A longtime local business leader, Victor Salerno Jr., died Sunday at the age of 79.
Salerno was a former CEO of O’Connell Electric in Fairport. He was with the company for more than 50 years.
Among the many accolades he received in recent years was the prestigious Rochester Rotary Award, which honors an individual who has made significant contributions to not only business, but also the community at large.
Salerno did not come from a traditional construction background. He was previously a CPA, something noted by Ken Pink, chairman of the Rochester Rotary Award committee.
“It is a difficult industry, construction,” Pink said, “and Vic would bring people together on a regular basis, both in the associations that he was involved in, he chaired pretty much every construction association in town.”
Pink was a friend of Salerno’s, and he noted that he was well-known among many business and labor organizations.
“He was prominent with labor organizations around the state of New York and everybody knew Vic," Pink said. "He was just able to bring those relationships together not only in Rochester and the Northeast but on a national level as well.”
Salerno, who also was inducted into the Rochester Business Hall of Fame, was an alumnus and former chair of the Board of Trustees of Saint John Fisher University.
Calling hours are scheduled for 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27, at Falvo Funeral Home, 1295 Fairport Nine Mile Point Road in Penfield. His funeral Mass for close family and friends will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 28, at the Hermance Family Chapel of St. Basil the Great.
This story includes obituary information from the Democrat and Chronicle.
