Rochester Business Journal

Thirty Web sites are finalists in the Rochester Business Journal's 13th Best of the Web competition.

The newspaper launched the competition in 1996 to spotlight the leading efforts among area businesses in what was then an emerging phenomenon, the World Wide Web.

Readers submitted hundreds of nominations for the 2010 competition. This year's finalists include large companies, small firms and non-profit organizations. As in the past, the screening committee also looked at dozens more sites from previous years and other lists.

A panel of judges evaluates finalists based on content, usefulness, navigability, use of technology, design quality, e-commerce and likelihood of repeat visits.

The winners in each category—and the gold, silver and bronze overall award winners—will be announced at an awards breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 25 at the Rochester Plaza Hotel.
                                                                 
Dana VanDen Heuvel, founder and president of the Marketing Savant Group in Green Bay, Wis., will give the keynote talk on the marketing value of social media.

The following, listed by category, are the 2010 finalists:

Arts
Albert Paley (www.albertpaley.com)
Nancy Gong (www.nancygong.com)
RentanArt Inc. (www.rentanart.com)

Banking and finance
First Niagara Financial Group
(www.fnfg.com)
Genesee Regional Bank
(www.grbbank.com)
M&T Bank Corp. (www.mtb.com)

Business and professional services
Cheshire AV (www.cheshireav.com)
Clark Patterson Lee
(www.clarkpattersonlee.com)
Pictometry International Corp.
(www.pictometry.com)

Community
PathStone Corp. (www.pathstone.org)
Seneca Park Zoo
(www.senecaparkzoo.org)
South Wedge (www.southwedge.org)

Cultural non-profit
Geva Theatre Center Inc.
(www.gevatheatre.org)
Eastman Theatre (www.rochester.edu/giving/eastmantheatre)
WXXI Public Broadcasting Council
(www.wxxi.org)

Education
The Harley School
(www.harleyschool.org)
Rochester Institute of Technology
(www.rit.edu)
SchoolWorld (www.schoolworld.com)

Health care
Rochester Health
(www.rochesterhealth.com)
Progressive Implantology & Periodontics (www.rochesterperio.com)
Skinsight (www.skinsight.com)

Manufacturing
Parlec Inc. (www.parlec.com)
Transcat Inc. (www.transcat.com)
Uniblitz (www.uniblitz.com)

Real estate and construction
Conifer Realty LLC (www.coniferllc.com)
Eastman Business Park
(www.eastmanbusinesspark.com)
Rent Rochester (www.rentrochester.com)

Retail/hospitality
Breathe Yoga and Juice Bar Inc.
(www.breatheyoga.com)
Hickey-Freeman Co. Inc.
(www.hickeyfreeman.com)
Jackson & Hines
(www.jacksonandhines.com)

In addition, with its Business Transformation Award, the eBusiness Association will recognize a local firm that has transformed its business through use of the Internet. The finals for this award are:

Bio-Optronics Inc. (www.bio-optronics.com)
Miller Brick Co. (http://millerbrick.com)   
My Brands (http://mybrands.com)

This year's competition is sponsored by MSM Interactive, Time Warner Cable Business Class and the eBusiness Association.

(c) 2010 Rochester Business Journal. To obtain permission to reprint this article, call 585-546-8303 or e-mail service@rbj.net.