Saunders College of Business to recognize Jay McHarg with 2026 Vanden Brul award

Rochester, New York – A business leader whose company has helped reshape the delivery of temperature-sensitive medicines around the world is set to receive one of the Rochester region’s most respected entrepreneurial honors.

Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology has selected Jay McHarg, chief executive officer of AeroSafe Global, as the recipient of the 2026 Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award. The recognition celebrates entrepreneurs whose leadership, innovation, and commitment to business growth have made a lasting impact on the regional economy.

For more than four decades, the Vanden Brul Award has highlighted individuals who have translated ideas into successful enterprises while contributing to economic development throughout the Rochester area. Established in 1984, the annual award remains one of the community’s most visible acknowledgments of entrepreneurial achievement.

McHarg will formally receive the honor during the Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award Luncheon scheduled for June 11 at the Susan R. Holliday Center on the RIT campus. The event serves not only as a celebration of entrepreneurial success but also as a reminder of the strong connection between the university and the business community that surrounds it.

The selection process involves a committee made up of civic leaders, business professionals, previous recipients, and representatives from RIT. Their choice this year reflects both the rapid growth of AeroSafe Global and McHarg’s role in guiding the company through a period of remarkable transformation.

His journey to becoming the leader of an internationally recognized healthcare logistics company was far from conventional.

McHarg began his professional career as a structural engineer in Montreal. While engineering provided a solid technical foundation, his interests gradually expanded into finance and corporate development, leading him to Boston and eventually into the world of entrepreneurship.

Rather than pursuing the acquisition of an established company, McHarg found himself drawn to the challenge of building something from the ground up.

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“I was more enamored with the founders of these companies than I was the businesses themselves,” McHarg said. “The idea of going to build something was kind of a dream. I guess I didn’t realize I had it in me, but that’s what I wanted to do.”

That dream eventually became reality through AeroSafe Global, a company that today operates on an international scale while maintaining deep roots in Rochester.

The company specializes in delivering temperature-sensitive medications, a critical challenge in modern healthcare. From specialty drugs to life-saving therapies, many pharmaceutical products must remain within precise temperature ranges during transportation. Even minor temperature fluctuations can compromise their effectiveness.

AeroSafe developed an approach that goes beyond packaging. The company describes its model as Cold-Chain-as-a-Service, combining advanced thermal technology, logistics software powered by artificial intelligence, and a global network designed to recover and reuse shipping materials.

Through this system, medications reach patients in more than 85 countries. The company’s customer base includes some of the largest names in healthcare, including Pfizer, Merck, CVS, Walgreens, and the University of Rochester.

Central to AeroSafe’s philosophy is the belief that delivery is not simply the final stage of a supply chain. Instead, the company views it as the beginning of a patient’s healthcare experience.

That outlook helped establish long-term partnerships throughout the pharmaceutical ecosystem and contributed to AeroSafe’s rapid growth in an increasingly competitive market.

Yet the company’s success was far from guaranteed.

More than a decade ago, AeroSafe faced a challenge that threatened its future. While its thermal technology had already demonstrated value—including use by NASA—the cost of applying that technology in healthcare settings remained too high.

According to McHarg, the company reached a pivotal moment when leadership decided to fundamentally rethink the business model.

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Rather than selling packaging products, AeroSafe transformed itself into a service-based company built around large-scale reuse.

The decision carried substantial risk.

“We set up a global reuse program, and we landed on reuse island, and we literally burnt the ships,” McHarg said. “If this doesn’t work, we’re out of business, and I told everybody in the company that. So, we just made it work.”

The gamble paid off.

Today, AeroSafe reports return rates approaching 99 percent. Its shipping containers are reused an average of 80 times, dramatically exceeding the industry average of roughly five uses.

The company has also invested heavily in automation and operational efficiency. One example is a sophisticated spiral freezer system located in Indianapolis that prepares cooling materials at highly controlled temperatures, helping AeroSafe compete for some of the largest pharmaceutical contracts in the world.

Those innovations have translated into significant recognition.

AeroSafe earned the top position on the Rochester Top 100 growth company list. McHarg himself has accumulated several major honors over the years, including Rochester Business Person of the Year in 2020 and NewSpring Capital CEO of the Year in 2025.

He has also been selected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur, a distinction reserved for business leaders whose companies demonstrate the potential for substantial global economic impact.

Despite the accolades, McHarg says public recognition is something he never actively pursued.

“I’m not much of a social butterfly,” McHarg admitted. “When I’m not working, I’m with my family. So, I didn’t know anybody was really paying attention. It’s awkward for me to receive that kind of praise, because I think of myself as a team player. But I’m accepting it on behalf of my amazing team.”

That emphasis on teamwork has become a defining characteristic of his leadership style.

McHarg frequently points to the employees behind AeroSafe’s success and credits Rochester itself as a major factor in the company’s growth. Since relocating to the region, he has become a strong advocate for the local workforce and business community.

He believes Rochester offers a unique combination of technical expertise, manufacturing knowledge, and operational talent that can be traced back to generations of innovation associated with companies such as Kodak, Xerox, and Bausch + Lomb.

For McHarg, one of the city’s greatest strengths is the attitude of its people.

“Rochester was a real pleasant surprise,” McHarg said. “Nothing’s beneath anybody here. People roll up their sleeves and get the work done.”

His commitment to the region extends beyond business operations.

McHarg has been involved in discussions aimed at expanding technical education opportunities and strengthening pathways into skilled trades. He has also previously served on a foundational board supporting RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

That connection holds personal significance. Years before becoming a CEO, McHarg spent summers working at a camp near Montreal that served deaf and physically disabled children, an experience that left a lasting impression and helped shape his approach to community involvement.

While the spotlight at the June luncheon will focus on McHarg, the event will also recognize the next generation of innovators.

Saunders College of Business will present the Herbert W. Vanden Brul Student Entrepreneurial Award to three RIT students whose ventures demonstrate significant entrepreneurial promise.

Among the finalists is Jonathan Bateman, a dual major in applied mathematics, computing security, sociology, and anthropology. Bateman is behind Real Recognizes Real AI, a platform designed to help users verify the identity of digital contacts through a combination of biometrics, cryptography, and shared memories to combat deepfake technology.

Also being recognized is Gustav Blom of Stockholm, Sweden. A management information systems student and former member of the RIT men’s hockey team, Blom co-founded CYPER, a cybersecurity platform that helps small and medium-sized businesses evaluate and strengthen their cyber defenses.

The third student entrepreneur is Aidan MaKinster, a product design for innovation student and founder of RAIZE Industries. His company developed the Multi Position Mountain Bike Stem, a product that allows riders to adjust steering geometry with the push of a button.

The students will learn their final placements during the June 11 ceremony.

As Saunders College prepares to celebrate another year of entrepreneurial achievement, McHarg’s selection underscores the broader purpose of the Vanden Brul Award. It is not simply a recognition of business success, but a celebration of innovation, perseverance, and the willingness to embrace risk in pursuit of something transformative.

For McHarg, that journey began with the simple desire to build rather than buy. Years later, it has resulted in a company that delivers critical medications across the globe, creates jobs in Rochester, and stands as one of the region’s most successful growth stories.