High-tech companies are sprouting up throughout the region, one of the driving forces in the revitalization that has taken place in our local economy. Rising Stars, a quarterly event, showcases the entrepreneurs who are building some of Rochester’s most successful technology companies. It offers an opportunity to hear their personal stories and meet the individuals behind Rochester’s “rising stars”.

When the time came for Spectracom to bring a new leader on board, they did a search for an expert, proven leader in their industry. Enter Lisa Withers, Silicon Valley success story. Lisa moved from California to Rochester and hasn't looked back!

Spectracom Corporation designs, develops, and manufactures Legally Traceable Time® and frequency products that are used for Synchronizing Critical Operations® in a wide variety of communications, broadcast and IP networks in Public Safety, Aerospace and Defense, Financial Services, Healthcare and Broadcast markets.

Jeff Valentine left Rochester to go to college and, some years later, with a degree and some solid work experience behind him, Jeff packed up the business that he founded in 1999 in Boston, Massachusetts - and moved its headquarters to Rochester in 2005. In Rochester, it was easier to find talented employees and labor costs were nearly 30% lower than other major metropolitan areas. New York's Empire Zone program made the move particularly attractive.

Callfinity provides telecommunications software and systems to enterprises and service providers. Since 1999, over 250 conferencing and call center customers, such as British Telecommunications, John Hancock Funds, and the Massachusetts General Hospital, use Callfinity's on-premise equipment and hosted services in six countries around the world.

Hear the tales of two companies that are thriving especially because they're located here, in Rochester, NY, one of the strongest technology communities in the northeast.

[Register below]

SPEAKERS:

• Jeff Valentine, President & CEO, Callfinity
• Lisa Withers, President & CEO, Spectracom

7:30-8:00 am	Refreshments and Networking
8:00-9:00 am	Presentations
9:00-9:30 am	Q&A and Meet the Speakers

SPONSORS:

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Jeff Valentine

Jeff Valentine is the President & CEO of Callfinity, Inc - a worldwide provider of telecommunications software and systems for call centers, service providers, and enterprises. Callfinity produces and sells easy-to-use call routing, queuing, and recording systems, and has more than 250 customers in 6 countries including British Telecommunications, Urban Outfitters, Sutherland Global Services, and Harris Corporation. The company currently employs 18 people out of its Pittsford, NY headquarters.

Jeff is an alumnus of McQuaid Jesuit High School and a cum laude graduate of Cornell University with a major in Materials Science and Engineering/Polymer Chemistry concentration. After graduation, he moved to Boston, MA and worked as a product manager for Exeter Educational Management Systems, a provider of ERP software to the higher education market. Jeff co-founded Callfinity as a dot-com in 1999 under the name BYOBroadcast, and managed the company from the best times during that bubble, to the worst times after it burst, to the fast and profitable growth it has experienced since 2003. In 2004, he renamed the company to Callfinity while also moving the business from Boston, MA to Rochester, NY. In 2007, Callfinity completed its first acquisition (Context Technologies), and has grown top-line revenue at more than 60% per year for each of the last two years.

Outside of Callfinity, Jeff is chairman of Pariemus, a non-profit entrepreneurship organization for Rochester CEOs, and co-founder of Novamus, a monthly networking group of McQuaid alumni. He lives in Fairport, NY with his wife, Jennifer, and two-year-old daughter, Clara.

Lisa Withers

Lisa Withers is the Chief Executive Officer for Spectracom, a global leader in time and frequency instruments headquartered in Henrietta with offices in Les Ulis, France. Lisa has broad executive experience including mergers and acquisitions, leading an IPO on NASDAQ and strategy development. Prior to joining Spectracom in August 2004, Ms. Withers served as Executive Vice President and Division General Manager at Symmetricom in Santa Rosa, CA. Prior to their merger with Symmetricom, Lisa served as President and CEO of TrueTime, a world leader in timing solutions for the Department of Defense.

As a foundation to her role as senior executive, Lisa’s background includes operations and supply chain management positions at ABB AMDATA and Delphian Corporation and a BS in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco. Lisa lives at home in Mendon with her husband and 22 year old son who is an active member of the special needs community in Monroe County. Lisa serves as director on a number of corporate and non-profit boards and is a happy transplant to the Rochester business community.