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
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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.
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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.