Made in America store

A big crowd on was on hand, including Nashville recording artist Ricky Lee, for the ribbon cutting of the Made in America Store at Batavia Downs on Wednesday.

Founder of the Made in America Store, Mark Andol, said that the idea began to develop quickly after the key players converged in July of this year.

"I'll tell you Ricky Lee, a sponsor of us, ambassador of Made in America Store for six years actually, you know, me and Mike Nolan (Batavia Downs executive) and Rick had been talking about different things, and Thurman Thomas is kind of an ambassador. Tie in Rick with the music and one thing led to another. I mentioned to Mike 'why don't you put a store in here?' he said 'I would if I had a store' and one thing led to another and here we are today.”

For more coverage of the opening, visit WBTAi.com.

Photo and information from our news partner, WBTA.

Press release:

Officials from Western Region Off-Track Betting Corporation (WROTB) and the Made in America Store today announced their partnership to bring a Made in America Store to Batavia Downs. The grand opening of the new store and ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in the lobby of Batavia Downs on Park Road. A performance by Nashville Recording Artist Ricky Lee will follow the ceremony at the facility.

The Made in America Store, which started with just 50 products, today carries 7,000 products from more than 500 U.S. manufacturers, all 100-percent American made. The Store is headquartered in Elma, New York.

“We are proud to partner with Batavia Downs to bring our line of American-made products to the great people of Genesee County and the many tourists and visitors who’ve made this venue a world-class destination,” said Mark Andol, founder of the Made in America Store. “The people of this community are as patriotic as any you will find across the country. We are confident that this store will be one of our busiest and most successful locations.”

For Western Region Off-Track Betting Corporation, the Made in America Store will be its first retail venture on the grounds of Batavia Downs.

“Over the years, we’ve had a multitude of opportunities to partner with entities from the retail sector at Batavia Downs,” said Henry Wojtaszek, CEO/president of WROTB. “In deciding to partner with MIA, the decision was not a difficult one; we both support American workers, jobs in this community, and American jobs across the country.”

Owned and operated by 15 Western New York counties and the cities of Rochester and Buffalo, Western Regional OTB is a public benefit corporation with headquarters in Batavia, NY. WROTB owns and operates 29 branches, as well as Batavia Downs Gaming, a standard bred racetrack and gaming facility. Since its inception, Western OTB has generated over $215 million in operating and surcharge revenues to the taxpayers of those participating municipalities.

“As a public benefit corporation, it is imperative that every decision we make is in the best interests of the 17 municipalities that encompass the corporation and share the revenue generated by the corporation,” Nolan said. “I can’t think of a retail collaboration that fits better into our mission than partnering with MIA.”

Maybe you've been wanting to pick up an American Buffalo hoodie or a women's spaghetti-strap shirt with the Made in America logo on it, but you haven't had a chance to drive to one of the MIA outlets in Erie County.

Well, you're in luck (no pun intended) as plans have been finalized to locate a Made in America store in the lobby of Batavia Downs Gaming on Park Road.

"About three weeks ago, (Western Regional Off-Track Betting President) Henry (Wojtaszek), (Vice President of Operations) Scott (Kiedrowski) and I met with Mark Andol, owner of the Made in America franchise headquartered in Elma, and we signed an agreement to open a gift shop at Batavia Downs Gaming," said Michael Nolan, WROTB's chief operating officer.

"We feel that it's a good idea, especially being a public benefit corporation, that fits right in the bloodstream of our demographics."

Nolan said Batavia Downs will offer clothing apparel -- T-shirts, hoodies, etc. -- and other items, with some of the clothing to bear both the MIA and Batavia Downs Gaming insignias.

The announcement was made this morning at the WROTB Board of Directors meeting at Batavia Downs Gaming.

For more about the Made in America store, go to www.madeinamericastore.com.

In other developments, Nolan said:

-- He expects the Downs' partnership with FanDuel to offer fantasy sports competition at Batavia Downs Gaming at some of its OTB branches to "receive clearance" from the New York State Gaming Commission by next week -- "in time to be off and running for the 2016 NFL season." 

The gaming board approved FanDual's application to operate in New York State last week, action that came on the heels of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision to legalize interactive fantasy sports in New York. Previously, WROTB signed a four-year contract with FanDual.

-- That an EZ Bet kiosk is being placed at Letchworth Pines in Portageville. This will be the third such kiosk in Wyoming County, with the other two located at BenGo’s Express Mart in Attica and the Arcade Hotel.

Letchworth Pines was purchased last year by Kevin Sass, who has been involved in the bowling business since the late 1990s and also was a competitor on the Professional Bowlers Association Regional Tour. 

A grand opening, featuring prize drawings and refreshments, is scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at The Pines. It is located at 6985 Fillmore Road.