Laurence Kessler and his brother Dennis co-own Kessler Group, Inc. He began his career as a Manhattan stockbroker, where he first saw the potential of franchise restaurants. In 1975, he moved to Rochester, where he opended his first Burger King franchise. As the operation grew, he recruited his brother Dennis to oversee daily operations while he took on the financial planning and oversight.

Kessler earned his bachelor's degree in government from Adelphi University in 1965.