{Women Who Move the City} Lindsay Carucci from Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission

I've had the pleasure of knowing today's Woman Who Moves Buffalo from a few years ago. Lindsay Carucci, is a talented, smart, outgoing person who moves Buffalo in the right direction everyday not only in her passion for the Buffalo area, but in her everyday career as the Sports Service Manager at the Buffalo Niagara Sports Commision. I only find it appropriate to share her story as the NCAA Tournaments begin in Buffalo tomorrow. Check out the interview below.

BP: How many times has Buffalo hosted an NCAA Tournament?

LC: This will be the 5^th time Buffalo has hosted.

BP: What does it do for the local economy?

LC: It impacts local hotels, restaurants and attractions in so many ways. This creates new revenues, and allows the city to shine. Buffalo is known for welcoming visitors with open arms, and this translates to all local entities and their employees.

BP: How many teams will be in town for the tournament and how many people from out of town do you expect to visit the WNY area?

LC: There will be 8 teams in town, we expect about 12,000 visitors.

BP: Can people purchase tickets to attend a game or games?

LC: Tickets are for sale here: http://www.ncaa.com/final-four#!tickets_hospitality

BP: If people want to volunteer or be involved who can they contact?

LC: Me! Lindsay Carucci – sport services manager, Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission 716-218-2932, Carucci@buffalosportscommission.com

BP: A brief summary of your position and what you like best about it?

LC: Sport Services Manager – once an amateur sporting event chooses Buffalo as their venue, our office assists with finding somewhere to play, hotels to stay in, restaurants to eat in, and attractions to visit. We serve on Local Organizing committees for the events to help get the correct mediums involved to assure the event is a success, and they want to return to the area. We can solicit sponsorships, coordinate volunteers, and do whatever comes up to assure the sporting event is a success.

BP: What do you like best about Buffalo?

LC: Easily, it’s the people. Working with local entities and seeing how excited they are to have large scale (and small scale) events here, as well as seeing how they bend over backwards to make things happen is always a pleasant surprise. There is no question that we are a sports town. We have some pretty unique facilities that are willing to host events, and everyone understands the bigger picture when it comes to hosting these events and showcasing our city well. I love seeing a city come together, and seeing the pride that Buffalonians have for their city.

BP: Do you have a favorite business or place to go in town?

LC: I think my top two are SoHo Burger Bar and Osteria 166. Their owners always seem to go above and beyond for the city, and as a “local” gal, I always feel more than welcome in those restaurants.

BP: What is a favorite quote you may have?

LC: I like the quote on the sign in Dino BBQ that says “Help Build a Better Buffalo” because that’s what I try to do every day in whatever small ways I can.

BP: If you could be a part of one thing in Buffalo or create one thing in town what would it be?

LC: I like the progress that is being made at our water front, and I would like to play a larger role in developing that area, and allowing other folks to see what a beautiful space it is, and how much potential it has.

Here are the teams coming to town: Syracuse, Ohio State University, Villanova, St. Joseph’s University, Dayton, UCONN, Western Michigan, Milwaukee

If you'd like to keep up to date on the NCAA tournament and all that the Sports Commission is doing in Buffalo check out their website here. Follow them on twitter and facebook . And use the #buffhoops when tweeting this week!

If you'd like to volunteer at any of the NCAA games contact Lindsay at: 716-218-2932, Carucci@buffalosportscommission.com & if you need or would like tickets go here.

Thank you Lindsay for letting me share your story and for believing in Buffalo. xo