SEPTEMBER 15, 2017

ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL / BUSINESS ETHICS PAGE 17

2017
ROCHESTER AREA BUSINESS ETHICS FOUNDATION

ETHIE
A special section profiling the seven
finalists chosen this year for the
Rochester Area Business Ethics
Foundation’s regional award program

AWARD
PAGE 18 ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL / BUSINESS ETHICS SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Holy Childhood’s partners with industry program is designed to train individuals to achieve maximum production and high quality levels.
Firms build ethical culture through hard work
Organizations value
ethical behavior more
than expediency, profit
By PATRICK HARNEY
The Rochester Area Business Ethics
Foundation has narrowed its list of ap-
plicants down to seven finalists for the
2017 Ethie Award, with a diverse assem-
blage of local businesses, organizations
and one governmental institution eligi-
ble for the grand prize.
First established in 2003, the goal of
the Ethie is to celebrate local businesses
and organizations that have created and
maintained strong ethical guidelines for
their clients, employees and customers.
If there is a theme for this year’s Ethie
nominees, it centers on company culture,
where ethical behavior doesn’t come from
a policy, but from years of hard work. This
became especially clear in separate con-
versations with each finalist, showing how
they view ethics in the workplace as valu-
able, more important than expediency or
potential profit.
Holy Childhood
For Holy Childhood, its commitment
to ethical behavior is demonstrated every
day, taking to heart its mission statement
to “serve people of all ages, with intellec-
tual and developmental disabilities, and
give them the tools to succeed,” accord-
ing to Donna Dedee.
Dedee, president and CEO of the non-
profit, is currently working on expanding
the Special Touch Bakery, a program that
will allow graduates of the group’s vo-
cational training program to work with
nondisabled employees. Dedee has an
interest in maintaining the continuity of
the group’s mission and values.
As a result, completing the RABEF
application for the 2017 Ethies proved
invaluable, showing the dedication of ev-
ery worker. This became especially clear
in interviews with RABEF representa-
tives, who spoke to Holy Childhood’s
workforce.
“We really didn’t prep anybody,” Dedee
said of her workers. “We just said come
in; would you talk to the (RABEF) com-
mittee and tell your story, tell our sto-
ry. And it was incredibly touching and
meaningful to me as the leader of this
organization, without any prompting,
to hear the words and the sentiment that
were being expressed by people all across
the organization.”
It made me a little emotional, to be
honest with you.”
Dedee and her team are looking for-
ward to the upcoming gala for the Ethie
Awards, Oct. 2 at Geva Theatre Center.
The event will give her a chance to be
honored among all the “wonderful orga-
nizations, with tremendous leadership in
this community,” which are competing
for the same honor.
Interpretek
Michael Rizzolo, another finalist, is
also looking forward to the upcoming
gala, where he can, “be with people who
seem to embrace value and want to cele-
brate” ethical behavior in the workplace.
For the president and CEO of Inter-
pretek, the ability to practice sound eth-
ics doesn’t stem from a book or from spe-
cific written criteria, but through contin-
ued, day-to-day experience.
“It’s just more interpersonal; it hap-
pens by doing.”
Interpretek first began in 1993, after
Rizzolo had spent 12 years as a manag-
er of Interpreting Services for Rochester
Institute of Technology’s National Tech-
nical Institute for the Deaf.
“We started with: Send the best inter-
preter available and pay them on time,
and something simple like that rang true
with the consumers.”
Now with six offices in five states, Riz-
zolo is looking forward to celebrating
the company’s 25th anniversary, with
the Ethie nomination providing an ex-
cellent promotional opportunity. Even
if they don’t win this year, he views the
company ending up on the Ethie short-
list “as having already won.”
“We take away the affirmation that
we’ve done well, that we’re doing the right
thing. But I don’t think we’re done. The
market keeps changing, the needs keep
changing; we need to keep changing.”
When it comes to ethical behavior for
Rizzolo, the first priority is to his em-
ployees. While he places a high value
on providing cutting edge services to his
customers and clients who require ASL
interpreters, he also values a workplace
Submitted photo
where employees can approach him re-
garding a potential problem or mistake
without worrying about retribution.
“You can’t really make a mistake that’s
going to get you fired. That’s silly. If you
make a mistake, I want you to learn from
it, and then you’re going to be better the
next day.”
There’s also a desire for maintaining
Continued on page 19
Ethies
Beginning in 2003, the Roch-
ester Business Ethics Award pro-
gram, overseen by the Rochester
Area Business Ethics Foundation,
has honored firms in the Rochester
region that have exemplified high
standards of ethical behavior in
their daily business practices and
in response to challenges or crises.
An independent panel of judges
carefully and impartially analyzes
Ethie Award entry forms to deter-
mine the finalists, which then un-
dergo a site visit by a member of
the judging committee.
Ethie Awards celebration: 4 to 8
p.m., Monday, Oct. 2 at Geva The-
atre Center. To purchase tickets:
www.RochesterBusinessEthics.com
Last year’s winners: Tipping
Point Communications, Lewis Tree
Services and Triplett Machine Co.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2017 ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL / BUSINESS ETHICS PAGE 19

Stantec
BUSINESS ETHICS
Continued from page 18 Stantec also has a strong commitment
to a vibrant ethical culture, both among
a strong, effective relationship with the co-workers and clients.
interpreters he hires, since many are in- As one of the top 10 design firms, with
dependent contractors. 400 offices on six continents, Stantec
“I hire them, I want the best from prides itself on adhering to the customs
them, they want the best from me. It’s and principles unique to each office. The
a wonderful, mutual relationship. One Rochester branch of the architectural
can’t survive without the other, so you and engineering firm is no different, fo-
want to maximize it, not minimize it.” cusing on changing the environment
Interpretek also tries to match up in- around them for the better.
terpreters with the situation they are “As engineers and architects, our proj-
needed for, especially if there’s a require- ects are really about making the commu-
ment for specialized knowledge. nities we live and work in much better,”
“So, when a request comes in, we don’t says Jim Hofman. “We really touch the
just say, ‘who’s available?’ We try to match lives of millions with all of our projects.”
up. So if it’s a medical request, does this With work stretching from the trans-
person have medical training and back- formation of the East Inner Loop into
ground? If it’s a legal request, can they a more pedestrian-friendly street, to
survive in a courtroom?” providing a master plan for the Plym-
For Rizzolo, the idea is be upfront con- outh-Exchange Neighborhood, it’s clear
ducting business, allowing Interpretek to that Stantec is “focused on the communi-
cultivate a strong relationship with the ties” and how to improve them for future
community. generations.
“It’s nice to garner good will from hav- While there is no shortage of work and
ing done the right thing, being ethical,” opportunity in Rochester, Hofman, who
he says, whether the company is working is the principal of the Rochester branch,
with employees, contractors or customers. likes to ensure that every employee is
aware of and follows Stantec’s Code of
ProNexus Business Ethics.
Garnering a strong reputation in the In order to ensure that a strong ethical
community is a trait shared by the partners culture is maintained, there is an annual
of ProNexus, a Pittsford-based firm spe- training session for employees and each
cializing in financial services consulting. company meeting has an introduction
Founded in 2012, the goal was, accord- covering two of the most prominent is-
ing to Robert Pickering, senior executive sues: safety and ethics.
vice president, to provide a different type “And we talk maybe 30 seconds to a
of office culture. minute. We may talk about some of our
“In our past life, in the Fortune 500, own ethics policies and procedures. We
they had all the bells and whistles, they may look outside the company, or some
had the beautiful signs at the front door- things that maybe have happened in in-
way. They had the Code of Ethics in the dustry. Things that companies have done
handbook and they would talk about do- well, or some companies that had prob-
ing the right thing. But in the day-to-day, lems, and what led up to those problems,
in the field, practical operations, it wasn’t and we really try to learn from those.”
happening.” For Hofman, Stantec’s code boils down Submitted photo
As a result, Pickering and his partner, Stantec has 400 offices on six continents. Its Rochester branch is focused on
Continued on page 20 improving the community for future generations.
co-founder and President Rafael Vidal,
left their former companies behind to
begin a financial and information tech-
nology consulting firm, one with a more
local focus.
When conducting business in the area,
ProNexus operates based on three prin-
ciples. One of the principles is to “treat
employees, our clients, our consultants,
our strategic partners like family,” ac-
cording to Vidal, who emphasizes how
their previous employers were more in-
terested in financial gain instead of treat-
ing employees fairly.
The second and third principles center
on “giving back to the community which
we live in,” according to Pickering, not-
ing the importance of hiring locally and
donating time to others.
“A good example is, we’re all encour-
aged to get involved in not-for-profits
and volunteer work,” says Kate Kenney,
a partner with the firm. Clear examples
of its dedication to volunteering are the
three senior partners: Kenney works
with Bivona Child Advocacy Center,
Vidal is on the Rochester Broadway The-
atre League board and Pickering works
with Family Autism Center.
As a result, ProNexus has cultivated
a strong ethical culture, beginning with
the leadership in headquarters to offic-
es all over the state, whether in or out
of the office.
Submitted photo
Now approaching its 25th anniversary, Interpretek has grown to six offices in five states.
PAGE 20 ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL / BUSINESS ETHICS SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
BUSINESS ETHICS
Continued from page 19
to one key point, which is to do what’s
right. As a result, Hofman has empow-
ered the firm’s workers, allowing them to
“step back and ask themselves, ‘Is it the
right decision?’”
Broccolo Tree
and Lawn Care
For Laurie Broccolo, it’s clear the right
decision for her company was to make
it pesticide-free.
Beginning in 1990, Broccolo Tree and
Lawn Care arose out of the experience
accrued working for Ted Collins Tree
and Landscape. Now, with two locations,
multiple workers, several high profile
local projects and various community
partners, there is a desire to put into
practice what she values most: diversity
in the workplace.
For Broccolo, who has a degree from
Finger Lakes Community College in Ap-
plied Science and Horticulture Conser-
vation, the moment that crystallized how
to approach the issue came about after a
career talk for an area school. A student
attending the event spoke up after her
speech, stating how, “a lawn that’s all one
color is boring.”
This statement got her thinking about
her company’s culture, outlining two
clear, specific goals to follow. The first
principle is to get more women in the
workforce, with a flexible work schedule
giving employees time to rest in between
the peak work season of April through
June, in addition to paid vacation time.
The benefits and work cycles have
proven effective for the company, with
several employees still working for her
after 25 years.
The second principle emphasizes di-
versity in environmentally friendly
gardening and landscaping practices,
demonstrating how all employees are
“caretakers of the environment.”
“Most of the employees are tree-hug-
gers,” Broccolo confesses, noting how
they prefer saving trees to removing
them, a common service among land-
Leonard’s Express has followed a principle of “anything worth doing is worth doing right” since it was founded in 2001.
Broccolo Tree and Lawn Care is focused on diversity in its workforce and in its environmental practices.
scaping services, in addition to a refusal
to use pesticides for lawn care.
As a first-time applicant for the Ethies,
Broccolo is excited about being a final-
ist. For her and everyone at her compa-
ny, the “timing for the nomination is a
deep, personal sense of pride for all of
us,” giving them a chance to spread and
promote their principles.
Leonard’s Express
Leonard’s Express is looking forward
to the gala, as a way to promote its own
principles to the rest of the Rochester
business community.
Beginning in 2001, the business was
formed by CEO Kenneth Johnson’s parents
as a brokerage firm, connecting indepen-
dent owners of semitrailer trucks to ship-
ping companies lacking a privately owned
fleet. Now with 21 offices in the country,
Johnson is looking forward to celebrating
what makes the company special.
With four generations of truckers
working at the firm, a strong sense of
family values pervades the company, giv-
en how much of the culture comes from
his parents.
“It really comes up from my Mom and
Dad, especially my Mom. She’s always
gone by the principle, ‘we’re going to do
something, we’re going to do it right,’”
Johnson says, noting how, “it’s the way
we built this company, and under that
guiding principle that anything worth
doing is worth doing it right.”
One specific way Leonard’s Express
does the right thing is with the truckers
they hire, working to make them feel
more connected to the rest of the com-
pany through “two-way cellular commu-
nication,” according to Johnson.
“When you’re next to the person work-
ing every day you get to know them a
little bit, but the drivers don’t have that,
and we try to encourage all our people
to engage in our driving population, in
that manner.”
Submitted photo
Submitted photo
Ontario County
Good communication channels are es-
sential to any workplace. However, these
skills can be especially vital to govern-
mental institutions, given their respon-
sibility to the community as a whole. For
Ontario County’s government, it’s clear
that open communication with all of the
different departments and agencies is
one of the several core values they prize.
As the first governmental body to apply
for the Ethies, Deputy County Adminis-
trator Brian Young admits it’s an unusual
circumstance. According to Young, the
idea first came from another member of
the county administration seeing the ad
for the Ethies in a local paper, suggesting
they apply.
However, County Administrator Mary
Krause “thought long and hard” about
applying, only wanting to submit “if we
have specific examples of us going above
and beyond what’s expected.”
Fortunately, there were multiple exam-
ples to choose from, with the most promi-
nent being a document outlining their vi-
sion, mission, core values and behaviors.
The document underwent a six-month
planning process in addition to a leader-
ship retreat, giving them plenty of time to
determine what they wanted it to say. Af-
ter soliciting feedback from department
managers and union leaders, it was rati-
fied by the county’s Board of Supervisors.
The spirit of open communication and
clearly defining their own values is, for
Krause, what government is all about,
borrowing a quote from former Presi-
dent Bill Clinton.
“Nothing that’s wrong with county
government can’t be fixed by what’s right
with county government.”
Krause is excited to be shortlisted,
but made clear how vital the application
process was for everyone, giving them a
chance to reflect on public service, and
how to improve in the years ahead.
“I appreciated, and our team appreci-
ated it, to reflect on where we’ve been,
and what we can do to do even better in
the future.”
Patrick Harney is a Rochester-area
freelance writer.