Cause + Effect Strategy brings data analytics company to downtown Rochester

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Having grown up in Rochester, John Loury knows very well the history of the Eastman Kodak Co., from the global powerhouse George Eastman created to the product-altered, scaled-down version that operates today.

His great grandfather was a security guard at the Kodak Tower. His grandfather and father both worked in Building 110 in perforation of 35mm film and Kodak Motion Picture film stocks.

So even as his own small business continues to enjoy strong growth — Cause + Effect Strategy just moved into new office space in downtown Rochester — those red illuminated letters of KODAK atop the corporate headquarters provide direction.

“I have an unencumbered view of the Kodak Tower from my office,” Loury said, “and it’s a reminder to keep pushing, that there’s more work to be done.”

Loury is president of Cause + Effect Strategy, a business intelligence and consulting firm that uses data insight and analytics to help clients grow. The company was founded in 2015 by Loury, Eric Webber and Michael Sutton, who serves as vice president of client service.

There has been steady year-over-year growth as more clients seek answers and direction from data. Over the past three years, revenue increased by 54 percent.

The move from Henrietta to 205 St. Paul was all part of the initial CES five-year plan. Except they encountered a COVID-19 roadblock, which delayed the relocation by more than two years. They were preparing to sign a lease back in early 2020 when the pandemic put much of the world on pause. They finally cut the ribbon last week.

“If I had signed that lease then, it probably would have been one of the saddest decisions I ever made,” Loury said. “But now we are so excited to celebrate a 100 percent privately funded relocation, to get downtown and help have an impact on the Rochester economy.”

Moving into the city had been a goal. Loury said they wanted space that “was more in line with the clientele we have. This was a very thought-out strategic initiative to get down here.”

The two-year pause in plans provided an opportunity to move into the Chapin Building, which sits just off the Inner Loop. Architecture and engineering firm CPL had vacated earlier this year, so Cause + Effect took a portion of their former fourth-floor space, about 2,300 square feet. That’s 1,400 square feet more of office than they had on John Street in Henrietta, which Loury called “right-sizing.”

“We’re right on the edge of where the city begins along the old-school thoroughfare,” Loury said. “It was the gateway at one time and it could be the gateway again.

The building is owned by Rainaldi Brothers Inc., which Loury said provided “the opportunity to rent from an old family friend.”

Rooms all have glass doors with auditory privacy. There are three virtual meeting rooms, as well as a phone-booth style room.

“The space is very conducive to hoteling,” Loury said. “Your laptop is your passport in this office.”

Cause + Effect has a staff of 16, though most are remote. Six employees will call the new space their work home while the other 10 are located in New York City, Boston, Houston and India.

“Work-from-home is not going away, so the question was: ‘How do we create a space that people want to work in?’ ” Loury said. “This is a modern, consultative space.”

Another feature is the mural on the wall, which was created by local artist Thievin’ Stephen. The artwork depicts a macaw in a hot air balloon that is flying high above the globe. The message: Yes, birds can fly, but even they need help to soar to new heights.

Which is what Cause + Effect is all about.

“We help companies go above and beyond their normal flight through data,” Loury said.

And now they’re doing that work from the heart of downtown Rochester.

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