Month: January 2018

Rochester Rising: The State of the Rochester Entrepreneurial Community – 2018

As we transition into another year, it is a prime opportunity to examine the state of the Rochester entrepreneurial community, take stock of our achievements over the past year, examine our losses, and assess the future direction of this city’s innovation sector.

2017 brought several significant ongoing programs to Rochester. February saw the launch of 1 Million Cups Rochester, a monthly educational program for entrepreneurs that takes place in 163 communities across the United States. This event gave fourteen different Rochester startups the opportunity to share their story and gain input from the community on pressing business issues.

Passenger numbers soar at Rochester International Airport

2017 was a big year for the Rochester International Airport (RST), which saw a 27% increase in passengers over 2016.

Why the significant year-over-year increase?

In 2017, RST introduced several new flight options. United Airlines added new service to Chicago O’Hare, Delta increased frequency on routes to Atlanta and Minneapolis, and American Airlines continued to offer daily flights to Chicago O’Hare as well.

State Legislative Leaders Applaud DMC

Lisa Clarke

A Message from DMC EDA Executive Director Lisa Clarke:

Destination Medical Center (DMC) was a topic at a recent 2018 State legislative preview hosted by the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce. In attendance were Republican and Democratic leaders from the House and Senate, including Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt, House Minority Representative Rick Hansen, Deputy Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, and Assistant Senate Minority Leader Susan Kent.

As part of the discussion, the leaders were asked for their thoughts on DMC. There is strong support. All legislators agreed DMC is a model for economic development and job growth for communities throughout Minnesota.

Meet #AccessibleOlli: The future of autonomous accessible transportation

For one week each January, tens of thousands of innovators, tech pioneers, and business leaders from around the world gather in Las Vegas for CES 2018* to introduce their next-generation ideas to the global marketplace.

Accessible Olli

This year, #AccessibleOlli made the journey to Las Vegas. If you’re not yet acquainted with Olli, it’s the future of autonomous public transportation. The electric, self-driving shuttle holds up to 10 people and is 90-percent 3D-printed. Olli offers transportation solutions for individuals with mobility limitations, cognitive disorders, and vision and hearing impairments.

Five Questions with Steve Rymer, Rochester City Administrator

City Administrator Steve Rymer

Steve Rymer was hired as Rochester’s fourth City Administrator just over four months ago. Rymer was chosen from a pool of 23 applicants, taking on the role held for nearly four decades by Stevan Kvenvold, who recently retired. Rymer sat down with DMC to share his thoughts about his experience in America’s City for Health so far and provided a glimpse at what he sees for Rochester in the future.

Tailoring technology to fuel our workforce

Regardless of company size or type, technology is vital for improving productivity, enhancing convenience, and providing increased opportunity for growth. Whether you’re a business owner or a software developer, collaboration will be key to meeting the Rochester area’s collective technology needs.

To assess the state of local tech-related training needs and ensure this critical component of workforce and economic development is being addressed, Destination Medical Center (DMC) is partnering with Winona State University–Rochester (WSU-R) to host an Information Technology (IT) Open House.

The event, scheduled for January 16, will include a gallery walk, a panel featuring IT professionals, and reveal the results of last year’s research and discovery work identifying the IT training needs required to meet our growing workforce demands.