BHUBANESWAR: A day after Baikunthanath Sarangi, chief engineer of rural development department, was caught on video tossing around Rs 50 lakh in cash onto his neighbour’s terrace during a vigilance raid here, officers arrested him on his day of retirement on Saturday for allegedly possessing disproportionate assets worth over Rs 15 crore.

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Vigilance officers produced him before a designated court, which rejected his bail plea and remanded him in judicial custody. Officers said the arrest was the 61st case against Class-I officers in the state this year in the ongoing anti-corruption drive. “Sarangi was found to be in possession of disproportionate assets which were 483% more than his known sources of income,” a vigilance officer said. He was booked under sections 13(2), 13(1)(b) and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.

During searches, vigilance sleuths found two double-storey residential buildings, a flat in Bhubaneswar, another flat in Puri, and seven high-value plots on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar and Angul belonging to Sarangi. Cash amounting to Rs 2,56,29,299 was found, of which Rs 1,34,34,299 was in his wife’s name.

Poll Should there be stricter regulations on asset declaration for government officials? Absolutely, it’s necessary Not really, current regulations are sufficient

Officers faced a tough task retrieving Rs 50 lakh that Sarangi threw on the terrace of his neighbour from the window of his house in Dumduma area of the city upon seeing the sleuths.

Vigilance found that Sarangi invested Rs 2.7 crore in the share market and Rs 1.5 crore in insurance and banks.

Sarangi started his career as an engineer in the panchayati raj department in 1991 with a monthly salary of Rs 2,000. In Feb this year, he was promoted to chief engineer.

In another development, vigilance sleuths on Saturday conducted searches at multiple locations related to assistant executive engineer (roads and buildings division-1), N Dillip Kumar Choudhury, in Berhampur and Bhubaneswar for alleged possession of disproportionate assets. The searches detected a double-storey building in Mayuree Vihar, Berhampur, a three-BHK flat in Saheed Nagar, Bhubaneswar, a 2-BHK flat at Dharma Nagar in Berhampur, 11 plots and several pieces of land in Berhampur.

They found bank balance and investment worth over Rs 28.53 lakh and two wheelers and household articles worth over Rs 10. 11 lakh during search.

(With inputs from Hrusikesh Mohanty in Berhampur)

Americans think you need $1.25-million to retire. Canadians think you need $1.7-million. U.S. author and TV host Suze Orman thinks $5-million is barely enough – since private islands don’t buy themselves.

Where do these numbers come from? Well, some people take their yearly expenses and multiply it by their life expectancy. Others assume you’ll need 70 per cent of your pretax income in retirement.

The problem is that these methods don’t consider investment growth or customize for different spending levels. Some people are perfectly happy living in Thailand, spending $30,000 a year, while others want a lavish retirement income of $200,000 a year.

As former engineers, we prefer to make decisions with math, not feelings. So, we calculated our retirement number using the 4-per-cent rule.

So, what is the 4-per-cent rule? Basically, it’s how much you can withdraw annually in retirement to avoid portfolio depletion.

The history of this rule goes back to 1994, when it was created by a financial adviser named Bill Bengen. He simulated what would happen to a portfolio if you were to withdraw at different rates (3 per cent to 6 per cent) over different time periods, spanning the Great Depression, a World War and stagflation in the 1970s. He discovered that 4 per cent was the maximum you could safely withdraw, after accounting for inflation.

In other words, if you retire with $1-million, you could withdraw $40,000 a year and have a 95-per-cent chance of having your portfolio be worth $1-million or more at the end of 30 years.

You can also use the rule to reverse engineer how much you need to retire. Since 4 per cent is 1/25, you simply multiply however much income you need by 25.

This means that if you’re spending $40,000 a year, like we were, you would need $1-million to retire ($40,000 x 25).

Of course, no rule is perfect and comes with caveats. For example, Mr. Bengen devised this rule using an asset mix of 50-per-cent bonds and 50-per-cent stocks, which consisted of large-cap stocks held in index-tracking funds, and intermediate-term government bonds. If you have a different asset allocation, the rule may not apply. Also, the world has changed significantly since 1994 – the biggest companies in the S&P 500 are mostly tech companies, for example.

So does the 4-per-cent rule still hold? Or do we need a different rule?

The good news is that Mr. Bengen recently updated his research, using scenarios like the 2020 pandemic and the 2008 financial crisis, and found that a higher withdrawal rate is possible. He’s revised the 4-per-cent rule up to 4.7 per cent – if you are well-diversified and flexible.

By being flexible about where we live and adding international diversification to our portfolio, we could easily raise our 4-per-cent withdrawal rate to 5 per cent, or $50,000, without depleting our portfolio.

Now, you might argue that while international diversification is achievable by picking the right assets in your portfolio, flexibility is a lot harder to achieve when you have a family.

We agree with that — to some extent. It depends on your job, your child’s age and your lifestyle preferences.

If your job requires you to go into a physical office, it’s much harder to be flexible.

If your children are school-aged, it’ll be harder for on them to move schools.

If you don’t like travelling and prefer to settle in one place, it’ll be harder to take advantage of geographic arbitrage (moving to a low-cost area to spend money you earned in a high-cost area).

In these cases, 4 per cent or less might be the safer option for you.

However, if you can do your job remotely from anywhere, have younger kids, or are willing to consider “world schooling” – schooling abroad, home-schooling while travelling, correspondence schools or other approaches – you may consider withdrawing 5 per cent.

Our son is currently too young for school, so 5 per cent can work well for us. However, once he’s older and if we decide to settle in one place and put him in a traditional school, we’ll go back to our tried-and-true 4-per-cent safe withdraw rate.

At the end of the day, arguing over withdrawal rates is a waste of time. Mr. Bengen‘s research shows that not only does the 4-per-cent rule still apply today, diversification and flexibility enable you to withdraw even more.

It’s better to work on lifestyle design, so that you can be as flexible as possible, and as a result, not be hurt by market fluctuations or inflation. You might even be able to retire earlier than you thought. As long as you don’t need a private island.

Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung retired in their 30s and are authors of the bestselling book Quit Like a Millionaire.

You’re nearing retirement or already cashed your last paycheck, and now you find a little extra money each month would be helpful. Or, maybe, after a long career you simply want to do something you really enjoy, but with the added benefit of earning some extra pocket change. Perhaps you want to give back by working a job you didn’t have time to take on as your career took off. On the other hand, you may not play golf, pickleball or bridge and you’re simply bored.

In 2024, 37.3% of people age 55+ were employed, up from 31.5% in 2000. By comparison, in 1983 the labor force participation rate for people age 65 or over was just 19%, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Although there are more than a few reasons to return to work, more than half, or 53% of respondents of a 2024 CNBC and SurveyMonkey poll , say they returned to work because they are behind on retirement planning and savings. In a recent update from Resume Builder, one in eight retired seniors are returning to work. The top reason? An increase in the cost of living. And, although you might be able to live off Social Security as your only source of income, it probably won’t be enough to replace your pre-retirement standard of living. It is unfortunate that most retirees lack the minimum savings to retire in all 50 states.

If you’re considering returning to work in retirement —whether for enjoyment or because you’re strapped for cash — consider the following opportunities.

Meet the Starks Family: Shared values and experiences make P&G feel like home.

With five of six family members working at P&G, the Starks family has found that their collective experiences, competitive spirit and thirst for growth are key to making an impact. The Starks family’s legacy with P&G was almost a false start. In the late 1980s, Kevin Starks turned down his first P&G job offer to play professional football in the NFL. A year later, Kevin’s wife, Lee, accepted her first job at P&G. Newly married, the couple navigated life apart while Kevin was traded around the league and Lee worked in Minnesota. The couple made an agreement — if Kevin landed a more permanent position on a team, Lee would leave her job and join him. If not, he would leave football and join Lee at P&G. Kevin got cut from his team, and that was the beginning of the Starks building their team at P&G.

Left to Right: Alex, Lee, Kevin, Jennifer, and Jordan

Setting a Foundation of Shared Values Kevin and Lee have four children, three of whom — Jennifer, Alex and Jordan — work for P&G. Their parents’ experiences at the Company influenced their upbringing. Kevin retired from P&G in 2024 after 35 years in a variety of sales roles. Lee is also in sales and has 24 years with P&G. She left the Company for a short period but returned because P&G was the right place for their family.

Jennifer and Jordan celebrating their dad’s retirement via virtual meeting.

“It’s just always been a good fit because you can trust that the company is going to do the right thing, and I feel like that’s the way we have operated our family,” said Lee. Kevin agreed, “P&Gers, we talk a lot about our core values. They align with mine. It felt like home, so I was able to stay for 35 years.” Transitioning from pro football to P&G, Kevin didn’t know what to expect of a sales job. But he thrived in an environment where his competitive nature was an advantage. In one pivotal role, Kevin moved the family to Nashville while he was working with the Dollar General team to better understand P&G consumers. The whole family participated in his research, and the project led to insights that created new solutions for Pampers and Tide. “I gained so much respect for what we do as a Company and why it’s so important,” said Lee.

Fueling Passion with Legacy and Stability While the Starks siblings benefit from the experience of their parents, each one brings their own unique strengths to P&G. Alex Starks is the third born but was the first to join P&G. When it came time for his first job, he was looking for a company that provided the stability that echoed in his parents’ stories. “Normally people come home from work, and you hear all the negative stuff. All I’ve ever heard from both my parents was how great a company P&G was,” he said. In fact, Alex learned a lot from those stories, but his parents learned a little from him, too. Before his first interview, Alex’s parents told him he needed to cut his hair to better fit in. But Alex refused, saying at P&G he could be who he was. “He was right. It didn’t faze anybody at all, and we got a good lesson,” said Lee. Alex has been with P&G for eight years and currently works in sales in Dish Care.

Enabling a Competitive Spirit and Entrepreneurial Mindset Jordan, the youngest, has been with P&G for almost three years and is the only family member not in sales. Her interest in better understanding the consumer led her to Analytics & Insights for Fabric Care. She thrives on two core values she learned from her parents and sees at P&G — that competitive drive and an entrepreneurial mindset. P&G has allowed her to express those aspects of her personality. “When I came to P&G, the joy that I found was in that no two days are the same,” said Jordan. This year, Jordan was recognized with a P&G CEO Award for her work on Downy Ultimate Fusions scent beads. The CEO Award is an annual recognition given to top performers who make a significant impact on the business.

Kevin helping Jennifer on the computer.

Paving Your Own Way with Resilience Not wanting to simply follow the family’s footsteps, Jennifer Starks initially resisted joining P&G. Jennifer is the oldest of the four children and was the last of the siblings to join P&G. But seeing her siblings’ experiences and the Company’s focus on continuous learning and growth changed her mind. “I’ve never worked in a company where you truly have the space to navigate through different functions so seamlessly,” she said. Jennifer joined P&G two years ago in Oral Care. Jennifer credits the resilience she learned growing up as one of the assets she brings to her work. The summer she was 16, Jennifer famously told her mom, “I don’t do retail.” Lee promptly dropped her off at the neighborhood shopping center with instructions not to come home until she applied for a job at every store. Not only did Jennifer come home with a job, but within two weeks she had created an employee competition and won an award. Now, she’s applying those skills to develop the Oral Care category with Dollar General.

Left to Right: Kevin, Lee, Jennifer, Jordan, and Alex

Whether it’s adaptability, a growth mindset, innovative thinking or simply seeing the big picture, the Starks family’s shared purpose makes P&G feel like home.

Generations of P&G families are making an impact through loyalty, shared purpose, hard work and career growth.

Meet the Robinsons: Family Loyalty Forged in Compassion and Shared Purpose Rachel Zipperian, Scientific Communications Director, has a connection to P&G that began four generations before she was born. It’s a family bond that was cemented through an act of compassion by the Company.

Heidi, Gary, Lisa, Mark and Rachel Robinson

The first generation of the Robinson family to work for P&G, Rachel’s great-grandfather worked at the Ivorydale soap factory in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tragically, he had a heart attack while at work and passed away. “The people at Procter stopped by” to deliver the news, as Rachel recounts the story being passed down, and they offered jobs to Rachel’s great-grandmother and the two oldest sons. This kind gesture provided financial stability for the family and created a sense of loyalty and familiarity that has become part of the family’s history. Rachel’s great-grandmother, Ida Lou Sears, worked in the company cafeteria and later in the Tide test labs. Her great-uncles had long careers in maintenance and engineering. One of her great-uncles, Todd Sears, famously held the job of winding the Ivorydale clock.

Ida Lou Sears

Rachel’s father, Gary Robinson, was also a manufacturing engineer at Ivorydale. He worked in a plant and on food manufacturing for brands like Duncan Hines and Crisco. When Rachel was in seventh grade, her family moved to Georgia, and her father left P&G to work in food manufacturing. But Rachel’s family loyalty to P&G never quite left her. She returned to Cincinnati for college. Although she had plans to be a chemistry professor, on-campus interviews with P&G changed her mind when they offered her a job. “I knew that’s where I wanted to work, and I also knew that there were a lot of different things to learn there,” she said. Over 22 years, Rachel has experienced four different kinds of careers within the company, from research bench scientist to sustainability communications. Although Rachel’s father’s line of work was very different than hers, his pride in his work, especially in finding innovative solutions to reduce waste, left a significant impact on Rachel. “I work on waste now. My journey has taken me to sustainability, and one of my goals is to make the world better and less wasteful throughout my lifetime. And I feel like I get to do that now for P&G by helping us have a lower environmental footprint.”

Rachel Zipperian with her two daughters.

Today, Rachel’s youngest daughter is a senior in high school, and she aspires to work for P&G. She may just be adding a fifth generation to the family’s legacy.

Meet the Joachimis: An All-Female Legacy Rooted in Dedication Stephanie Clark, Senior Finance Vice President for Global Family Care, was the first person in her family to graduate from college. She’s the third generation to work for P&G. But her family legacy is unique — it’s all female.

Stephanie Clark and her mother, Shirley Wayne (née Joachimi).

Stephanie’s grandmother worked on the manufacturing line for Duncan Hines when it was a part of P&G in the 1960s and 1970s. Her mother was an administrative assistant, with two stints spanning the mid-1950s to the late 1970s. Both were part of P&G at a time when it wasn’t as common for women to be in the workforce. “It gives me a lot of pride to know that the Company was hiring and supporting women long before it was the cool thing to do,” said Clark.

Shirley Wayne and her mother, Dorothy Joachimi.

Growing up in Cincinnati, Stephanie heard stories about P&G’s commitment to integrity, quality and caring for its people. That was underscored by the messages she heard at home. “They always told me that hard work will prevail. Be loyal, and the company will be loyal to you,” she explained. Stephanie joined P&G in 2002 after spending a decade in public accounting. Her upbringing in a family of strong women helped shape the leader she is. “I think it’s just the ability to be independent and confident and rooted in my resolve when I set out to accomplish something,” she said. Stephanie’s family legacy has led her to be a mentor for fellow employees and a strong advocate for women’s growth and development within the Company. She has also led the North America Women’s Network for 10 years.

Stephanie Clark, Senior Finance Vice President for Global Family Care.

“When you look back on your career and you think about the things that are most meaningful, it’s the experiences you have watching the people you develop, especially when somebody really tackles something that’s hard and is able to overcome it. Those are the things that I remember, not the forecast that I submitted or the results we delivered in any one single year,” she explained.

Meet the Lubores: A Second Act Provides Career Growth for Mother and Son The Lubore family story with P&G began as a second career. Linna Lubore began her career as a flight attendant. After working various part-time sales jobs, she joined Gillette, which was later acquired by P&G, in 2000 when she was almost 40. Her son Tyler was just eight at the time.

Linna Lubore and her family, including her son Tyler Lubore.

Linna, now the Senior Sales Manager for Capability for Professional Oral Health at P&G, has built a 25-year career in sales and training. Five years ago, her second act became the family business as her son Tyler joined her at P&G. Tyler Lubore, Senior Sales Manager for Team Northwest, said watching his mom develop her skills and build her career was influential in his career path, where he has already been promoted and is currently on his third assignment. “I grew up with a salesperson and got to see that skill set and how she applied it both professionally, but also personally.” Linna tried to impart lessons along the way. “You can’t keep doing the same thing over and over. You have to be willing to try different things. It may be uncomfortable, but it’s okay,” she said.

Linna and Tyler Lubore.

Even though Tyler has only been a P&G employee for five years, he remarked he also has a 25-year history with the Company. Growing up, he jokes he had a surrogate family at P&G and would get birthday voicemails from reps while Linna was in meetings. In fact, there are some sales reps on his team today that first met him when he was a boy. While that has made for an interesting dynamic, it hasn’t hindered Tyler from forging his own identity within the Company — even if he did also spend some time in the field with his mother in her capability role.

Linna and Tyler Lubore.

“It’s been great to see his progression throughout his career, to be able to do work that is similar and to see his success,” said Linna. Tyler is grateful to be able to learn from a “rock star” like his mom and work in a division that feels like family. And he’s excited to build his unique career at P&G. “P&G is one of those few remaining companies where you can start your career, experience different roles and retire. It’s not a stepping stone; it’s a long-term career opportunity.”

Learn how generations of the Pazos family are making an impact through dedication, mentorship and pride in their work.

Alejandra Pazos has spent her life restocking supermarket shelves, even though she has never worked in a grocery store. Her father, Fredy Pazos, is a Commercial Manager for P&G El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. He worked for Gillette for 16 years before the company was acquired by P&G in 2005 and has been with P&G for the past 19 years. As far back as Alejandra can remember, Fredy turned every family trip to the store into a chance to check the Company’s inventory. If a product was low or missing, the family would go with the merchandiser to the back to get more. The family jokes that a simple trip to the grocery took so long that her mother got bored and stopped going. “For me, P&G has ceased to be a job but is a way of life,” said Fredy.

Growing Up in the Company A sense of pride in his work and loyalty for the Company are things Fredy is passing on to his family. As a second-generation P&Ger, Alejandra, a Senior Brand Manager for Downy Mexico, said, “Since I was born, everything in the house has always been, and still has to be, P&G brands. Now it’s like that in my house as well.” Alejandra has been with the Company for six years, starting in Product Supply and later transferring to Brand. Her husband works in Product Supply. They have two young children and live in Panama. Alejandra likes to say, “I have been in the Company more than just six years.” She grew up in stores, understanding why a shelf looks a certain way and going to wholesalers with her dad. She and her siblings even participated in an annual Gillette parade. Knowing the brands from an early age is a strength Alejandra brings to her role.

The Importance of Lifelong Learning

Fredy began at Gillette as a merchandiser and has climbed the ranks to become the Head of Sales for North Central America. He currently resides in Guatemala. In 2019, Fredy was honored with the William Procter Sales Master Award, a global honor recognizing P&G sales leaders who demonstrate unmatched mastery, deliver outstanding business results and excel in developing the capabilities of others. Fewer than 1% of P&G’s sales employees receive the award. The key, Fredy believes, is to never stop learning. He is most proud not of his own accomplishments but how he has mentored others and enabled them to achieve more. “It has been a lifetime of learning. I enjoy it very much. And the greatest joy that I have today is all the generations that have been trained as part of my work teams,” he said. Perhaps her father’s favorite student, Alejandra recalls three recurring pieces of advice: Always do the right thing. “You can deliver the number or not, but you have to do it right,” said Fredy. Earn your place. Learn one new thing every day. As members of a multi-generational P&G family, Fredy and Alejandra have benefitted from their shared experiences. For Fredy, having children the same age as many of the people who report to him is an important part of better understanding his team. “I believe I have more empathy and credibility with the people who are working for me,” he said. “From my side, I think I am more open to receiving feedback because I have received it all my life P&G style. It helps me to know that feedback is good, and it means people see potential in me,” said Alejandra. Looking ahead to the next generation, the family is poised to leave a lasting legacy. Alejandra said, “My oldest son is two and a half, and he says, ‘Mom, I want to work at Procter.’” Interested in starting your family’s legacy at P&G? Learn more about our careers.

Learn how generations of the Sagel family have helped shape P&G’s history and culture.

It’s hard to imagine the world’s largest consumer goods company as a family business, but that’s how Procter & Gamble got its start. In 1837, Alexander Norris encouraged his sons-in-law, William Procter and James Gamble, to become business partners. They joined their candle and soap-making businesses, and P&G was born. Even for many P&Gers today, the Company is a part of their own family history, as multiple generations call P&G ‘home.’

Meet the Sagels

Leslie Hopkins, Hannah Sagel and Paul Sagel (l-r) represent two of the four generations of Sagels who have made an impact on P&G products since 1920.

Sagel family gatherings were marked by sharing work stories. “I remember being in the backyard and everybody back there was laughing and talking about their jobs. They really enjoyed what they did, and they enjoyed the people they worked with,” said Leslie (Sagel) Hopkins, Senior Vice President of Research & Development for Baby Care. Leslie and her brother Paul are third generation Sagels at P&G. Their second cousin Hannah Sagel is a fourth generation. At least 13 bloodline Sagels have worked for P&G, for a combined 325 years of service. Counting in-laws, they have more than 500 years of service. John Sagel, Leslie and Paul’s great uncle and Hannah’s great-great-uncle, was the first of the family to work for P&G around 1920. His wife also worked for the Company. “Almost every major product line, every billion-dollar brand that we have has had a Sagel touch it in one way or another, whether it’s Tide or Bounce or Crest or Head & Shoulders,” said Paul Sagel, Victor Mills Society Research Fellow in Oral Care. Named after the legendary P&G scientist who invented disposable diapers, the Victor Mills Society is an elite fellowship program for P&G engineers and scientists. Learn more about Paul and his fellowship.

A Father’s Wisdom Their father’s experience influenced Paul and Leslie’s career paths. Starting out as a lab tech in 1968, Paul Sr. took a position as a second shift janitor so he could go to college to pursue his bachelor’s degree to be eligible for leadership positions. He retired from P&G in 2000 as an appointed Research Fellow — a top position in R&D. Paul Jr. is known as ‘the Whitestrips guy’ for his role as the inventor of Crest Whitestrips. But it was his family’s legacy with P&G that made working at the Company a life aspiration. Paul said, after college, “I had fellowship offers, and I opted to pass on graduate school to go work for P&G. I was that passionate about it.” He has built a 32-year career in Oral Care, reaching the highest level in his field. He remembers his father’s advice, “Bang the cash register,” meaning make sure you bring value every day. For Leslie, “The reason I wanted to work for P&G was because I could see that my dad truly loved what he did. He got to really create products that changed people’s lives, and he was super excited about it.” Inspired by her father’s dedication and impact, Leslie initially wanted to be a doctor. “But my dad knew me better than I knew myself,” she said. He supported her dreams but encouraged her to pursue an engineering degree first. After her first internship, she fell in love. “The thought of working on consumer products for me has great purpose. At P&G, when you make products like Pampers, you see you really do make a difference in people’s lives,” she said.

From Heirloom Belts to Back Porch Brainstorms

Heirlooms like this belt, which was a P&G anniversary gift, have been passed down in the Sagel family for generations.

Hannah Sagel, a Brand Director for Head & Shoulders, never met her grandfather Ralph Sr., but his legacy is evident in the belt she wears often. It was his anniversary gift for 30 years of service to P&G. It features the company’s iconic moon and stars logo. “You can see where he buckled it. The leather is cracked on the third belt loop because he wore it all the time,” said Hannah.

Hannah’s father, Ralph Sagel Jr., has had a huge impact on her career, but her mother also worked briefly at P&G.

Hannah is six years into her career at P&G. Her dad, Ralph Jr. worked for P&G for 34 years as a packaging engineer in Oral Care. When she had days off school as a child, Hannah often wandered the halls of the Mason Business & Innovation Center with her dad. He would say, “The work is what you come for and the people are what you stay for.” Today, Hannah and her dad sit on his back porch and share stories about projects or talk through challenges.

A Legacy to Share with Others Most people don’t come from a P&G family with the advantages of a built-in sounding board and advisor. “That’s why I think mentorship is so important, that people have a trusted relationship that they can go to that is a safe space,” said Leslie. The Sagels use their experience to help others at P&G succeed. “Eighty percent of what I do now is helping people, helping make them as successful as they can be,” Paul said. “And that gives me more pride now than my own personal accomplishments, watching other people succeed.” “Having this history makes you really motivated to uphold that impact that everyone before you has had,” said Hannah. Interested in starting your family’s legacy at P&G? Learn more about our careers. UP NEXT in P&G’s multi-generational family series: Meet the Pazos family in Central America.

Longtime WXXI News Director Randy Gorbman, whose resonant voice has been a mainstay on Rochester airwaves for the better part of three decades, is retiring.

Gorbman is one of the longest-serving news directors in the state, according to the New York State Broadcasters Association.

At WXXI, he handles the daily news operations on the radio and online — while also filing his own local reports on business, crime, politics and other happenings.

“Randy set the gold standard for news directors,” said David Donovan, president of the state broadcasters association. “There are only a few — very few — that can compare with his service record.”

WXXI WXXI News Director Randy Gorbman interviews a young visitor during one of the station’s open house events.

Gorbman’s 47-year career includes stints at radio stations from the Adirondacks to the Catskill mountains, from Utica to Stamford, Connecticut, and from Manhattan to Albany.

WHAM-AM brought Gorbman to Rochester in 1994. He made the move to WXXI in 2013.

A 1977 graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, his career spans eight presidents, seven governors and the release of all six “Star Trek” movies (he’s a fan). He has covered Y2K, 9/11, the decline of Kodak, Xerox, Bausch+Lomb, and helped guide the WXXI newsroom — and the community — through a pandemic.

Provided Randy Gorbman as a undergrad student at Syracuse University. He’s seen here at the college radio station, WAER.

“We don’t take these stories lightly,” Gorbman said. “But you try not to take yourself too seriously.”

The 69-year-old Queens native and lifelong newsman will mark his last official day on the job on March 28th.

‘A touchstone’

“When you want a voice to cut through and to stand out and to believe in, he’s got it,” said Chet Walker, a former WHAM morning host who worked with Gorbman for more than 15 years.

Gone is Gorbman’s New York City accent. He had to work at that. And what colleagues describe as his near-perfect enunciation.

“He is sort of part of the soundtrack of people’s lives,” said WXXI Morning Edition host Beth Adams. “Whether they’re listening in the kitchen, getting ready for work, or coming home … I think it can be comforting for people to have known a voice that long, a trusted voice that they can rely on.

“It’s kind of a touchstone.”

Provided Before Randy Gorbman came to WXXI to serve as news director, he worked at WHAM for several years. Clockwise, from top left, are Gorbman, Shari Voorhees-Vincent, Glenn Lambertz, Susan Ashline and Brendan O’Riordan, all former members of the WHAM Radio news team.

But what Gorbman really wanted to be, at least starting out, was an electrical engineer.

“I figured out quickly I had no aptitude for math,” he said of his path not taken. “It’s hard to be an engineer without that.”

As it happened, though, he figured that out while attending Brooklyn Technical High School, which was home to the New York City educational station WNYE. This was the time of Watergate, he said. And he had become a regular listener of all-news stations like WCBS and WINS — a habit he got from his mother, who tuned into the radio news each morning.

“I started getting really interested in journalism,” Gorbman recalled, “… and the rest is — I guess you could say — history.”

Cows, trains and automobiles

In the early days, as a college intern, Gorbman hitchhiked to his morning shift at WCNY.

He landed his first professional radio job in the hamlet of Ticonderoga, where he battled mooing cows in a nearby pasture, and the whistle of passing trains to broadcast the noon news from a ramshackle studio of the now-defunct WIPS.

“You know, you deal with it,” Gorbman said. “That’s why I still love live broadcasting, because you don’t know what’s going to happen. But you roll with it, you know, make fun of it, if you have to.”

It was a daytime station, he said: “You had to turn it on in the morning.” And when his Dodge Demon got stuck in a snowdrift one day on the drive in, he said he got on the CB radio, “because I knew the town highway guys,” and convinced them to tow him out.

His anecdotes are entertaining but also defining of a humble, unflappable and affable man.

Max Schulte / WXXI News WXXI News Director Randy Gorbman, right, does a live hit with WXXI reporter Gino Fanelli while covering a State of the City event at the Rundel Library in downtown Rochester.

“The guy is a mensch,” Walker continued. “He’s hard-working. He’s intelligent. He’s got integrity. And people just like him. You know, he’s a very likable guy. And if you say I said this, I’ll deny it.”

Many of Walker’s memories are of Gorbman “grabbing a recorder and a microphone and running out of the building, sometimes with, you know, big, unlaced boots and a big furry hat and big overcoat and charging out to cover a fire, or a weather story or whatever needed to be covered.”

Because every story matters.

‘Not replaceable’

“From the beginning, you could tell the guy was a professional,” Walker said. “I mean, I could see by the techniques he used, the way he interviewed, the way he handled people before, during and after an interview, that he knew his stuff.”

The accolades are many — mixed with a recognition that, in an ever-changing media landscape, Gorbman’s depth of skill and experience is unlikely to be replicated.

Screen capture WXXI News Director Randy Gorbman speaks during the station’s Need to Know program on July 11, 2019, on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and the role of Eastman Kodak.

“People like Randy, they’re not replaceable,” said Tom Proietti, former radio, TV and newspaper journalist and resident media scholar at St. John Fisher College.

“He is the old-fashioned, dig-up-the-news kind of guy,” said Jeff Howlett, WHAM’s former station manager and program director.

“Hardest working person ever, and no doubt one of the best bosses I’ve had — and I’ve had quite a few,” said WXXI All Things Considered host Alex Crichton, whose career in radio spans a close second to Gorbman’s at 44 years. “If anybody deserved a retirement, it’s Randy. And here it is, and I hope it’s the best.”

“If you are a journalist, and you have him in your life, you’re better for it,” said Elissa Orlando, WXXI’s former vice president for television and news. She hired Gorbman, calling him “an authoritative and independent voice for news.”

WXXI WXXI News Director Randy Gorbman, center, behind the scenes of a congressional candidate debate between LaRon Singletary and Joe Morelle on Oct. 28, 2022.

And seemingly timeless.

Adams said she recently listened to a tape of Gorbman from 1994, when he started at WHAM.

“And I’m not noticing much difference,” said Adams, who has worked with Gorbman at both WHAM and WXXI. “Most of us, I mean, I’ll speak for myself, my voice has changed in the last 30 years. I hear it. It’s thinner. There’s a lot of things I don’t like about it. But Randy, he could have recorded that a week ago.”

‘It’s going to take a village’

He works early mornings, nights and weekends, and freely admits: “I don’t have a great work-life balance.” So retirement will be an adjustment, though he expects he “still will not be able to stop looking at my phone” for news updates.

“I have been in this business since 1992,” said WXXI Executive Editor Denise Young, “and honestly, I’ve worked with a ton of amazing people. I can’t think of anybody who has a better work ethic than Randy Gorbman. It’s astounding.

“It’s going to take a village of people to fill in what he does on his own,” she said — also referring to the workplace where Gorbman’s compassion, humor, calm and his genuine respect and support that colleagues say buoy them in an often stressful job.

Gorbman already is talking about the potential for him to have some post-retirement work duties with WXXI, Young said. So maybe that voice won’t be gone from the airwaves for long.

Noelle E.C. Evans / WXXI News Being on two phones at once isn’t necessarily unusual for WXXI News Director Randy Gorbman, seen here in his office on Sept. 3, 2020.

“You know how something becomes part of your DNA?” he asked. “I’m so invested in this business, I would feel like I was missing out on something if I wasn’t involved, in some way. Like I’m not somehow part of the process, you know?”

Not that he doesn’t have other interests.

He’s a fan of NASCAR, admittedly uncommon in public media circles. And of jazz, likely more so. He has seen the likes of McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans and Rahsaan Roland Kirk play live, and was there when Dizzy Gillespie played Central Park.

And then there is his collection of antique radios.

“It’s embarrassing,” he said. “Aside from some of the antique radios, I have, like, a bunch of different transistor, shortwave radios at home. I don’t listen as much as I used to. But yeah, I mean, we used to try to pick up stations at night from across the country, if you’re lucky, maybe even halfway across the world.”

It’s not uncommon, he said, to get an email from someone as far away as Scandinavia, who picked up the radio signal and sent along an MP3 of what they heard, asking for confirmation. And Gorbman will listen, and respond.

Because journalism is both a solitary, yet very public, act. In radio news, you stand alone in a recording booth and speak the words into a microphone with nobody listening — hoping that sometime later, somewhere, they will.

Gorbman joked: “I’m hoping one of my 1977 newscasts is being heard in a galaxy far, far away.”

John Schlia WXXI News Director Randy Gorbman. After a 47-career covering stories big and small, Gorbman is retiring on March 28, 2025.

Includes reporting by WXXI’s Beth Adams and Veronica Volk.