Passion Projects:
Social Entrepreneurs Making a Difference

RocGrowth Candids features regional entrepreneurs and innovators who share their personal stories and describe their journey building successful organizations that have a meaningful impact upon our community.
Rochester is enjoying a renewed vitality attributable to the contributions of talented individuals launching initiatives that make our community more livable, inclusive and welcoming for creators. Their grassroots efforts share a passion for helping others and leaving a positive imprint.
We feature three such individuals. Each has created a new approach to make Rochester a better place, bootstrapping their initiative without expectation of financial gain, and relying on skills and expertise acquired throughout their career.

RocGrowth is pleased to present
A Candid In-Person event with Zoom Option
 Downtown Rochester at an Inflection Point
 

RocGrowth Candids features regional entrepreneurs and innovators who share their personal stories and describe their journey building successful organizations that have a meaningful impact upon our community.
Downtown Rochester has been experiencing a renewed vitality. It is widely accepted that a prospering metropolitan region has a thriving urban core, with successful collaboration between the public and private sectors. We face a moment when major decisions might determine whether Rochester is able to rise above mediocrity and achieve recognition as being one of America's great mid-sized cities. That is why RocGrowth is featuring three innovators from the private sector who are pursuing superior outcomes in different ways.
Join us on Thursday, March 28, 2024 to learn more about the entrepreneur behind Roc Holiday Village, the Partnership for Downtown Rochester and revitalization efforts downtown, and Hinge Neighbors and their role with the Inner Loop North.

RocGrowth Candids is pleased to present 

Innovative Community Building in Rochester RocGrowth Candids features regional entrepreneurs and innovators who share their personal stories and describe their journey building successful organizations that have a meaningful impact upon our community.
Community building fosters a sense of belonging and social cohesion among residents. When people feel connected to their neighbors and the larger community, they are more likely to work together, support each other, and participate in community activities. This is aligned with RocGrowth's mission.
 
Join us  to learn more about Clarissa Street Legacy, Flower Power Magazine  and Behind the Glass Gallery. Their leaders will discuss their initiatives, personal motivations and experiences building their organizations.

RocGrowth Candids is pleased to present
Steve Dubnik - President and CEO
The Strong Museum of Play and Its
Impact Upon Rochester
In recognition of relaxed pandemic protocols RocGrowth Candids is joyfully resuming its in-person event, providing a virtual participation option. We feature regional entrepreneurs and innovators who share their personal stories and describe their journey building successful organizations that have had lasting impact upon our community’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Strong National Museum of Play, is a beloved Rochester institution that is undergoing a major expansion visible to all who pass by a neighborhood undergoing radical transformation. On Wednesday, March 22, 2023, we feature Steve Dubnik, President and CEO, who has guided the institution through this ambitious phase. We will learn how the museum has acquired an international reputation, the breadth of its work, and dedication to our city.

Join us for a discussion with Mike Colyer, CEO of Foundry.  Foundry was created to meet the institutional demand for better capital access, efficiency and transparency in the digital asset mining and staking industry. Headquartered in Rochester, NY, Foundry leverages its institutional expertise, capital and market intelligence to empower participants within the crypto ecosystem by providing the tools they need to build tomorrow's decentralized infrastructure.

Adrian Hale, Director, Economic & Community Development, will join us to discuss Foundry's commitment to positively impact our region and seizing the blockchain's transformative potential to improve society.

Please join us for a discussion with Peter Jemison, Seneca Nation ( Heron Clan),  founder of the Seneca Art & Cultural Center and former site manager of Ganondagan, and Erica Mock,  Executive Director of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiative (FDFI).

RocGrowth Community

Please join us for a discussion with historian, Laura Warren Hill, and business leader, Tom Mitchell. Dr. Hill recently published Strike the Hammer: The Black Freedom Struggle in Rochester, New York, 1940-1970 and Mr. Mitchell is the former-CEO of Bergmann Associates and co-founder of Exploring Racism Groups (ERG).

Dr. Hill spent 12 years researching three pivotal decades of Rochester's history, revealing much about the origins of our present condition. Since 2015, Mr. Mitchell has been dedicated to educating community leaders about racism and how it impacts their organization's performance and potential.

Rochester is in the midst of significant change, experiencing an economic transformation, generational transition and revitalizing downtown. We hope this discussion will inform and educate RocGrowth's community so we can be more effective contributors.

RocGrowth has adjusted to the restrictions placed on social interaction by adopting Zoom in lieu of our typical convocation. We will moderate a 30 minute interview, followed by Q&A using the chat feature. It will be recorded and posted as a video and podcast the following day.

Simeon Banister, the incoming CEO and President of the Rochester Area Community Foundation (RACF). Simeon is a Rochester native and a product of the Rochester City School District.

He will discuss the North Star Coalition that he helped launch to ensure an inclusive and equitable post-pandemic recovery. As he prepares to take over the helm of the leading non-profit funding source in our region, we'll also explore his plans to build upon the success of his predecessor and contribute to revitalizing and growing Rochester.

RocGrowth's mission has been about building community for our region's great innovators since its founding in 2004. One way we do that is by featuring leading and emerging innovators in a series of open interviews, including audience participation. We are honored to feature Simeon, who is entirely aligned with our purpose.

Please join us to hear a frank assessment of Rochester’s technology attributes from Steve Hoover, Katherine Johnson Endowed Executive Director of the recently announced Global Cybersecurity Institute at Rochester Institute of Technology and, previously Xerox’s Chief Technology Officer, and Walter Johnson, CEO of FLX AI and, previously, a senior executive at Xerox’s PARC, the renowned R&D affiliate.

00:43:42 Glenn Allen: Leaving contact info for networking....I’m a freelance SAP software developer based in Central NY. Feel free to connect www.linkedin.com/in/glennallen, [email protected]. @glenn_a_allen, Cheers.

01:04:55 Suzanne Mayer/Hinge Neighbors: [email protected] www.rochesterzap.com Text at 5857503127

01:07:27 Yaqub Shabazz: https://www.yaqubshabazz.com/

01:07:55 Yaqub Shabazz: [email protected]

01:09:37 Mona Seghatoleslami: https://www.fivebyfivemusic.com/contact-1

01:09:39 Mona Seghatoleslami: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGjNOfHiIEsLqreK5Ho91fw

01:11:52 Josh Creager: EMBARK shout out!! https://nextcorps.org/embark/

01:14:43 Jason Hilton: If anyone has an interest in a project to help people control and profit from their own data, you can’t reach me at [email protected]

01:15:16 Michael Thaney: https://www.startupgrind.com/rochester/

01:22:18 Karla George: I work with Walt at FLX.  We have a few jobs open.  Please see our webpage at: https://flxai.com/careers-2/ .  We also post jobs regularly on our LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flx-ai-inc/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true

Congrats to Tina Paradiso, founder of Imprintable Solutions for winning the Social Enterprise Pitch Battle.  All the startups had a great pitch and are going to make a social impact.  Tina's pitch discussed how a social impact is embedded into her business model.  This includes benefits and programming to employees ranging from a fully stocked kitchen, bathrooms and washer/dryers at work for all employees to programs to help employees to prepare for life and career advancement.  

Thanks to Michael Thaney and the Startup Grind team for partnering with Roc Growth to bring the community together to make this event happen.

And this event is nothing without our judges! A Special thank you to: Maureen Ballatori, Kelly Metras and Kathy Driscoll.

Watch video from this event at RocGrowth.com