In the Lead: RBJ announces 2024 Best Women-Owned Businesses

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We are pleased to introduce our new recognition program — In the Lead: Best Women-Owned Businesses in Rochester — which recognizes accomplished companies owned by women that demonstrate excellence across a broad spectrum of criteria.

The businesses highlighted in this program are contributing in many ways to the economic success we see in our region.

The challenges facing women-owned businesses are well documented. Persistent stereotypes lead to invidious discrimination. The old-boy network protects its members. Access to capital can be limited. Competing demands often create self-doubt.

The companies you will learn about in this program succeed despite these odds. They thrive on some or on many levels — growth in the marketplace; high employee morale; strong community engagement; innovation and product breakthroughs. Perhaps they are trailblazers in a sector traditionally dominated by male-owned companies.

This list was compiled by Rochester Business Journal’s editorial leadership team based in part on recommendations from the community as well as our own internal research.

To quality for recognition, a company must be entirely or substantially owned by a woman, or women, and based in the Rochester area. It can be a franchise or subsidiary of a national company as long as the local operation is women-owned.

Please join us in congratulating the businesses we honor here. We hope you enjoy the profiles of these companies and their unique stories.

If you know of a company you think is a strong candidate for future inclusion on our In the Lead: Best Women-Owned Businesses list, we’d love to hear from you. Just go to rbj.net/submit-recommendation-for-in-the-lead-best-women-owned-businesses and tell us about the company you believe should be recognized.

You can also email me with feedback and suggestions at [email protected].

Ben Jacobs
Associate Publisher and Editor