City of Rochester
News Release
(Friday, June 18, 2010) - Rochester Mayor Robert J. Duffy and Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks joined City Neighborhood and Business Development Commissioner R. Carlos Carballada along with City Council members Carolee Conklin and Dana Miller to officially welcome the innovative telecommunications software firm Callfinity to their new home in the historic Rochester Button Company building, 300 State St.
The firm’s founder and CEO Jeff Valentine began his business in 1999 in Boston. In 2004, as Valentine’s business continued to expand, the McQuaid Jesuit High School graduate started looking for new locations that would help his company continue to prosper. Valentine realized the potential that Monroe County presented and moved back here, where he ran into former McQuaid classmate, Patrick Conroy, who operated his own business in Pittsford, Context Technologies. Soon after, the two joined forces. Callfinity acquired Context 2007 and Conroy became Callfinity’s Chief Technology Officer.
In 2009, the company was quickly expanding and needed more space to grow. The Empire Zone incentives were one of the reasons Valentine re-located to Monroe County. However, they wanted something unique and spacious. After touring properties throughout the City, Monroe County and Ontario County, they found 10,000 square feet in the Rochester Button Factory and realized it was the perfect space in terms of location, energy, atmosphere and expansion possibilities. The space, once home to both Empire Brewing and BRU restaurants, has been refurbished but still retains some of the unique restaurant features like booths, counters and an outdoor deck, which is used by the employees for cook-outs and company events.
“As a native of Monroe County, I was proud to move Callfinity from Boston to the area in 2004.” Said Jeff Valentine, President and CEO. “Six years later, I’m even more excited to be able to relocate our 39 employees from the suburbs to downtown Rochester. Working in such an exciting area and in an eclectic building is a benefit to our employees, which will be reflected in the quality of the software we write, and, therefore, the satisfaction of our current and prospective customers. There’s a real business benefit to having great space.”
The City is in the process of providing a building renovation matching grant to help with renovations to the historic building and assisted with the Empire Zone certification. The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency also assisted with a tax abatement.
“The City of Rochester is very happy that Callfinity decided to relocate to the High Falls area in downtown. They are an outstanding high-tech organization which is growing and intend on expanding quickly,” said Mayor Duffy. “We wish Jeff and his team the very best. We are proud to have them in our community. This move is indicative of the buzz going on in our area, our state and our country. Rochester is coming up and is the place to be. We have a highly-trained workforce that cannot be duplicated anywhere else.”
Commissioner Carballada said the City has made technology businesses such as Callfinity a high priority. “We believe that high-tech is a solid area of growth,” he said. “Firms such as Callfinity are important economic development drivers, not only in our area, but throughout the community.”
The company currently employs 39 people, and expects to increase that number to 51 in three years, and 140 in the next five years.
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News Media: For more information, contact Neighborhood and Business Development Dept. Commissioner Carlos Carballada at 428-8801.