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

 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

More and more over the last few years, I have picked up the phone to hear a panic-stricken client divulging their inability to access critical electronic files and receipt of a nefarious communication requiring immediate payment. These clients have ranged ...

Tagged with: Jeremy J. Wolk law

The shy kid was not very popular. He was somewhat of a loner. Didn’t have many friends. So, it wasn’t all that surprising that when he mailed out the invitations to his bar mitzvah, his classmates reacted with apathy. Most ...

If you’re in the business of creating new technologies, including designing and developing software and hardware, your technology skills far exceed the average person, according to an international study published in 2016 by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ...

Tagged with: Heidi Trost technology

Though business owners may recognize the need to use energy more efficiently, many are concerned about the costs associated with improving the efficiency of their operations. However, energy savings can and should lead to significant cost savings. For example, since ...

Tagged with: Bob Bechtold Environmental Business