Rochester Business Journal Leading source of business news and information in Rochester, N.Y.

Although the concept of virtual reality (VR) has been around for a long time, the buzz around Google Glass in 2013—Google’s initial failed attempt at smart glasses—made the combination of the virtual and physical worlds seem right around the corner. ...

Tagged with: Heidi Trost technology

As the RBJ reported last month, Gerard J. Rooney, president of St. John Fisher College, has joined college and university presidents from across the country in endorsing carbon pricing as an economy-wide approach to lowering greenhouse gas emissions that cause ...

Tagged with: Environmental Business Paul Kane

Shortly after being released by the Houston Astros following the 1987 season, the Baltimore Orioles contacted Dale Berra about becoming a player-coach with their Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings. The son of beloved American icon Yogi Berra was grateful ...

Tagged with: On Sports Scott Pitoniak

Systemic corporate corruption, exemplified by the recent Wells Fargo and Volkswagen scandals, are not the result of a few rogue employees’ clandestine misdeeds. Instead, systemic corporate corruption involves the actions of hundreds, if not thousands of individuals at every level ...

Tagged with: Business Ethics Jim Nortz

 The idea of environmental, social and governance-friendly (ESG) investing has been around for quite a while now; long enough, in fact, that many financial institutions are now offering customized ESG portfolios to their clients.  One that I’m familiar with boasts ...

“In this tight job market, we’ve been desperate to recruit technical staff as well as sales and marketing people. I’ve been especially interested in improving our employee referral program, which offers a small cash incentive to employees who refer candidates ...

Tagged with: Kathleen Driscoll Managers at Work

The topic of CEO compensation and executive salaries has become a more prevalent concern among observers in recent years. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on CEO compensation, initiating the annual ritual of showing how S&P Fortune 500 CEO pay ...

Another round of showers had pelted the venerable golf course the night before, washing out some of the bunkers and turning the pedestrian paths into quagmires. Oak Hill had been transformed into Soak Hill, and the 1989 U.S. Open was ...

Tagged with: On Sports Scott Pitoniak

I love watching movie and music award shows. Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, People’s Choice Awards, even the Academy of Country Music Awards. I love them all. Why? Because it’s exciting—honestly, it gives me chills—to see talented artists being honored and ...

Tagged with: great workplaces Lauren Dixon

The Great Recession ended in 2009 and, despite the growth that has prevailed in the decade since, many middle market business owners have been watching economic trends closely and taking steps to prepare for the time when growth stalls. While ...

Tagged with: Corporate Finance James Barger

Bryan Karns freely admits he was geographically challenged before coming to Rochester. When told the city was located in New York State, the man charged with directing the 2019 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club immediately thought ...

The IRS has released highly anticipated regulations on the opportunity zones program, a new tax incentive program for investment in low-income communities. The taxpayer-favorable regulations clarify many key issues that had not been explained in prior guidance, both for real ...

Tagged with: Josh Gewolb Taxing Matters

One of the trends that has transformed the financial services marketplace in recent decades is the increased complexity of financial products and services. Innovative technologies have resulted in a proliferation of new products designed to hedge market risk. As we ...

Tagged with: Patricia Foster The Informed Investor

Jeff Sluman’s return to Rochester this week for the final golf tournament he’ll ever play at Oak Hill Country Club conjured remembrances of swings past. During an illustrious career—highlighted by a dozen professional wins, including the 1988 PGA Championship—the 61-year-old ...

Tagged with: On Sports Scott Pitoniak

Since having the good fortune of becoming Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce president and CEO at the beginning of 2015, my team and I have supported the concept “ABC: Always Buy Chamber.” The spirit of the slogan is meant to ...

Tagged with: On Business Robert Duffy