Profile Diversity & Special Report Anand R. Marri Inclusion Upscale rental puts love of Kevin Beckford market may be education to urges leaders to peaking work at UR take action at downtown. Page Warner School. inaugural summit. 11 Page 4 Page 8 VOLUME 35, NUMBER 13 WWW.RBJ.NET JUNE 28, 2019 Three women Cloverwood to build new senior poised to take community in Pittsford higher-ed leadership roles By DIANA LOUISE CARTER On Monday, three women will cre- ate history in the Rochester area as each one officially becomes the first woman to preside over her respective college or university. As University of Rochester, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and Col- gate Rochester Crozier Divinity School all welcome their new presidents, seven out of 12 Rochester-area colleges will be led by women and six will be first-female presidents. The percentage of female presidents Provided rendering rendering Provided locally will be nearly double the na- Friendly Senior Living plans to begin construction next summer on the $64 million Terraces at Cloverwood, a luxury senior tional average of 30.1 percent. living community. “My first thought is Susan B. Antho- ny must be smiling down on Roches- By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA The new community will consist of 106 apartment ter right now!” wrote Anne M. Kress, homes, all in a three-story building on the Cloverwood president of MCC. Luxury senior apartment living is coming to Pittsford campus. There will be a limited number of one-bedroom RBJ interviewed by email the Roches- in a big way. units and an abundance of two-bedrooms units. The em- ter-area’s four current female presidents Friendly Senior Living will expand its footprint at Jef- phasis will be on an open design and high-end amenities. about advice they might have for the new ferson Road and Clover Street with the Terraces at Clo- “This will become a gateway corner to the bedroom presidents and their thoughts on the wave verwood, a $64 million independent living community of women in higher education. They are: that will feature the largest senior apartments in the area. Continued on page 35 Continued on page 36 Security Risk Technology, new sectors spur Anesthesia Advisors comes growth for Passero Associates group fills a gap to Culver Road By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA tinue to evolve in our expertise, which in rural areas creates more opportunity.” By GINO FANELLI Armory When Gary Passero was running That expertise By GINO FANELLI Passero Associates, the engineering includes a leap An anesthesiologist is a pretty im- and architecture firm he founded, he into the future portant part of surgery. That much Cybersecurity services company had a saying regarding growth. with virtual re- should be obvious to everyone, re- Security Risk Advisors (SRA) has His adage: “If you’re not growing, ality modeling. gardless of how much you know about opened an office at the Culver Road you’re dying,” said John Caruso, the The technology the healthcare industry. Armory, adding to a blooming soft- company’s current president. transforms site What isn’t as obvious is just how ware community in Rochester. Passero Associates certainly is not plans and design expensive anesthesiology can be. Ac- Founded in 2010 and based in Phil- dying. Over the past five years, rev- proposals into ar- cording to the Bureau of Labor Statis- adelphia, SRA provides security con- enues have climbed 35 percent and Caruso chitectural video- tics, anesthesiologists are the highest sulting for large companies, particu- staffing has jumped by 48 percent. The game journeys. paid workers in the country, with a larly in the Fortune 1000. The move to firm is expanding its reach in aviation Clients tend to be impressed when mean annual income of $267,020, as Rochester carries a price tag of about architecture, and in June welcomed they think they’re actually walking well as in New York, with a mean an- $11.5 million, and is expected to cre- Bileschi Land Surveying to the Passe- through a building that doesn’t even nual income of $255,500. Nurse anes- ate up to 67 jobs over the next five ro family after the death of that com- exist. thetists are the eleventh highest pay- years. In support of the job develop- pany’s owner, Greg Bileschi. “This new service line is born out ing occupation in New York, at a mean ment initiative, SRA was granted up “I’m not buying up my competition, of our young staff saying, ‘Look what annual income of $191,130. For small I’m adding a new service plan,” Ca- Continued on page 34 ruso said of the acquisition. “We con- Continued on page 35 Continued on page 39 > 31 6 74470 77330 0 WEEKLY $2.00 PAGE 2 ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL 06.28.19 rbj.net/fast-start Wellness studio designed to be welcoming and budget-friendly Yoga instructor asks clients to pay only what they can afford By NICOLE SHELDON Melissa Griffo’s journey opening Rev- olution Studio + Wellness Bar ate up a lot of time and involved numerous noes. Two years ago she was working at Breathe Yoga studio as an operations lead and instructor. She loved her job but felt a tug to open her own studio. Initially, she looked into opening her own Breathe franchise. But the num- bers weren’t right, and she decided to part ways with Breathe and create her own brand. For a year and a half Griffo, 39, scoured Rochester for the right loca- tion. She came close to securing a spot a few times only to have her plans fall through. There were periods of dis- couragement, nonetheless she perse- vered. “All the times I wanted to quit, my husband was there putting the mirror in front of me saying ‘You can do more than you think,’” says Griffo. “He’s been Photo by Kate Melton such a great mentor and a wonderful Melissa Griffo partner.” Revolution Studio settled in at 439 membership for $88 per month. out there and if they’re making some- consent is always an ongoing conversa- Monroe Ave. and started welcoming She also incorporates food and drink thing and really want to put in the tion,” says Griffo. clients in January. The first couple of and community space pieces. She time, we’re a space that would carry it. One way they keep the conversa- months were slow due to the dreary worked with local entrepreneur and Or if you want to start a practice, this tion of consent open is by handing out winter weather, but business began to baker Alexis MacDonald of Sunshine is a place where you’re going to be able consent cards at the beginning of class. pick up in March. Griffo and her fel- Sweets to develop a menu for the well- to afford it.” One side indicates that you are open to low instructors offer a heated vinyasa ness bar. From smoothies and juices to Before embarking on her entrepre- assistance and the other side says that style of yoga, similar to what is offered bowls and hot drinks, the menu is wel- neurial journey, Griffo spent 12 years you do not want to be touched. at Breathe, as well as yin classes, restor- coming, especially for those with food in banking and worked her way up to “You have complete autonomy over ative classes and meditation. allergies or sensitivities. Dedicated to manager. Working full-time and hav- your body and no instructor has the Yin and restorative classes are 75 using local ingredients and products as ing a young family was tough, and she right to place their hands on you in any minutes and vinyasa classes are an much as possible, Griffo also features got to a point where she needed to find way, unless that’s something you want hour during the week and 75 minutes seasonal items depending on the time a healthy outlet. Thus, her introduc- and give permission for,” asserts Griffo. on weekends. Meditations are 15 min- of year. tion to yoga. “We talk about what that looks like for utes, free of charge and meant to be a A kombucha lover, Griffo knew from “We moved to Webster in 2012 and teachers when you’re instructing sev- quick drop-in for some quiet time. the beginning that she wanted to have there was a yoga studio right around eral people at one time…We want to Griffo’s studio is different than most; local kombucha offerings on tap at the corner from my house (Breathe), give teachers options to give students her business model is structured so Revolution. and I tried it and fell in love,” says so they feel empowered in their own guests can pay what they can afford rath- “I want this to be a space where you Griffo. “A year later I did a 200-hour body so they feel successful and want- er than be bound in expensive member- can get something on tap that’s not al- teacher training. Then I was offered a ing to come back rather than feeling ships like most other yoga studios. coholic, so that people don’t feel like job at Breathe and left my banking job frustrated or defeated.” “At the end of the day, the primary they have to drink or so that recovering and started working at Breathe full- A self-proclaimed introverted extro- message that’s being put out there is addicts can come here and hang out in time as an operations lead and instruc- vert, Griffo divides her time between that wellness is a luxury not a neces- a safe space,” says Griffo.