Rick Plympton

CEO, Optimax Systems, Inc

Years in current role: 20

What was your biggest success in 2021?

It’s not my success, but the success of our team at Optimax. With focus on our mission — Enabling customer success and employee prosperity — we grew revenue by more than 30% and hired about 80 new employees.

What are your expectations for 2022?

My hope for this year is that we will reset working conditions that are free of masks and social distancing; that we will be able to have social gatherings to reconnect with old friends and make new friends.

What is your biggest takeaway from dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic?

We are stronger and more resilient than we know. I am so proud of the Optimax team and how we have managed our way through the last two years of chaos.

What is your favorite thing about the Rochester community?

Rochester and the Finger Lakes region is a high tech hub that provides innovation for a better tomorrow. Our ability to invent, develop and market technology solutions brings wealth to our region and the opportunity for a good quality of life.

If time were no issue, what would you do to help the community that you aren’t already doing?

We live in a caring community with strong philanthropy and nonprofit organizations. I would love to see better collaboration, processes and metrics to ensure that our efforts achieve sustainable results to improve lives.

This profile is part of Rochester Business Journal's Power 100 list for 2022. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. View the full list at rbj.net.