Urban Evolution Episode 11: Launch Minnesota: A Launching Pad for Startups

Urban Evolution Podcast
Neela Mollgaard, Launch Minnesota Executive Director

In Minnesota, a new initiative is providing a launching pad for entrepreneurs.

Launch Minnesota is a pilot program that is fostering an innovative ecosystem across the state and is helping to get capital in the hands of startups. Over the past two years, Launch Minnesota has provided several millions of dollars in grant funding for early stage startups.

The executive director of Launch Minnesota, Neela Mollgaard, has been a leader at the local and state level helping entrepreneurs as they start and scale their business. She discusses Minnesota’s commitment to the startup community and why entrepreneurship is a key part of the economy and needs greater focus.

Download a transcript of this episode.

 

Launch Minnesota Kick-Off event on October 1, 2019.
Pictured (left to right): Minnesota State Sen. Eric Pratt, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove, Launch Minnesota Executive Director Neela Mollgaard, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Minnesota State Rep. Tim Mahoney.

Discovery Walk Project Updates

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Planning for the future by creating a connected city

What is Discovery Walk? 

Discovery Walk is a four-block linear parkway in downtown Rochester, MN along 2nd Avenue SW that will serve pedestrians as well as vehicle traffic. This multipurpose public space and streetscape is the first of its kind in Rochester. The vision for this project is to create a high amenity landscaped road and utility reconstruction project in the middle of downtown that prioritizes pedestrian experience while also maintaining flexibility for bike and vehicular access, civic events, and supports future development.

Rochester is Growing Brick by Bryk

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Patrick Seeb, Executive Director, DMC Economic Development Agency

A new workforce housing development project will bring affordable living options to downtown Rochester. If all goes as planned, 180 families of modest means will celebrate the December 2022 holiday season in their new homes at the Bryk on Broadway.  Perhaps a new college graduate working as a lab technician, or an immigrant family working side jobs while upskilling at RCTC, or a retired couple who want to free themselves of the chores of owning a home will be among its first residents.  All will have an easy walk, bike, or bus ride to great job opportunities, incredible parks and trails, a first-class library and community center, and a robust set of retail, dining, and entertainment options.

This project will be constructed by workers earning good salaries. An emphasis has been placed on hiring woman and minority-owned contractors to build on a site that has been vacant for many years. It has been designed with energy conservation in mind, meaning that its occupants will enjoy lower utility costs, while the community will benefit from a smaller carbon footprint than would typically be the case for a building of this size.  The Bryk might even host a small grocery store or child care center.

The local development team’s vision inspired the Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC) board to enthusiastically authorize financial support for a portion of the public infrastructure necessary to advance the project.

The Bryk exemplifies a more holistic approach to affordable living, considering not only the cost of rent or mortgage but also expenses normally associated with transportation and electric bills.  Moreover, building the Bryk will address a need in our community, as evidenced by a recent Rochester Housing Coalition study.  According to the study, over the next 20 years there will be a need for more than 3800 housing units priced below market rate.

The addition of Bryk reflects the promise that the Destination Medical Center initiative is more than the transformation of Rochester’s transportation system, public spaces, sewers and streets, medical innovation or tourism.  DMC is about all these initiatives, and so much more, including diverse options to live downtown.

In time, the full picture of how DMC is contributing to Rochester’s growth will become even more evident.  Laying the Bryk’s foundational bricks will be the next step in filling out that picture.

Patrick Seeb,
DMC EDA Executive Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the first of a monthly column by Patrick Seeb, Executive Director, DMC Economic Development Agency.

Urban Evolution Episode 10: University of Minnesota Rochester: NXT GEN MED – Groundbreaking Innovation in Higher Education

Urban Evolution Podcast

Dr. Lori Carrell

The vision of the University of Minnesota Rochester is to inspire transformation in higher education. It’s a vision that aligns well with a new groundbreaking partnership with two of the world’s most recognized brands.

Mayo Clinic and Google are partnering with the University of Minnesota Rochester on a pilot program called NXT GEN MED, designed to inform the future of higher education, leveraging machines and humans working together in an optimizing relationship to accelerate learning.

This partnership is a first of its kind for higher education and provides an accelerated degree for students. University of Minnesota Rochester Chancellor Dr. Lori Carrell explains more about NXT GEN MED and what it means for higher education. She also talks about the impact COVID-19 has had on the campus community in Rochester, Minnesota, and the uniqueness of the living and learning campus, which is focused on healthcare studies.

Download a transcript of this episode.

University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR) students collaborate inside One Discovery Square. Photo courtesy UMR.

 

Destination Medical Center Surpasses $1 billion in Private Investment

Press Releases

DMCC Board approves funding for downtown workforce housing project

(Rochester, Minn.) March 23, 2021 – The Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC) Board of Directors at a special meeting today approved a report documenting 2020 private investment in the DMC district of more than $144 million, which brings the cumulative total since 2013 to more than $1 billion in private investment for development in Rochester.

Urban Evolution Episode 9: The Nordic Shop: Retail Success During a Pandemic

Urban Evolution Podcast

Walter and Louise Hanson

A Scandinavian retailer in Rochester, Minnesota is proof that you can be successful during a pandemic. The Nordic Shop has seen a nearly 300 percent growth in its online sales in 2020 thanks to a robust digital strategy, a keen understanding of its customer base and a forewarning of the impact of COVID by its European vendors. Louise and Walter Hanson, who own and operate the Nordic Shop and are celebrating 47 years in business and in marriage, share their story.

Download a transcript of this episode.

Rochester, Minnesota aims to be a city of choice for remote workers

General

Rochester, Minnesota’s third-largest city, appears frequently on rankings of the country’s most livable cities. Factors such as civic engagement, affordable housing, a strong regional economy and great education options have helped the community stand out for years.

Now, Rochester is looking to build on that appeal by positioning itself as a great home for the post-pandemic workforce as many employees feel more freedom to choose their home untethered from their work locations.

VIDEO: Mortenson and project partners celebrate the topping off of Two Discovery Square

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Mortenson celebrated the ceremonial steel “topping off” of Two Discovery Square, its second building in the Destination Medical Center (DMC) Discovery Square sub-district on Monday, March 1, 2021 with community leaders and the project team. The project is scheduled to open in mid-2022.
Speakers at the ceremony included Mayor Kim Norton, City of Rochester; David Mortenson, Mortenson Chairman; Patrick Seeb, DMC Economic Development Agency executive director; Brent Webb, Mortenson Development Manager; and Dr. Clark Otley, Mayo Clinic Platform Chief Medical Officer.

National Association of Women in Construction celebrates Women in Construction Week

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Brittany Jewell (right) works on the Heart of City Phase 1 project. Photo courtesy Precision Hardscapes

“How many people are able to drive around Rochester and the surrounding areas and point to a school, hospital, restaurant, or apartment complex and say they were a part of constructing that?” asks Katie Reinhart, a project coordinator with Kraus-Anderson Construction Company and member of The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC).

A growing number of women, as ironworkers, bricklayers, project managers, piledrivers, pipefitters, and laborers, can say they were. From Sunday, March 7 to Saturday, March 13, 2021, their contributions will be celebrated by NAWIC’s national Women in Construction Week. The NAWIC banners you’ll see flying throughout the city all week are testament to Rochester’s support for the mission.