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

At 27, Kelly Taran found herself on a high rung of the career ladder—one that often takes years of climbing to reach. In January 2018, Taran was promoted to chief information officer at First American Equipment Finance.

One morning, Amanda Falzone woke up at 5 a.m. and her first thought was “You’re Hired Rochester.” Her second thought? “Oh no, I started it.”

Diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy at 6 months old, kidnapped and held hostage with his mother for 11 weeks at 5 years old and faced with a rare autoimmune condition that nearly killed him in eighth grade—Stefano Daza has dealt ...

Jennifer Cave thought she was going to be a probation officer. She was working on the civil service exam when she accepted a part-time role as a compliance specialist at Rochester Research Associates...

When Danielle Guillemette began her career as a social worker, she had her sights set on working with people struggling with addiction. She earned an associate’s degree in addictions counseling from Monroe Community College and went on to Roberts Wesleyan College where she got a bachelor’s degree in social work in 2014...

At age 35, Christina Lacagnina earned the title of chief financial officer at a prominent local institution. Lacagnina, now 36, oversees the financial health of Allendale Columbia School, located in Brighton. “At AC, every day is different,” says Lacagnina. “Lately, ...

The fast-food industry has a game-changer in town. Sisu Eats, which has been open for about six months, is the brainchild of John Klein. Klein, 28, has been sitting on the idea for a healthy fast-food restaurant for a while. ...

When it came time to look at colleges, Amy Kovach never pictured herself attending Roberts Wesleyan College. Her brother, Scott, went there and she was tired of being known as “Scott’s sister.” But, she applied anyway and received an offer ...

Lisa D’Angelo began her career at the Friendly Home in 2005 and has climbed the rungs of the promotional ladder to her role today as clinical nutrition manager. Over the past 14 years she has worked in the cafeteria, helped ...

  Quitting her job at a hotel in Dubai and then backpacking around Southeast Asia for five months was a fateful step for Natalie Dickerson that led her to a life she never could have predicted. Dickerson began her career ...

  Patricia TenEyck was tired of feeling like a failure when it came to her work. She was working as an assistant at RE/MAX LLC when she came across a quote that inspired her to take a leap of faith. ...

Genevieve Norris-Brown was born and bred in her family business, and it just so happens that her family business is also a Rochester landmark: Seabreeze Amusement Park. As a youngster Norris started working in the counting room at Seabreeze straightening ...

Karen Webber says that if you ask a lot of accountants how they got into accounting, “they say they just kind of fell into it.” For Webber, that is far from the truth. She was working at Hegedorns Market, a ...

Engineering has traditionally been a male dominated field, and while more and more women are entering the profession—and the STEM fields as a whole—the playing field is not yet level. Caroline Wheadon, an environmental engineer, project manager and hydropower business ...

Christine Pittman Ballard isn’t even 30, but her astonishing resume suggests otherwise. At 28 years old she has had four papers published, holds eight certifications, presented at numerous national conferences and been honored with nearly a dozen awards. She earned ...