Robert J. Tuite, Sr. is a native Rochesterian. He attended Aquinas Institute and earned a B. S. degree in Chemistry from St. John Fisher College. He received his Ph. D. in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1960. He also graduated from the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School in 1981.
Bob joined the Kodak Research Laboratories (KRL) in 1959 as a synthetic organic chemist with the Color Photography Division. After several years in various synthetic and product development assignments, he served in a series of progressive management positions with KRL, including Head of the Color Photographic Chemistry and Color Reversal Photography Laboratories; Assistant Director, Color Photography Division; Director, Color Photography Division; Director, Instant Photography Division; and from 1981-84, Assistant to the Director of Research.
In 1984, Bob was named Director, New Opportunity Development, with responsibility for finding new business opportunities for Kodak's technological assets. In this role, which he found to be the most challenging and enjoyable of his professional career, Bob was the principle architect of Kodak's worldwide innovation and new venture program, which was subsequently moved to Kodak Office, reporting to the corporate Venture Board and Eastman Technology, Inc. In 1989, Bob moved to High Technology of Rochester as Kodak loaned executive to help start a community business incubation facility for high technology startups.
In 1991, Bob took early retirement and immediately co-founded the Innovation Strategy Group, Inc. (ISG) as Managing Partner. ISG is a management consulting firm specializing in business value growth through innovation management excellence. In recent years, he has really started to retire and now estimates that he spends only about 10% of his time on ISG business.
Bob has three sons by his wife of 45 years, Ruth, who passed away in 2003. They are: Dr. Robert, Jr., a practicing pediatrician in Penfield, NY; Dr. Michael, a professor of Radiology at the University of Wisconsin Medical School; and Christopher, an Assistant US Attorney in Tampa, FL. Bob has five grandchildren, the oldest of which is an eighth grader who participates with the Pittsford Mendon High School girls cross country and outdoor track teams. Last Fall, she won the Section V cross country title for Class A (middle sized high schools) and was named to the 1st Team All State Cross Country Team and New York State 8th Grade Runner of the Year by Tully Runners. Bob remarried in 2006, and his new wife Sandra brought to the marriage three sons and five grandchildren of her own!
In Bob's early years at Kodak, he participated in a variety of sports and was a softball pitcher on various teams at Kodak and the Rochester area. Now he enjoys boating at their summer home on Canandaigua Lake and playing golf at every opportunity!
David G. Bush
