Maurice Ragland
This 31-year-old is the manager of lean manufacturing at Alstom Signaling and the co-founder of Rochester Step-Off Educational Foundation Inc., a youth service provider. Ragland grew up in Buffalo but has called Rochester home since 1991. He graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.
Tell me about Alstom Signaling.
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It's the old General Railway Signal. In Rochester we manufacture signal devices. … Alstom is known for manufacturing freight and metro rail cars.
What to you do there?
I am the manager of lean manufacturing. … It's (an) improvement methodology geared toward identifying and eliminating wastes in the manufacturing and engineering process.
Do you think it's your professional success or your leadership in Step-Off that played a bigger role in your nomination to the Forty Under 40?
I would say that it was a combination of both, but I would say that it was probably more influenced by my involvement with the community.
Where does your passion for something like the Step-Off Educational Foundation come from?
It is truly my belief that the community is the extension of myself. … I grew up in … the inner city of Buffalo … and I graduated from the public school system. It was through dedicated … individuals who have come into my life and instilled in me the obligation to give back … that the Step-Off came into existence.
Tell me more about the program.
I was working for Action for a Better Community as a peer leader. … It was my sophomore year of college (1994) … (and) one of the things I wanted to introduce the kids to was stepping.
What's stepping?
Stepping is a modernized version of what we knew as the boot dance. … At the time there was a team Edison Tech (High School) pulled together. We decided to link up with (them). … It started as a competition, and shortly afterward we realized the potential we had to motivate students.
How so?
We added in academics. To participate, students have to maintain a GPA of 2.25. … This program touches so many different aspects of these students' lives. … There's the academic component, the cultural aspect. … People think the (Step-Off Competition) is the program, however it's not. The event is the culminating event to a yearlong series of programs and workshops.
Are you surprised with the group's success?
I'm not surprised. There is an incredible team that we work with of advisers and volunteers and the community at large. When you look at this event and see the amount of support it is able to muster, it's not a surprise it's still going strong.
Do you think programs like this encourage kids to stay in Rochester and give back to their community?
I mentioned earlier (that) the involvement individuals have had in my life has infused this desire (in me) to give back. I think (this program) does the same with these students.
... It certainly provides them with the desire to give back. … Will it keep them here? I don't know. It will certainly help them wherever they are … to be connected with their community at large.
I guess, then, the real question is what does Rochester need to do to keep its smart and talented youth here?
I'm part of a networking group called Rendezvous Rochester. Our focus is more on the personal entertainment side … and our goal and our vision is to fill a void. Right now when you look at Rochester, it's a very conservative town. It caters more toward older, more established professionals. However, there are a lot of young professionals here without a lot to do.
Do you have any advice for people looking to stay but aren't sure what to do?
Look at the potential here in Rochester. There (are) a lot of positive things going on. There are a lot of positive people who are here in Rochester. Find something that you love and link in to it.
… Find something that you love and dedicate yourself to it. Never stop learning. … The world is really your playground, and it's through real life interaction that you will really hone yourself. That will prove to be your greatest asset.
So, why have you stuck around?
I see the potential in Rochester, and fortunately for me, very early on I was able to get involved with programs that mean a great deal to me. I'm vested in Rochester.
How does it feel to be one of Rochester's Forty Under 40?
It's incredible. It's an incredible feeling. Looking at the list of individuals who were (honored) this year, it's the who's who, if you will. It's humbling. … It's incredible to have gained the respect of my peers.
David Koretz
The 25-year-old Rochester resident is a 1996 graduate of Brighton High School and the president and CEO of Blue Tie. Koretz never completed college, but he did earn a small business management certificate from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Tell me a little about Blue Tie.
What we do is, for all the small businesses out there that need e-mail and … shared calendars to communicate between their staff … (is) offer … the ability to get the same technology, over the Web, as a Web service.
When did you start the com-pany?
March of 1999. … In the heyday of the dot-com boom.
Where did the idea come from?
It's very analogous to the Paychex model, if you think about it. Paychex goes out there with the sales pitch that if you are a small business, hiring your own payroll person full-time doesn't make sense. As the number of people goes down linearly, the cost per person goes up exponentially. So in a really small business it doesn't make any sense at all.
… Our average customer size is about 20 employees, and they can get business-class e-mail and antispam, and antivirus, shared calendars starting at $3 a month per user.
I understand that you self- funded Blue Tie in the beginning and then raised $10 million from Tom Golisano and other Paychex executives.
We never disclosed the exact amount. But we have raised into eight figures to date.
At 19, how did you convince them to give you that money?
To be honest, it really wasn't that hard. … I had run three businesses before, I had been successful in the past, and I think more importantly the idea was very fundamentally sound. It was very analogous to the Paychex model, and they really understood it.
Most people probably won't start out the way you did. With that in mind, what do you think Rochester has to do to keep its young, smart and talented people from leaving?
We have candidly had to look several times at, ‘Do we stay here or not.' … We made the decision to stay and committed to Rochester, but along with that I made a personal decision that I was going to see what I could do to improve Rochester economically.
Sometimes it feels like tying two rocks together to see if they'll float. It's a tough row to hoe. … At the end of the day … I don't think it has anything to do with boats or casinos or anything along those lines. … The job needs to come first, so there needs to be more.
Do you have any advice for people looking to stay but aren't sure what to do?
(Align) yourself with a great company or (start) a great company.
Looks like you're the youngest honoree in this year's Forty Under 40. Are you proud?
It's extremely flattering to be honored. … It's not that other people couldn't have done what I did; I just think people choose the path that suits them the most, and for me, this was very natural.
