package of articles and features
Transcription
package of articles and features
Profile Special Section When Robert Titus joined Innovative Solutions, he had no idea he’d become CEO. Page 10 VOLUME 30, NUMBER 24 The seven Rochester Business Ethics Awards finalists are profiled. Page 15 WWW.RBJDAILY.COM FLTG adds Yawman as firm grows The List This week’s list ranks the area’s highest-paid public school officials. Pages 7, 9 SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 A singular couple Former Frontier executive to join Victor company By KERRY FELTNER File photos by Kimberly McKinzie Telecommunications veteran Philip Yawman is joining Finger Lakes Technologies Group Inc. as its senior vice president of business development, effective Monday. Until July 1, Yawman was vice president and general manager of Frontier Communications Corp.’s Greater Rochester operations. The Victor-based FLTG needed to expand its top management to handle the expansion of its business, which now includes 24 markets. The company expects 20 to 30 percent growth, largely because of its fiber-optic network, which covers more than 2,000 miles. “Our market has grown dramatically in the last couple of years,” said Paul Griswold, president and CEO. “What’s become apparent to us is that as we open Continued on page 6 Awards to put spotlight on non-profit work Fifteen individuals and eight organizations will be recognized at the 2014 Greater Rochester Awards for their contributions to the non-profit sector. The event is presented by the Rochester Business Journal and the United Way of Greater Rochester Inc. and sponsored by Bank of America Corp. Nominations were received in seven categories. Honorees have been selected in six of those categories: Board Leadership: presented to non-profit board chairmen and chairwomen who have enhanced the mission and Rochester mourns loss of Glazers in crash A former math teacher, Jane Glazer built QCI Direct over three decades Laurence Glazer helped revitalize city with projects others shied from By WILL ASTOR By ANDREA DECKERT Though she was sometimes seen as the quieter half of a loRichard LeFrois admits he is not one to get misty-eyed, cal power couple, Jane Glazer was a force in her own right. but a tribute his employees gave to the late Laurence Glazer Founder, CEO and guiding force of QCI Dilast Saturday was an exception. rect, Glazer started the locally based catalog Some of his workers—off the clock and using and online retailer 30 years ago as a one-woman their own funds—went to the top of the Midtown ■ Projects to move operation specializing in microwave cookware. Tower last weekend and placed more than 20 forward. Page 13 Microwaves were new then, and people were flags there, in memory of Glazer, said LeFrois. sometimes confused about what materials were “That speaks volumes as to what kind of guy ■ Couple’s philanthropy suitable for them, she explained in a recent inLarry was,” said LeFrois, who noted Glazer often lauded. Page 14 terview. The firm’s name stems from its original would chat with the workers on-site. “He would designation—Microwave Magic/Quick Cook Inc. stop by and talk to everyone as if they were the president of a A mother of three, she was working as a middle school bank. There were no airs about Larry.” math teacher when she started the catalog business. LeFrois is president and CEO of LeFrois Builders and Inside: Continued on page 40 Continued on page 8 $2.00 6 74470 77330 go.rbj.net/morning WEEKLY To sign up: 0 Start the day with news you should know. 37 > Continued on page 8 PAGE 8 ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL / RBJDAILY.COM might provide some retirement income. Over the years, the company grew, as did Glazer’s reputation for working to revitalize downtown. He has been referred to as Rochester’s patron saint and some have dubbed parts of the city “Glazerville” because of the number of his investments there. Buckingham ranked first on the most recent Rochester Business Journal list of real estate developers. The company currently owns and manages more than 60 properties comprising over 10 million square feet of rental space. LARRY GLAZER Continued from page 1 Developers, the construction manager on the multimillion Midtown redevelopment project headed by Glazer and his partners. Glazer, the CEO and managing partner of Rochester-based Buckingham Properties LLC, and his wife, Jane Glazer, died last Friday when the private plane they were traveling in to Naples, Fla., crashed off the coast of Jamaica. Jane Glazer was founder and CEO of QCI Direct, a catalog and online consumer products company. Larry Glazer was inducted in 2006 into the Rochester Business Hall of Fame. Jane Glazer was selected in July as part of the hall’s 2014 class. Their deaths stunned the Rochester community. While Glazer was known for his business acumen, the loss runs deeper for LeFrois. “From a business standpoint he will be missed, but I miss him as much, if not more, from a personal standpoint,” said LeFrois, who has done business with Glazer for more than a decade. The two met over a business deal. The original deal never came to fruition, but a friendship developed. The two talked at least a couple of times daily. In addition to local projects, LeFrois and Glazer served as partners on a development site in Lakeland, Fla. Over the years, the two spent time in Florida, even sharing a house there and traveling to and from their destination in Glazer’s plane. “You do a lot of talking on those three and one-half hour plane rides,” LeFrois said. Larry’s son Ken Glazer said that when his dad’s phone rang, he would answer. “Big or small, he would take the call,” said Ken, who also said his father had an amazing ability to balance all areas of his life. Even with his business success and standing, Larry Glazer respected other people’s opinions and encouraged them to express themselves. “He was just another guy at the office,” Ken said. Ken is a partner at Buckingham and serves as its director of development and architectural services. Working at the firm for past five years alongside his dad was a “dream come true,” he said. Ken’s brother, Rick, also works at Buckingham, serving as corporate services director and partner. Ken said his father’s office door was always open, noting at times people would line up seeking his counsel. “He was the first to admit he’d made a GREATER ROCHESTER AWARDS Continued from page 1 reputation of their agencies through effective leadership, fundraising, strategic planning, community collaboration and problem solving. This year’s recipients are Robert Dobies, chairman, and Michael Nuccitelli, vice chairman, Rochester Regional Health System board; Robert Enright, board chairman, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester, N.Y. Inc.; and Richard Yates, board chairman, American Diabetes Association of Rochester. Career Achievement: presented to staff members not in senior management who exhibit innovation, leadership and creativity to help deliver positive, measurable results. The award will be given to Kathia Casion, civil division director, Legal Aid Society of Rochester, N.Y.; Mary Gallis, director of operations, CURE Childhood Cancer Association; Alice McAdam, program manager of Parents as Teachers program at Family Resource Center; and Nicole Spring, supervising SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 Major impact 2006 file photo by Kimberly McKinzie Among Larry Glazer’s projects was redevelopment of the former ArtCraft Optical Building, now Buckingham Commons. lot of mistakes,” Ken said. “But it wasn’t about the mistakes, it was about how you dealt with them.” His father taught him to always keep the ball in the air. He would tell his son there is more work than you can ever get to, so do the best you can. Pick your priorities, put out the fires and determine what needs to be done immediately and what can wait, Ken explained. When things did get busy at Buckingham and some wondered how the firm would meet all its goals, Ken said his dad would say, “We’ll figure it out.” “And we did,” Ken said. “I think our track record shows that.” Larry Glazer grew up in modest circumstances in an elm-shaded North Buffalo neighborhood of unassuming two-family homes. He earned an MBA from Columbia University and worked for a while in finance in Manhattan before marrying Jane Lovenheim, a Brighton girl whose family owned the commercial printing firm Great Lakes Press. In 1970, Glazer went to work for the printing company. He ended up as CEO, a position he held until 1983, when it was sold to Case Hoyt Corp. for some $46 million. He got his start in real estate in 1970. Local attorney Harold Samloff, an acquaintance and sometime tennis partner, approached him with a deal to buy into a five-unit apartment property on Buckingham Street. Samloff, who already had a partner in a Buckingham Street rental property, wanted to buy a second building. His partner was not interested, so he called Glazer, who was game and sank $1,000 into the deal. Neither Samloff, who retired from Buckingham nearly 11 years ago, nor Glazer initially saw the real estate venture as anything more than a sideline that social worker, Baby Love program, University of Rochester Medical Center. Community Champion: given to individuals, volunteers or staffers whose efforts with local human service non-profits have made a significant positive impact on the community. The recipients are Sergio Esteban, CEO, LaBella Associates; Jurij and Marie Kushner, the YMCA of Greater Rochester Inc.; and Meghan Mundy, chief fashion organizer, Fashion Week of Rochester. Outstanding Corporate Volunteer Group: presented to a group of co-workers or affinity group members who have come together in the last year to make a difference in Greater Rochester through their collective volunteerism. The award will be given to Genesee Regional Bank; the associate board of Gilda’s Club Rochester; and Harris Corp. Rising Star: given to staff members who have demonstrated a fast-track record of accomplishment and growth of responsibilities in delivering agency services. The honorees are Isaac Bliss, man- ager of programs for the youth department, Community Place of Greater Rochester; Stefanie Szwejbka, prevention education and outreach specialist, Bivona Child Advocacy Center; and Bradley Young, senior residential supervisor, People Inc. Executive of the Year: given to an executive with a record of innovative leadership in delivering services with a measurable positive impact. The award will be given to Jay Rudman, president of Trillium Health. Five finalists have been announced for the Bank of America Impact Award, presented to a program that has demonstrated measurable, positive results. The finalists are the accelerated reading program at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Rochester, the preschool program at Mary Cariola Children’s Center, Safe Harbors of the Finger Lakes Inc., St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center and Veterans Outreach Center. The winner—slated to receive $10,000— will be announced at a ceremony recognizing the finalists and honorees, to be held Oct. 28 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. Buffalo-area native Over the past two years, Glazer had become involved in projects in the city totaling some $134 million, with more than 600,000 square feet of offi ce and retail space available, as well as more than 400 residential units. Over the past year his downtown deals included: ■ The 460,000-square-foot Bausch & Lomb Inc. building, which he bought with David Flaum of Flaum Management Co. and Robert Morgan of Morgan Management LLC for some $15 million. ■ The Tower at Midtown, a $59 million redevelopment project with plans for 179 residential rental units and some 160,000 square feet of commercial space on the first three to five floors of the 17-story tower and the former plaza area. The project is a joint venture with Morgan. ■ The 16-acre Alexander Park North, with a $25 million first phase underway for retail and residential space. Upon completion within the next five years, Buckingham plans to have 220 residential units, nearly 200,000 square feet of office space, retail space and a parking garage for up to 700 cars on the site, near Monroe Avenue and Alexander Street. ■ The Edge of the Wedge, a $5 million redevelopment of a 40,000-square-foot complex of connected buildings at 739 S. Clinton Ave. for retail and office use and 40 residential lofts. ■ Xerox Square, which Glazer bought last year in a partnership among several owners. The group purchased the 30-story Xerox building in a $40 million deal. Xerox is the sole tenant. For Daniel Goldstein, president and managing partner of Buckingham Net Leased Properties Group, a real estate investment trust formed roughly a year ago, Glazer was many things: a boss, a business partner and a mentor. Continued on page 14 The luncheon will be held at the conclusion of RBJ’s half-day Leadership Summit for Non-Profits. The summit will feature a workshop led by Bruce Burtch on developing cross- and intra-sector partnerships. Other speakers will be announced. Tickets are $75 for the summit; $60 for the luncheon ($600 for a table of 10); and $100 for the summit and luncheon. They are available online at go.rbj.net/greaterrochester. CORRECTIONS AND AMPLIFICATIONS The list of highest-paid public company executives published Aug. 29 contained errors. Gary Crosby is president and CEO of First Niagara Bank. John Koelmel is its former president and CEO. Daniel Cantara III is First Niagara’s former chief banking officer. He owned 338,392 shares of First Niagara stock, with a market value of $2,950,778 on Aug. 25. Richard Barry, chief risk officer, owned 125,904 shares, with a market value of $1,097,883. Mark Rendulic is an executive vice president with First Niagara. SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL / RBJDAILY.COM PAGE 13 Projects are moving forward, partners say “Larry was such a larger-than-life person and such a visionary. He put a very talented team in place with him at that organization. And the partnerships that have been developed in the last few years are going to make a big difference in how things move forward. I’m far more confident today about the ability to see things move ahead.” In a statement released Monday, representatives of Buckingham said the company will need time to grieve. “Buckingham Properties, through its strong leadership team, is committed to fulfilling the legacy Larry Glazer began some 40 years ago. We will do so one brick at a time in a manner that will continue to make our community, and Larry, proud.” Jane Glazer was the founder and CEO of QCI Direct, a mail-order catalog company in Chili. “It’s very raw. And they’ve lost both parents. They haven’t even had a funeral,” Zimmer-Meyer said of the Glazer family. “They now have two companies to contend with, not just Buckingham, which is a massive organization. They’ve got a lot on their shoulders right now.” The plane crash followed the fatal shooting of Rochester police officer Daryl Pierson two days before. Mayor Lovely Warren—who spent much of this week involved with events related to the Pierson tragedy—and Commissioner Delmonize Smith of the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development did not respond to requests for comment on the future of Glazer’s projects. In a statement released by city officials this week, Warren called Glazer “the father and patron saint of the redevelopment of downtown Rochester” and said Morgan had assured city officials the Midtown, Bausch & Lomb Place and Xerox Square projects would progress. Support voiced for leadership team at Buckingham Properties By THOMAS ADAMS Robert Morgan, CEO at Morgan Management LLC and half of the partnership involved in redeveloping the Tower at Midtown, showed up as usual on Monday for a weekly construction meeting at the site. So did Ken Glazer, director of development and architectural services at Buckingham Properties LLC and a partner at the firm, Morgan said this week. Ken Glazer showed up focused on the project despite the tragedy that had occurred. A private plane, owned by Buckingham CEO and managing partner Laurence Glazer, crashed Friday into the Atlantic Ocean northeast of Jamaica, killing Ken’s father and his mother, Jane Glazer. “I talked to key (Buckingham) employees over the weekend,” said Morgan, a friend of Larry Glazer for 20 years and a business partner for four years. “Little by little, everybody’s stepping up. “The family members are stepping up. They’ve called me as well. This (Midtown project) is their dad’s passion. This is Ken’s passion as well. So this is going to happen.” Harold Samloff, who co-founded Buckingham Properties with Larry Glazer in 1970, said he thinks its current projects will move forward and succeed because of the knowledge of its executive team. “The strength of the organization and the sophistication of the organization is impressive,” Samloff said. The team includes Rick Glazer, another son of Larry Glazer, who is a partner and corporate services director. Daniel Goldstein is a partner who concentrates on financial matters, and Richard Finley is chief financial officer. Ken Glazer, who joined his father’s company in June 2009, has been Buckingham’s point man for the Midtown project. Rick Glazer has been at Buckingham for 10 years, specializing in office and retail. “Buckingham Properties has a deeper bench than it did even four or five years ago,” said Heidi Zimmer-Meyer, president of the Rochester Downtown Development Corp. “It’s been strengthened with some really great talent and a lot of experience. “The sons are in the business, and they’ve gained a tremendous amount of experience. And the partnership with Morgan Management, with Bob Morgan and his team, at this point I’m much more optimistic about the will and the ability to move some very big projects forward.” This week, a construction worker was hoisted atop a three-story wing on the northwest side, which once connected the tower to the razed Midtown Plaza, to chip away at the section with a hydraulic jackhammer. Rebuilding that structurally deficient section was among the first orders of business for the project, Larry Glazer said in a 2013 interview with the Rochester Business Journal. Morgan Management and Buckingham Properties are equal partners on the $55 million project, which is designed to create three to five floors of retail and office space on lower levels and at least 179 apartments. Renovation of the 17-story, 396,310square-foot structure is scheduled for completion sometime in 2015. Key projects “The business community wants to see Rendering courtesy of Buckingham Properties Working with various partners, Glazer bought the Bausch & Lomb building, right, Xerox Square and the 17-story Tower at Midtown, where a mix of residential and commercial uses is planned. Midtown and the other projects completed,” said Richard LeFrois, president and CEO of LeFrois Development LLC and Russell P. LeFrois Builder Inc. “Everyone is behind these projects.” The Henrietta firm, which does business as LeFrois Builders and Developers, is managing construction at the Midtown site. Morgan Management and Buckingham Properties are also partners on the purchase and refinement of Xerox Square on the northeast corner of South Clinton Avenue and Court Street, and Bausch & Lomb Place on the northwest corner of that intersection. Both are on blocks adjacent to Midtown. “These projects will continue on, with Buckingham and with Morgan behind them all,” Morgan said. “There will not be any hiccups. There will not be any slowdowns. We haven’t stopped any construction. “We’re full speed ahead at Midtown. The B&L building is in lease-up mode. Xerox is leased. There are no issues with the B&L building; there are no issues with Xerox. We’re going to move forward.” David Flaum, CEO of Flaum Management Co. Inc., who also is involved in the Bausch & Lomb project, concurred with Morgan’s assessment. Goldstein said it was too early to talk about changes at the company this week, but Buckingham management would address questions regarding company leadership and its ongoing projects shortly. The senior management team has been meeting regularly and has also been in contact with its business partners and clients, Partnership he said. Over the past few years, Larry Glazer had been building a capable team of leaders in anticipation of his slowing down and enjoying more time with his family. “This is a very tough time for the Buckingham Properties team,” Zimmer-Meyer said. “They are grieving in a very deep way. It’s a very close-knit organization, so they need to be given time to sort things out. “But I do believe there is a tremendous amount of support from Morgan Management, and that’s a very talented group and very committed to the city.” Buckingham ranked first on the most recent Rochester Business Journal list of real estate developers. The company currently owns and manages more than 60 properties with more than 10 million square feet of rental space. It also ranked first on the RBJ’s most recent list of property management firms with 9.4 million square feet of local property under management. “That empire consists of a broad range of buildings and uses and service requirements and the like,” Zimmer-Meyer said. “They’ve built a very talented team in terms of management and leasing, and they’ve got development people. Morgan is prepared to take on greater responsibilities with the loss of his partner, he said. “My role was to build the apartments and lease them up, together with Larry,” Morgan said. “Larry’s role was to lease up the commercial space. We’re just going to work together with Buckingham and assist them with whatever they need. “This is not our first development. We’re building major developments in Pittsburgh and Canandaigua that are as big as this or even bigger. We know how to do this. This is not hard for us to do. We’re just going to assist them where they need help.” Morgan considers Larry Glazer to be one of the best partners he’s ever had, and a mentor. Glazer also tackled projects few others were willing to touch. “He was the kind of guy who would do his due diligence to figure out how to get the project built and what it was going to take to get it built, and he got it built,” Morgan said. The Tower at Midtown, Bausch & Lomb Place and Xerox Square will be added to Glazer’s list of accomplishments, Morgan pledged. “We’ve talked to the family a little bit, and we’re all on the same page,” he said. “This was Larry’s vision. Larry and his wife had a passion for the city of Rochester, and they want to see these projects completed. We’re going to do this in their honor.” tadams@rbj.net / 585-546-8303 PAGE 14 ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL / RBJDAILY.COM SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 Couple’s philanthropy helped many groups Glazers were particularly active in supporting the local Jewish community By NATE DOUGHERTY When WXXI Public Broadcasting was exploring a merger with the Little Theatre, the first person Norm Silverstein called was Laurence Glazer. Silverstein, WXXI’s president and CEO, said he consulted often with Glazer, a board member and close friend. “If Larry said no, we wouldn’t have done it,” Silverstein said. But instead Glazer said he was behind the idea, and WXXI went forward, completing the partnership in 2011. WXXI was one of many non-profit organizations touched by Larry Glazer and his wife, Jane, as local non-profit leaders remember them as philanthropic giants. At the time of their death last week, Larry and Jane Glazer were set to be announced as co-chairmen of a major capital campaign for WXXI. The campaign was to go public last Friday, but the shooting death of Rochester police offi cer Daryl Pierson changed the plans. “The morning after the shooting we were on the phone and talking about how to proceed, and Larry said maybe we should reschedule in a few weeks,” Silverstein said, noting Larry Glazer agreed WXXI should not be celebrating its campaign during a time of mourning in the city. “That’s just the type of people they were, always thinking about the city first.” LARRY GLAZER Continued from page 8 “He taught me the industry, grew my real estate holdings and backed me in everything I did,” Goldstein said. Goldstein has worked at Buckingham Properties since 2004, starting roughly a year after first interviewing for the job. He first worked as chief financial officer, then went on to partner with Glazer on various projects before leading the REIT. Goldstein was hired on the condition he would let Glazer know when he was wrong about a deal. “Larry would say, ‘I move quickly; I’m a back of the napkin kind of guy,’” Goldstein recalled. “He said, ‘I need someone to tell me when I’m making a mistake.’” When Goldstein did call him on that a handful of times, Glazer respectfully disagreed. He went ahead with the deals and they ended up being the right decisions. “He wasn’t wrong,” Goldstein said. Goldstein had known the Glazers since he was a child. He attended summer camp with Rick Glazer and their parents were friends. Goldstein said he and Larry Glazer were weekend warriors, regularly working on Saturdays and often on Sundays. “Not a day has gone by in the past 11 years that I haven’t had communication of some kind with Larry,” Goldstein said. Glazer was also a supporter of Goldstein’s work outside the office. When Goldstein was charged with leading a renovation effort at the Jewish Community Center, Glazer was the first person he asked to serve on the committee. Glazer obliged. A successful businessman who liked to buy things he and his family would enjoy, Glazer was not one for senseless spending, Goldstein said. He used to chuckle, for example, about people buying huge, Silverstein noted the couple has a relationship with WXXI stretching back 40 years, when the couple first worked as operators for a televised auction. The couple were particularly active in the local Jewish community, giving their time and money to a number of Jewish organizations. The couple, who first met at Camp Seneca Lake through the Jewish Community Center, served on many local boards and were known as generous philanthropists. It was through Camp Seneca Lake the Glazers’ philanthropy was born as well. In a March 2013 appearance on a WXXI show hosted by Silverstein, Jane Glazer recalled how a simple request helped kick off a lifetime of philanthropy. “When we were in our 30s, the Camp Seneca Lake where we first met called us and said they wanted us to make a donation,” she recounted. “They wanted us to buy a canoe and donate it to the camp. And that was our very first thing we ever gave back to the community. It cost us a thousand dollars and it was the Jane and Larry canoe. And at the time we really had never been involved in that way and it sort of was the starting point for us to get involved in all the different areas.” Daniel Katz, president and CEO of Jewish Senior Life, said Larry Glazer had a lasting impact on the organization, instituting many changes through his position as chairman. “Larry focused a lot on how the board performed,” Katz said. “He really helped to strengthen the board committee structure to provide effective oversight and decision making.” Larry Glazer remained active until his death, most recently helping the organization complete a comprehensive planning process that resulted in a new vision for Jewish Senior Life, Katz noted. “There’s no one who’s had a greater impact from a leadership and governance perspective than Larry did,” Katz said. It was not just the size of the gifts made by the Glazers that marked their philanthropy, Katz noted, but also their ability to rally the community around the causes they supported. “We’re in a big campaign raising $25 million, and they were the fi rst ones to give,” he said. “They were always fi rst and always provided leadership, but were still very modest about it.” Other organizations that benefited from the couple’s largesse include the Center for Youth and Jewish Family Service of Rochester. The vision that marked Glazer’s stature in the business world also was shared with the many non-profit organizations he worked with, noted Daan Braveman, Nazareth College of Rochester president. Braveman worked with Larry Glazer through the Rochester Business Alliance Inc. while Jane Glazer served as head of the college’s institutional advancement committee. Shortly after Glazer’s Buckingham Properties LLC purchased the Xerox tower downtown, Braveman joined Glazer in a theater behind the tower. “I told him that our music program was growing dramatically and had outgrown our space on campus, and that our main theater is not set up acoustically for musical performances,” Braveman recalled. “We were standing in the lobby, and this is Larry at his classic, he said, ‘Look at this, right outside you’ve got Geva Theatre and Rochester Broadway Theatre League will build on Chestnut Street. You’ve got the Strong Museum of Play here and the Eastman Theatre five minutes away. If Nazareth were here it would be at the heart of the entertainment and theater district.’ “He always had this vision and passion, and if it were someone else saying that you might wonder if it was just talk, but if anyone could make it happen it was Larry Glazer.” Braveman’s relationship with Glazer extended beyond Nazareth College. Braveman and his wife were in Naples, Fla., the day before the Glazers’ plane crashed and had plans to go golfing with Larry and Jane over the weekend. Katz said Glazer was not only a friend, but also an unusually supportive chairman. “I can say on a personal level, I’ve never had a board chair who has been so supportive of a CEO as Larry,” Katz said. “He was always there for me. He certainly challenged me and questioned things, but at the end of the day when decisions were made he was there to support me 100 percent.” The work of Larry and Jane Glazer will continue on after their deaths, Silverstein noted. The couple already had made a major contribution to WXXI’s campaign, helping it to reach 75 percent of its $17 million goal. Silverstein said the campaign will get an official public launch at a later date, but WXXI will not name a new chairman. “We won’t be replacing them as cochairs,” Silverstein said. “Larry and Jane are irreplaceable.” $10 million lake homes in Canandaigua. Glazer was not mocking them, Goldstein explained, he just did not understand the need for so much. “Larry didn’t have any frills and he didn’t need anything fancy,” Goldstein said. Describing Glazer as laid back, a self-made man and a strategic thinker, Goldstein said Glazer knew what people wanted. He also would see the value in buildings others may not have looked at twice. “When Larry would see a building, he would see an opportunity,” Goldstein said. But he noted Glazer was not one to go for buildings that were overpriced. “Larry never bought things at full value; his style was to create value and he did it by rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty,” Goldstein said. “He had a thing for making something out of nothing.” The number of projects he was taking on downtown and the work involved with bringing them to fruition was not a deterrent for Glazer, Goldstein noted. “Larry was such a down-to-earth guy he just didn’t assume something didn’t have value just because it wasn’t pretty,” Goldstein said. own ways,” Morgan said, adding the two never had a dispute. “He just was a straight, honest guy; he knew what he wanted.” Former Buckingham partner Samloff called the loss of Larry and Jane Glazer incalculable. Samloff is amazed at Buckingham’s growth over the past decade, noting when he left it was a decent-sized, competent business. Since then, it has taken off, driven by some big opportunities that Samloff said were “right up Larry’s alley,” given his knowledge of physical facilities and renovations. Samloff enjoyed hearing of his friend’s accomplishments. “I was able to vicariously live (through) that growth,” Samloff said. Andrew Gallina, president of Gallina Development Corp., was one of Glazer’s business competitors, but the two were also friends. He called Glazer a force in the business. “I respect what he did and his vision for downtown,” Gallina said. Daan Braveman, Nazareth College of Rochester president, was impressed with not only Glazer’s vision and his ability to complete that vision, but also his passion for Rochester. “Larry was once talking about the recent report that showed the poverty that existed in the city and he said, ‘We need a big idea. I don’t know what it is, but we need to plant it right north of Central Avenue on Joseph and Clinton and St. Paul. Whatever it is, let’s just plant it there and build jobs,’” Braveman said. Braveman was in Naples, Fla., and was planning to golf there with Glazer over the weekend when he learned of the crash. “We were in Naples on Saturday morning, and the Naples newspaper had a front page story about Larry and Jane Glazer, all they had done,” Braveman said. “It was impressive to see that most of it was about their work in Rochester. Even though they did a lot in Naples, they had such a big impact that it was big news even for them.” ESL Federal Credit Union CEO David Fiedler’s first experiences with Glazer came around 2010 when ESL was looking to move from Irondequoit to downtown. The credit union was considering three properties; one of which was owned by Glazer. When ESL chose another location, Fiedler, who was impressed with the way Glazer did business, went to him to explain the choice. Glazer said he understood and after he heard Fiedler’s explanation, said he probably would have done the same thing. “He was always so gracious,” Fiedler said. The two continued to see each other. Glazer served on the credit union’s board of directors beginning in January 2013. Fiedler said the term visionary exemplified Glazer, who was not afraid to take calculated risks. “He could see development opportunities others might not see,” Fiedler said, noting Glazer’s love of older buildings. “He found joy bringing new life to buildings that were old and tired.” He is also bullish on Glazer’s vision for downtown, which he believes Buckingham will continue to drive. “I fully subscribe to his belief that downtown Rochester will become very vibrant again,” Fiedler said. Carlos Carballada, the city’s former economic development commissioner, fi rst met Glazer in the 1990s through Jane Glazer. He remained friends with the couple and worked more intimately with Fearless developer Community members—from business executives to college administrators— spoke of Glazer’s accomplishments. “Larry was one of the most fearless and confident developers I have ever known,” developer Flaum said. Morgan, CEO of Morgan Management, has known Glazer for 20 years and has partnered on projects with him for the past four or five years. Morgan said Glazer has been one of the best business partners of his career. “He was honest; he was unique in his natdougherty@rbj.net / 585-546-8303 Continued on page 40 PAGE 40 ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL / RBJDAILY.COM SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 JANE GLAZER Continued from page 1 Though she intended it to be a part-time pursuit at first, the business pulled her in on a nearly full-time basis from the start. When the private plane she and her husband, Buckingham Properties LLC CEO and managing partner Laurence Glazer, were flying went down last week on their way to Florida, she had long given up teaching to run her company. As the company progressed, she added other items, concentrating on hard-to-find and unique offerings, items she thought would appeal to young homemakers like herself. It was a strategy that worked well. QCI Direct now employs approximately 112 workers. It sends out 2.5 million catalogs a month and ships scores of items daily from a 250,000-square-foot warehouse. Glazer is to be inducted into the Rochester Business Hall of Fame next month. QCI’s catalog sales are augmented by a fast-growing online business that accounts for 25 percent of its sales. Among the 4,000 items it offers is its own line of private label cleaning products. “I know I am behind the times,” Glazer, who was 68, wrote in a recent blog post on her company’s website. In fact, she kept a canny eye on QCI’s target demographic, noting and adjusting her product selection to accommodate any emerging trends. “When I started out, I was selling to my contemporaries, and we still are,” Glazer said in a recent interview. “If we want to keep growing, we’ve got to appeal to younger consumers. A lot of our older customers prefer to order over the phone or by mail, and that’s all right. But younger people want to buy online.” “Jane knew that the future of her company was online,” wrote former QCI employee Ben Silverstein in a recently penned remembrance. Founder and CEO of the online bus-travel website Bustripping.com, Silverstein had been hired by Glazer as a Web-savvy 19-year-old college student in 2008 and continued to work for the catalog company throughout college. Seeing that her catalog customer base was shrinking while mailing costs were spiraling higher, Glazer saw online sales as the company’s future. “Jane knew the catalog business like the back of her hand, but she didn’t know the online space as well,” Silverstein wrote. “If she didn’t know how to do something, she would find someone who did and let them run the show. She wasn’t threatened by changing technology and didn’t worry about micromanaging her team.” Last year, Glazer hired former insurance executive Beth Meyer as QCI’s president, putting Meyer in charge of the company’s operations and giving her free rein to develop QCI’s online presence. Meyer said she and Glazer, “the former middle school math teacher,” connected through a shared love of numbers. Helping women As a woman and a business owner, Glazer felt an obligation to give other women a leg up in business when she could. “I think mostly I’m a woman. There aren’t that many that succeed as entrepreneurs, especially in Rochester,” she said in a recent interview. “There are so many intelligent women out there who have no idea how capable they are. They come here and they realize there is no glass ceiling and they can move up.” Born in Rochester, Glazer, nee Lovenheim, was the second-oldest of Andrew 2003 file photo by Kimberly McKinzie Jane Glazer’s QCI Direct, which employs more than 100 people, delivers 2.5 million catalogs a month. and June Lovenheim’s three children. “Our father … , co-founder and vice president of Great Lakes Press, was a huge influence on her, both in terms of approach to business, sales, concern for employees and involvement in the community,” said her younger brother, author Peter Lovenheim. A commercial printing firm that once was among the Rochester area’s largest, Great Lakes Press Corp. loomed large for the Lovenheim family. It provided a comfortable living for the families of Andrew Lovenheim and his brothers Cliff and Earl, early 20th-century immigrants who rose from poverty on the fortunes of the printing company they founded in 1939. The firm, which also gave Larry Glazer a start in business, “was an anchor for the whole family,” Lovenheim said. Partners in business, the three Lovenheim brothers eventually moved to adjacent streets in Brighton. Each had three children. The nine Lovenheim cousins and their parents formed a tight-knit clan. Before and since the deaths of their mother in 2005 and father in 2012, he and his siblings were close “and remained close,” Lovenheim said. He and Jane took a road trip only weeks ago to visit their older brother Robert, a television and movie producer, at the northeastern Pennsylvania home where he and his wife had recently moved. A 1963 graduate of Brighton High School, Jane attended Ohio State University. Meeting her husband She met Larry Glazer, a Buffalo native, while both were working as counselors at Camp Seneca Lake, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester’s summer camp in Penn Yan. After meeting her future husband, “she transferred to the University of Buffalo, to be with Larry. They were married soon after graduation,” Peter Lovenheim said. After Larry graduated from Columbia University in New York City, where he earned an MBA, the couple returned to Rochester. He went to work at Great Lakes Press, sharing CEO duties with Cliff Lovenheim’s son John after the founding brothers retired. While Larry was in graduate school, Jane began a teaching career at the Columbia Grammar School, a private Manhattan elementary school. On their return to the Rochester area, she taught in the Fairport schools and the Hillel Community Day School. When she started QCI in 1983, it was supposed to be a hobby, but her strong business side took over, said her son Ken Glazer, a Buckingham Properties partner. As a retailer, she paid close attention to her customers. To keep herself mindful of the importance of keeping customers happy, she compiled a thick binder of complaints customers leveled against one of Larry’s prominent tenants, a high-end product retailer. She studied it as a guide on mistakes to avoid. For Jane, “it was customer service and no matter what it was, the answer was: ‘Sure, no problem,’” Ken recalled. Rather than outsourcing customer service, she had in-house employees answer QCI’s phones, Silverstein recalled. She also required all of the company’s workers to spend some time picking and packaging products in the firm’s warehouse. She wanted all workers to “see and feel the products in person and understand what they are,” Silverstein said. His parents made “a great team and were always bouncing ideas off each other,” Ken said. “Jane was a very successful businessperson in her own right, though that isn’t always appreciated. She had her own ideas about business, and they weren’t always the same as Larry’s,” said Rochester attorney Robert Brown, a founding partner of Schatz Brown Glassman Kossow LLP. Brown was a social acquaintance of the Glazers and is a volunteer on the WXXI Public Broadcasting/Little Theatre capital campaign, which the couple had been heading. Speaking some two years ago to assembled well-wishers at a Buckingham Properties open house, Larry called his wife to his side, introducing her with obvious fondness, as “the person who reins me in when my ideas get too far out there.” WXXI was one of several local charitable causes the couple supported. Active in the local Jewish community, they also worked for Jewish Senior Life and the JCC, an organization of which they were especially fond for the role it played in bringing them together. LARRY GLAZER new senior housing options, as well as renovate an existing structure. “He had a very, very kind, gentle side,” Katz said. Anthony Costello, chairman and CEO of the Costello Group, knew Glazer for more than 30 years. The two never partnered on a deal but had many things in common, including real estate development and aviation. More recently, the two had discussions regarding their sons taking greater roles in their respective businesses. Costello said Glazer personifi ed the three T’s of service: time, talent and treasure. “They were gifts Larry gave to the community,” Costello said. “And we are forever changed for the better by Larry’s willingness to do so.” Continued from page 14 Glazer during his years with the city. Glazer treated everyone the same, Carballada said. Even at times when meetings between the city and Buckingham would get serious, Glazer remained respectful. “There were some serious discussions at times, but they always began and ended with respect,” Carballada said. Daniel Katz, president and CEO of Jewish Senior Life, had known Glazer since Katz took the position in 2004. Glazer’s contributions to the organization ranged from sharing his business acumen to aiding philanthropic endeavors. Glazer led a $16 million interior renovation of the Jewish Home. More recently, he was working with the organization on a long-range plan that includes a $100 million project that will add wastor@rbj.net / 585-546-8303 adeckert@rbj.net / 585-546-8303 OPINION PAGE 42 SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL The Glazers’ legacy Laurence and Jane Glazer did not steer clear of challenges; they embraced them. He had a background in accounting and finance and helped lead a commercial printing business owned by his wife’s family before embarking on a real estate career that focused on properties few others wanted. She graduated from teaching math to running one of the area’s fastest-growing private businesses—but only after operating in the red for a number of years. At an age when most people are planning for—or comfortably settled into—retirement, the Glazers continued to tackle new challenges, until a plane crash last week tragically took their lives. Much has been written and said in the last few days about the mark that the Glazers left on the community, and with good reason. In particular, his passion for reimagining industrial and warehouse space that had fallen into disuse will benefit the city for years to come. In recent years, as CEO and managing partner of Buckingham Properties LLC, Mr. Glazer took on a daunting array of big projects, from the rebirth of the former Genesee Hospital as Alexander Park to the just-started redevelopment of the Tower at Midtown. Few would be so bold, yet he saw potential where others saw only peril. In an interview with this newspaper a couple of years ago, Mr. Glazer reflected on his start as a real estate developer with partner Harold Samloff. “I looked around and thought that if somebody didn’t do something like what we did, the area’s economy would go down the tubes,” he said. “I never saw what we did as risky. I saw it as hard work.” Indeed, Mr. Glazer believed that the key to success is “90 percent perspiration and 10 (percent) inspiration—hard work, just staying with it.” Similarly, Mrs. Glazer believed a business owner needed to be hands-on. No task at her catalog firm, QCI Direct—from packing and receiving to taking orders over the phone—was beneath her. The Glazers rightly should be remembered for their business accomplishments and civic contributions. Yet the most important part of their legacy may be the inspiration they have given others. And for the community, the most fitting tribute to them would be to do as they did: dream big, work hard. Rochester Business Journal 45 East Ave., Suite 500 • Rochester, N.Y. 14604 (585) 546-8303 • Fax: (585) 546-3398 E-mail: RBJ@rbj.net • www.rbjdaily.com President and publisher, Susan R. 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In others’ words, the tale of two remarkable lives here are a number of ways to take the measure of someone’s life after it’s over. If they were in business, you can look at what they accomplished or how much money they made. You can also tally their philanthropy and see how much they gave back to their community. But one of the best ways to get a good sense of someone’s life is to listen to what others say about the person. By that yardstick, as well as the others, Larry and Jane Glazer truly stand out. T EDITOR’S NOTES Paul Ericson For this week’s issue, we asked many people—including those who participate in our weekly polls—to share their thoughts on the Glazers, whose lives were cut short last week. Many of them reflected on the impact the couple made, especially Larry’s efforts to revitalize the city of Rochester while preserving much of its architectural heritage. Their numerous civic and charitable efforts also were noted frequently. What really struck me, though, were the comments of those who knew Larry and Jane as friends and through business relationships. They referred to the Glazers’ kindness and warmth, as well as their honesty, integrity and generosity. Richard and Phyllis LeFrois, whose comments appear on the opposite page, had this to say: “It is difficult to put into words all that Larry and Jane meant to this community and to their friends and partners. Larry and Jane were passionate on life and lived each day to the fullest. They were treasured friends, incredible parents and doting grandparents. They were successful, humble, genuine, creative, driven, caring and true visionaries, and left their footprint throughout Rochester.” M&T Bank regional president Dan Burns told a wonderful story about the Glazers’ generosity, and observed: “Kind, savvy, professional, witty, fun, visionary, charitable...the list of adjectives goes on and on. Larry and Jane Glazer were simply the best.” (For more responses to this week’s poll, see this page on our website: go.rbj.net/poll.) While I’d met Larry on several occasions, I can’t say that I knew him personally; and I never had the opportunity to meet Jane. But in speaking over the years with others who knew them quite well, I never heard a negative word said about either one. For any person, but especially for those who lived in the often rough-and-tumble world of business, that’s a rare accomplishment. The Glazers left the community many things including the jobs they created and neighborhoods they helped to revitalize. I have faith that the work still undone—such as the rebirth of the Tower at Midtown, which I can follow daily outside my office window—will be carried forward by people who have embraced their vision. But the truly lucky ones, I think, are those who were left with memories of the Glazers’ friendship. pericson@rbj.net / 585-546-8303 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Reed bill would provide key relief Dear Editor: At a time when Congress cannot agree on much, Rep. Tom Reed has introduced and garnered support for something significantly important for our region in particular and the country generally: a national disaster tax relief bill. One of the primary functions of government is to protect its citizens, and this is especially true in the wake of a natural disaster. In the past, Congress has routinely provided tax relief to communities after a natural disaster; it did so after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and again in 2008 to assist the Midwestern states struck by severe drought as well as regions affected by Hurricane Ike. Yet despite this clear legislative history, Congress has failed to provide similar assistance to the dozens of communities, including ours, hit by presidentially declared disasters over the past several years, despite the demonstrated continued need. Rep. Reed, working across the aisle with Sen. Charles Schumer and in partnership with the New York State Association for Affordable Housing, has introduced legislation that would help individuals, small business and housing recover in our state from the devastating floods this spring, as well as damage sustained from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011. The bill waives Continued on page 24 “His style was to create value and he did it by rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty. He had a thing for making something out of nothing.” —Daniel Goldstein, president and managing partner of Buckingham Net Leased Properties Group, on Laurence Glazer, CEO and managing partner of Buckingham Properties LLC SNAPPOLL Readers pay tribute to the Glazers PAGE 43 SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL Couple lauded for business vision, dedication to Rochester community Laurence Glazer and his wife, Jane Glazer, who died last week in a plane crash, left a legacy of entrepreneurship and community involvement. As CEO and managing partner of Buckingham Properties LLC, Larry was instrumental in revitalizing a number of parts of the city of Rochester, and a series of recent deals had positioned him to transform the heart of downtown. As founder and CEO of COMMENTS: It is difficult to put into words all that Larry and Jane meant to this community and to their friends and partners. Larry and Jane were passionate on life and lived each day to the fullest. They were treasured friends, incredible parents and doting grandparents. They were successful, humble, genuine, creative, driven, caring and true visionaries and left their footprint throughout Rochester. We will miss our cherished friends immensely, but their legacy will live on forever in the future development of Rochester and also in Central Florida, and they will always be in our hearts. —Richard and Phyllis LeFrois Larry and Jane were true visionaries, a couple who believed in the “if you build it, they will come” mentality. It is not just the millions of square feet of space that Larry and his team at Buckingham renovated and breathed new life into—it is literally the thousands of lives impacted and touched by his development efforts and those many tenants who in turn had the opportunity to make their dreams become reality. They were a couple who exemplified every facet of what community involvement, philanthropy and giving back are all about. The greatest way we can honor their lives is to ratchet up our own belief in Rochester with the idea of carrying forward with renewed energy. —Mitchell Dannenberg, Naples, Fla. (formerly of Rochester) Both Larry and Jane were truly good people. They represented the best and the brightest both in terms of business and community endeavors. I am so glad that I made common cause with them for the benefit of so many worthy causes. —Nathan J. Robfogel I had the pleasure of working with Larry on many of his projects. He always had the positives and negatives fi gured out well ahead of everyone else and would work tirelessly to find a way to mitigate the risks of a potential real estate deal. He had that gift, that sixth sense. Larry could “smell” success when others could not, and due to his efforts, businesses were created, developed and have flourished. But what really made me think that Larry and Jane Glazer were special people was the time I asked them to chair the United Way Alexis de Tocqueville Society campaign last year. It was during the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, when I approached them. Larry said that while he was very busy with his business interests and working to raise funds for various other not-for-profits, I had called at the perfect time. He went on to tell me that during Yom Kippur people of the Jewish faith must pray, repent and give to charity. Therefore, he and Jane would gladly chair the campaign. And chair it they did. Their hard work led to record number of Laurence Glazer Jane Glazer new leadership donors. Kind, savvy, professional, witty, fun, visionary, charitable …. the list of adjectives goes on and on. Larry and Jane Glazer were simply the best. —Dan Burns, regional president, M&T Bank I worked with both Larry and Jane when they ran small businesses. I found them to be wonderful people. I thought their level of integrity was rare in the business world. On one occasion Larry and I looked at a project at the beginning, and I told him I thought he could never make a profitable go of it. How wrong I was! He also predicted that downtown would be transformed by his first project in the area. How right he was! Hopefully his visions for the city will persist. I think it unlikely another person will come along with his creativity and vision. About Jane, she was just a wonderful, caring person. I believe her business prospered because her customers recognized her integrity and gave her their trust. Her loss is of tremendous consequence to those who knew her and worked with her. (To honor them,) fund a professorship chair at the UR in which business and corporate ethics and customer service are the focus. —David Rubin, Micro-Net Inc., retired More comments More responses to this week’s poll are at go.rbj.net/poll. Jane and Larry unexpectedly left us in body but will always remain with us in spirit. All one has to do is to look at our city’s landscape, and Larry’s face smiles down on all of us. They had a huge appetite for daunting tasks and a heart of gold for the less fortunate. Tough as nails yet thoughtful to others, Larry was a most humble man who loved to partner with others. We’ll miss the way he always took out his notebook to jot down new ideas and kept his endless notes. We’re left with the thought, “It is not the length of life, but depth of life.” We have lost a wonderful couple, and there are no words to express our gratitude for all they have done to make our community a better place. What a role model for their children and an inspiration for all of us. I was lucky to call them my friends—they have not left us, they are alive in the hearts of many of us. —Gary Rogers, Dock Hardware One day each year should be named to remember them with flags at half-mast. Such wonderful contributors to our community should be remembered forever. —Michelle Ashby, CEO, Tipping Point Communications Though I did not know the Glazers, I now know them to be a perfect example of what Rochester needs. More decisions to make QCI Direct, Jane built a catalog and online consumer products business that ranked among the area’s fastest-growing private companies. The Glazers also were known for their charitable and civic efforts. More than 110 readers responded Sept. 8 and 9 to our call for readers to share their thoughts on the Glazers—their achievements in business and their impact on the community. around doing good and giving back. Could our Rochester companies take a pledge to be more like that? Could we decide that we are going to put formal programs in place to give back to our communities, in the vision that the Glazers did? I am inspired. —Dawn VanDamme, NimbleUser Larry was always a gentleman in our dealings with him and Jane. They are true examples of a “Life Well Lived.” I would hope their legacy to be that we all stepped it up a notch to help fill the huge void left by their tragic and sudden loss. —Victor E. Salerno, CEO, O’Connell Electric Co. I didn’t know Jane, but Larry’s impact on the community will be lasting, as should be any recognition. It would be fitting to name the Midtown Tower after him. Larry, of course, would remain open to another naming opportunity that would help the project’s finances. —Kent Gardner, Center for Governmental Research I have only two suggestions, intending that either one or both be selected: 1. Once the Inner Loop on the East Side is replaced and reconfigured, perhaps the new surfacelevel boulevard, parkway or whatever is the successor right of way can be named in their honor; 2. Once the Midtown parcels’ redevelopment is completed by Buckingham Properties and its partners, it could bear their name(s). —David Lovenheim, CEO, Vital Motion Inc., Leesburg, Va. I think it would be great to have one of the new streets in the Midtown center renamed “Glazer Way.” In working with Larry for more than 30 years and knowing Jane, they were wonderful people who also had a great way of conducting business. —Peter E. Pape, CEO, the Riverside Group Larry and Jane Glazer were community heroes, and our community suffered a huge loss this week. They were uniquely dedicated to our community’s future and uniquely visionary in its transformation. Somehow they deserve to be memorialized in some very permanent way—so that they may never be forgotten, and so that their memory may inspire others to keep the momentum of positive transformation moving forward. A bridge? A park? Surely something beautiful and worthy of this extraordinary couple. —Jocelyn Goldberg-Schaible, Rochester Research Group All public officials should embrace their commitment to Rochester and work with their family to achieve the “Glazer vision.” Others with good fortunes and wealth can “belly up,” too; we know who they are. —Ted Voll Jr. THELOOP Cutting edge McQuaid Jesuit alumnus Mininder Kocher is featured in the Sept. 8 issue of Sports Illustrated. But not for any particular athletic prowess—though he was on the basketball and track and field teams at Dartmouth College. After he graduated in 1985 from Brighton High School, he went on to Dartmouth, Duke University School of Medicine and Harvard School of Public Health. Mininder is among the nation’s top orthopedic surgeons and a professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School. He is featured in “Cutting Edge: a look at Tommy John surgery and search to save ligaments,” by Matt McCarthy. The article begins inside an operating room in Waltham, Mass. “(Mininder) reaches for what appears to be a Black & Decker drill and begins to burrow into the right elbow of a 16-year-old baseball player named Matt Ferreira. Bone dust whizzes around the room. Dr. Kocher, who is also associate director of the sports medicine division at Boston Children’s Hospital, is one of the world’s leading authorities on ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction— better known to even the most casual sports fans as Tommy John surgery. “A few moments after carving into Ferreira’s elbow he reaches for something that looks like a slimy shoelace. It’s a tendon from a corpse, and he nimbly weaves it into the throwing arm of his patient.” The article looks at why so many players—from major-league stars to teens—are having Tommy John surgery. John, a former major-league pitcher, had his career saved by the revolutionary procedure in 1974. The hurler notched 288 career victories, more than half after the surgery. Stairway to learning UR’s Institute for Popular Music kicks off its 2014-2015 performance and lecture series this month with a tribute to the iconic ’70s rock band Led Zeppelin. This year marks the 45th anniversary of the group’s debut album, Led Zeppelin I, which was ranked by Rolling Stone as No. 29 on its list of the Top 500 Albums of All Time. “Many rock historians think of Led Zeppelin as one of the first heavy metal bands that helped define the genre, but it’s important to remember that their first album received some scathing reviews,” said John Covach, director of the institute. “Many critics said the album wouldn’t survive, and it then went on to become one of the most seminal records in the history of rock music.” The series starts Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Gowen Room in Wilson Commons with a lecture by David Headlam, professor of music theory at the Eastman School of Music, titled “What Remains After the Song: Led Zeppelin, Inc.” On Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. in Strong Auditorium, there will be a concert featuring Led Zeppelin tribute band Out on the Tiles, along with faculty and students. The events are free and open to the public. Send tips, rumors, inside information or strange tales for the Loop to Managing Editor Mike Dickinson at mdickinson@rbj.net.