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

Climate change is a big problem. Not just “big” in that it may cause a lot of important problems in the future, but also “big” in the sense that fighting it requires participation from the entire world, lots of new ...

A friend of mine needed surgery to remove a benign tumor in his pituitary gland. Like any surgery involving the brain, that’s an operation requiring great precision. The involved parts are small and delicate. Not long after his successful operation, ...

Tagged with: John Engels leadership

The prognosis was beyond gloomy. It sounded more like a death sentence. Ricky Palermo was told that not only would he never walk again after being paralyzed in an automobile accident in 1981, but also he could count on living ...

Tagged with: On Sports Scott Pitoniak

After 20 years of compiling the annual list of 100 Best Companies to Work For, Great Place to Work® has updated the metrics it uses to evaluate and rank companies. Until now, it has measured trust, pride and camaraderie, because ...

Tagged with: great workplaces Lauren Dixon

The roots of his distinguished broadcasting career can be traced to the dashboard radio of a parked car in a Commack, N.Y. driveway, just off the Long Island Expressway. It was there, in the family jalopy, that 10-year-old Bob Costas ...

Tagged with: On Sports Scott Pitoniak

The Supreme Court has upended one of the most basic principles of sales tax law, allowing states to impose sales tax collection duties on out of state companies. The 5-4 ruling in Wayfair v. South Dakota, authored by retiring Justice ...

Tagged with: Josh Gewolb Taxing Matters

In the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) v. W. J. Howey, the U.S. Supreme Court established a test for determining whether an instrument is an investment contract that is treated as a security and subject to securities laws. William Hinman, ...

Tagged with: Jeremy J. Wolk law

Every investor needs to grapple with a few bedrock decisions to approach investing with success, but there is one decision that rules them all: choosing an investment philosophy. Every investor must decide upon an asset allocation strategy. Which asset classes ...

Tagged with: David Peartree The Informed Investor

Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce has enjoyed a very strong, teamwork-driven relationship with Greater Rochester Enterprise and Empire State Development over the past year. I applaud GRE CEO Matt Hurlbutt, ESD Finger Lakes Regional Director Vinnie Esposito and their teams ...

Tagged with: On Business Robert Duffy

Now that their 17-year playoff drought is history, the Buffalo Bills are hoping first-round draft pick Josh Allen will help them end their franchise quarterback drought. This dry spell can be traced to 1996 when Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Jim Kelly ...

Tagged with: On Sports Scott Pitoniak

Even in the face of tax reform uncertainty, 2017 proved to be a near-record year for mergers and acquisitions. Companies accepted uncertainty to avoid missing opportunities to remain competitive. With tax reform certainty and technology convergence being major themes in ...

Tagged with: Corporate Finance James Barger

“We are hiring for a critical position on our team and, like every hiring manager, I’m looking for someone with great technical skills who will be a good fit with our team and the company’s culture. At a recent meeting, ...

Tagged with: Kathleen Driscoll Managers at Work

At her lowest points—and there had been many in recent years—Kristy McPherson contemplated tossing her golf clubs into the Atlantic Ocean and teeing up a new career. Four surgeries on her left elbow had altered the fluid, textbook swing that ...

Tagged with: On Sports Scott Pitoniak

“What have you learned about yourself in the past two years?” That’s the question I ask applicants to our Advanced Leadership Course, as well as prospective consultants who express a desire to join our team. That important question underscores a ...

He knew the law. It was strictly enforced. There were no exceptions. No eating in the living room.  He sensed the danger. If he was caught, punishment would be swift and sure. But as he weighed the risks and contemplated ...

Tagged with: Business Ethics Jim Nortz