Charlotte Furniture and Appliance's President Jim Agostinelli went to see the firm's accountant late last week with trepidation, but came back to the store with a smile on his face. Our big-screen TVs had big numbers in January. One key measure of Rochester's economic health is the state of affairs at the three most recognizable companies, each of which is cutting jobs and retrenching to cope with the slowdown. Eastman Kodak Co., for instance, recently said it would cut 150 to 250 jobs at Kodak Park and is reducing global capital construction spending by about 20 percent. Xerox Corp., as part of a turnaround plan unrelated to the economy, is cutting more than 1,000 jobs at its Webster manufacturing plant and expects to slash capital spending worldwide about 25 percent.
Many residents say they feel insulated from layoffs and from downturns in the stock market.
Those who are investing for their retirement say they aren't too worried, as long as those post-employment years are still a way off. Includes reporting by staff writers Chris Swingle, Frank Bilovsky, Ben Rand and Todd Grady. Click here to download the paper in PDF format .