Chapter focus: Rochester.

• Author: Heffes, Ellen M.

Area Covered: Rochester and Syracuse metropolitan areas and the Southern Tier.

Year Founded: The chapter charter was granted by The Controllers Institute of America on April 30, 1937.

Number of Members: 136 Representative Member Companies: Membership includes financial executives from large (Fortune 500) to small privately held businesses, academic chairs and retirees.

Some of the companies include: Bausch & Lomb Inc.; Corning Inc., Home Properties Inc.; Eastman Kodak Co.; Lexmark International Inc.; Paetec Communications Inc.; Paychex Inc.; Monroe Muffler Brake Inc.; Toshiba Business Solutions; Wegmans Food Markets Inc.; and Xerox Corp.

Chapter Sponsors: include: Paychex Inc., Pricewaterhouse-Coopers, Robert Half International, HR Works, Marsh Inc. and Toshiba Business Solutions.

Annual Dues: $50 (includes registration for up to two events)

Meeting Schedule: The chapter hosts 10 events each year, plus four professional development (PD) sessions. The majority of the events are dinner meetings, usually held during the third week of the month at the Country Club of Rochester.

We also host a member social where spouses/guests are invited, an annual Scholars' Night, at which the top business students from among our area colleges are recognized, and we conduct an annual golf tournament each August. Additionally, we host a holiday social and sponsor a recognition event in December. The remaining meetings focus on topics of interest to the membership.

Recent meetings have included: an economic update presented by a prominent economist, CFOs and CEOs speaking on various professional topics, as well as speakers addressing investment and retirement issues. Members may also receive CPE credit for attendance at specific events during the year.

Regional Challenges: Our challenges include driving attendance at events, particularly from our members outside of the Rochester area, and growing our membership base. While we have added many new members in recent years, our total membership number has remained steady due to attrition. Recent Highlights:

* Financial Executive of the Year Award

The Rochester Chapter of FEI and the Rochester Business Journal are planning to present the first annual Financial Executive of the Year awards May 15, at the Hyatt Regency Rochester. The awards are intended to recognize financial executives who have made an outstanding contribution to their organizations and to the greater Rochester community. We anticipate the publicity...