this thing loses money every year"), the deal eventually came together in a dramatic sequence involving bankruptcy court, Adelphia Cable, the NHL, and a Sunday-night phone call from Golisano. The team was purchased in 2003, and their ownership period helped stabilize professional hockey in Buffalo.Great Point Studios Larry helped broker the partnership between Great Point Media (founded by Robbie Halmi, former head of the Hallmark Channel and producer of Lonesome Dove) and the Rich family (Rich Products) to develop a film studio on Niagara Street. The studio produced 10 movies last year, primarily Christmas films. Larry sees the film industry as "the new manufacturing": democratic, diverse, and accessible without requiring a college degree.The Future of Buffalo: Niagara Falls Power & Data Centers Larry shared a forward-looking vision around the Niagara Falls Power Project as an untapped economic engine. With AI and data centers requiring enormous amounts of power, he believes Western New York has a unique natural advantage that regional leaders should leverage, not fight. His vision: use renewable hydroelectric power as a bargaining chip to attract major tech companies and require them to relocate divisions and hire locally.On Risk and Career Philosophy Larry credits a pivotal moment at Notre Dame: a professor challenged him to spend a week at a law firm before committing to law school (he lasted one day), and it became the catalyst for a career defined by calculated risk-taking. The professor gave him a book, Outrageous Good Fortune by Michael Burke, whose philosophy of "know yourself, seize opportunity without knowing where it leads" became a guiding framework for Larry's life.Tom Golisano's Philanthropy Larry shared a remarkable story about Tim Shriver of the Kennedy family approaching Golisano at the Clinton Global Initiative with a request for $500,000 to create medical clinics for Special Olympics athletes. Golisano's response: "You think too small." He gave $25 million. The resulting network of Golisano Special Olympics clinics now operates worldwide.Highlights & Memorable MomentsThe professor who saved him from law school: Assigned to interview at a South Bend law firm, Larry lasted exactly one day, and it set the course of his entire career.Meeting the Knox family: Larry's first encounter with Nordy Knox came after being kept waiting nearly an hour for a 9:00 AM meeting. Nordy arrived furious, and the awkwardness of that moment led, serendipitously, to Larry being recruited to build KeyBank Center.Nordy Knox in tears on opening night (1996): Standing at the top of the escalator, Nordy pulled Larry in for a hug, overcome with pride for the city and the memory of his brother Seymour. "I'm emotional talking about it," Larry admitted.Tom Golisano's ...
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    46 mins
  • Ben Burge & Matt Miller of Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC

    Ben Burge & Matt Miller of Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC
    Jun 2 2026
    In this episode of the Empire State Entrepreneurs and New York Business Law Podcast, host David Pfalzgraf is joined by two of Rupp Pfalzgraf's own: Matt Miller, Practice Area Leader of the Labor & Employment group, and Ben Burge, M&A attorney and the firm's General Counsel. Together, they pull back the curtain on how Rupp Pfalzgraf has navigated AI adoption, from early experimentation to building out a full internal task force, weekly training sessions, and hiring in-house data engineers to build proprietary tools.The conversation is equal parts honest and practical, touching on what went right, what was scary, and what business owners of any size should be thinking about right now.Recorded live at Incept's podcast studio, The Vault, in Buffalo, NY.Show NotesThe Moment It Clicked – Ben's "Deep Research" WalkBen's entry into AI wasn't strategic; it was accidental. During COVID, he was out for a morning walk with ChatGPT open on his phone, working through a thorny question about who legally owns medical records produced by a physician. He hit the deep research button by mistake. When he got back from the walk, a 25-page, single-spaced memo with citations was waiting for him – work that would have taken him and a couple of associates several days. He admitted he didn't check all the citations (an early lesson in hallucinations), but the experience made clear that something fundamental had changed.The Moment It Clicked – Matt's Hour with Tony RuppMatt traces his AI awakening to a five-minute check-in with Rupp Pfalzgraf managing partner Tony Rupp that turned into an hour-long conversation. Rupp's passion for the topic made it land differently; Matt recognized immediately that this wasn't a passing trend, and walked back to his desk ready to start experimenting.Building the Foundation: Survey First, Strategy SecondBoth Matt and Ben emphasized that Rupp Pfalzgraf's structured approach started with a simple internal survey – asking employees what AI tools they were already using on their own. The results surprised leadership and gave them a real baseline: which platforms were in use, how often, and for what purposes. From there, the firm made deliberate decisions about which tools to standardize on, what enterprise-level accounts to establish (with appropriate confidentiality and security provisions), and how to build a shared strategy from the ground up.The AI Task Force & Weekly Breakfast SessionsRupp Pfalzgraf formed a cross-functional AI Task Force drawing people from all levels of the firm. Regular brainstorming sessions identified inefficiencies where AI could create immediate ROI – particularly finding where high-value employees were spending time on low-value, automatable tasks. The firm also launched weekly Friday breakfast sessions where attorneys and staff shared use cases, explored new tools, and workshopped prompting techniques. Ben led a session specifically on prompt quality, making the case that how you ask matters as much as what you ask.Going All In: Hiring Data EngineersOne of the more surprising moves the firm made was hiring multiple in-house data engineers – a significant departure for a law firm. Rather than simply purchasing licenses for off-the-shelf platforms, Rupp Pfalzgraf saw an opportunity to build proprietary, customized tools tailored to their specific workflows. Current custom builds include automated subpoena generation and document request tools, freeing up attorneys and paralegals from non-billable, repetitive work. The data engineers attend every AI Task Force meeting and take direct requests from lawyers, paralegals, and firm leadership.Measuring ROI – And Why It's the Wrong Question (For Now)When pressed on return on investment, Ben pushed back on the framing. Direct proportional ROI is hard to calculate when the gains are distributed across dozens of people doing their jobs faster and better. The better question, he argued, is whether you're maximizing the highest and best use of each person's time – a phrase David uses often with the firm. The firm has made the conscious decision to invest ahead of measurable returns, betting that productivity gains and revenue upside will compound over time.Quality Control: Accountability Doesn't Come with the OutputA key theme that emerged in both the formal interview and the post-recording discussion: AI gives you an answer, not accountability. Ben and Matt both stressed that the output needs to be owned by the person who generated it. Matt described his approach to reviewing work from junior attorneys – he can tell when AI was used, and rather than penalizing it, he asks pointed questions: Why is this argument here? How does this fit the overall strategy of the case? Did you actually read through what it generated? The goal is to build judgment in younger lawyers, not just efficiency.AI and the Future of RecruitingBoth guests expect the profile of entry-level professionals to shift meaningfully. Real-world work ...
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    37 mins
  • Jack O'Donnell of O'Donnell & Associates, LLC

    Jack O'Donnell of O'Donnell & Associates, LLC
    May 5 2026
    In this episode of the Empire State Entrepreneurs and New York Business Law Podcast, host David Pfalzgraf sits down with Jack O'Donnell, founder and managing partner of O'Donnell & Associates, a Buffalo-based government relations and lobbying firm with offices in Albany, Rochester, and New York City. Jack shares a candid look at his journey from Buffalo public schools to the halls of Albany, the deals that shaped his career, and why he believes Buffalo's best days may still be ahead.Recorded live at Incept's podcast studio in Buffalo, NY.Show NotesBuffalo Roots & Family LegacyJack grew up in Buffalo attending Buffalo Public Schools through eighth grade before going on to St. Joe's High School. He comes from a family deeply embedded in public service. His father retired as a New York State Supreme Court Justice, and his mother blazed a trail as the first woman to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, later working in the Obama administration.Early Career: From Campaign Trail to the StatehouseAfter graduating from Canisius College in 1996 - the same year as the presidential election - Jack passed up a planned career with U.S. Immigration Services and instead rode to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, handed out paper resumes on the convention floor, and landed a job on the Clinton-Gore reelection campaign. His direct supervisor was Bill de Blasio; his deputy was Karen Hinton (now Karen Hinton Keo, current Secretary to the Governor of New York).From there, Jack spent 18 months driving across New York State promoting a then-little-known congressman named Chuck Schumer. When Schumer won his Senate seat, Jack made the deliberate choice to stay in Buffalo rather than follow the campaign to Washington - a decision he credits as formative.Over the next decade, Jack worked as a political operative and campaign strategist for a who's-who of New York State Democratic leadership, including Eliot Spitzer, Hillary Clinton, Kathy Hochul, and Andrew Cuomo, earning him the unofficial title of "Upstate Sherpa."Health Challenges & ReinventionIn the midst of his political career, Jack faced a serious health crisis that required an organ transplant, an experience that nearly cost him his life. The ordeal introduced him to Upstate New York Transplant, where he formed meaningful relationships, including with David's late mother, and eventually redirected his path back to law school. He spent seven years completing his JD, graduating in 2010 after petitioning to return following his illness.From Politics to LobbyingJack registered as a lobbyist for the first time in 2008, initially resistant to the idea. He eventually recognized that lobbying offered the parts of government work he found most energizing, brokering large, impactful projects, without the door-knocking and constituent service elements he found less fulfilling.Starting O'Donnell & Associates...Right Before COVIDIn November 2019, Jack left his position at an established lobbying firm to launch O'Donnell & Associates. Four months later, COVID hit. He was frank about the fear of running a business with no formal training, but credits the crisis with proving the value of his relationships. Clients and officials needed informed navigators more than ever.Current Work & ClientsToday, O'Donnell & Associates works across healthcare, economic development, finance, and cultural institutions. Current and recent engagements include:Alstom (train manufacturer, Hornell, NY): Helped secure a nearly $3 billion Amtrak contract for next-generation trains, leveraging relationships with both Governor Cuomo and Senator Schumer - two leaders famously at odds. Those trains now run between Boston and New York City. Most recently, helped Alstom secure a $3 billion MTA subway car contract.M&T Bank: Facilitating strategic introductions and relationship-building as M&T expands into the Bronx, connecting the bank with key city and state officials.Buffalo Zoo, Albright-Knox Art Gallery (AKG), Niagara Aquarium: Advocating for cultural institutions Jack views as critical economic drivers for Western New York.Downtown Buffalo Development: Working with a developer on office-to-residential conversion legislation, sponsored by Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, modeled on programs that have succeeded in New York City.The Monday Morning MemoO'Donnell & Associates produces a weekly publication recapping key developments in Albany, Washington, and local government. The memo has won awards and is read widely among elected officials and policy leaders across the state.AI, Advocacy & the New York RAISE ActJack shared his firm's work on the New York RAISE Act, which requires large AI companies (those spending millions developing frontier models) to maintain documented safety plans and bear legal responsibility for their systems. He pushed back on what he characterized as misleading opposition from major tech companies, calling the law a reasonable guardrail; not a ...
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    36 mins
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