Robert Drago

President

Rob Drago has been a trusted business leader, consultant and board advisor for the past 25 years.  He began his career as a teenager doing summer work in his family’s food manufacturing business, where he took full advantage of the opportunity to gain firsthand exposure to all aspects of a successful multi-generational business.  After nearly 65 years of family ownership, the company was acquired by a large multi-national buyer in 1991.

Following the sale Rob embarked on a progressive, two decade management career with a diverse set of companies ranging in size from $15 million to over $3 billion in annual sales.  Most recently, he served as the first non-family chief executive of a well known bakery manufacturing and distribution company in upstate New York where he successfully expanded the company’s product mix, branded retail presence and export sales while guiding the company to achieving top tier food safety certifications.  Past positions have included president, chief operating officer and vice president/general manager where he was directly involved in a number of acquisitions, divestitures and business turnarounds.  A more detailed summary of his resume can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rdrago

In late 2014 he formed Canalside Advisors, LLC.  Based in Pittsford, New York, Canalside Advisors provides strategic planning, interim C-level management, business turnaround and M&A support services to middle market companies and private equity groups throughout the Northeast U.S. and Canada.  Past clients have included companies in the food manufacturing, med spa, medical transport, clinical diagnostic and non-profit sectors.

A graduate of the Nichols School of Buffalo, he holds a B.S. in Finance from Babson College and an M.B.A. from the University of Buffalo. An active member of the community, Mr. Drago serves on the board of Holy Childhood in Rochester and has previously held a variety of leadership positions on outside boards and business advisory groups including: Hospice Buffalo (former vice chairman), Food Bank of Western New York (former board president), Hillside Children’s Center, Crestwood Children’s Center, Evans Bank, Feeding South Florida, Goodwill Industries and Saint Louis Church in Pittsford, New York. He was recently named advisory board chairman at Real Eats America, Inc. and served on the advisory board of Dopkins & Company, LLP, a leading regional public accounting firm.

Rob was honored by Buffalo Business First magazine as a member of its “40 Under Forty” class of 1995 and is a past recipient of the “Pathfinders in Education” award by the Buffalo Alliance for Education.  He is a member of Leadership Buffalo (Class of 1996) and the FBI Citizen’s Academy (Class of 2002), and is a past member of Vistage International, a peer-based CEO advisory group.

A Buffalo native, he currently resides in the Rochester suburb of Pittsford, NY with his wife and four children.