Tag: Five Questions

Five Questions with John Boss, co-founder of Spark DJ

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Spark DJ co-founders John Boss (left) and James Jones

Ranked as one of the Top Ten Cities for Entrepreneurs by Livability in 2018, Rochester is not a stranger to innovation. Spark DJ is a Rochester-based music streaming service co-founded by John Boss and James Jones. The duo utilizes artificial intelligence to power their Spark DJ mobile application and deliver personalized music directly to smartphones nationwide, offering users a musical experience tailored specifically to their preferences. Spark DJ was recently selected as one of only ten startups to participate in the 2018 Techstars Music Class.

DMC recently connected with co-founder John Boss to find out more about the business and why Rochester is a great place to launch a startup of your own.

Five Questions with Amanda Leightner, founder of Rochester Rising

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Well-told stories are one of the most powerful communication tools we can use in business. They help others better understand us, our work, and our purpose. They allow us to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. And, for entrepreneurs, they give us a platform to share our successes and failures – and learn from one another.

Amanda Leightner

Amanda Leightner is the founder of Rochester Rising, a website dedicated to telling the stories of the rise of entrepreneurship in Rochester. DMC spent some time with Amanda recently to learn more about her passion for sharing the stories of innovators and what advice she would give to someone considering a future in America’s City for Health.

Five Questions with Jeanine Gangeness, Associate VP of Winona State University-Rochester

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Rochester has a reputation for developing the innovators, entrepreneurs, and pioneers of tomorrow. The 45-plus two- and four-year higher education institutions that operate within 90 miles of Rochester further positions the city as a national leader in workforce development.

Dr. Jeanine Gangeness

At the downtown Winona State University-Rochester (WSU-R) location, Associate Vice President Jeanine Gangeness engages with other local post-secondary institutions and the business community to develop academic programming that will meet the career needs facing the region today and in the future.

DMC connected with Dr. Gangeness to learn more about her priorities for WSU-R in the coming year and the simple reason she believes the Destination Medical Center initiative is so critical.

Five Questions with Steve Rymer, Rochester City Administrator

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City Administrator Steve Rymer

Steve Rymer was hired as Rochester’s fourth City Administrator just over four months ago. Rymer was chosen from a pool of 23 applicants, taking on the role held for nearly four decades by Stevan Kvenvold, who recently retired. Rymer sat down with DMC to share his thoughts about his experience in America’s City for Health so far and provided a glimpse at what he sees for Rochester in the future.