Elevating Enterprise: Inside the I-Corridor

Ep.23 “One in four semiconductor chips that are produced in the United States are going to be manufactured within 350 miles of where we’re sitting.” - Joe Stefko, President & CEO of OneROC and Regional Innovation Officer for the New York Smart I-Corridor.

Today we go Inside the I-Corridor to get the big-picture view of how Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse are becoming a globally competitive hub for semiconductors, microelectronics and advanced manufacturing.

Sponsored by The Enterprise Center at PathStone, a CDFI helping small businesses access the capital and support they need to grow.

Joe Stefko brings a unique perspective to the conversation. Before leading OneROC, he worked on the front lines of Buffalo's fiscal recovery. Now he's helping Greater Rochester, and the broader I-Corridor, think regionally about its next major economic transformation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The opportunity is bigger than Micron. Semiconductor growth is creating demand throughout a much larger regional ecosystem.

• You don't have to manufacture chips to participate. Construction, skilled trades, transportation, logistics, landscaping, technology and professional services are among the opportunities emerging throughout the supply chain.

• Small businesses have an entry point. I-Corridor programs can help companies assess their capabilities, strengthen areas such as cybersecurity and connect with buyers and technical assistance.

• Workforce development is a major piece of the strategy. Many semiconductor technician positions won't require a four-year degree, creating new pathways into well-paying careers.

• Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse aren't approaching this as competitors anymore. The three markets are combining their strengths to compete nationally—and globally.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Sponsor: The Enterprise Center at Pathstone

At the Neighborhood Hub, 616 North Goodman St. Rochester, NY 14609 Register Here: https://ow.ly/rke650ZRaj6

NY SMART I-Corridor
Learn about supply chain, commercialization, workforce development and business opportunities across the corridor.
https://nysmarticorridor.com/

Supply Chain Activation Network (SCAN)
Connect with resources for businesses interested in entering or expanding within the semiconductor and microelectronics supply chain.

Commercialization & Collaboration Center (C3)
Access university research, specialized facilities, prototyping, technical expertise and commercialization support.

OneROC
Learn more about Greater Rochester's regional economic alliance and its work supporting economic growth and collaboration.
https://www.oneroc.com/

NY SMART I-Corridor Opportunity Exchange — October 8, 2026

Business Guide to the NY SMART Tech Hub

Chapters:

00:00 What Is the New York Smart I-Corridor?

00:58 Meet OneROC CEO Joe Stefko

02:08 How Joe Stefko Helped Buffalo Recover From Fiscal Crisis

07:28 Why Rochester, Buffalo & Syracuse Are Finally Working Together

10:09 New York Smart I-Corridor & the CHIPS and Science Act Explained

12:53 How Upstate New York Won Federal Tech Hub Funding

15:11 How Startups & Entrepreneurs Can Access I-Corridor Resources

18:27 What's Happened Since the NY Smart I-Corridor Summit?

19:32 Semiconductor Supply Chain Opportunities for NY Businesses

22:09 Propel NY: Helping Businesses Enter the Semiconductor Industry

23:37 How Your Business Can Get Into the I-Corridor Supply Chain

25:09 Construction, Logistics & Business Opportunities Available Now

28:37 How Businesses Should Prepare for Semiconductor Contracts

30:20 How to Access I-Corridor Funding & Technical Assistance

32:15 How the Tech Hub Could Transform Rochester's Economy

34:14 Semiconductor Jobs That Don't Require a College Degree

36:18 Making Sure Local Communities Aren't Left Behind

37:21 Workforce Development & Training Opportunities

40:14 STEP UP & New York's $200M ON-RAMP Investment

42:36 What Is OneROC?

46:08 Upcoming I-Corridor Opportunities for Businesses

47:11 How to Get Connected Inside the I-Corridor

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Want a piece of New York’s growing semiconductor industry? Let's go Inside the I-Corridor with fabrication consultant Griffin McGuire of SetPoint Advisors to unpack some of the biggest takeaways from the two-day NY Smart I-Corridor Summit and what they mean for the Upstate New York workforce.

Griffin serves as a vice chairperson at the American Welding Society (AWS), Niagara Frontier section, where he focuses on welding standards and skilled trades advocacy.

Episode Takeaways:

🔹 The semiconductor opportunity goes far beyond chips. Construction, fabrication, logistics, raw materials, suppliers and skilled trades will all be needed as the ecosystem grows.

🔹 There’s a gap between research and the shop floor. Upstate has world-class research, but manufacturers need help understanding how their existing capabilities can translate into semiconductor opportunities.

🔹 Our workforce has to evolve, too. Griffin explains how the American Welding Society (AWS) connects students with employers and gives experienced welders pathways to advance into roles like welding inspection as the physical demands of the trade become harder.

🔹 Getting into the supply chain requires preparation. Businesses will need to understand the standards, certifications and capabilities major semiconductor companies expect from suppliers.

The opportunity is coming. The question is: where do you fit?

Resources:

Connect with Griffin McGuire / SetPoint Advisors:
SetPoint Advisors

Follow the American Welding Society – Niagara Frontier Section for events, student opportunities and industry networking:
AWS Niagara Frontier Section

Griffin McGuire serves as a vice chairperson at the American Welding Society (AWS), Niagara Frontier section, where he focuses on welding standards and skilled trades advocacy.

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Ep. 21 Jazzy T and RJ Williams visit RIT Certified's newly renovated space to explore the workforce development strategies powering the next generation of modern manufacturing employees for Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse.

Director Rosalie Clemens and Associate Director AJ LiVecchi explain why the I-Corridor isn't about one company or one city, it's about building an entire regional ecosystem where every organization has a role to play.

Resource Links:

Suscribe to Inside the I-Corridor Newsletter on LinkedIn

Website: https://certified.rit.edu/

Register for the Teacher's Cohort Circuiting Success here https://certified.rit.edu/circuitingsuccess

Email AJ LiVecchi:‍ [email protected]

Episode Key Points:

✅ The I-Corridor is an economic development strategy—not simply a Micron project.

✅ Workforce development isn't something that happens to companies. It's something companies actively build.

✅ Existing employees often need targeted upskilling—not another four-year degree.

✅ AI is rapidly changing professional development, knowledge transfer and advanced manufacturing.

✅ Rochester's competitive advantage comes from strengthening its existing expertise in optics, photonics and precision manufacturing—not competing directly with Syracuse.

✅ Businesses that invest in learning today will be best positioned when the region's semiconductor ecosystem reaches full scale.

Chapters:

00:00 Why Everyone Is Talking About the I-Corridor

00:58 Meet RIT Certified

01:47 What RIT Certified Actually Does

04:06 What Is the New York Smart I-Corridor?

06:43 Preparing Today's Workforce for Tomorrow's Jobs

07:57 Semiconductor Career Accelerator Explained

10:57 The Skills Summit & AI Workforce Strategy

14:06 AI, Virtual Chips & Manufacturing Training

15:36 Using AI to Capture Knowledge Before Employees Retire

20:43 Rochester's Photonics Advantage

22:18 Why Companies Must Own Workforce Development

23:57 Why Professional Development Improves Retention

26:36 Cybersecurity, AI & National Security

29:35 Solving Real Business Problems with Custom Training

31:54 Why Automated Assembly Is the Next Big Opportunity

34:02 What Rochester Can Learn from Arizona's Tech Boom

35:45 Why Rochester Shouldn't Try to Be Syracuse

39:43 Preparing Teachers for Semiconductor Careers

43:41 Why Every Business Should Prepare for the I-Corridor Now

44:38 Three Big Takeaways for Business Leaders

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Ep.20 If your business can’t run without you… it’s not an asset. “As soon as you walk out the door, so does your business intelligence.”

Jazzy T sits down with Jennifer Piper of Volare AI to break down an unpopular truth: if you’re building a business that depends on your presence, your decisions, and your constant involvement… you have created a high-paying job—not a transferable asset.

You didn’t start your business to work 60-hour weeks with nothing to show for it. With proven scaling experience and AI-powered insights, Volare AI helps uncover the hidden gaps holding you back—so you can finally step into the role of visionary, not overworked operator.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

✨ Stop Guessing Your Business Value

✨ 10X Is Based on Profit—Not Revenue

✨ Your KPIs Should Lead to Freedom

RESOURCES

🔗 Connect with Jennifer Piper on LinkedIn

Learn more about Podcast Advertising | JazzCast Pros

Chapters:

00:00:00 Build a Business That Doesn’t Depend on You

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“There’s no transformation without transparency.” That's why I’m pulling back the curtain on my own journey into public speaking.

Ep. 19 Elevating Enterprise, I'm flipped from interviewer to student when Candice Kellogg, Master Trainer with Dale Carnegie, turns our interview into a live coaching session at the Women Empowering Women Conference.

No notes. No prep. Just my experience.

And in that moment, I realized what so many of us struggle with:
Confidence in private doesn’t always translate to confidence in public.

Candace walks me (and you) through how to speak with authority—without hiding behind a script—and proves that your lived experience is more than enough.

Connect with Candice Kellogg | LinkedIn

Learn more about Dale Carnegie public speaking training

🎤 Podcast Movement Conference: https://podcastmovement.com

Ready to use your voice as a business asset?

Start as a guest, advertiser, or launch your own show with JazzCast Pros.

🌐 Visit: ⁠https://jazzcastpros.com⁠

Subscribe, share, and send this to someone who needs the push.

00:00:00 – The Broadcaster's Fear of Public Speaking
00:01:34 – Meet Candice Kellogg (Dale Carnegie Master Trainer)
00:02:04 – Purpose vs Position: Aligning Your Work
00:04:32 – “No Transformation Without Transparency”
00:05:09 – The Coaching Begins
00:06:43 – Speaking Without My Notes
00:07:06 – Podcasting vs Broadcasting
00:08:48 – The Power of One Clear Message
00:09:27 – The Breakthrough: I Just Gave a Talk?!
00:10:54 – “You’re Ready Right Now”
00:11:39 – My 3 Takeaways to Elevate Your Enterprise

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Ep. 18 Event sponsorship can be transactional or transformational.

At the Women Empowering Women Conference, the presenting sponsor the YMCA did more than put their name on the event. They brought their team, created space for growth, and treated this experience as an extension of their leadership development strategy.

In this live conversation, Chief People & Culture Officer Taletha Best breaks down how the Y builds culture from the inside out—through employee engagement, leadership development, and real community connection.

Because strong organizations don’t just invest in marketing, they invest in their people.

Hear more from our Women's Empowerment Series

Why 45% More Women Work in Construction | Jenna Tatar, Riedman | Podcasts

9th Annual Women Empowering Women Conference March 18, 2027

Learn more here

00:00 Sponsorship vs Just Visibility
00:45 Meet Taletha Best, YMCA Chief People & Culture Officer

01:20 What “People & Culture” Really Means
02:15 Leadership, Engagement & DEI in Action

03:15 What Does YMCA Stand For?
5:00 Serving Neighborhood Needs

6:00 Why the YMCA Sponsors Women Empowering Women
7:00 Filling Your Team’s Cup vs Just Expecting Output

8:00 Conference Takeaways: Growth, Failure & Mindset
9:00 “You Haven’t Failed If You’re Not Done”

9:30 Final Thoughts + What’s Next

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You bought the system. You held the meeting with your team. So why isn’t anything changing?

Ep. 17 Jazzy T sits down with Jacqueline Phichith to break down the real reason change fails inside organizations, and it has nothing to do with the technology. It’s about where people get stuck.

Jacqueline introduces the ADKAR framework, a simple but powerful way to understand how people actually move through change.

This conversation will help you identify exactly where the breakdown is—and how to move people forward with clarity, not frustration.

🌐 Resources:

Jacqueline Phichith, Communications & Change Leadership | CCMP,
📍 CooperCompanies, Rochester, NY

🔗 LinkedIn: Jacqueline Phichith | LinkedIn

Hear more from our Women's Empowerment Series

9th Annual Women Empowering Women Conference March 18, 2027

Learn more here

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"Development isn't just about building buildings. It's about shaping how people experience their environments and their communities." — Jenna Tatar

In this kickoff episode of our Women’s Empowerment Series, Jazzy T sits down with Jenna Tatar, Operational Excellence Manager at Riedman, to unpack why now is the time for women to step into real estate development.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

The pay gap is shrinking in the real estate development industry.

There's a 45% increase in women's participation in construction over the last decade

How operational roles translate vision into real-world impact

Media training from JazzCast Pros helps you practice your voice, refine your message, and show up confidently in high-stakes rooms

🎧 Listen to High Vibe Table Talks ep 142 with Merchon and Jazzy T for our biggest takeaways from the sold-out Women Empowering Women Conference—including behind-the-scenes media training moments.

🌐 Resources:

👩🏽‍💼 Jenna Tatar, Operational Excellence Manager, Riedman
📍 45 East Ave, Rochester, NY

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-tatar-pmp-1630875/

9th Annual Women Empowering Women Conference March 18, 2027

Learn more here

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Stop Missing Out on Government Contracts. Get in the Room!

Ep. 15 Tymothi Howard—the man responsible for overseeing purchasing for the City of Rochester and promoting minority, and women-owned enterprise participation reveals the secret to procurement deals.

He’s not just explaining the system—he’s showing you where the opportunities are and how to position your business to access them.

Join us at the 4th Annual Upstate NY MWBE Conference

📍 Location: Rochester Riverside Convention Center
📅 Dates: March 30 – April 1

🎟️ Register here

This isn’t just another networking event. This is where you go to:

If you’re serious about doing business with your local New York municipalities, you need to be in this room. Jazzy T will be hosting the success panel on Day 3 with top-tier MWBE firms.

Read this👉 2026 Upstate NY MWBE Conference Preview

Learn how to get MWBE certified in New York State, connect with prime contractors actually awarding work and understand how to start doing business with the City of Rochester… all in one room!

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Ep. 14 Ever delayed firing someone you knew wasn’t the right fit, or second-guessed a big business decision for weeks? Growth strategist Jill Peterson explains how strengthening your mental fitness can help you make clearer, more profitable decisions.

On this episode of Elevating Enterprise with Jazzy T + RJ Williams you’ll learn how to regulate emotional decision-making, document scalable systems, and use data—not fear—to guide your next business move.

Jill Peterson is the Founder and Chief Growth Strategist of Clover Insights, where she helps corporate executives and growth-stage founders remove the hidden leadership and structural barriers limiting their next stage of growth.

Through her proprietary 4P Pathway — People, Process, Profits, and Purpose — Jill integrates mental fitness with operational strategy so organizations can scale without sacrificing culture or clarity.

A Positive Intelligence® Coach and TriMetrix practitioner, she equips leaders with the mindset and systems needed for sustainable expansion. Her clients have achieved up to 300% growth, stronger engagement, reduced turnover, and tighter team alignment.

📧 Connect with Jill Peterson

Download Jill's free Decision Making Tool

📬 Join the I Heard It on a Podcast Newsletter on LinkedIn

Get the FREE Procurement Ready Checklist👉https://www.jazzcastpros.com/enterprise

Discover more show on your personal and professional development journey Podcasts | JazzCast Pros

00:00 – Why your nervous system belongs in your profit margin
02:05 – What mental fitness really means for business leaders
04:56 – The hidden financial cost of emotional decisions
07:20 – Using data instead of fear to guide business choices
11:06 – Why clarity and dashboards make leadership easier
12:18 – Understanding the “Judge” mindset and leadership saboteurs
17:14 – The importance of documenting SOPs for scaling
22:07 – 8 Peanut butter & Jelly SOPs
25:59 – Simple nervous-system regulation tactics
30:08 – The 9 leadership saboteurs that influence decision-making
33:59 – Turning challenges into opportunities for growth
36:23 – Why aligning People, Process, Profits & Purpose drives sustainable growth

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