Sorry for the long hiatus - exciting things in Rochester
September 25, 2009
I apologize for how long it’s been since I posted - life has been busy (which is good) and I had a number of family obligations which came up unexpectedly. We should be back to a more regular posting cycle now. Here’s a summary of some of the latest Rochester news in the Entrepreneurial world:
- In August, Aaron Newman -Techrigy/Alterian’s social tracking guru gave a talk at a recent Rochester Open Coffee Club on entrepreneurship in Rochester and how he built Techrigy into an acquisition target in just a few short years. I’ll be posting a more detailed in-depthlook at Aaron’s speech later this month.
- In September TEN graduated a recent class, and a new batch of TEN students entered the queue. TEN continues to be one of the most valuable entrepreneurial resources in the Rochester area. I’d encourage you to take advantage of their services. As a TEN graduate myself I am feeling for the current students who today are deep into the 2nd day of Jack Derby and George Simmons firehosing information into their brains. I know my brain was tired by about the middle of day two :)
- In national news today the US Commerce Department is establishing a new Office for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, specifically to help startups make workable businesses out of great ideas by giving then training, funding, advisement, data access, andhelp with business start-up red tape. Gary Locke, the new Secretary of Commerce and creator of the OEI has a history of examining innovation roadblocks, including looking at the US Patent Office backlog. A direct quote of Locke’s sums it up: “Instead of working to build a great company or discover a new invention, too many of our brightest minds were busy engineering credit-default swaps”. This blog fully supports the idea that government investment in innovation and entrepreneurship can only improve our national economic status.
- They Eyes on the Future conference is only 21 days away. Please be sure to visit the website, register for and attend this free economic summit and (new this year) career expo, so that we can all learn how to keep Rochester in the top 20 once the boom cycle begins again. That’s right - we’re in the top 20 cities nationwide for retaining salaries, housing values, cost of living, etc. So despite how tough the last year has been - it could be much tougher if you live in other cities. Edith Lank in a recent article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Real Estate column published letters from other cities and towns in the country illustrating families who are in danger of having their houses foreclosed on and taken from them after job loss, or being upside down on their mortgage and having been transferred or moved. We are lucky to be in Rochester.
- A new conference to help small businesses keep up with the latest on how new labor rulings affect local businesses has been announced by Genesee Valley Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (GVCSHRM) will be holding a conference and legislative luncheon on October 1st. There will be a solutions exhibit area, Andy Feld author of “Why the current economic crisis is our most wonderful wake-up call” will keynote. Senator Robach, andAssemblywoman John are expected to attend and present at the conference, as well as sessions on EFCA, NLRB, COBRA, and a social media presentation. Afternoon sessions will include Title7, ADEA, FSLA, ADAAA and a session on building capacity. The conference is from 8am-4:30pm. Fees are $147 for GVCSHRM members and $167 for non members. There is a lunch only option for $55.
- A new organization that is charged with retaining NY State investment dollars within NYS has been formed. www.seedny.org is a cooperative venture created by Excel Partners to try to encourage keeping our dollars at home when investing. Loaded with great information for entrepreneurs and funders alike, this site explores the whys and hows of where investment dollars go, and how we can influence their use to better all of NYS. They just held an event in Syracuse and are scheduled to go to Albany on October 13th. From their website: “…Its goals are: to create a public awareness campaign focused on informing all community stakeholders about the critical role that seed funding plays in establishing an entrepreneurial ecosystem that can transform New York into a innovation-based economy. “
That’s all for now - please, attend events, network with your peers, and create a buzz about Rochester and how well we’re doing!
