The Rochester Review, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
PRESIDENT, CEO, 'MODEL' ALUMNUS
"Bob Klimasewski is a model alum," says Jack Kreckel, associate vice president of development. "He is a generous donor and was an active member of the Trustees' Council of the College for six years.
"He's also been a member of the Engineering Visiting Committee, an energetic Campaign for the '90s volunteer, a vigorous speaker at the recent Contemporary Issues Luncheon in Rochester, a committee member of the Center for Polish and Central European Studies, and frequent attendee at University events.
"To top all that, Bob is an outstanding Rochester business person. The University is proud to call him one of ours."
Hometown: Naugatuck, Conn.
Family: Married to Jill Callan; father to Robert, Timothy '87, James, and Karen.
As an undergraduate: Klimasewski came to the University of Rochester after two years as a chemical engineering student at the University of New Hampshire and after a stint as a lens polisher in Eastman Kodak's optical manufacturing division. The Institute of Optics offered him a scholarship in 1964; at the time the institute offered the only undergraduate optics program in the country.
Career: After two years as an optical engineer at Perkins-Elmer Corp. in Connecticut, Klimasewski was hired by Rochester-area Tropel Inc. to run its commercial products division. In the summer of 1972, he co-founded Burleigh Instruments, a privately held high-tech company that manufactures and sells instrumentation to the laser, surface analysis, and cell physiology markets. Burleigh now has sales in the $10 million range.
While maintaining 50 percent ownership of Burleigh, he is currently president and CEO of Transmation, Inc., a publicly held Rochester area company that distributes and manufactures test and measurement instrumentation for the process control industry. He is also a member of the board of directors of Laser Power Corp.
Hobbies: Klimasewski breeds and races thoroughbred horses, but not technically as a hobby. "I operate that as a business," he says. "I have been doing what's necessary to try to make a profit."
Copyright 1998, University of Rochester
Maintained by University Public Relations