Since it began weekly publication in October 1987, the Rochester Business Journal has been honored on numerous occasions for its editorial content. Twice it received the General Excellence Award from the Association of Area Business Publications, the leading association of local and regional business newspapers and magazines in the United States and Canada.

These are among the list of honors received by the Rochester Business Journal over the past several years.

Alliance of Area Business Publications

2014
SILVER AWARD – Print Scoop (for Will Astor’s story on former Excellus BlueCross BlueShield CEO David Klein’s retirement benefits)
BRONZE AWARD – Breaking News (for staff coverage of the deaths of Laurence and Jane Glazer in a plane crash)

2013
GOLD AWARD – Best Coverage of Local Breaking News (for January 2012 article on Eastman Kodak Co.’s bankruptcy filing)
SILVER AWARD – Best Ancillary Publication (for RBJ Commemorative Edition 1987-2012)
SILVER AWARD – Best Daily Email (for RBJ Daily Report)

2012
SILVER AWARD – Best Daily Email (for Daily Report)

2011
GOLD AWARD – Best Daily Email (for Daily Report)

2008
GOLD AWARD – Best Breaking News (for the May 18, 2007, coverage of Bausch & Lomb Inc.’s agreement to be acquired by private equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC)

2006
BRONZE AWARD – Best Scoop (for reporter Mary Stone’s June 17, 2005, story on the investment track record of the Monroe Fund LLC, a venture fund spearheaded by former Monroe County Executive Jack Doyle)

2002
SILVER AWARD – Best Web Site

2001
SILVER AWARD – Best Coverage of Local Breaking News (for Managing Editor Mike Dickinson’s May 5, 2000, story on Global Crossing Ltd.’s plans to find a buyer for its local telephone operations)

1999
SILVER AWARD – Best Web Site (no Gold Award was handed out)

1998
FIRST PLACE – Best Original Bylined Column (for Editor Paul Ericson’s piece titled “Vietnam: the view from across a river”)
RUNNER-UP – Best Regular Feature (for the biweekly Managers at Work column, written by Kathleen Driscoll)
RUNNER-UP – Most-Improved Newspaper, Division 2. (The revamped front page in particular was cited for its increased flexibility and impact)

1997
RUNNER-UP – General Excellence, Division 2 (markets with a population of 2 million or fewer)

1996
FIRST PLACE – Best Use of Photography

National Newspaper Association

2016
SECOND PLACE, Best Business Story, for Velvet Spicer’s story, “The job hoppers,” which explored how younger workers are less likely to stay with one employer.
HONORABLE MENTION, Best Business Feature Story, for Will Astor’s story, “Once penniless, Konar excelled at business,” which described how William Konar, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor who died last year, built a business fortune.

2015
THIRD PLACE, Best Investigative or In-Depth Story or Series, Non-daily Division, circ. 3,000-9,999. Entry Title: Excellus payout grows. Credit(s): Will Astor. Judges’ Comments: “Good work in trying to follow the money involving seven-figure payouts for this and other leaders of this non-profit healthcare organization.”
HONORABLE MENTION, Best Health Story, Daily & Non-daily Division, circ. 6,000 or more. Entry Title: Hard choice. Credit(s): Velvet Spicer. Judges’ Comments: “Hard choices, indeed, but ones that have been made clearer, if not easier, by this report, which offers a clear picture of the options available and the differences in each one. Any reader facing these issues will feel a little bit less alone with his decision after reading this story.”
HONORABLE MENTION, Best Special News, Sports or Feature Section or Edition, Daily & Non-daily Division, circ. 3,000-9,999. Entry Title: RBJ 75: Rochester’s Top Employers. Credit(s): RBJ staff. Judges’ Comments: “This is to recognize the solid effort made by your publishing team to pull together a myriad of facts and figures into ’RBJ75,’ a report to the community which is valuable to many, many businesses, institutions, associations, and individuals. A nice blend of news-editorial (the primary emphasis), graphics, and advertisements for a section which was not only throughly read and studied, but also saved and filed.”
HONORABLE MENTION, Best Sports Column, Daily & Non-daily Division, circ. 6,000 or more. Entry Title: Kelly’s finest hours have come during his most trying times. Credit(s): Scott Pitoniak. Judges’ Comments: “This column nicely handled an important story to the local readership on the sad developments in the post-retirement life of a beloved athlete.”

2013
FIRST PLACE – Best Business Story (for Mike Dickinson’s story, “How Kodak Lost its Way”)
FIRST PLACE – Best Environmental Story (for “Fractured, the Hydrofracking Debate” by Sally Parker)
THIRD PLACE – Best Business Feature Story (for Will Astor’s profile of American Rock Salt LLC co-CEO Joseph Bucci)
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Sports Column (for Rick Woodson’s column, “C’mon, Really, Who Wouldn’t Chase Down a Bucket of Fried Chicken?”)

2012
SECOND PLACE – Best Sports Column (for Rick Woodson’s column, “Wiffle ball is dangerous? Only to state bureaucrats”)

2011
FIRST PLACE – Best Business Feature Story (Will Astor’s April 2, 2010 article, “Bankruptcy lawyer needs his own talents”)
THIRD PLACE – Best Health Story (Will Astor’s article about the future of private practice medicine)
SECOND PLACE – Best Business Story (Tom Adams’ profile of Morgan Management Inc. CEO Robert Morgan)
THIRD PLACE – Best Investigative or In-Depth Story or Series (Smriti Jacobs’ article about the University of Rochester’s sale of roughly 1 million shares in VirtualScopics Inc.)
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Serious Column (Paul Ericson’s column, “Let’s be honest about the merits of the estate tax”)

2010
FIRST PLACE – Best Sports Column (for Rick Woodson’s October 30, 2009 column, “Should a sportscaster’s stupid joke really be a punishable offense?”)

2009
FIRST PLACE – Best Business Story (for Will Astor’s Feb. 22 article, “One woman’s travail is a cautionary tale,” about a retired nurse whose portfolio of 54 rental properties went into foreclosure)
SECOND PLACE – Best Serious Column (for Paul Ericson’s editorial “Why Midtown needs to be Haussmannized,” which compared the aging downtown plaza to Paris before its 19th-century transformation)

2007
FIRST PLACE – Best Health Story (for Will Astor’s Special Report article “Chronic condition,” about overcapacity at Rochester-area hospitals)
THIRD PLACE – Best Special News, Sports or Feature Section (for the Monroe County Schools Report Card)
THIRD PLACE – Best Serious Column (for Paul Ericson’s editorial “Just the Facts,” about Mayor Robert Duffy’s decision to shut down the money-losing fast-ferry venture)

2005
THIRD PLACE – Best Special Issue (for Rochester’s Top 50, its annual supplement on the area’s leading homegrown public and private companies)
THIRD PLACE – Best Sports Column (for Rick Woodson’s column: Soon, the record books will be filled with asterisks)

2004
FIRST PLACE – Best Business Story (for Will Astor’s March 21 story analyzing UR’s Cox-2 patent-infringement legal fight)
FIRST PLACE – Best Health Story (for Will Astor’s April 18 Special Report cover story (“What went wrong?”) examining the decline of the local health system)
FIRST PLACE – Best Sports Column (for Rick Woodson’s Oct. 24 column on “real heroes”)
SECOND PLACE – Best Investigative or In-depth Story or Stories (for Oct. 10 “Kodak: What If” focus section)
SECOND PLACE – Best Newspaper Web Site
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Local News Coverage (for two issues, one from March (with the “Satellite Economy” focus section) and one from September (with the Health Care Services Directory)
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Humorous Column (for Paul Ericson’s Dec. 12 Editor’s Notes column “Something so Wong could be just right”)

2003
SECOND PLACE – Best Business Story (for Will Astor’s article on enmity between Excellus Inc. and the University of Rochester’s Strong Health)
THIRD PLACE – Best Agricultural Story (for Lynette Haaland’s article on local recipients of federal farm subsidies.)

2002
FIRST PLACE – Best Business Story (for Lynette Haaland’s four-part urban markets series)
SECOND PLACE – Best Sports Column (for Rick Woodson’s column: The biggest problem with kids’ sports is adults.)
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Serious Column (for Paul Ericson’s Column: A question about profits and patriotism.)

2001
SECOND PLACE – Best Sports Column (for Rick Woodson’s column: Playing his last, best shot with the heart of a champion.)
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Serious Column (for Paul Ericson’s Column: Who made money on whatever.com)

1998
FIRST PLACE – Best Coverage of the Information Age
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Coverage of Technology or Technology Issues
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Photo Essay (by staff photographer Kimberly McKinzie)

1997
THIRD PLACE – Best Use of Photographs

1996
FIRST PLACE – Best Use of Photographs

New York State Press Association

2014
FIRST PLACE: Best Newspaper Website.
FIRST PLACE: Coverage of Health, Health Care & Science— (stories by Will Astor, Velvet Spicer and freelancer Mike Costanza)
SECOND PLACE: Coverage of Education—(stories by Nate Dougherty, Velvet Spicer and Tom Adams)
SECOND PLACE: Coverage of Business, Financial & Economic News; (stories by Kerry Feltner, Smriti Jacob, Will Astor, Andrea Deckert and Velvet Spicer)
THIRD PLACE: Rookie Reporter of the Year—Kerry Feltner

FIRST PLACEe: Design: Best Special Section Cover—Linda Race Buckbee (April 4 Women’s Health SR)
SECOND PLACE: Best Special Section Cover—former intern Suzanne Vandivert (June 13 Litigation SR)
THIRD PLACE: Graphic Illustration—Linda Race Buckbee (May 30 Hospitality/Tourism SR)
HONORABLE MENTION: Best Special Section Cover—Melanie Watson (Jan. 31 Education SR)

SECOND PLACE: Editorial/Design: Special Sections/Niche Publications— (Forty Under 40 anniversary section)

FIRST PLACE: Advertising: Best Special Section—Giving Guide

2013
FIRST PLACE – In-Depth Reporting (“Fractured, the Hydrofracking Debate” by Sally Parker)
SECOND PLACE – Historical, Anniversary or Progress Editions (for RBJ Commemorative Edition 1987-2012)
THIRD PLACE – Best Front Page
THIRD PLACE – Best Special Section Cover (for Melanie Watson’s February 2012 health care construction Special Report cover)
THIRD PLACE – Best Special Section – Advertising (for Guide to Wealth Management)
HONORABLE MENTION – Special Section (RBJ 75)
HONORABLE MENTION – Best House Ad/Ad Campaign (“More Than Just a Newspaper” ads for RBJ digital products)

2012
FIRST PLACE – Best Special Advertising Section (for Guide to Wealth Management)
SECOND PLACE – Coverage of Business, Financial and Economic News
SECOND AND THIRD PLACE – Coverage of Health, Health Care and Science
THIRD PLACE – Special Sections (for RBJ 75 supplement)
HONORABLE MENTION – Coverage of Education
SECOND PLACE – Graphic Illustration (for Linda Race Buckbee’s September 23, 2011 Special Report cover)
SECOND PLACE – Best Special Section Cover (for Melanie Watson’s December 16, 2011 Special Report design)
THIRD PLACE – Overall Design Excellence

2011
FIRST PLACE – Coverage of Education (for Schools Report Card)
FIRST PLACE – Coverage of Health, Health Care and Science (for reporting by Will Astor)
THIRD PLACE – Best Newspaper Image Promotion (for a promotional campaign for the Fast Start section)

2010
SECOND PLACE – Coverage of Business, Financial and Economic News
SECOND PLACE – News Story (Will Astor’s story on union pension and benefit fund losses stemming from the Bernard Madoff fraud case)
SECOND PLACE – Best Special Section Cover (for Melanie Watson’s November 6 Special Report cover)
THIRD PLACE – Coverage of Health, Health Care and Science (Special Report sections)

2009
FIRST PLACE – Business, financial and economic news. “(The) publication’s coverage of Rochester-area business is wide and deep, with content for both business and general-interest audiences,” the judges commented. “Special reports on alternative energy businesses, health care technology and the rise and fall of Midtown Plaza pushed this publication to the top in this highly competitive category.”
FIRST PLACE – Best Citizen Involvement (for the RBJ Daily Report Snap Poll, described by the judges as “the perfect vehicle to present topics to readers and get objective feedback … (and a) great source of inspiration for meaningful coverage.”)
SECOND PLACE – News Story (for Will Astor’s article about a retired nurse who assembled a portfolio of 54 properties, all of which went into foreclosure.)
SECOND PLACE – Best Special Section Cover (for Adrienne J. Wiswell’s design for a Special Report on water resources and economic development.)
THIRD PLACE – Best overall design.

2008
SECOND PLACE – Special Section (for Rochester’s Top 50 supplement)
SECOND PLACE – Editorials (for Editor Paul Ericson’s pieces on the Bausch & Lomb Inc. buyout, the F.A.I.R. tax plan and the legacy of former Federal Reserve governor Edward Gramlich, a Rochester native who died in September)
SECOND PLACE – Columns (for Editor Paul Ericson’s trio of columns that related “the personal to the financial to the political in a way that proves how essential business journalism is.”)

2007
THIRD PLACE – Past Presidents’ Award for General Excellence (“Serious, straightforward articles on important issues,” wrote the judges, who also commended the newspaper’s “superb layout, graphics, use of color (and) interesting features that avoid the obvious.”)
SECOND PLACE – Coverage of business, financial and economic news
THIRD PLACE – In-depth Reporting (for Managing Editor Mike Dickinson for his three-part series on CEO Antonio Perez’s strategy to reverse Eastman Kodak Co.’s sagging fortunes by turning the company into a graphic arts supply powerhouse)
THIRD PLACE – Overall Design Excellence

2006
FIRST PLACE – In-depth Reporting (for Will Astor’s story on Linda Yaniszewski and ExecuScribe Inc.)
FIRST PLACE – Coverage of Health, Health Care and Science
FIRST PLACE – Best Special Section Cover (for Dying Light,” designed by Art/Production Director Edward Fowler and featured a photograph by graphic designer Rachel Levitan)
SECOND PLACE – Coverage of business, financial and economic news
SECOND PLACE – Special Section (for Rochester’s Top 50 supplement)
SECOND PLACE – Best Sports/Outdoor Column (for Rick Woodson’s column)
THIRD PLACE – Graphic Illustration (for Special Report sections)

2005
SECOND PLACE – Best Historical, Anniversary or Progress Edition (for Rochester Institute of Technology’s 175th anniversary special section)
THIRD PLACE – Coverage of Health, Health Care and Science (for spring Health Care Achievement Awards supplement and fall Health Care and Long-Term Care Services Directory)

2004
FIRST PLACE – Coverage of Business, Financial and Economic News (for 7/11 and 10/10 issues)
FIRST PLACE – In-Depth Reporting (for “Kodak: What If?”)
FIRST PLACE – Best Front Page
FIRST PLACE – Best Sports/Outdoor Column (for column on “real heroes”)
FIRST PLACE – Best House Ad/Ad Campaign (for Buckman’s campaign)
SECOND PLACE – Overall Design Excellence
SECOND PLACE – Graphic Illustration (for Ed Fowler’s cover for the 11/7 Special Report on restaurants)
THIRD PLACE – Editorials

2003
FIRST PLACE – Overall Design Excellence (for Jan. 18 and Oct. 11 issues)
SECOND PLACE – Coverage of Business, Financial & Economic News (for March 15 and July 26 issues)
SECOND PLACE – Online Excellence
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Historical, Anniversary or Progress Edition (for Oct. 11 issue)
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Sports/Outdoor Column (for Rick Woodson column)

2002
FIRST PLACE – In Depth Reporting (for Lynette Haaland’s four-part urban markets series)
FIRST PLACE – Special Section (for the Rochester’s Top 50 supplement on the area’s leading public and private companies)
FIRST PLACE – Special Section Cover (for Business Capital Special Report Cover)
SECOND PLACE – Graphic Illustration
THIRD PLACE – Coverage of Business, Financial & Economic News
HONORABLE MENTION – Photographic Excellence
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Sports/Outdoor Column
HONORABLE MENTION – Online Excellence

2000
FIRST PLACE – Special Section (for the Rochester’s Top 50 supplement on the area’s leading public and private companies)
FIRST PLACE – Coverage of Health and Health Care
SECOND PLACE – Photographic Excellence
SECOND PLACE – Best Photo Story (for staff photographer Kimberly McKinzie’s pictorial on the technicians and artisans who constructed the set for Geva Theatre’s staging of “Rough Crossing”).
THIRD PLACE -Best Overall Design

1999
FIRST PLACE – Special Section (for the Rochester’s Top 50 supplement)
FIRST PLACE -Best Picture Story (for Kimberly McKinzie’s photo essay on family doctor Paul Rapoza M.D.)
SECOND PLACE – Special Section Cover (for the autumn 1998 Health Care Services Directory cover designed by graphic designer Melanie A. Watson)
HONORABLE MENTION – Special Section Cover (for the cover of The Lists, also by Melanie A. Watson)
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Overall Design

1998
FIRST PLACE – Overall Design Excellence
FIRST PLACE – Special Section Cover (40 Under 40)
SECOND PLACE – Graphic Illustration
SECOND PLACE – In-depth Reporting (for Mike Dickinson’s three-part series on Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd.’s South Carolina plant)
SECOND PLACE – Photographic Excellence
HONORABLE MENTION – Writer of the Year (Mike Dickinson)
HONORABLE MENTION – Photographer of the Year (Kimberly McKinzie)
HONORABLE MENTION – Coverage of Health, Health Care and Science

1997
FIRST PLACE – Coverage of Health, Health Care and Science
FIRST PLACE – Special Section
FIRST PLACE – Special Section Cover (40 Under 40)
SECOND PLACE – Special Section Cover (Computer Show Guide)
SECOND PLACE – Picture Story
SECOND PLACE – Photographer of the Year (Kimberly McKinzie)
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Front Page

1996
FIRST PLACE – Best Coverage of Business, Finance and Economic News
SECOND PLACE – Best Use of Photography
HONORABLE MENTION – Special Section Cover (2)
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Front Page

1995
FIRST PLACE – Best Special Section Cover
THIRD PLACE – Best Coverage of Business, Finance and Economic News
HONORABLE MENTION – Best Editorials