The Business Pivot, a blog series from Destination Medical Center (DMC), features local small businesses that are pivoting not just to survive, but to thrive in the current economic environment. These businesses are helping Southeast Minnesota continue to access products and services while also making a difference in the community.
Tag: Small Business
Destination Medical Center and City of Rochester provide $100,000 in “Keep It Local” grant funding to 55 Rochester small businesses
Destination Medical Center (DMC) and the City of Rochester announced the distribution of $100,000 in funding to 55 Rochester businesses through the Keep It Local, COVID-19 Innovators Grant Program. The grant program assists small businesses that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are working with other small business to respond to those challenges.
Destination Medical Center and City of Rochester provide $100,000 in grant funding for Rochester small businesses
Destination Medical Center (DMC) and the City of Rochester announced a new grant program to assist Rochester small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Keep It Local, COVID-19 Innovators Grant Program will reward businesses who are exemplifying innovation and collaboration by working together in response to the challenges posed by COVID-19. The city is offering $50,000 in grant funds with DMC contributing $50,000 to businesses located in the DMC District.
Strategic second location for framing and fine art business brings success
Rochester Framing & Fine Art Printing has called America’s City for Health its second home since April 2014, but owners John and Valerie Becker didn’t anticipate how much opportunity there would be for a non-medical business as the DMC initiative takes flight.
“DMC is an animal,” says John Becker. “There’s an energy that comes with the growth of the city. We see it right outside of our window every day.” Rochester Framing & Fine Art Printing is located at the intersection of 4th Street and Broadway in the Riverside Building, which is also home to Cambria, Limb Lab, and Winona State University-Rochester.
The Beckers opened their first framing store in Red Wing, Minnesota in 2002. They had considered expanding into Rochester for some time but wanted to ensure they selected the right location. Finding the Riverside space – a small footprint with high visibility – sealed the deal for them. “We came in at the same time as Cambria,” John said. “They have premium customers – so do we. They do countertops – we do walls. It was very deliberate.”
Q&A with Francisco’s Cuban Cafe owner, Francisco Corripio
When Florida native Francisco Corripio started coming to Rochester for medical treatment six years ago, opening a restaurant was the furthest thing from the long-time banker’s mind.
When Corripio learned that his medical treatment would be more extensive, he and his wife relocated to Rochester permanently. Last year, Corripio, along with members of his family, opened Francisco’s Cuban Café in the First Avenue Food Court on the skyway level of the 100 First Avenue Building in the Heart of the City. For Corripio, the café, which serves everything from fried plantains to Cuban sandwiches, was both a business venture and a personal necessity.