Click on the name of a staff member to view his or her biography.
Staff Bios
Dennis M. Mullen, President and CEO
Dennis M. Mullen brings a strong background of general management expertise to his current position as president and CEO of Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE). Under Dennis' leadership GRE has focused on marketing Rochester's core assets – alternative energy, biotechnology, food and beverage manufacturing and optics – in an effort to attract new business to this area.
Prior to Dennis's role in economic development, he worked for more than 28 years in the food industry, in a number of senior leadership positions, most recently as the president and CEO of Birds Eye Foods for 10 years. He spearheaded an aggressive acquisition strategy which doubled the size of the company. In addition to his tenure as president and CEO of Birds Eye Foods, he also served as president and CEO of three other food enterprises including Globe Products Companies, Nalley's Fine Foods, and Comstock Foods.
In addition to his role at GRE, Dennis serves on the board of 9 local not for profit entities as well as 3 public companies.
Dennis earned his bachelor's degree in education from St. Leo University in Florida.
Lisa Canedo, Research Analyst
Lisa Canedo joined GRE in September 2005. She currently serves as Research Analyst, delivering professional project management from beginning to end of all aspects of business attraction, expansion and retention projects for the 9-county region. Her primary focus of targeted recruitment is on the region's alternative energy sector, including wind, fuel cell, biofuels, and solar.
Additionally, Lisa is working to transition to the business development side of the organization. She recently completed the coursework for the International Economic Development Council's Certified Economic Developers (CEcD) program, with plans to take the exam 1st quarter 2009.
Prior to joining GRE, Lisa was the research director at the Rochester Business Journal.
Lisa holds a Masters of Science Degree in Strategic Leadership from Roberts Wesleyan College and a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology.
Winona Dixon, Research Analyst
Winona Dixon joined GRE in June 2003. She currently serves as a Research Analyst at GRE. In addition to her research duties Winona also manages GRE's IT systems as well as numerous site search requests and development of proposals for national site selectors.
Winona holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management and a Masters Degree in Management and Information Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology.
Staci Henning, Marketing Director
Staci Henning brings more than 20 years of marketing experience to her role as Marketing Director of GRE. She is responsible for all aspects of GRE's marketing strategy and creative development including advertising, corporate communications, Internet marketing, and public relations.
Prior to joining GRE in November 2004, Staci served as Corporate Advertising and Branding Manager for The PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh, PA. During her tenure at PNC, Staci managed marketing programs to reposition PNC's brand as well as promote the company's personal banking, corporate banking and investment services.
Before entering the world of financial services, Staci worked as a Marketing Manager and Advertising Manager at MCI WorldCom in Arlington, VA. She managed numerous broadcast advertising campaigns for MCI Friends & Family as well as other MCI branded services.
Staci's marketing campaigns have garnered numerous industry awards for creativity as well as generating business results.
A Rochester native, Staci holds a Bachelors Degree in Advertising from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Matt Hurlbutt, Managing Director, Business Development
Matt Hurlbutt currently serves as Managing Director, Business Development at Greater Rochester Enterprise with responsibility for attracting new business to Rochester. Matt will work directly with corporations, as well as with national site selectors.
Matt most recently served as managing director of Finger Lakes Wired, which represents 21 business, higher education, philanthropic, economic and workforce development organizations dedicated to transforming the Rochester regional economy. Matt also served as executive director of RochesterWorks, Inc. There, he was responsible for overall management of the workforce development system.
Matt is a member of Pi Alpha Alpha, the National Honor Society of Public Affairs and Administration. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from State University of New York College at Brockport and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, State University of New York College at Geneseo.
Laurie DeRoller, Executive Director of the International Business Council of Greater Rochester NY (IBC)
Laurie DeRoller brings a strong international business background and passion for trade. Born and raised in Rochester, Laurie has developed her trade skills by working in local industries to include distribution, manufacturing, textiles and logistics.
Prior to her taking the reigns of the IBC, Laurie served as an Officer of the Board for the IBC since 2000. Her private consulting firm provided hands on assistance to regional businesses with export or import needs. She worked several years in the semi-conductor industry and at major freight forwarders gaining additional expertise in trade.
Laurie has been inducted into the District Export Council, nominated by the US Dept of Commerce, she holds the Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) accreditation by the North American Small Business International Trade Educators (NASBITE) and guest lectures frequently at area colleges. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from West Virginia University.
Bridget Loyde, Executive Assistant
Bridget Loyde joined GRE in early 2007 as executive assistant to our CEO and president.
Before joining GRE, Bridget worked for J.P. Morgan Chase for more than 15 years, most recently as executive assistant to the Senior Vice President of Human Resources. She also worked in various law firms where she gained legal secretarial experience.
Bridget holds an Associates Degree from Bryant and Stratton Institute.
Jay Martinez, Executive Director, High Tech Business Council
Jay Martinez currently serves as the Executive Director of High Tech Business Council (HTBC), a GRE affiliate organization. HTBC is a member-based organization of technology oriented companies in the Rochester/Finger Lakes Region.
Prior to joining HTBC, Jay served as Managing Director of Business Development at GRE since its inception in early 2003. In his regional economic development role at GRE, he was involved in efforts to attract companies to the Rochester/Finger Lakes region, as well as support the growth and expansion of new and established companies. Jay also brings more than 20 years of marketing and business development experience in technology-based businesses at Xerox, Kodak, and Edicon Systems (an entrepreneurial start-up company). He places considerable value on the breadth of experiences he has enjoyed while working at two global companies, as well as two start-ups.
Jay received an MBA degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and a BS in chemical engineering from Clarkson University.
Mark S. Peterson, Managing Director, External Affairs
Mark S. Peterson joined the Greater Rochester Enterprise in March 2005. At GRE, Mark is responsible for all external relations including investor, government, and community relations as well as budget oversight, financial reporting, and staff coordination.
Before joining GRE, Mark served as President of Bishop Kearney High School. During his tenure at Kearney Mark streamlined business operations, refocused the school's public relations and recruitment strategies, and significantly increased funding from outside sources.
Mark is an accomplished fundraiser who has held senior level management positions with organizations such as The University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin. During his career Mark has helped raise more than $100 million for nonprofit organizations.
In addition to his duties at GRE, Mark serves on many community boards and teaches at SUNY Brockport. Mark earned his bachelor's degree in political science from St. John Fisher College and his MBA from Kent State University.
Heidi Schmitt, Events Coordinator
Heidi Schmitt joined GRE in November 2007 as our Events Coordinator. She quickly took control of numerous GRE, International Business Council and High Tech Business Council events.
Heidi previously worked as the Events and Special Projects Coordinator at the Rochester Business Journal where she managed events such as "40 Under 40" and "Healthcare Achievement Awards."
Heidi holds a Bachelors Degree in Communication from SUNY Geneseo.
James S. Senall, Managing Director, Business Development
Jim Senall currently serves as Managing Director, Business Development at Greater Rochester Enterprise, with responsibility for growing the region's emerging business sector. In this capacity, Jim is also the Director, and a Board Member of the Rochester Angel Network, a group of accredited investors interested in seed and early stage business opportunities.
Jim's responsibilities at GRE include working to improve the local startup infrastructure to facilitate increased numbers and success rates of startup companies, as well as long-range strategic planning to identify emerging industries for regional growth. Jim is currently leading GRE efforts to create and grow a vibrant alternative energy sector in the region.
Prior to joining GRE in 2003, Jim was involved with several startup ventures including high tech firms and a venture capital fund, and had additional experience working for TYCO Electronics.
Jim holds a Bachelors Degree in electrical engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology as well as an MBA from University of Rochester, Simon School.