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Day: June 20, 2008

THE LOOP

Tag you’re it

Genesee Brewing’s new promotion might offend some folks, but probably not its target audience-21- to 34-year-old consumers.
The company last week launched its “I Tagged Genny” promotion, which currently features a girl, a guy, water and beer, and asks folks to provide a funny-often risqu?-headline for a series of vintage Genesee images at www.ItaggedGenny.com.
“The company is asking consumers, ‘Does this bikini make my can look big?’ Normally, it may be considered poor form for a beer company to ask a question like this. But (with the new promotion)-anything goes,” company officials explain.
It aims to drive interest in Genny Light and Genny. Consumers can win prizes by making their own Genny Light and Genny ads.
So far more than 100 headlines appear on the site, in the new and the “not-so-safe” categories, including: Canadians will swim across Lake Ontario for Genny; Genny, the true Finger Lake vintage; and Hi Genny Bottoms Up. Some others are not entirely ready for family readers.

Worms at work

When nature gives you worms, you make, well, worm-ade.
Three Rochester businessmen are peddling products for organic farming and gardening made from worm castings (as composting worms eat organic substances, they excrete tiny pellets called worm castings.)
Some 30 upstate garden centers and greenhouses carry the products, officials say.
“Our worms have been busy,” says Bob Jamieson of Webster-based AbsorbTech LLC, exclusive distributor for the Organix Magix brand. AbsorbTech is owned and operated by Jamieson, Whitey Proietti and Paul Congilaro.
Magix Soil Amendment and Liquid Worm-Ad are products of Organix Green Industries Inc. in Geneva.

Flag flies again

Buckingham Properties, landlord and property manager of Paul Road Business Center in Chili, and Pierce Industries, a tenant at the center, partnered last weekend to resurrect the use of the flagpole on the property. In honor of veterans, a flag will be flown day and night.
Officials couldn’t determine when a flag last flew at the former Bausch & Lomb Frame Center, but Dick Webb, CEO of Pierce Industries and a member of the Rochester Regional Veterans Business Council, felt the time had come. He asked Buckingham’s Marc Goldfischer to take the idea, including night-time illumination, to Buckingham CEO Larry Glazer.
Larry gave the go-ahead for Finnigan Electric to extend an existing electric service to the flagpole as well as purchase and install spotlights and a timer. Buckingham will pay for the electric.

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal

Van Dusen ranks among nation’s top advisers

The inclusion of Pittsford’s Lori Van Dusen on Barron’s list of top financial advisers is indicative of the change within the industry, she said.
Van Dusen ranks fifth nationally on the magazine’s list of Top 100 Women Financial Advisers announced this month. In its April 21 issue, Barron’s placed her 84th among the magazine’s Top 100 Financial Advisers, a list that includes male and female candidates.
“We’ve evolved a lot over the years, and there are a lot more women in the industry than ever before,” she said this week. “But it’s a very difficult industry and I think the firms, in general, are more supportive of working moms so more people, more women, can be successful.”
Van Dusen, 46, is managing director of investments for Citi Smith Barney, a Linden Oaks-based division of Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
“It’s a great honor to be on the Barron’s list,” she said. “It’s a worldwide-recognized publication, so that’s wonderful.”
This list of top women advisers appeared in the June 9 issue of Barron’s.
“It’s instant credibility if somebody doesn’t know you,” Van Dusen said. “That’s the great thing about it. But most of our clients, frankly, come through existing clients and referrals. It’s certainly a wonderful recognition, and it adds to the credibility of our practice. But we don’t really go out and use it as a marketing tool.”
Van Dusen is especially pleased to be on the list of female advisers for the third straight year. She ranked sixth on that list in 2007 and 55th in 2006.
“I’m glad they are doing a recognition for women,” she said. “It says something about our industry.”
Van Dusen is one of five women on the Top 100 Financial Advisers list.
The lists were compiled from research by R.J. Shook, founder and president of the Winner’s Circle LLC trade publication.
“We’re very proud of Lori, both with the current accomplishment and what she’s achieved in her career at Smith Barney,” said Peter Liebeskind, a senior vice president with Smith Barney and Rochester branch manager.
Shook screens 7,000 financial professionals annually, using criteria such as assets under management, compliance and revenues. He also interviews industry representatives, clients and management peers.
“It’s a very secretive thing,” Van Dusen admitted. “I don’t actually understand the whole ranking system. But they come up with a rank amongst your peers.”
Shook uses his personal methodology and criteria to come up with the rankings.
“These advisers are true client advocates, always striving to provide the highest quality advice and service to their clients,” Shook said in a statement.
A Smith Barney representative for 21 years, Van Dusen manages a staff of 11 and helps oversee $5 billion in assets.
“There are a bunch of people that work on my team here locally,” she said. “These recognitions are nice because they single out me, but it’s really a team recognition. We all work together in a very horizontal structure here. It’s not just about me.”
Assets under management are equally split between high-net-worth families and foundation endowments, primarily in higher education and health care, she said.
Van Dusen, who as a child wanted to be a singer, became interested in financials thanks to regular tutorials from her grandfather. She enrolled at Ithaca College intending to major in music but graduated with a degree in psychology and two years later earned a master’s in education from Harvard University.
After a brief stint selling copiers for Xerox Corp., Van Dusen began her career as a financial adviser.
[email protected] / 585-546-8303

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Paetec’s choice of builder is striking

Dear Editor:
An interesting incongruity in the June 13 issue of the RBJ. Page 9 featured a listing of the Top 25 Rochester architectural firms while a small article on page 2 reported that, although the state of New York and the city of Rochester are spending $68 million to raze Midtown Plaza to allow Paetec Holding Corp. to utilize the space to build its headquarters, Paetec has selected a Rhode Island firm to design and develop the building.
Michael J. Nighan, Rochester

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“If you are still standing, you are successful.It means you survived the nuclear winter of 2002.”
-John Purcell, CEO of Fibertech Networks LLC,on the aftermath of the telecom industry’s meltdown

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal

SNAP POLL

Proposed property tax cap supported by large majority Most also favor STAR circuit breaker, mandate relief for schools

A significant majority-85 percent-of poll respondents in this week’s RBJ Daily Report Snap Poll said they favor enacting a state law capping annual local property tax levy increases.

A December 2007 Snap Poll on the idea of a state law capping annual local property tax increases produced a similar result: 82 percent favored such a law.

A bipartisan state commission recently called for capping annual growth in property tax levies at 4 percent, or 120 percent of the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less. Gov. David Paterson the same day introduced legislation to enact a cap.

The Business Council of New York State Inc., the Unshackle Upstate coalition and others have been vocal supporters of a cap. But school groups-including the Monroe County Education Coalition-oppose it.

A new tax credit proposal, the STAR circuit breaker, would protect homeowners from a surge of property taxes. Two-thirds of poll respondents favored such legislation, which would establish a maximum threshold for property taxes for homeowners with an adjusted gross income of $250,000 or less.

Roughly 665 readers participated in this week’s poll, which was conducted June 16 and 17.

Do you favor enacting a state law capping annual local property tax levy increases at 4 percent, or 120 percent of the CPI, whichever is less?
Yes: 85%
No: 15%

Do you favor enacting a STAR circuit breaker to target individual relief to taxpayers most in need?
Yes: 67%
No: 33%

Do you favor enacting mandate relief for school districts?
Yes: 63%
No: 37%

COMMENTS:

They should lower taxes across the board-the same for everyone. The state has the highest taxes in the nation, and it hurts everything. All the fancy dancing to make the government officials look like they are doing something for the people is bogus. Cut the fat and lower everyone’s taxes, period. It is very simple.
-Dennie Brooks, Re/Max Realty Group

New York property taxes are among the highest in the nation and a major negative in the recruiting process when trying to fill a higher-level position within the management ranks of a company. Property taxes wouldn’t need to be so high if our Legislature would become more fiscally responsible and not spend as much as in the past. Entitlement programs, especially defined benefit programs, are just too rich and are on the backs of homeowners in this state.
-Randy White, president and CEO,J.N. White Designs

A cap may sound like a good solution, but, in fact, it’s nothing but grandstanding and responsibility-avoidance. What we need is for our legislators to a) grow spines; b) distance themselves from entrenched special interests, including unions, corporate lobbyists and former colleagues waving cash; and c) get to work creating a realistic future for New York State. Most of your local taxes are actually inflicted from afar. Those who are offering to solve the problem are actually the same ones who are causing it.
-Andy Vaughan

All of these plans take the wrong approach. The proper way to keep taxes low is to reduce spending. If spending is reduced, then taxes will not have to increase. As far as schools go, the two best areas to reduce expenses are teacher and administrator salaries and unfunded mandates imposed by the state.
-Jeff Luellen

Why stop with school districts? Municipalities and counties should exercise the same restraints. Let’s not let the state off the hook either; a revenue cap on total state taxes might convince our lawmakers to act in taxpayers’ interests, not their own.
-Bill Taillie, Genesee Heating

We don’t need to cap property tax increases. Simply, we need to reduce the runaway spending by all government organizations, state, county, town, city, village, schools, etc. A cap in property taxes only shifts the tax burden to other taxes, fees, or worse, increases our debt load. Reduce spending!
-Tony Schmitt, Webster

When voters elect fiscally responsible leaders, tax relief will follow. The New York State Legislature is a fine group to be passing legislation mandating other levels of government to limit their tax increases. The legislators should look in the mirror first.
-Ed Jackson

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal

RBJ DAILY

This is a recap of news reported first on the Rochester Business Journal’s Web site. To receive the Daily Report e-mail, go to rbjdaily.com/dailyform.htm.

Jimmie’s to buy, renovate Conti plant

Jimmie’s Meat Packing Co. Inc. plans to buy the former Conti Packing Co. Inc. manufacturing facility on Brighton-Henrietta Town Line Road and spend $4.75 million to renovate the plant, creating 74 jobs over three years.
The company received approval Tuesday for a tax-exempt industrial revenue bond and 10-year property tax abatements from the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency at its monthly meeting.
The exemptions total $76,000, with benefits to the community of $1.5 million, COMIDA calculations show.

Judge opposes Iberdrola deal

The state Public Service Commission’s law judge is recommending the agency disapprove the proposed $4.58 billion acquisition of Energy East Corp. by Spanish power producer Iberdrola S.A.
Administrative law judge Rafael Epstein made his recommendation Monday, on grounds it does not satisfy the public interest requirement of state public service laws.
Should the PSC decide to approve the transaction, it should be contingent upon Iberdrola and its affiliates not being allowed to own electric generating plants within transmission and distribution areas connected to Energy East subsidiaries Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. or New York State Electric and Gas Corp.
It also should be contingent on most of the financial and structural safeguards proposed by PSC staff, on RG&E and NYSEG customers being credited with $646.4 million in “positive benefit adjustments” and an 11-month general rate proceeding to consider the utilities’ revenue requirements.

May closings up 10.7% from April

Sales of existing homes in May dropped 11 percent compared with a year ago, the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors Inc. reported last Friday. However, May closings, at 928, were up 10.7 percent from April, which posted 838 closings.
The median price for the month, at $118,000, was unchanged from April, but down 1.6 percent from a year ago.
Last month, the inventory of homes listed for sale totaled 2,334, down 12.5 percent from 2,666 a year ago but up 3.6 percent from April.
The year-to-date dollar volume of sales was $513.7 million, down 12.6 percent from a year ago

Group OKs Renaissance Square design

Voting members of Main and Clinton Local Development Corp. on Tuesday unanimously accepted the preferred design concept, with Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy asking that alternative designs be considered in case the full $230 million in project funding fails to materialize.
Project administrators say they have secured $175 million in public funding for the project, although $18.6 million in federal money is scheduled to sunset this fall and another $9.3 million will expire in October 2009, federal officials have said.
If the entire $175 million remains intact, another $55 million will have to be raised. Main and Clinton officials say $20 million of the remaining funding will come from private donations.

Port officials reject ferry proposals

Port officials in Rochester and Toronto have rejected two proposals for ferry service between the cities, Rochester city officials announced last Friday.
Representatives of both cities reviewed proposals from Hover Transit Services, based northwest of Toronto, and from Sevstars, a previously undisclosed respondent based in Perinton, to a request for qualifications issued in late March.
Neither proposal exhibited the organizational or fiscal capability to succeed, officials said.
The Hover Transit proposal included two hovercrafts, which fly on a cushion of air and are pushed by propellers. The Sevstars proposal involved a vehicle that is a cross between a hovercraft and an aircraft, officials said.

FROM THE ONLINE ARCHIVE

Eleven years ago

Paychex Inc. chairman, president and CEO Thomas Golisano pocketed $37.2 million in cash and stock with the sale of Safesite Records Management Corp.
A side business Golisano developed with a nephew in 1986, Safesite fetched $62 million when Iron Mountain Inc.’s acquisition of the firm closed. Both companies were based in Boston.
Golisano said he was a 60 percent owner of Safesite. He also chaired the firm’s board but did not take an active management role. The remaining 40 percent of the privately held Safesite’s equity was spread among several private investors and Safesite managers, said Charles Graham, the nephew with whom Golisano started the firm.
Golisano said Safesite had $20 million in annualized revenues in 1996. At the time of the deal’s closing, it fielded operations in 14 U.S. major metropolitan areas, including Washington, D.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Seattle; Cleveland; and Rochester.
A publicly traded records management firm with some $161 million in revenues in 1996, Iron Mountain over the past three years had mounted an aggressive acquisition program, buying out 32 firms, including Safesite.

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal

Some managers need to learn to step away and let go

“I’ve been a manager for a long time but I’ve been recently promoted to a higher level position, which I have wanted for a while. But I realize now that to be successful in this new position, I need to learn how to develop more vision and big-picture thinking. I have been criticized in the past for being too detail-oriented and too much of a micro-manager. How do I learn to back off, let go and focus on the bigger things?”
Recognizing the problem is an important first step to solving it. Micro-managing-defined as paying extreme attention to details and not giving people the authority to do their jobs-happens for a variety of reasons, writes Marcia Zidle, a leadership development consultant.
One contributing factor, for example, is fear.
“In today’s difficult economy, managers live in perpetual fear that their department better produce or else,” she writes. “This fear drives them to micro-manage, rather than trust their employees.”
Another factor is a misguided belief about what really works.
“Many managers think their success is based on amassing as much power as possible. They therefore do not allow their employees to make decisions by themselves because they would be giving up their own power,” Zidle writes. “However, the more management allows employees to make decisions, the more powerful the entire organization will be.”
Micro-managing is contagious too. If the CEO or president of the organization micro-manages his or her direct staff, then the staff will adopt the same management style with their people and the whole problem trickles down through the organization, she writes. The practice spreads or “mirrors itself.”
What to do? The need to control is at the heart of micro-managing. And Bobbie Goheen, president of Synthesis Management Group in Rochester, suggests that you try to shift that need for control in a different direction.
“If you’re going to control, then control in a way that brings success for everyone,” she says.
She suggests that you take a process approach to addressing the problem. Ask your key customers, both internal and external, for example, what they love about what they do. Then have that same conversation with your staff, she says. And you can ask them such questions as ‘What have we done well as a team? What do you think we need to do to be stronger performers for ourselves and the company? What do you need from me as a manager to help you move in that direction?’
Then have the same conversation with your peers, vendors, suppliers and others, inside or outside the company, who are involved with your team’s work.
“You can ask, ‘What do you think this team is strong at? What could we add or improve to be better?'”
Take all the information and look for the common themes, Goheen says. Then try to get it down to two or three sentences to develop a “full, meaningful vision” that everyone can buy into.
“You will be helping the group identify what the real issues are and ensure alignment on all decisions and activities so they match the goals of the company.”
By following this process, you will set the stage for defining your new role.
“What are the metrics of being a manager vs. being a technical doer so you are able to delegate with ease? That way, you will spend more time developing people than solving problems.”
The next crucial piece then is making sure the team consistently meets or exceeds its objectives without you doing any of the work.
“That is the hard part,” she says.
The goal is for you to set clear goals, communicate them consistently, work to ensure customer satisfaction and let your people do their work.
“That doesn’t mean not helping when there’s a fire,” Goheen says. “But you will need to distinguish between a fire that needs to be put out and feeling the need to do something.”
The challenge is “removing the road blocks” where they may exist and resisting the urge to think that you can do it better than your staff, she says. If you’re in the habit of hovering over details, you’ll need to learn to “hover differently.”
“Stop hovering over the details and start to hover to give feedback,” she says. “What you want to do is shift control to ensure that you create the environment where people can thrive.”
This is not an easy task for a habitual micro-manager and in fact, you may not be able to do it at all. If that occurs, hopefully you will recognize it early. Many successful leaders acknowledge their weaknesses as micro-managers and ask their staffs for help.
“Sometimes (these leaders) let people know that micro-managing can be a strength and a weakness. If it gets in the way of the relationship, they ask their people to let them know.”
It is also important, Goheen says, to remain connected to your staff.
“People want to be with a leader who cares.”
Managers at Work is a bimonthly column exploring the issues and challenges facing managers. Contact Kathleen Driscoll with questions or comments by phone at (585) 249-9295 or by e-mail at [email protected].

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal

Hotels and Motels

See Corrections and Amplifications below.

1. The Inn on Broadway
26 Broadway
Rochester, NY 14607
(585) 232-3595
www.innonbroadway.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 292/NA
Number of Guest Rooms: 23
Number of Meeting Rooms: 5
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 288/170
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 2,300
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle:
Business center:
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge: Y
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay: Y
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool:
Restaurant: Y
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Guest pass to nearby fitness club, complimentary high-speed Internet access, kitchenettes, gas fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, feather beds, award-winning restaurant on-site
General Manager/Owner: Louis Mistretta/Robert Falone Jr.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 3/6/9
Year Locally Founded: 1929

2. Beaver Hollow Conference Center
1083 Pit Road
Java Center, NY 14082
(585) 457-3700
www.beaverhollow.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 255/195
Number of Guest Rooms: 91
Number of Meeting Rooms: 13
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 300/250
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 3,000
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge: Y
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay: Y
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant:
Spa service: Y
Tennis courts: Y
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Executive retreats, 300 acres of woodland, nature trail, team-building park with rope course and climbing wall, bocce ball courts, basketball courts, complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access, outdoor pavilions
General Manager/Owner: Daniel Egan/Snyder Corp.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: NA/NA/NA
Year Locally Founded: 1989

3. Belhurst
4069 Route 14 South
Geneva, NY 14456
(315) 781-0201
www.belhurst.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 250/NA
Number of Guest Rooms: 47
Number of Meeting Rooms: 6
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: NA/300
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 4,400
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle:
Business center:
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge: Y
Corporate discounts:
Extended-stay:
Full-service salon:
Fitness center:
Pool:
Restaurant: Y
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Winery and gift shop on-site, outdoor ceremonies, nearby Finger Lakes wine trails
General Manager/Owner: Kevin Reeder/Duane Reeder
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: NA/NA/130
Year Locally Founded: 1933

4. The Del Monte Lodge, a Renaissance Hotel & Spa
41 N. Main St.
Pittsford, NY 14534
(585) 381-9900
www.renaissancedelmonte.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 229/229
Number of Guest Rooms: 99
Number of Meeting Rooms: 4
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 130/100
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 1,500
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge: Y
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay: Y
Full-service salon: Y
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant: Y
Spa service: Y
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Complimentary high-speed Internet access, complimentary weekday hospitality hour, complimentary local calls, five different room floor plans to choose from, all rooms non-smoking, complimentary breakfast daily
General Manager/Owner: Todd Plouffe/E.J. Del Monte Corp.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 60/45/869
Year Locally Founded: 2000

5. Bristol Harbour Resort
5410 Seneca Point Road
Canandaigua, NY 14424
(585) 396-2200
www.bristolharbour.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 222/222
Number of Guest Rooms: 31
Number of Meeting Rooms: 4
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 350/275
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 10,000
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle:
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge: Y
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay:
Full-service salon:
Fitness center:
Pool: Y
Restaurant: Y
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Private beach, Jacuzzi, championship golf course on-site
General Manager/Owner: Gregory Mulhern/NA
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 10/90/100
Year Locally Founded: 1972

6. Morgan-Samuels Inn
2920 Smith Road
Canandaigua, NY 14424
(585) 394-9232
www.morgansamuelsinn.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 222/NA
Number of Guest Rooms: 6
Number of Meeting Rooms: 0
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: NA/NA
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): NA
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle:
Business center:
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering:
Concierge:
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay:
Full-service salon:
Fitness center:
Pool:
Restaurant:
Spa service:
Tennis courts: Y
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Full gourmet breakfast served, fireplaces in most rooms, afternoon tea with appetizers served, hot springs Jacuzzi spa
General Manager/Owner: Brad Smith/John and Julie Sullivan
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 2/3/NA
Year Locally Founded: 1988

7. The 1795 Acorn Inn
4508 Route 64
Canandaigua, NY 14424
(585) 229-2834
www.acorninnbb.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 218/NA
Number of Guest Rooms: 5
Number of Meeting Rooms: 0
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: NA/NA
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): NA
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle:
Business center:
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering:
Concierge: Y
Corporate discounts:
Extended-stay: Y
Full-service salon:
Fitness center:
Pool:
Restaurant: Y
Spa service: Y
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Complimentary beverages and snacks, landscaped grounds and garden
General Manager/Owner: NA/Sheryl Mordini
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: NA/2/NA
Year Locally Founded: NA

8. Residence Inn by Marriott – Rochester West
500 Paddy Creek Circle
Rochester, NY 14615
(585) 865-2090
www.marriott.com/rocri

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 209/NA
Number of Guest Rooms: 90
Number of Meeting Rooms: 0
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: NA/NA
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): NA
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering:
Concierge:
Corporate discounts:
Extended-stay: Y
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant:
Spa service:
Tennis courts: Y
Weddings:
Additional Amenities: Studio, one- and two-bedroom suites available; 24-hour market featuring assorted snacks and beverages; complimentary services including a hot breakfast buffet, weekday social hour, high-speed Internet access and grocery shopping service
General Manager/Owner: Lori Phillips/E.J. Del Monte Corp.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 18/13/869
Year Locally Founded: 1998

9. The Inn on the Lake
770 S. Main St.
Canandaigua, NY 14424
(585) 394-7800
www.theinnonthelake.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 199/199
Number of Guest Rooms: 134
Number of Meeting Rooms: 7
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 400/375
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 7,000
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle:
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge: Y
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay:
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant: Y
Spa service: Y
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Complimentary morning coffee service, seasonal lakeside patio bar and grille, indoor and outdoor pool and hot tub, complimentary wireless Internet access
General Manager/Owner: Chris Burns/Canandaigua Hotel Corp.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 90/60/150
Year Locally Founded: 1994

10. Woodcliff Hotel & Spa
199 Woodcliff Drive
Fairport, NY 14450
(585) 381-4000
www.woodcliffhotelspa.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 194/194
Number of Guest Rooms: 234
Number of Meeting Rooms: 11
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 250/250
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 3,000
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge: Y
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay: Y
Full-service salon: Y
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant: Y
Spa service: Y
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Wireless Internet access, 9-hole regulation golf course
General Manager/Owner: Cynthia Stanley/The Widewaters Group Inc.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 138/93/NA
Year Locally Founded: 1987

11. Rochester Marriott Airport Hotel
1890 W. Ridge Road
Rochester, NY 14615
(585) 225-6880
www.marriott.com/rocap

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 189/189
Number of Guest Rooms: 210
Number of Meeting Rooms: 6
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 400/300
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 4,000
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge: Y
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay:
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant: Y
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Complimentary high-speed Internet access, recent renovations
General Manager/Owner: Laura Bennett/E.J. Del Monte Corp.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 95/60/869
Year Locally Founded: 1979

12. Strathallan Hotel
550 East Ave.
Rochester, NY 14607
(585) 461-5010
www.strathallan.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 184/184
Number of Guest Rooms: 151
Number of Meeting Rooms: 4
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 375/250
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): NA
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge:
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay: Y
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool:
Restaurant: Y
Spa service: Y
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Spa packages, complimentary high-speed Internet access, complimentary parking and valet service, same-day dry cleaning, coin-operated laundry, complimentary weekday newspapers, express check-out available
General Manager/Owner: Jay Rettberg/Driftwood Hospitality Management LLC
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: NA/NA/NA
Year Locally Founded: 1980

13. Rochester Plaza Hotel and Conference Center
70 State St.
Rochester, NY 14614
(585) 546-3450
www.rochesterplaza.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 169/169
Number of Guest Rooms: 362
Number of Meeting Rooms: 14
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 1,000/800
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 7,722
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge:
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay: Y
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant: Y
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings:
Additional Amenities: NA
General Manager/Owner: Paul Kremp/NA
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 143/60/0
Year Locally Founded: 1968

14. Courtyard by Marriott – Brighton
33 Corporate Woods
Rochester, NY 14623
(585) 292-1000
www.marriott.com/rocch

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 169/169
Number of Guest Rooms: 149
Number of Meeting Rooms: 2
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 50/40
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 625
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge:
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay:
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant: Y
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings:
Additional Amenities: Complimentary high-speed Internet access, 24-hour market featuring assorted snacks and beverages, complimentary use of Mid-Town Athletic Club
General Manager/Owner: Donald Stubblebine/E.J. Del Monte Corp.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 33/15/869
Year Locally Founded: 1989

15. Hyatt Regency Rochester
125 E. Main St.
Rochester, NY 14604
(585) 546-1234
www.rochester.hyatt.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 164/174
Number of Guest Rooms: 338
Number of Meeting Rooms: 18
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 1,000/700
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 8,940
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge: Y
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay: Y
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant:
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: 24-hour business center, wireless Internet iaccess, Fastboard terminal and Express self- check-in/out kiosks, Hyatt Gold Passport awards
General Manager/Owner: Nassy Saidian/Hyatt Corp.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 150/40/NA
Year Locally Founded: 1992

16. Residence Inn by Marriott – Rochester
1300 Jefferson Road
Rochester, NY 14623
(585) 272-8850
www.marriott.com/rocny

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 164/254
Number of Guest Rooms: 152
Number of Meeting Rooms: 0
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 0/0
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 0
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering:
Concierge:
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay: Y
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant:
Spa service:
Tennis courts: Y
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Newly renovated, five different floor plans to choose from, high-speed Internet access
General Manager/Owner: Julio Velez/Buffalo Lodging Associates LLC
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 35/5/NA
Year Locally Founded: 1988

17. Hampton Inn & Suites – Victor
7637 State Route 96
Victor, NY 14564
(585) 924-4400
www.rochestersuites.hamptoninn.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 164/174
Number of Guest Rooms: 123
Number of Meeting Rooms: 2
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 60/42
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 700
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering:
Concierge:
Corporate discounts:
Extended-stay: Y
Full-service salon:
Fitness center:
Pool: Y
Restaurant:
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings:
Additional Amenities: Complimentary breakfast buffet, complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access
General Manager/Owner: Alan Holt/Widewaters New Castle Victor LLC
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 18/7/1200
Year Locally Founded: 1998

18. A Bed & Breakfast at the Edward Harris House Inn
35 Argyle St.
Rochester, NY 14607
(585) 473-9752
www.edwardharrishouse.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 164/NA
Number of Guest Rooms: 5
Number of Meeting Rooms: 2
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: NA/NA
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): NA
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle:
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge: Y
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay: Y
Full-service salon:
Fitness center:
Pool:
Restaurant:
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings:
Additional Amenities: Complimentary wireless Internet access
General Manager/Owner: Susan Alvarez/Susan Alvarez
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 1/NA/NA
Year Locally Founded: 2000

19. DoubleTree Hotel – Rochester
1111 Jefferson Road
Rochester, NY 14623
(585) 475-1510
www.rochester.doubletree.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 159/159
Number of Guest Rooms: 249
Number of Meeting Rooms: 11
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 1,000/625
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 12,500
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV:
Catering: Y
Concierge:
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay:
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant: Y
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Oversized guest rooms, high-speed Internet access, on-site convenience store
General Manager/Owner: Timothy Elie/Columbia Sussex Corp.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 75/50/35000
Year Locally Founded: 1985

20. The Brookwood Inn
800 Pittsford-Victor Road
Pittsford, NY 14424
(585) 248-9000
www.thebrookwoodinn.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 159/NA
Number of Guest Rooms: 108
Number of Meeting Rooms: 4
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 100/60
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 1,700
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge:
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay: Y
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant: Y
Spa service: Y
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Complimentary wireless Internet access, business library
General Manager/Owner: Michael Cochrane/The Widewaters Group Inc.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 40/NA/NA
Year Locally Founded: 1987

21. Courtyard by Marriott – Penfield
1000 Linden Park
Rochester, NY 14625
(585) 385-1000
www.marriott.com/roccy

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 159/159
Number of Guest Rooms: 95
Number of Meeting Rooms: 2
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 50/40
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 630
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge:
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay:
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool:
Restaurant: Y
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings:
Additional Amenities: Complimentary high-speed Internet access, complimentary use of Mid-Town Athletic Club
General Manager/Owner: Lynn Rogowski/E.J. Del Monte Corp.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 26/19/869
Year Locally Founded: 1994

22. Courtyard by Marriott – Rochester West
400 Paddy Creek Circle
Rochester, NY 14615
(585) 621-6050
www.marriott.com/rocgr

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 159/159
Number of Guest Rooms: 78
Number of Meeting Rooms: 1
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 50/40
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 702
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering:
Concierge:
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay:
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant: Y
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings:
Additional Amenities: Complimentary high-speed Internet access, laundry facility, 24-hour market featuring assorted snacks and beverages, whirlpool
General Manager/Owner: Jeffrey Schutt/E.J. Del Monte Corp.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 28/7/869
Year Locally Founded: 1997

23. Holiday Inn Rochester Airport
911 Brooks Ave.
Rochester, NY 14624
(585) 328-6000
www.hirochesterairport.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 154/154
Number of Guest Rooms: 278
Number of Meeting Rooms: 11
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 400/320
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): 4,000
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering: Y
Concierge:
Corporate discounts:
Extended-stay:
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant: Y
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Complimentary high-speed Internet access, whirlpool, sauna
General Manager/Owner: Dawn Richenberg/HIR Airport LLC
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 80/60/200
Year Locally Founded: 1975

24. Fairfield Inn by Marriott – Rochester Airport
1200 Brooks Ave.
Rochester, NY 14624
(585) 529-5000
www.marriott.com/rocfa

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 154/NA
Number of Guest Rooms: 62
Number of Meeting Rooms: 0
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: NA/NA
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): NA
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle: Y
Business center: Y
Cable/satellite TV: Y
Catering:
Concierge:
Corporate discounts:
Extended-stay:
Full-service salon:
Fitness center: Y
Pool: Y
Restaurant:
Spa service:
Tennis courts:
Weddings:
Additional Amenities: Adjacent to Rochester International Airport, 24-hour market featuring assorted snacks and beverages, complimentary continental breakfast, complimentary high-speed Internet access
General Manager/Owner: Kimberly Young/E.J. Del Monte Corp.
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 12/11/869
Year Locally Founded: 1995

25. Genesee Country Inn
948 George St.
Mumford, NY 14511
(585) 538-2500
www.geneseecountryinn.com

Average Room Rate Single/Double(1)($): 150/NA
Number of Guest Rooms: 10
Number of Meeting Rooms: 1
Maximum Meeting-Room Capacity Theater-Style/Banquet: 24/24
Maximum Exhibit Area(sq. ft.): NA
In-house Services-
Airport shuttle:
Business center:
Cable/satellite TV:
Catering:
Concierge:
Corporate discounts: Y
Extended-stay:
Full-service salon:
Fitness center:
Pool:
Restaurant:
Spa service: Y
Tennis courts:
Weddings: Y
Additional Amenities: Wireless Internet access, full country breakfast served, corporate retreats, gift shop
General Manager/Owner: Deborah Stankevich/Deborah and Richard Stankevich
Number of Employees Full-Time/Part-Time/Companywide: 2/2/4
Year Locally Founded: 1983

*In case of ties, lodging facilities are ranked by numberof guest rooms.
Notes: Information was provided by individual lodging facilities in Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Wayne and Wyoming counties that responded to an e-mail or fax survey.
1) Rates subject to change. Rates may include price of suites.
2) Approximate
3) In-season rate
4) Rate is for double room
5) All rooms are suites
NA-Not available

Reasearched by Julia Dickinson

If you would like your company to be considered for next year’s list, or if
there are any corrections or additions, please write to: Research, Rochester
Business Journal, 45 East Ave., Suite 500, Rochester, N.Y. 14604; fax (585)
546-3398; or e-mail [email protected].

Correction published June 27, 2008

The June 20 list of hotels and motels contained errors. The Del Monte Lodge has 60 full-time and 45 part-time employees and the owner is E.J. Del Monte Corp. With an average single-room rate of $229, they would have ranked fourth. Additionally, the general manager at the DoubleTree Hotel – Rochester is Timothy Elie and the owner is Columbia Sussex Corp.

The list of hotels and motels published June 20 should have included the Rochester Plaza Hotel and Conference Center. With an average single-room rate of $169, it would have ranked 13th.

06/20/08 (C) Rochester Business Journal

RBJ DAILY

This is a recap of news reported first on the Rochester Business Journal’s Web site. To receive the Daily Report e-mail, go to rbjdaily.com/dailyform.htm.

Jimmie’s to buy, renovate Conti plant

Jimmie’s Meat Packing Co. Inc. plans to buy the former Conti Packing Co. Inc. manufacturing facility on Brighton-Henrietta Town Line Road and spend $4.75 million to renovate the plant, creating 74 jobs over three years.
The company received approval Tuesday for a tax-exempt industrial revenue bond and 10-year property tax abatements from the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency at its monthly meeting.
The exemptions total $76,000, with benefits to the community of $1.5 million, COMIDA calculations show.

Judge opposes Iberdrola deal

The state Public Service Commission’s law judge is recommending the agency disapprove the proposed $4.58 billion acquisition of Energy East Corp. by Spanish power producer Iberdrola S.A.
Administrative law judge Rafael Epstein made his recommendation Monday, on grounds it does not satisfy the public interest requirement of state public service laws.
Should the PSC decide to approve the transaction, it should be contingent upon Iberdrola and its affiliates not being allowed to own electric generating plants within transmission and distribution areas connected to Energy East subsidiaries Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. or New York State Electric and Gas Corp.
It also should be contingent on most of the financial and structural safeguards proposed by PSC staff, on RG&E and NYSEG customers being credited with $646.4 million in “positive benefit adjustments” and an 11-month general rate proceeding to consider the utilities’ revenue requirements.

May closings up 10.7% from April

Sales of existing homes in May dropped 11 percent compared with a year ago, the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors Inc. reported last Friday. However, May closings, at 928, were up 10.7 percent from April, which posted 838 closings.
The median price for the month, at $118,000, was unchanged from April, but down 1.6 percent from a year ago.
Last month, the inventory of homes listed for sale totaled 2,334, down 12.5 percent from 2,666 a year ago but up 3.6 percent from April.
The year-to-date dollar volume of sales was $513.7 million, down 12.6 percent from a year ago

Group OKs Renaissance Square design

Voting members of Main and Clinton Local Development Corp. on Tuesday unanimously accepted the preferred design concept, with Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy asking that alternative designs be considered in case the full $230 million in project funding fails to materialize.
Project administrators say they have secured $175 million in public funding for the project, although $18.6 million in federal money is scheduled to sunset this fall and another $9.3 million will expire in October 2009, federal officials have said.
If the entire $175 million remains intact, another $55 million will have to be raised. Main and Clinton officials say $20 million of the remaining funding will come from private donations.

Port officials reject ferry proposals

Port officials in Rochester and Toronto have rejected two proposals for ferry service between the cities, Rochester city officials announced last Friday.
Representatives of both cities reviewed proposals from Hover Transit Services, based northwest of Toronto, and from Sevstars, a previously undisclosed respondent based in Perinton, to a request for qualifications issued in late March.
Neither proposal exhibited the organizational or fiscal capability to succeed, officials said.
The Hover Transit proposal included two hovercrafts, which fly on a cushion of air and are pushed by propellers. The Sevstars proposal involved a vehicle that is a cross between a hovercraft and an aircraft, officials said.

FROM THE ONLINE ARCHIVE

Eleven years ago

Paychex Inc. chairman, president and CEO Thomas Golisano pocketed $37.2 million in cash and stock with the sale of Safesite Records Management Corp.
A side business Golisano developed with a nephew in 1986, Safesite fetched $62 million when Iron Mountain Inc.’s acquisition of the firm closed. Both companies were based in Boston.
Golisano said he was a 60 percent owner of Safesite. He also chaired the firm’s board but did not take an active management role. The remaining 40 percent of the privately held Safesite’s equity was spread among several private investors and Safesite managers, said Charles Graham, the nephew with whom Golisano started the firm.
Golisano said Safesite had $20 million in annualized revenues in 1996. At the time of the deal’s closing, it fielded operations in 14 U.S. major metropolitan areas, including Washington, D.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Seattle; Cleveland; and Rochester.
A publicly traded records management firm with some $161 million in revenues in 1996, Iron Mountain over the past three years had mounted an aggressive acquisition program, buying out 32 firms, including Safesite.

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal

TIME OUT

IN HIS BLOOD

Joe Oster remembers struggling as a kid to fall asleep during his dad’s late-night jazz jam sessions downstairs with fellow dentists.
The Osters were a musical bunch. Dad sang and played instruments; Mom was a classical pianist. All six kids played at least one instrument.
“We were like the Partridge family growing up,” he says.
The CEO of Structured Technologies Inc. has been playing ever since. His current band, called Bandit, got its start a few years ago in a lawyers-vs.-doctors Battle of the Bands.
Oster sings and plays guitar, keyboard and harmonica. His brother Charlie-a dentistry professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center-sings and plays bass. Drummer Marty York runs a dental lab. Singer Carol Green is an advertising copywriter. And lead guitarist Dave Eisler is in the diamond business.
They play a couple of times a month at the Bayside Pub in Webster and Beachcomber’s in Conesus. Their next gigs are June 21: the Lifetime Assistance Airport 5K in the morning and the Bayside that night from 7 to 11.
Oster can’t imagine a life without music-though it took him a while to merge his musical and professional selves.
“I didn’t tell anyone for years, my co-workers. I don’t know what I was afraid of. But last year it came out.
“If I’m an embarrassment to the company, nobody’s told me yet.”
The company has been in the Cascade District downtown since 1994. Thirty employees design and maintain computer systems for businesses.
Oster, who founded the firm’s predecessor 20 years ago, says his music is “absolute therapy.”
“I can go home at night and play the piano, play the guitar, play the harmonica in the car. It calms you down. I can’t imagine not playing a musical instrument.”
-Sally Parker

TIME TRAVEL

If sword swallowing and full-armor jousts are your thing, hie thee to Sterling Renaissance Festival. Step into Warwickshire, England, circa 1585, where professional actors portray rogues and royalty in a variety of hi-jinks. Watch your back: You could become part of the hilarity. Now under new management, the festival runs Saturdays and Sundays, July 12 to Aug. 17, from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. For details and directions, visit www.sterlingfestival.com.

14th annual groove

Hard to believe, but it’s been 13 years since the city launched Rochester Music Fest.
The R&B soul celebration is back again this year on June 22 at Paetec Park. Headlining the day are the Roots, an alternative rap/hip-hop group out of Philadelphia known for great live shows. Also performing are Kool & the Gang, Ledisi and Gato Barbieri.
Of special interest is Black August, below. The five-member Rochester band’s rock-laced R&B sound-with strong instrumentals and soaring vocals-is rapidly gathering fans. They also open for Gorilla Dub Squad’s Party in the Park show July 17.
Check out www.rochestermusicfest.com for details.

Wait, there’s more…

If you work downtown, enjoy a little music with your lunch on Wednesdays. The city’s summertime noon concerts in Aqueduct Park begin July 9 and end Aug. 6.
After work on Fridays, stop by Corn Hill Landing for another dose of Rochester talent. The River City Rhythms series begins July 4 and wraps up Aug. 1. The free shows are 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

…We’re not done

Further proving summertime in Rochester is about soaking up as much sun and warmth as possible while listening to music, two more traditions return.
At Rochester Public Market, Bands on the Bricks brings Latin Night July 25; the Family Dawgs and New Riders of the Purple Sage, Aug. 1; and All Night Ramblers and Donna the Buffalo, Aug. 8.
Party in the Park shows happen every Thursday through Aug. 7. They’ve already begun, but you can still get in on the fun. Next up: Chris Duarte Group and Chris Beard on June 26.

Good taste

Munch on a crispy shrimp dumpling and wash it down with a glass of Riesling at Taste of Rochester June 27-29.
Rochester has a few of these massive wine and cuisine samplings every year. This one brings foodies to the heart of downtown for food, drink and music.
That this midsize city can support a three-day festival of local food says volumes about the number of area restaurants-and the dine-out/takeout habits of its residents.
Participating eateries run the gamut from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and Sweet Chicks Pastry Shoppe to El Jibarito and Jasmine’s Asian Fusion.
A dozen bands are slated to play. Local favorite Lou Gramm will headline Saturday night, and Sunday brings the Battle of the Bands competition.
Check out www.tasteofrochester.net for details.

Super … flea?

With the ever-blooming Flower City Days over for another year, Rochester Public Market resumes its community garage sales and “super fleas” on Sundays.
Grab a cup of coffee and an empanada and take a stroll past dozens of vendors selling everything from vintage Barbie doll collections to retro patio furniture. Keep an open mind-and don’t be afraid to dig for hidden gems. For $20, an RBJ staffer took home a Mexican painting purchased on a 1950s honeymoon.
The 103-year-old market has been nationally recognized as a great public space. On Saturday mornings it draws people from the city, suburbs and surrounding countryside.
The market’s super fleas take place 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays through Sept. 14, plus Sept. 28 and Oct. 12.

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal

SPOTLIGHT

Voters statewide support a property tax cap
A recent poll conducted by the Siena Research Institute shows that most New York voters support Gov. David Paterson’s proposed property tax cap. Of the 624 voters surveyed across the state, 74 percent agreed that a property tax cap is necessary to help people who have seen property tax bills increase by 7 percent a year over the last five years. Among upstate voters, 79 percent agreed that a property tax cap is necessary. Sixty-seven percent of upstate voters also agreed that a property tax cap is needed to push school districts to budget and spend more carefully. Only 35 percent of upstate voters felt a property tax cap was unnecessary. According to a companion report from the New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief, New York has the highest local taxes of any large state, and property taxes make up most of the taxes levied outside of New York City. (For the results of this week’s RBJ Daily Report Snap Poll on the property tax cap proposal, see page 43.)
-Julia Dickinson

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal

NON PROFIT REPORT

AIDS Rochester Inc. leads a community effort within the eight-county Finger Lakes region, providing a continuum of programs and services, including education, prevention, advocacy and support services for people infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Services offered by AIDS Rochester include:
–case management,
–advocacy and assistance with entitlement programs,
–housing services,
–wellness activities,
–emergency assistance for necessities such as utility and telephone service,
–comprehensive nutrition programs that provide assessment counseling, daily meals and food cupboard,
–on-site mental health counseling,
–support groups,
–transportation assistance to programs and services,
–home visits,
–information and referrals for medical, legal and spiritual help,
–substance abuse assessment and referral and
–Internet access.

AIDS Rochester also offers HIV prevention services, designed to stem the transmission of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Prevention specialists provide services targeting at-risk populations. Services include confidential counseling and testing, referrals, syringe exchange, safer sex supplies, HIV prevention presentations, an HIV speakers bureau and mobile outreach services.

AIDS Rochester has two offices in Rochester-at University Avenue and Central Avenue-and offices in Geneva and Bath.

The executive director of AIDS Rochester is Paula Silvestrone. The organization has 49 employees.

Financial Record Year ended June 30, 2007
Revenue %
Government grants $2,167,562 62
Medicaid 590,926 17
Special events 194,456 6
United Way of Greater Rochester Inc. 178,477 5
Other grants 172,458 5
Contributions 144,036 4
Non-cash contributions 23,595 less than 1
Other 15,715 less than 1
Total revenue $3,487,225 100

Expenses %
Salaries and benefits $2,295,515 65
Direct client expenses 490,332 14
Occupancy 346,534 10
Office and other operating expenses 300,302 9
Direct program expenses 79,668 2
Total expenses $3,512,351 100
Excess (deficiency) of revenue over expenses ($25,126)

Board of Directors
Kevin Judge, president; chief financial officer, Lifetime Assistance Inc.
Anne Nenneau, vice president; executive vice president, CCN International Inc.
David Higgins, treasurer; chief financial officer, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP
Cassandra Jordan, secretary; director of student health center, Rochester Institute of Technology
Rev. Michael Hopkins, at-large; rector, Church of St. Luke and St. Simon Cyrene
Leslie Senglaub; at-large, partner, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP
Christopher Beato; manager of human resources practices and compliance, Wegmans Food Markets Inc.
Derrick Daniels; client representative
Sharon La Mantia; executive vice president of service delivery, Paetec Holding Corp.
France Pearl Marion; client representative
Leticia Ruiz; mental health therapist, ViaHealth
Ulises Troche; client representative

-Researched by Lynne P. Cody

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal

Landing ahead for 20-year dream

At long last, dare it be said, Brooks Landing in the 19th Ward will be complete within one year.
This week, the developer behind the multiple-use riverfront project broke ground on the second phase-a $2 million, two-story retail and office building at Genesee Street and Plymouth Avenue.
Combined, the three-phase Brooks Landing project and nearby Riverview Apartments are estimated to cost $46 million.
In one form or another, the Brooks Landing project has been on the drawing board for more than 20 years as a means to anchor the 19th Ward, the University of Rochester and the Genesee River area.
Now, the project’s 80-room hotel is nearly complete and nearby, UR’s Riverview Apartments five-building project simultaneously is under way with an expected completion date set for August. Roughly 400 students will move in this fall.
Minnesota-based Christenson Corp. is behind the hotel, office and retail development at Brooks Landing; Matrix Development Corp. in the Erie County suburb of Amherst is working with UR on the apartments.
Christenson was authorized to assume possession of land originally authorized for sale to local developer David Flaum for $150,000, city documents dated last September show. That land was to be used for the two-story office building in the project.
Last fall the decision to sell the land to Flaum was repealed, city documents state, and the land was sold instead to Christenson for $1.
Under the name Genesee Brooks LLC, Flaum had planned to construct the 28,000-square-foot office building since 2005, city documents show.
Since then, documents state, Flaum opted out of the land sale agreement and subsequent development project. To avoid further project delays, the city engaged in discussions with Ronald Christenson, of Christenson Corp.
His company broke ground on Brooks Landing in November 2005, when the project had an estimated completion date set for 2006. On his recent decision to expand his investment in Brooks Landing, Christenson was not immediately available for comment.
UR already has leased 20,000 square feet of the building, where it plans to move its employment center and financial operations group-approximately 100 employees-late next spring.
The developer expects to complete the building’s shell by Jan. 1. The university then will construct its own internal fittings, said Ronald Paprocki, senior vice president for administration and finance and chief financial officer for the university.
“Things are really shaping up over there, and of course the hotel is really coming along also. Of course, that’s not our development, that’s a private development, but the hotel will be opening in the fall also,” he said.
Combined with Riverview at an estimated construction cost of $25 million, the total amount of construction in the Brooks Landing area will reach close to $50 million and provide some much-needed work to local contractors.
David Alexander at Carpenters Local 85 has been working closely on the project. Despite some news generated last year over illegal immigrants working on the Brooks Landing Hotel, the problem was fairly minor, he said.
Two illegal immigrants, who were working on the job as independent contractors, were taken off the job by Rochester City Police, he said.
“It did not hinder construction, and it was the contractor doing the work who was responsible, not the developer,” Alexander said. “To my knowledge, the company has been right on board. The Brooks Landing Hotel is just about completed now, and they’re actually getting ready to do Phase Two of the project.
“A lot of our contractors were getting bidding for the project. Things are looking better for local workers. We need the work bad,” he added.
Since 1983, Dana Miller, vice president of development at the Rochester Area Community Foundation and Rochester city councilwoman, has been an active champion for Brooks Landing.
“Initially the delays were due to developers not being able to see the market potential of the area,” he said. “Once Christenson Corp. came on board in 1999 there were challenges with land acquisition and parkland alienation that slowed the project down. There was also a reduction in hotel development following 9/11 that contributed to delays.”
The biggest hurdles, Miller said, were environmental.
In 2005, after a series of reviews and demands, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service gave the city permission to replace 1.38 acres of converted parkland within Genesee Valley Park-to be used for Brooks Landing-with 19.5 acres of vacant city-owned land located near Turning Point Park, along the Genesee River.
“The parkland alienation had to go to both the state and federal agencies for approval,” Miller said. “They were resolved with a significant amount of public review, input and advocacy along with great staff work by the city.”
“A project of this magnitude always has hurdles,” Miller added. “The biggest has been resolving remaining environmental issues along the former railroad right-of-way.”
Despite those setbacks, Miller said all three phases of Brooks Landing are under way.
The Sector 4 Community Development Corp. is working to build a coffee shop in the building at 955 Genesee St., at the corner of Brooks and Genesee, Miller said.
“The city is completing a major waterfront revitalization that includes a boardwalk and boat-docking facilities along the Genesee that will be the actual Brooks Landing,” he added. “Fifteen businesses along Genesee Street received matching grants for new facades through city funding. There is also some preliminary discussion regarding new market-rate housing in the area.”
Louis Giardino’s firm, Construction Economists of America Inc., works with banks to provide third-party financial oversight for construction projects, including both the Riverview Apartments and Brooks Landing developments.
His specialty is riverfront development. Previously he served as construction manager on the multi-use Corn Hill Landing development, built by Mark IV Construction Co. Inc.
“All (three developments) are a great commentary on development for the Rochester community. I think this is just another example of the business community’s commitment to the area. People wouldn’t be investing there if they didn’t think it had some viability,” he said.
Despite all the years of setbacks, Miller said he is confident this time the project will reach fruition.
“Major construction at the hotel site, coffee shop and student apartments should be completed in August, with the office complex being completed in winter,” Miller said. “We have great confidence in the timelines at this point, and we don’t foresee major obstacles.”
Neither does Giardino.
“I’ve been around this for years, I couldn’t be happier for the Rochester community,” Giardino said. “It’s great for my business and for the entire industry.”
[email protected] / 585-546-8303

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal

Executives often overlook importance of workplace friendships

Betty leads a high-level team of well-educated research scientists. As a group, the team tends to be introspective and often they work in their separate offices on their own. Most days you can hear a pin drop, it is so quiet. She comments that because you can’t hear “thinking,” if you couldn’t see them at their desks or catch them on their way out each night, you wouldn’t know they were there.
Betty’s team results are good but she thinks they could be better. The team is not producing as many innovative product designs as she thinks they could, given their experience and their outstanding credentials. She wasn’t too surprised to discover when her team took an employee engagement survey administered by the Gallup Organization’s Workplace Research Practice that a number of her team members do not feel fully engaged in their work. What surprised her was the possible solution.
The Gallup survey captures employees’ responses to their workplace on 12 key questions that have been proven to correlate positively with employee engagement. These questions were first publicized by Gallup in 1999 in their groundbreaking book on management entitled “First, Break All the Rules.”
Gallup defines engagement as a combination of exemplary employee loyalty and productivity. Truly engaged employees are the cornerstone of any organization’s productivity and success. Engaged employees are more energized, more satisfied and less stressed at both work and home than average employees. They rarely miss work for illness or for personal or family problems. They are the employees that make us look good as leaders. They make our companies successful.
The Gallup employee engagement survey has been administered to almost 5 million employees in approximately 500,000 work groups in over 400 different companies around the world. Positive survey results strongly correlate to high customer satisfaction, profitability, productivity and employee retention. This is the type of evidence-based approach to managing an employee work force that, as leaders, we need to pay attention to.
The Gallup question that generates the most buzz by far when we work with leadership teams is Q10: “Do I have a best friend at work?” As with all 12 Gallup questions, this question generates a strong positive response in highly productive, engaged employees, but not in average or below-average employees.
This “best friend at work” question tends to catch most executives off guard. With their drive for profitability, productivity and accountability, the implications of work friendships are not even on their horizon. Gallup’s data certainly backs this up; only 18 percent of employees report they work for organizations that provide opportunities for them to develop friendships at work. Despite this, about 30 percent of the work force manages to acquire best friends at work on their own.
As leaders we had better be hoping that is happening in our companies, based on additional research and analysis on the power of strong workplace friendships. Tom Rath, a Gallup consultant and social scientist, looked further into the payoffs from these friendships in his book “Vital Friends.”
Through his research, Rath uncovered a number of ways that best friends correlate with high productivity. Here are just a few of his key findings based on Gallup’s very extensive research:
–Employees with at least one close work friendship are seven times more likely to be actively engaged in their work. Also, they tend to be more innovative, more engaged with customers, more productive and more safety-conscious.
–Close friendships boost employee satisfaction by at least 50 percent and people with three close friends at work are 46 percent more likely to report that they are “extremely” satisfied with their work and 88 percent more likely to express satisfaction with their overall life.
–Employees are three times as likely to form close personal relationships when the layout of their work team’s physical work environment promotes interaction. Only 30 percent of the employees Gallup surveyed report working in such work environments.
Rath and the other Gallup researchers found that the term “best friend” had to be used to better differentiate the engaged, highly productive employees from average or even poor performers. When they used the term “friend” or even “good friend,” employees across the productivity spectrum would respond similarly. It is the truly engaged employees that respond to the “best friend” and crave the loyalty and support that that kind of friendship offers.
Another observation that Rath makes is that there are some friendships that can create problems for companies. He calls these “bellyache” friends-employees whose relationships are built around complaining about the company. According to Gallup’s research, bellyache friendships are generally found in companies with long histories of hostile work environments. Even in these companies, the existence of strong, positive employee relationships can more than offset the negative effects of bellyache friendships.
When Betty got the results from the Gallup survey, she noticed how few of her team felt they had a best friend at work. As she reviewed the results, one of her goals became to see if that score could be raised in the coming year.
With the help of her team she identified the types of activities that they enjoyed participating in together. She increased the frequency of team research reviews and problem-solving sessions, scheduling some of them over a meal so her team could also spend some less formal time together. She also reconfigured their workspace, establishing an informal gathering area with a large, comfortable meeting table, a coffee machine, a water bubbler and a rack full of up-to-date research magazines.
One year later, when the next Gallup employee engagement survey was administered, her team had a sizable overall jump in several engagement-related factors as well as a significant increase in positive responses to the Gallup Q10 question. She also found this correlated with an upsurge in innovative ideas from the team and a decrease in turnover.
Do you have a best friend at work? Do your employees have strong friendships at work? Do you currently do anything to encourage and enrich those friendships?
Such seemingly simple questions can produce so many complex responses, opinions and emotions among organizational leaders. Whatever your answers, there is solid research that underscores the positive power of workplace friendships and how they can help companies flourish.
Libby Bakken is an independent consultant for Career Development Services Inc. She specializes in corporate consulting in areas related to career management, employee development and work life. For more information about CDS, call (585) 244-0765. To send questions or comments about this column, send an e-mail to [email protected].

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal

Unshackle Upstate supports governor’s call for tax cap

Upstate has been hearing some promising news out of Albany recently. Now it’s up to us to ensure those promises are delivered in a way that benefits our economy and our community.
The first bit of good news was the report from Commission on Property Tax Relief, led by Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, followed closely by Gov. David Paterson’s endorsement of a key element of the commission’s report. The second was the nomination of Robert Wilmers as the new chairman of Empire State Development Corp.
Let’s talk first about property taxes. The commission, on which I served as a special adviser, was charged with looking at the reasons for our state’s excessively high property taxes-79 percent higher than the national average-and suggesting ways to reduce the burden. High taxes are a significant reason why businesses and residents leave New York State for other less expensive states, and reducing those costs is essential to helping our region attract and retain its citizens and its employers.
After months of public hearings and study, the commission made four basic recommendations:
–Capping annual property tax increases at 4 percent or 120 percent of the Consumer Price Index-whichever is less. Schools would not be required to hold a public vote if the budget remains within that cap. But if the increase is greater, the school must receive 55 percent voter approval. Approval by 60 percent of voters would be required if the increase is higher and the school received an increase in state aid of 5 percent or more. The four largest school districts in New York (including Rochester) would be exempt from the cap.
–A STAR “circuit breaker” to be implemented after the property tax cap. The current STAR program needs reform as it has been ineffective at providing tax relief to residents and provides no tax relief to businesses. This new circuit breaker program would be based upon the income of taxpayers and their ability to pay the property taxes.
–Mandating relief for school districts. The commission encourages the state to change laws, especially state-imposed special education requirements that exceed the federal mandates, adding to the already high cost of the program. Reducing costly mandates will allow schools to provide quality education without significantly increasing budget expenses.
Almost immediately after the Suozzi commission released its report, Gov. Paterson stepped up to endorse the tax cap and introduced a program bill, which he urged the Legislature to act on before session ends June 23. The Legislature has shown great reluctance to even discuss the governor’s bill, arguing that the tax cap alone isn’t enough to solve the problem.
In theory, they are correct. But they are ignoring the bigger reality-which is that instituting the tax cap is an essential first step in the process, a measure that will force our elected leaders to deal with all the issues that got us into this high-tax bracket. Once the tax cap-described by Gov. Paterson himself as “a blunt instrument”- is in place, our elected officials will have no choice but to begin studying mandates and the myriad other issues that unnecessarily drive up our property taxes.
Unshackle Upstate, the coalition of more than 70 organizations representing more than 45,000 employers who employ 1.5 million New Yorkers, made tax relief a central part of its 2008 public policy agenda. We’re behind the governor’s call for a tax cap, and we’ll continue to push the region’s legislators to take on this most important matter so that upstate residents can get some serious tax relief and school districts can get out from under the many burdensome mandates that drive up costs but don’t necessarily improve education.
On to our second piece of good news for Upstate New York: Gov. Paterson’s call for Robert Wilmers to become chairman of Empire State Development, the state’s economic development agency, charged with attracting and retaining jobs for all of New York.
Unshackle Upstate had been resolute in its message to the governor: If ESDC is to return to its governance system of a single chairman, then that person had to be someone who understood and was prepared to deal with the many critical issues facing Upstate New York’s economy.
In Bob Wilmers, we got all that and more. As chairman and CEO of M&T Bank, he is a familiar and respected businessman in Upstate New York. But he also has strong relationships on Wall Street and across the state that can only be an asset as we work to revitalize upstate. As a founder and major supporter of Unshackle Upstate, Wilmers has been very vocal about what needs to be done to spur growth in our region-including reducing taxes and regulations on business.
Wilmers said it himself during the news conference to announce his nomination: Now that he’s part of the state system, if he’s not part of the solution, he’s part of the problem. Unshackle Upstate believes he is up to the challenge of finding the solution and looks forward to working with him on this all-important goal.
Sandra Parker is president and CEO of the Rochester Business Alliance Inc. Contact her at [email protected].

06/20/2008 (C) Rochester Business Journal