Month: November 2023

At Destination Medical Center (DMC), we are thrilled and inspired by the news that Mayo Clinic has announced a $5 billion dollar commitment to expanding its Rochester campus as part of the Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester initiative. This is a historic moment for Mayo Clinic, the city of Rochester, Olmsted County, the state of Minnesota, and DMC. Mayo Clinic’s newest commitment to the city demonstrates the success and impact of the 20-year economic development initiative first authorized by a bipartisan group of Minnesota legislators and the Governor in 2013.

Not only is this the largest investment in Mayo’s 160-year history, but it is also the largest public or private investment in Minnesota’s history!

DMC was created to position Rochester as a global destination for health and wellness, and to support Mayo Clinic’s vision of transforming health care for the benefit of patients and society. Through DMC, we are leveraging public and private investments to create a vibrant, welcoming, and livable city that attracts talent, innovation, and visitors from around the world and solidifies Rochester as America’s City for Health.  Mayor Norton, in her remarks at the announcement, credited the DMC initiative as helping to “set the stage for this transformational project, in Rochester.”

Through 2022, approximately $200 million of public investment through DMC has helped attract nearly $1.5 billion of private investment from Mayo Clinic and other investors. Estimated job growth related to these initiatives total nearly 8,000 thus far. New public spaces supported with DMC funding include Discovery Walk, Heart of the City, and forthcoming Soldiers Field and riverfront redevelopment projects.

DMC successes through its first decade have helped create the conditions and opportunities that support Mayo Clinic’s new multi-billion-dollar commitment. Mayo Clinic’s Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester initiative will expand its clinical, research, and education facilities in Rochester, enhancing the patient experience in addition to its ability to deliver world-class care and innovation to patients while advancing its mission of inspiring hope and contributing to health and well-being.  According to Mayo CEO, Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., the Unbound project will blur “…the lines across hospital, clinic, and digital care to help our teams anticipate our patients’ needs, accelerate more cures and greater connection to our patients.”

Mayo Clinic’s new commitment will also bring significant benefits to Rochester and the region, including:

• Creating thousands of new jobs and generating new tax revenue for the state and local governments.
• Attracting more visitors and businesses to Rochester, boosting the local economy and tourism industry.
• Enhancing the quality of life and well-being of Rochester residents and Mayo Clinic patients and visitors, by providing more amenities, services, and opportunities for recreation, culture, and entertainment.
• Strengthening Rochester’s reputation as America’s City for Health, and a model for sustainable and inclusive urban development.

As we celebrate this milestone, I want to thank Mayo Clinic for its leadership and partnership, and for its unwavering commitment to Rochester and Minnesota.  Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was explicit in acknowledging Mayo’s decision to invest in Rochester…” it’s not lost on myself, our administration or the people of Minnesota — you choose to make that investment in Rochester, Minnesota. You made a conscious effort as you looked elsewhere, where you could go, you said ‘No, this is the best place.”

I also want to thank the DMC Corporation Board, the City of Rochester, Olmsted County, and the State of Minnesota, and all our stakeholders and community members for their support and collaboration.

Together, we are enabling DMC to deliver on the vision and aspiration behind its inception and together, we will continue to make it a success.

I invite you to learn more about DMC and Mayo Clinic’s Bold Forward Unbound initiative by visiting our website and following us on social media. I also encourage you to share your thoughts and ideas on how we can make Rochester an even better place to live, work, and visit.

Thank you for being part of this journey, and for your passion and enthusiasm for DMC and Mayo Clinic. I look forward to working with you as we embark on this new chapter of growth and transformation.

Patrick Seeb
Executive Director
Destination Medical Center

The news that Mayo Clinic’s board of directors has approved the $5 billion Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester initiative to further expand its Rochester campus is a historic moment for our

city, our state, and our region, as we witness the world’s premier destination for health and wellness grow and thrive. “This is a transformative investment in the future of health care,” said executive director Patrick Seeb. “It solidifies Rochester as America’s City for Health, a destination for health and innovation.”

Mayo Clinic’s continued commitment to Rochester is also a reflection of the vision and collaboration that Destination Medical Center has nurtured and advanced since its inception in 2013. DMC, born of a bipartisan effort in the Minnesota legislature to strengthen Rochester as America’s City for Health with Mayo Clinic at its heart, has been instrumental in creating an environment that helped Mayo Clinic confidently commit to substantial expansion of its core campus. This unprecedented investment by Mayo Clinic coupled with additional significant public and private investment in downtown Rochester, is accelerating the Destination Medical Center initiative originally envisioned.

Over the past 10 years, we have seen this in many ways, including:

• DMC’s ongoing stewardship of $585 million of public infrastructure funds, the largest in Minnesota history, to support improvements, public amenities, and placemaking projects in Rochester. The scope of improvements encompassed transportation, utilities, parking, parks, trails, public art, and more. These enhancements not only benefit Mayo Clinic, but the entire community and region.
• DMC has facilitated the development of Discovery Square, a 16-block innovation district that connects Mayo with entrepreneurs, researchers, and educators. It is also home to One and Two Discovery Square which have a combined 290,000 square feet of cutting-edge life science amenities with such tenants as Phillips, Rion, and Mayo Clinic Advanced Diagnostics Laboratory.
• DMC has supported the creation of signature public realm projects to enhance the experience and well-being of patients, visitors, and residents. The Heart of the City is a vibrant and welcoming public space that serves as the gateway to downtown Rochester and Mayo Clinic. Improvements to Soldiers Field Memorial Park will provide a relaxing experience for everyone, just a short walk from downtown. Connecting all of this is Discovery Walk, a 4-block linear parkway through Discovery Square that extends the collaborative environment within One and Two Discovery Square to the outdoor space.

DMC will continue to work with Mayo Clinic, the City of Rochester, and Olmsted County to make Rochester an increasingly attractive place to live, work and visit. Among other initiatives, we will be working together on the Link Bus Rapid Transit system and redevelopment of key riverfront areas along with a new Sixth Street bridge.

As these projects unfold, we will continue to approach them through lenses of equity and sustainability. Community co-design will be used in conjunction with Discovery Walk and other DMC initiatives to engage, hear from, and collaborate with our community. Work will continue with our partners in the City of Rochester to achieve sustainability and energy goals. We will leverage what we have learned in DMC’s first decade with respect to engaging businesses and other stakeholders impacted by construction to lessen inconvenience through Business Forward.

Mayo Clinic’s Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester initiative is exciting news for Rochester. At DMC, we are proud to have played a part in enabling Mayo Clinic

to make a substantial new commitment to our community. We look forward to working with Mayo Clinic, the City of Rochester, and Olmsted County to fulfill our shared vision of making Rochester a world-class city that is a destination for health and wellness, and a place where everyone can live, work, and thrive.

At the quarterly Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC) Board of Directors meeting, a request was made by DMC EDA staff for direction regarding the development of a shared lab environment at Two Discovery Square. This would be a shared laboratory space for life sciences startups for technology, workforce, and economic development with accessible lease rates and terms. The environment has the potential to attract businesses by reducing their risk and barriers to entry in the life sciences field.

“This is one of the more important initiatives we are involved in,” said board member Rybak. “Given the research we have seen, the shared lab concept will be a game changer for the Discovery Square ecosystem. While this is next to Mayo, it’s really about birthing other medical-related enterprises so we create more drivers of employment opportunities in the community.”

The shared lab environment has come to even more importance with the designation of Minnesota as a “med tech” hub by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The initiative, called MedTech 3.0, has the goal of making Minnesota a global center for “smart med-tech.”

If all goes according to plan, the shared lab space could begin operation in late 2024.

The DMCC Board also received a report from Dr. Lori Carrell, chancellor of the University of Minnesota-Rochester. The focus of the update was on the UMR Campus and Climate Action planning process and the future direction of the university. The Campus and Climate Action plan is being created to support UMR’s commitment to excellence sustained through managed enrollment growth by identifying time horizons and criteria for strategic decision points in a phased approach to facilities expansion.

When asked what DMC can do to support the success of University of Minnesota-Rochester, Chancellor Carrell responded, “The reality is you have already been helpful, and we want to be more intentional as we move forward. One way is in the recruitment of new businesses to Rochester. The sooner we can be involved in that process, the sooner we can meet their workforce needs.”

The board also received a report on the requirements for the 2025 DMC Development Plan. According to the DMC legislation, the DMC Development Plan needs to be updated every 5 years. The last time the plan was updated was in 2020. The 2025 plan will represent the halfway point of the DMC initiative.

“This is a perfect moment to review what has been achieved in the last 5 years, as well as an opportunity to take an in-depth look at the near future of the DMC initiative and what that means for our community,” said DMCC Board Chair Wheelock. “Let’s sharpen our thoughts and think strategically about how to keep the broader community informed about our progress.”

Much of the Development Plan update work will occur in mid- to late-2024 with the Plan moving for approval by the DMCC board and Rochester City Council in May of 2025.

The next DMCC Board meeting is set for February 1, 2023 at 9:30. a.m.

The Main Street Economic Revitalization Grant Program’s completion was marked by a visit from Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Matt Varilek on a pleasant day in October. Over two rounds of funding, Destination Medical Center (DMC) allocated nearly $4 million to support over 70 businesses and organizations in Rochester.

Patrick Seeb, DMC EDA Executive Director, emphasized the importance of downtowns as they embody the essence and identity of a community, whether it’s in Rochester, St. Cloud, Minneapolis-St. Paul, or Mankato. Recognizing this, the State of Minnesota wisely chose to support downtown areas in their recovery.

Destination Medical Center received funding from MN DEED to distribute to current and future organizations in three key business districts in Rochester for capital improvement projects. These business districts include the DMC district, the southeast Crossroads to Bear Creek area, and the Northgate area.

The grant awards ranged from $5,000 to $500,000, with an average award of around $59,000. Thanks to this initiative, over 300 permanent jobs have been created, and 22 vacant storefronts are now occupied.

While these grants were available to all, special efforts were made to reach out to BIPOC-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses in these areas. These efforts resulted in 20 BIPOC-owned businesses receiving grant funding, and 18 woman- and veteran-owned businesses also being awarded funding.

This program has played a vital role in supporting and revitalizing downtown areas, fostering economic growth, and creating opportunities for a diverse range of businesses and organizations.