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

Invictus Electrical is a small company with one big advantage.   Formed in 2009 by its president and founder, Christine Hand Dertinger, the Bloomfield-based electrical company has an ace in its electrician, her husband, Mike Dertinger. He is a master ...

Mike Centola has sold hundreds of thousands of stickers with a slogan that would suggest the opposite.   Centola, 30, owns and operates I Hate Stickers, a website that sells stickers featuring everything from skating and motorsports logos to funny ...

Adam Bernhardt spent three unfulfilling years in the corporate world before buying a landscape curbing business in 2008. Last month, he added a second company to his portfolio.   Bernhardt, 32, owner of Curb Magic on Portland Avenue, acquired Lawn ...

It was roughly eight years ago when Cynthia Evans, a self-described health nut, took her children out for hot chocolate at a cafe and ended up participating in a tea tasting there.   The tasting became a regular event for ...

At an early age, Jack Schickler learned the importance of keeping equipment well-maintained.   “I grew up on a farm, and I took care of fixing the tractors and trucks,” he says. “If they didn’t work, we didn’t eat.”   ...

Irondequoit staple Jerry’s Jewelers is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. But the career of its founder, Gerardo Magnotta, has been even longer, spanning more than 60 years and three continents.   Magnotta’s career in jewelry began when he was ...

Jerry Jacobsen had the idea to start a business using his computer hardware and programming skills. His wife, Nancy Jacobsen, had the business experience to get it started.   Together, the pair founded J & N Computer Services Inc. in ...

Auto repair almost always has played a central role in Jay Glomboski’s life.   Even as a young boy, he worked on small engine repairs. Later on, he gained experience as a dealer-level technician and honed his skills at other ...

Diane Marcus was working in a Train the Trainer course and needed to complete a public speaking component.   The longtime teacher and U.S. Airways customer service employee turned to a book on business etiquette from Emily Post. Marcus instantly ...

Lisa Riggi, who launched LHR Administrative Services six years ago as a hands-on secretarial and bookkeeping company, has transitioned to surrogate cheerleader, psychologist, clergywoman and life coach.   Riggi, 48, owns the administrative services business that now includes the Coaches ...

When Debra Ross started KidsOut-andAbout.com in 2001, she saw it as a simple community website.   KidsOutAndAbout.com still is a community website. But now it also is a mainstay in eight communities around the country, with potentially more to follow. ...

Rich Calnan is proof that you have to spend money to make money.   Three years ago his company, Decal Mods, fell victim to the recession. The custom auto decal business tanked when the automotive industry fell on hard times, ...

By THOMAS ADAMS Bradley Preston has virtually cornered the youth volleyball market with his event management system and is expanding into other sports and services.   Preston, a Webster resident, is majority owner of Advanced Event Systems LLC, which schedules ...

Throughout her life, Kim Pandina has enjoyed working with her hands and being outdoors. She incorporates both into her jewelry business, Panda Wear, in which she specializes in custom wire and stone pieces.   Pandina started her business in 1998 ...

The Small Business Council of Rochester has honored two business owners as Business Persons of the Year at its annual awards ceremony.