You might have been caught by surprise if you walked by the Peace Plaza on a brisk October evening and saw more than 200 people gathered together sharing a family-style meal outside. But that’s exactly what happened on October 17 during the inaugural Destination Medical Center (DMC) Annual Meeting, where the community came together to celebrate the impact of the first five years of the 20-year DMC initiative.
Photo Gallery: Destination Medical Center Annual Meeting
Destination Medical Center 2018 Annual Meeting
October 17, 2018 | Chateau Theatre and Peace Plaza in Heart of the City | Rochester, Minnesota
Photography by William Forsman
Explore your entrepreneurial potential at Startup Weekend Rochester
Startup Weekend Rochester, October 26 – 28, 2018, offers an excellent opportunity for would-be entrepreneurs to learn how to take an idea, evaluate it, talk to potential customers, prototype, and pitch – all in 54 hours.
“If you are thinking about starting a new business or want to learn tips and tricks to apply to your job or schooling, there is no better place to learn,” says Jamie Sundsbak, Startup Weekend Rochester organizer.
Five Questions with Ryan Nolander, Rochester Area Economic Development, Inc. (RAEDI)
Ryan Nolander was hired as president of the Rochester Area Economic Development, Inc. (RAEDI) four months ago after long-time president Gary Smith retired. With significant experience in the economic development field, Nolander is committed to helping local and regional businesses and developers tackle issues such as site selection, financial packaging, business planning, and business advocacy.
Destination Medical Center (DMC) chatted with Nolander recently to learn more about his top priorities in the coming year and why Rochester is such an attractive city.
Testing Heart of the City Design Concepts in Peace Plaza
Destination Medical Center (DMC) and the Heart of the City design team collaborated with local prototypers to test out design concepts for Heart of the City Phase 1 and create an engaging public realm. The design team includes Minneapolis-based landscape architects Coen+Partners in collaboration with RSP Architects, El Dorado, Latent Design, Kimley-Horn Associates, and Fluidity.
The prototypers were selected based on work presented at the 2016 Rochester Prototyping Festival. The design team felt these prototypes resonated with Heart of the City public realm work and invited the prototypers to test out a 2.0 version of their original concepts. The installations will be on display in Peace Plaza through mid-November.
New tenant announced in DMC’s Discovery Square at DMCC board meeting
The Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC) Board of Directors recognized significant progress with several DMC projects at its September 25 meeting. Among them – One Discovery Square – a Mortenson development consisting of 90,000 square feet of lab and office space that will cater to the life science economy.
Mortenson Director of Real Estate Development Jeremy Jacobs updated the Board on progress, and when asked about any new leases, he noted that Epic has signed on as a new tenant, joining previously announced anchor tenants Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota Rochester. Additional companies (large and small) will be announced within 60 – 90 days. One Discovery Square is expected to open in April 2019.
Inside the Castle: Creating a new beginning for the Rochester Armory
Just over one year ago, the future of the Rochester Armory was uncertain. Today, the historic downtown landmark is just weeks away from opening to the public as a rejuvenated multi-use facility, located in the Destination Medical Center district in downtown Rochester.
Castle Community will marry art and creativity with dining and entertainment in this culturally rich, century-old space.
Rochester startups perform well at Minnesota Cup
Two Rochester-based health-tech companies finished with strong showings at Minnesota Cup, the nation’s largest statewide startup competition. Mill Creek Life Sciences and Thaddeus Medical Systems placed in the top three in MN Cup’s Life Science/Health IT Division.
New tenant announced in DMC’s Discovery Square during DMCC board meeting
(Rochester, Minnesota) Sept. 25, 2018 – The Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC) Board of Directors today recognized significant progress with several DMC projects. Among them – One Discovery Square – a Mortenson development consisting of 90,000 square feet of lab and office space that will cater to the life science economy.
Mortenson Director of Real Estate Development Jeremy Jacobs updated the Board on progress, and when asked about any new leases, he noted that Epic has signed on as a new tenant, joining previously announced anchor tenants Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota Rochester. Additional companies (large and small) will be announced within 60 – 90 days. One Discovery Square is expected to open in April 2019.
Five Questions with Brian Austin, Executive Director of the Rochester Art Center
The Rochester Art Center (RAC) is an essential community asset and the local hub for culture, innovation, and creativity driven through contemporary art.
We sat down with Executive Director Brian Austin, who has been in his role since January 2018, to learn more about his priorities for the organization and why he thinks the Destination Medical Center (DMC) initiative will encourage more collaborations for the community.