Month: February 2020

Five Questions with John Reed, Rochester International Airport Executive Director

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John Reed has served as the executive director of Rochester International Airport (RST) for five years. During that time, the airport has seen significant growth in passengers and available flights. A recent study from the Minnesota Department of Transportation found that RST generates $190 million in annual economic activity, supports more than 1,600 jobs and generates $9.2 million in state and local tax revenue. The airport recently received a Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) grant from the Department of Transportation to recruit new nonstop service to a western hub from RST.

World premiere of Dressing the Abbey comes to Rochester, Minnesota

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A unique collaboration between multiple groups in Rochester is bringing a one-of-a-kind experience to downtown Rochester, Minnesota.

Exhibits Development Group’s world premiere of the Dressing the Abbey exhibition at the Chateau Theatre features 35 costumes from the acclaimed PBS television series Downton Abbey.

“This is a great example of how our community partners can work together to create new and unique opportunities in Rochester,” said Patrick Seeb, Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency director of economic development and placemaking. “The world premiere of Dressing the Abbey is enhancing the arts and culture experience in the Heart of the City.”

Destination Medical Center is Attracting Private Investment from Across the Country

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Destination Medical Center (DMC) is proving to be a magnet for private investment from across the country. In the case of seven DMC-supported projects, capital has come from Minnesota, California, Utah, Nebraska, Illinois, Florida and Massachusetts.

“One of our jobs is to drive investment and talent to Rochester and the state of Minnesota,” said Lisa Clarke, DMC Economic Development Agency executive director. “This shows that it is actually happening. We want people to invest here and stay here in Minnesota.”

Rochester entrepreneurs create website to inspire new adventures in Southeast Minnesota

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Andy Vig (left) and Chris Lukenbill

Endless adventures await throughout Southeast Minnesota. You just need to be able to find them.

That’s where Shrpa comes in. Rochester residents Chris Lukenbill and Andy Vig created the online resource to share ideas for local activities.

“There were so many things to do that we were finding out about in Rochester through other people’s adventures and expeditions,” said Lukenbill. “They were discovering new things that we had never known about.”

“You can usually do the research by looking up Yelp, Google, talking to people, trying to aggregate all this yourself, but that’s so much work,” Vig said. “I’ve got two young kids, Chris has two slightly older kids, and there’s just no time in the day for that.”

DMCC Board Doubles Down on Discovery Square in Rochester, Minnesota

Press Releases

Approves Next Phase of Life Science and Technology Campus

The Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC) Board today approved $7.3 million in public infrastructure funding for Mortenson Development Inc’s construction of Discovery Square Two in the DMC Discovery Square subdistrict.

The $45 million project will be a five-story,124,000 square foot, LEED-certified medical office and lab building with outdoor space, connectivity to One Discovery Square, tenant and public programming and potential 5G connectivity. The building will support approximately 500 long-term jobs while its construction will create approximately 800 short-term jobs.