This page is in memory of Scott D. Ellis, a solid tech that I worked with on a Windows 7 migration project in Rochester NY. Scott loved working with the end user. he was all about serving their needs and getting them set up properly. We were both under contract & working at RG&E, which is owned by Iberdrola S.A. part of the larger entity now called Avangrid. If Scott had his way, he would've secured a job as a FTE; instead, his old-school charm and demeanor wasn't valued by our oversea overlords. One of his charming "quirks" was that he always referred to RG&E's East Avenue location as his "nest egg". If Scott could have, he would have nestled himself in the warm confines of that vast downtown office building.
Sadly, his tactics did not mesh well with the diminishing returns of the abysmal contract we were working on. Scott was a constant critic of the project managers, who had no clue how to wring profit from a supremely bungled operation. Rather than admit they were wrong, they waited until they had something actionable to pin on Scott and released him from the project. In the end the least competent were kept on while Scott soldiered on at home, advising us from afar while dealing with the untimely death of his Mother in May, 2015. Seven months later, we lost Scott.
...and now, Scott's "nest egg" is shuttering it's doors. Prior to Iberdrola S.A.'s purchase of United Illuminating and Lighting (UIL) in Orange, Connecticut, Rochester was the headquarters of Avangrid (formerly Iberdrola USA AKA IUSA). I remember seeing drafts of a proposed remodel of the first floor on the East Avenue HQ. It would've been a drastic rethinking of the building, keeping the retro facade but making the interior all shiny and modern, much like the look and feel of Torre Iberdrola in Bilbao, Spain. But now it will be gone... another victim of a venerable Rochester institution purchased by an outsider and folded into another entity.Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. is moving out of and selling the historic East Avenue office building that has been its headquarters for nearly a century. RG&E signed a lease last month for 118,000 square feet at 3 City Center, the former Frontier building on South Clinton Avenue near Geva Theatre, company officials said. Plans are to relocate RG&E's 650-plus employees in late summer or early fall. That includes moving the customer service center to a larger, more accessible space at the new location, said company spokesman Nathan Stone. Built in 1926, the 12-story office building at 89 East Ave. has been the utility company's headquarters from the start. RG&E has occupied 89 East Ave. since the 12-story building was constructed in 1926. The company wants to consolidate its work space, and has been in talks with a real estate company since 2018, Stone said. RG&E currently has more than 127,000 square feet in the building. The East Avenue property was listed for sale in September. A sale price was not released, as sale is dependent on state regulatory approval. City records show the assessed value as $3.25 million.