Saunders College of Business will honor RIT alumnus James G. Gould with the 2025 Vanden Brul Award for his outstanding entrepreneurial leadership

Rochester, New York – With a career defined by resilience, purpose, and community service, James G. Gould, a proud alumnus of Rochester Institute of Technology, has been named the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award. The honor, presented annually by RIT’s Saunders College of Business, recognizes outstanding business leaders in the Rochester region who have not only built thriving enterprises but also contributed to the community through innovation and ethical leadership.

Gould, president and co-founder of Alesco Advisors LLC, earned his master’s degree in accounting from RIT in 1985. He will be officially honored during the Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award Luncheon, set for Tuesday, June 10, from noon to 1:30 p.m., inside the Susan R. Holliday Center on the RIT campus. Registration for the luncheon remains open until May 30.

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The award, which was established in 1984, is one of the highest recognitions given by the university to a regional entrepreneur. Past recipients include some of the area’s most influential business leaders and community builders, such as E. Philip Saunders and Susan R. Holliday.

“Jim exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit, ethical leadership and dedication to the Rochester community that the Vanden Brul Award was created to honor,” said Jacqueline Mozrall, dean of Saunders College. “We are also proud to honor Will, Benjamin, and Joshua, for their creativity and work ethic—representing the future of innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Gould co-founded Alesco Advisors in 2000 with a vision to create a fee-only investment advisory firm that could offer objective guidance to both institutions and individuals. The company, headquartered in Pittsford, New York, has grown steadily under his leadership, now managing billions of dollars in assets for clients nationwide. Yet, it remains firmly rooted in Western New York, a reflection of Gould’s deep connection to the region.

“I’m proud of what we do for our clients,” Gould said. “Our mission is simple in that we just try to help others. We have a talented group of professionals who enjoy working with one another and with our clients.”

Like many entrepreneurs, Gould and his team faced serious challenges in the early days of Alesco. The timing was particularly difficult: they launched the firm in the shadow of the dot-com crash, and just a few years later, the financial world was rocked again by the 2008 crisis.

“There’s always a gap you have to bridge when you’re starting from scratch, especially at that time,” Gould explained. “But in hindsight it was a blessing in disguise. There were a lot of investors at the time who felt that they were ill-served, and we were able to tell our story and open some doors. Our investment philosophy resonated, and that carried us further than we imagined.”

Today, Alesco operates across three distinct lines of business: high-net-worth wealth management for individuals and families; Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) services for nonprofits, endowments, foundations, and corporations; and a retirement plan advisory service, covering defined benefit and defined contribution plans including 401(k)s and 403(b)s.

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But what truly sets Gould apart is not just the success of his firm—it’s the way he has consistently used that success to give back. Raised on a farm in Odessa, N.Y., he brings a strong sense of civic responsibility to his business philosophy. Over the years, he has served on numerous nonprofit and educational boards, including the Al Sigl Center Foundation, ROC2025, Catholic Charities, and the Greater Rochester Health Foundation.

“Our exposure to the not-for-profit community has made us aware of the needs of the communities we serve,” Gould said. “We see the good work that they’re doing and want to help out with gifts of time and treasure.”

That humility extends to the award itself, which Gould describes as both humbling and inspiring.

“Herbert Vanden Brul was an amazing person,” he said. “He was a renaissance man, successful in law, real estate, and communications. And he was very philanthropic. He checks all the boxes of what it means to be a community leader. To be recognized as someone following even part of that path is a tremendous honor.”

Before launching Alesco Advisors, Gould held various leadership and financial roles, including time as a financial analyst at Xerox, a sales representative for IBM, and a senior executive at Clover Capital Management. He and his wife Ann live in Pittsford. They have four daughters and 11 grandchildren.

The June 10 event will also celebrate the next generation of entrepreneurs through the Vanden Brul Student Entrepreneurial Award. Established in 2019, the student award honors RIT undergraduate or graduate students who demonstrate exceptional promise in entrepreneurship. This year’s finalists are a diverse and driven group.

Will Gamroth, a computer science major from Mercer Island, Washington, co-founded Tacoma Web Design and SEO, which now serves over 34 clients across the U.S. He is also currently working as a software engineering intern at FM Global.

Benjamin C. Hart, an MBA student from Rochester, is the founder of Hart Homes, a company focused on providing affordable housing and revitalizing neglected properties in urban Rochester. He is also the president of RIT’s Real Estate Club, showing leadership both in business and on campus.

Joshua Michaels, a marketing major with a minor in entrepreneurship from Far Rockaway, New York, created OnCall, a digital healthcare platform that connects nurses to healthcare facilities. Beyond business, Michaels is actively engaged in campus life as the founder of RIT’s Black Artists & Records Society and president of the Personal Finance Club.

The placement of each student finalist will be announced at the luncheon. For Saunders College, honoring both an established entrepreneur like Gould and up-and-coming innovators like the student awardees reflects a powerful continuum of success, mentorship, and vision.

“The Vanden Brul Award is not just about past accomplishments,” Dean Mozrall said. “It’s about celebrating the kind of leadership that lifts others up and leaves a legacy. That’s why we honor both veteran leaders and promising students at the same time—because together, they represent what entrepreneurship can and should look like.”

To learn more about the award and the legacy of Herbert W. Vanden Brul, visitors can explore the Saunders College of Business website, where additional details and registration information for the June 10 ceremony are available.

As for Gould, the recognition is a reminder of the long journey he’s taken—from farm life in Odessa, to classrooms at RIT, to boardrooms and investment strategy sessions at Alesco—and how every step of that journey has been guided by a commitment to purpose, people, and community.