Thomas Kucharski, our president and CEO , said the region’s bid stacks up well against its competitors’ bids. “I think a lot of other places are trying to be a tech hub without having the ability to partner with higher learning, companies, and having a support system to do innovation, and then having someplace to actually produce it and commercialize it,” he said. If the region is chosen for a hub, it would validate WNY as a place worthy of that type of investment, and as a place where other companies will want to do business, Kucharski said.