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President of First Amherst Development Group since 2005, Ben Obletz joined the family business in 1999 as a 3rd generation owner and developer, and has already made his mark in company history.
Ben served as lead partner in two major adaptive re-use projects that are considered pioneer in the rebirth of downtown living in the City of Buffalo. In 2003 he led the $5 million conversion of the former Elk Street food terminal into upscale luxury apartments, now known as The Lofts @ Elk Terminal. Soon after, he led his project team in the $6.5 million development of The Granite Works, a mixed-use development located on the 800-block of Main Street in downtown Buffalo, involving the renovation and re-use of five adjacent historic structures into a combination of residential and commercial/retail properties.
Ben has worked closely with the City of Buffalo, the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency (BURA) and the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), to bringing new life to older buildings in the Queen City. He has become a subject matter expert and industry spokesperson on the topic of adaptive re-use housing, downtown (Buffalo) housing, and historic preservation.
Career Development
Ben started his career “in the trenches” of real estate development and management, first as a property manager with Realmark Properties (1995 to 1999). After joining First Amherst as a property manager in 1999, he was promoted to director of property management in 2003, and became president in 2005.
Ben has considerable experience in all aspects of the company’s property operations in Buffalo, Amherst, southern Ontario, and Portland, Oregon. He provides leadership and direction to an executive management team responsible for leasing, marketing and administration; accounting; finance and development; and property operations, while continuing to be involved in the development and management of more than 2 million square feet of commercial, retail, industrial, and residential properties.
Awards and Honors
As a result of Ben’s leadership in the development of The Granite Works, his company received the “Buffalo Preservation Award” from the City of Buffalo Preservation Board; the “Pewter Plate Award” from the Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier for exemplary preservation leadership; and the Business First “Brick By Brick” award for Best Residential Project, in 2007.
In 2006, he accepted the “Zenith Award” from the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, honoring First Amherst Development Group for exhibiting superior dedication to maintaining the highest standard of ethical performance and professional service to its customers.
Personal awards include Buffalo Spree magazine’s “Best Developer of WNY” award in 2007, and the “Horizons Citizen of the Year Award” from the Boy Scouts of America in 2007, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the local community and dedication to serving western New York. He also received the 2004 “Fernbach Award” from Working For Downtown (WFD) for his commitment to the aesthetic improvement of downtown Buffalo.
Education / Community Involvement
A native of Buffalo, Ben graduated from The Park School of Buffalo, and majored in Business Management at the University at Buffalo. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Buffalo Urban Development Corporation (BUDC), as well as the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. In 2007, Ben was appointed Chairman of the Buffalo Police Foundation. Ben is an active member of the Buffalo Renaissance Foundation and the Buffalo Club. |
