David Rogers, CEO and co-founder of self-storage real estate investment trust and management firm Life Storage Inc., has volunteered to fund the construction of a 73-foot-long replica packet boat in tribute to the vessels that first ventured down the Erie Canal in 1825. Rogers and his wife, Joan, offered to pay for the Buffalo, N.Y., Maritime Center’s $325,000 project after touring the Black Rock boat-building facility.
"I loved the idea that they were building it as historically accurate as they could get it," Rogers told the source. "All the work they do there is just remarkable, and they had a good plan."
The state also announced last week that it would spend $4 million to build a special structure to house the boat’s construction. Groundbreaking is expected next spring, with work on the vessel scheduled to begin on Memorial Day 2020. The packet boat, which will take three years to build, will be moored in the commercial slip at Canalside, a neighborhood and marketplace in Buffalo’s inner harbor. It’ll be used as a tourist attraction, making visits to towns along the Erie Canal, according to the source.
The Erie Canal will celebrate its bicentennial in 2025.
"We have worked so hard to prepare and advocate for this project, but David was the one who opened the door and made this a reality," said Brian Trzeciak, executive director of the maritime center. "He really does love Buffalo and believes in this project as much as we do."
As a board member for the Old Fort Niagara Association, Rogers saw how commemorative events for the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 can galvanize community members. "I saw how milestones propel organizations," he told the source.
"Here's a guy who started and grew a business, and instead of taking his money out of town, he's used his position to invest it right back into the community, where it can have a lasting presence," said Deborah Lynn Williams, development director for the maritime center.
Based in Buffalo, Life Storage operates more than 700 self-storage facilities in 28 states under the Life Storage and Uncle Bob’s brands. Its portfolio of owned and managed facilities comprises more than 50 million square feet.
Source:
The Buffalo News, 'Sort of a Boat Guy': Life Storage CEO to Foot the Bill for Packet Boat at Canalside