Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus names chief operating officer

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Inc. this week named Patrick J. Whalen of Amherst as its first chief operating officer.

The BNMC is a consortium of the region's health care, life sciences research and medical education institutions, all co-located on 115 acres in downtown Buffalo.

Whalen will spearhead the renovation, build-out and tenant recruitment of the BNMC's Innovation Center at 640 Ellicott St., the four-story former Trico Products Corp. building.

This redevelopment provides the BNMC with the physical space needed to help grow local biotech companies, as well as attract companies from Canada, overseas and across the United States to the medical campus.

"We are fortunate to have such an accomplished businessman and community leader join our team," said Matthew K. Enstice, executive director of the BNMC. "The growth and development of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and our member institutions is a great opportunity to create jobs for our community, and Pat has a proven track record to create a foundation for job growth."

Whalen has extensive experience on a wide variety of international supply-chain issues, including marketing access, warehousing, distribution, sourcing and freight-forwarding.

He conceptualized and established Fulfillment Systems International, a distribution services provider offering marketing support, warehousing and distribution, freight-forwarding and transportation service to firms operating in the United States and Canada, with annual sales of $10 million and 100 employees in five locations.

Whalen sold this company to a UPS subsidiary in 2000 and became division manager of UPS Supply Chain Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Parcel Service, providing supply chain management solutions to businesses worldwide, with 14,000 employees and $750 million in sales.

He joins the BNMC after most recently serving as trade consultant for the World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara, a community based economic development organization that builds economic vitality through global trade.

Whalen is currently a member of the board of directors for the Bi-National Tourism Alliance, the Buffalo Niagara World Trade Center and the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Alumni Association; secretary of the Direct Marketing Industry Working Group in Washington, D.C.; and co-chair of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership's Logistics Council.

Whalen has served on the boards of the Rotary Club of Buffalo, the American Red Cross Greater Buffalo Chapter and Buffalo Niagara WorldConnect. He also conceptualized and co-founded Come-to-America.

He is a graduate of the University at Buffalo's School of Management Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and attended Canisius College.