AWC-UNY Members Impact Our Community

Write On, Barbara Grosh!

Our webmaster recently won the Xerox Aspiring Authors Award for her book Tenure Track to Mommyville. Xerox initiated a nationwide search for the best work of unpublished fiction to demonstrate the power of digital print-on-demand as a smart alternative to traditional book publishing. Her prize includes 100 copies of the book and a check for $5,000. The book can be ordered from Lulu.com. You can read more about the book and the award ceremony at her author website, http://tenuretracktomommyville.com.

Ride On, Joan Gaylord!

Joan Gaylord, a long standing member and Past President of the AWC-UNY organization recently completed an 8-day 400 mile Bike Tour.  The tour started in Buffalo and ended in Albany.  Please join us in congratulating her on an amazing ride!  

She Bet the Ranch

By ALLISON COOPER from the Daily Messenger 3/15/05

CANANDAIGUA - She took out a mortgage on her West Lake Road home, got turned down by more banks than you can count on two hands and passed on family dinners.

For Christine Scheible, 43, it will be worth it when her startup company's first major product hits the market.

"I invested my life, my money and mortgaged my home to bring Quantum to life," says Scheible from the conference room at Quantum Technology Associates, the company she owns and runs in Henrietta.

Quantum's engineers write custom software for medical and optical equipment.

Its first breakthrough is the technology inside Allient, a dialysis machine that will allow patients to have life-saving treatments at home as they sleep, rather than in a hospital or clinic. Imagine what that could mean to people whose lives have been turned upside down by kidney failure.

It's not just a new venture, it's a new way of life for Scheible who has traveled around the world working in data management. Even after marrying her husband, Peter, in 1998, and settling in Canandaigua, she continued to globe trot. But after Scheible finished an eight-month stint in Australia in 2001, Peter told her he wanted her home with him and her daughter, Samantha, 16.

"He said, 'Christine, do anything you want to do, but please, do it from Canandaigua,'" Scheible recalls. Her husband so covets their time together that Christine gave him a Valentine's Day coupon promising "I won't bring my laptop home for one night." He promptly redeemed it.

In 2001, the high-paying executive jobs Scheible was used to were in short supply in Rochester. She opted to build her own company and, in essence, create the job she wanted.

"I had to decide, where were the opportunities, where are my talents best used in Rochester and where can I make a difference," Scheible says. She scoped out the market, working as a consultant for Xerox Corp. and Eastman Kodak Co.

Then Parity America, a software company, recruited Scheible to restructure the Rochester division to make it profitable. But as she finished her business plan, the company decided to close the division.

For some, such news would have been devastating. But Scheible, with a Cheshire-cat grin, says, "That positioned me exactly where I needed to be."

She took the business plan and the division's six software engineers - with Parity's blessing - and got assurances that Parity's customer, Pittsburgh-based Renal Solutions, would work with her on the home dialysis machine.

"I knew it would work, I just needed to be financed. I needed capital," Scheible says.

Still, bank after bank turned her down. JPMorgan Chase Bank took a chance on her and three months later, Quantum made a profit. She now has three clients and the dialysis machine is awaiting FDA approval.

"I looked at what the community needs, I have a vision and I'm not afraid of the challenges," Scheible says. "High-tech jobs are leaving Rochester, our colleges train kids and then they leave. I think I can help change all of that."

Christie has been a member of the Association for Women in Computing - Upstate NY Chapter since 2001 and is currently serving as VP of Finance.

Christina Zazulak Wins Two Awards: RWN's Up and Coming Businesswoman and RBJ's 40 under 40

The Rochester Women's Network recently named Christina Zazulak, Executive Director of Center Information Services, a 2004 Up & Coming Businesswoman Award Finalist. The Rochester Business Journal honored Christina on September 10, 2004, naming her one of the year's "40 Under 40."

Since April 2000, Christina has been the Executive Director for Center Information Services, Inc., which is a partnership of Rochester Rehabilitation Center, Al Sigl Center, The Arc of Monroe, and CP Rochester. Under Christina’s leadership, the collaborative has saved over a million dollars. Ultimately, these resources are utilized for programs and initiatives that enrich the lives of the consumers and families the partnership serves.

Christina has 10 years experience in the IT field. She serves on the Board of Directors and Advisory Boards of several local non-profit organizations. Additionally, Christina has been a guest speaker at the New York State Rehabilitation Association’s (NYSRA) 2004 Leadership Training Summit and the Council of Community Services of NYS’s Mission Driven Technology Conference. Christina is also a member of the Rochester Business Alliance’s CIO Roundtable Group.

Most recently, Christina completed her Executive MBA from the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration of the University of Rochester. Christina also holds an honors BS of Finance from Rochester Institute of Technology.