NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - George Augstell wanted more than a job. He wanted to open his own business.
So shortly before the Golisano Center for Community Health was complete, Augstell knocked on the office door of Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center president and CEO Joe Ruffolo.
"I thought he was delivering me mail or something, and he said can I sit down? I said sure George sit down. He said I want to operate the coffee shop at the Golisano Center, and I said I didn't even know we were having a coffee shop at the Golisano Center. He says we are, and I'm going to run it. I said you think you can run it? He says I know I can run it. I said you got it," said Ruffolo.
Ruffolo got in touch with the architects to revise the plans and make room for what would become "Uncle Bill's Coffee Stop," a no-frills place to grab a cup of coffee or a snack. It's named after Augstell's late uncle, a Niagara Falls police officer, who lost his battle with cancer.
"He was my greatest uncle of all time. I miss him a lot. He passed away. This is the legacy of Uncle Bill," said Augstell.
Augstell made his dream a reality with the help of People Inc.'s self-directed services program. The organization helped him come up with a business model and budget and helped him secure funds through Medicaid and other state agencies to make it all happen.
Uncle Bill's Coffee Stop is located at 533 10th Street in Niagara Falls, inside the Golisano Center for Community Health. It's open Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.