Rochester, Minnesota is being nationally recognized by a PBS television program for its collaborative efforts to reach a more sustainable future. A crew from This American Land, a conservation newsmagazine series, spent time in Rochester in July 2020 to record the segment, titled “Urban Renewable Energy.”
Month: January 2021
Launch Minnesota: Helping Startups Take Off
What does ‘futureproofing’ a state’s economic prospects look like? In Minnesota, it looks like the statewide Launch Minnesota initiative, aimed at nourishing the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Launch Minnesota is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to accelerate the growth of startups and amplify Minnesota as a national leader in innovation.
“This is definitely a way to keep Minnesota competitive, nationally and globally, especially now with COVID-19” says Neela Mollgaard, Executive Director of Launch Minnesota.
The initiative launched in 2019 and marks the first time the State of Minnesota has allocated dollars focused on growing the state’s innovation economy system.
Rochester innovators find support in community
Mayo Clinic is an economic engine for its hometown of Rochester, Minnesota. The health care research leader is the city’s largest employer and the largest driver of visitors to the region, with an estimated 1.2 million patients and their families traveling annually to the region to receive care. But Mayo Clinic’s economic reach extends beyond these direct impacts, sparking the development of businesses in multiple industries.
Mayo Clinic has spun out a number of health-related businesses. More than 170 startups have used intellectual property developed at Mayo Clinic, and more than 2,000 technologies are available for licensing, according to Mayo Clinic Ventures, the organization that manages this commercialization.
Urban Evolution Episode 6: The Silicon Valley of Healthcare: A Conversation with Shaye Mandle, President and CEO of Medical Alley
In Minnesota, there’s a fearless sprit when it comes to healthcare innovation. Shaye Mandle is President and CEO of Medical Alley, Minnesota’s healthcare association. Medical Alley bills itself as the Silicon Valley of healthcare. In a wide-ranging interview, Shaye explains why Minnesota has been a longtime leader in this ecosystem and where the healthcare industry is pivoting because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Message from Patrick Seeb: A New Beginning
I enthusiastically take on a new role as executive director at Destination Medical Center (DMC). While I have been with DMC for five years, it definitely feels like a new beginning as I join new leadership at Rochester’s City Council, City administration, chamber of commerce, and others.
The opportunities before us are very different than just a few years ago, beyond the most obvious disruption caused by COVID-19. Fortunately, these past five years have provided us with incredible learning and great building blocks for a prosperous future.
We are proud of the progress of DMC’s first five years, humbled by lessons learned, and inspired by opportunities before us.
Urban Evolution Episode 5: The Post Pandemic City: A Conversation with Tom Fisher, Director, Minnesota Design Center at the University of Minnesota
The Coronavirus pandemic has accelerated changes in many industries and in our daily lives. Tom Fisher, Director of the Minnesota Design Center at the University of Minnesota is a professor and former dean at the university. His research has focused on sustainable architecture, design ethics and community based service design. He shares insights on what a post pandemic city might look like, and how lessons from past pandemics and health events can help shape our future.
Download a transcript of this episode.
Tom Fisher: https://designcenter.design.umn.edu/people/fisher.html
Minnesota Design Center: https://designcenter.design.umn.edu/
Destination Medical Center: https://dmc.mn/
Olde Brick House Irish Pub and Restaurant brings authentic experience to downtown Rochester’s Heart of the City
Even with a great location in downtown Rochester, opening a restaurant during a pandemic comes with plenty of challenges. For the staff at Olde Brick House, 19 1st Ave SW, those challenges happened to include advanced furniture assembly and metric conversions.
Inside the newly opened restaurant, “Everything that a customer sees was built over in Dublin, Ireland,” says Paula Rathman, director of operations and general manager of Olde Brick House.
DMC, City of Rochester and Winona State University partner to offer training on inclusive workforce participation planning
Free Online Workshop is January 20, 2021
Destination Medical Center (DMC) and the City of Rochester are partnering with Winona State University Adult & Continuing Education to offer Inclusive Workforce Practices: Why You Need a Workforce Participation Plan, a free online workshop on January 20, 2021, from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. This workshop is for CEOs, presidents, vice presidents, managers, recruiters, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) / Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) /Affirmative Action (AA) officers, and other human resource generalists and specialists across multiple sectors who want to learn how to make workforce diversity support organizational success.
Sybil L. Dunlop, a national thought leader on DEI issues will be facilitating the workshop. Dunlop helped found Greene Espel’s Diversity & Inclusion practice which helps workplaces design and implement DEI programs to meet organizational goals, and she has spoken on this topic to more than 100 audiences across the nation.
2020 Destination Medical Center Impact Report
View the 2020 DMC Impact Report here.
The report provides updates on DMC’s progress, including completed projects, projects in development, and response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
New leader kicks off next phase of Destination Medical Center Initiative
(Rochester, Minn.) January 4, 2021 – The largest public-private economic development partnership in Minnesota history marks a significant milestone today, when Patrick Seeb officially steps into the role of executive director of the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency (DMC EDA), following the retirement of Lisa Clarke.
Seeb is a veteran of economic development. Before taking the DMC helm, he served as the organization’s senior director of economic development and placemaking.