Upstate Profiler curates dozens of data sets from local, state and federal government.
Our aim is to provide the most current, accurate information by location and subject. Much of our demographic information, for example, comes through direct feeds from Census Bureau servers. Pages and most of our graphics are created on the fly, drawing from our most recent data updates. See our services page for more info.
The company founders are seasoned journalists with decades of experience in research, writing and visualization, along with government and nonprofit service.
Laurie Bennett, who grew up in Dansville, NY, is a veteran journalist and grant writer. She was a reporter for the Finger Lakes Times, city editor of the Rochester (NY) Times-Union, a Washington correspondent for Gannett News Service, investigative reporter for the Detroit News, and first new media editor of the Detroit Free Press. Laurie was a co-founder of Muckety, a relationship-mapping site that examined connections among the rich and powerful; and ePodunk, which profiled communities across the United States, Canada, the UK and Ireland. She now publishes Upstate Giving, a listing of recent grants organized by community, She is also data/web manager for Geneva 2030, an offshoot of Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Chris Lavin, a Geneva native, is former executive director of the Geneva Boys and Girls Club. He previously was director of communications for the La Jolla Country Day School, in La Jolla, CA. Chris also has a long career in journalism, having worked with the Finger Lakes Times, the Rochester Times-Union, the St. Petersburg Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune before joining the nonprofit world. Chris received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, in 2021. He was elected to Geneva City Council in 2023.