RocGrowth Candids is pleased to present  Andrea Westerlund, Founder, Flower Power Magazine Renee Long, Board Member, Clarissa Street Legacy Quajay Donnell, Co-Curator, Behind the Glass Gallery 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 presentSteve Dubnik - President and CEOThe Strong Museum of Play and ItsImpact Upon RochesterIn 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). The Finger Lakes was home to the Haudenosaunee Confederacy centuries before the arrival of Europeans. Peter is the visionary behind the Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor and is nationally recognized for this work. Frederick Douglass and his family resided in Rochester for 25 years, at the height of his abolitionist struggle and the critical years following the Civil War. Erica will discuss the ways FDFI is bringing attention to Douglass' message and his connection to our region. We hope to inform you about how our remarkable history is a regional asset and differentiator. The New Rochester can embrace its past and blaze a better future.

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. Both Steve and Walter attained PhDs prior to launching successful technology careers.  Over three decades, they experienced first-hand many of the major technology waves.  Both spent considerable time in Silicon Valley prior to moving to Rochester. 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

Congrats to Zack Ellis, founder of TheirStory for pitching on the Social Enterprise Pitch Battle.  All the startups had a great pitch and are going to make a social impact. Check out this excellent pitch. 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.

Amy Bach, Founder and Executive Director of Measures for Justice, and Jaime Saunders, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Rochester, discuss their organizations' innovative approaches to tackling some of our community's greatest challenges. Measures for Justice (MFJ) equips communities with their own data to help solve systemic problems in criminal justice. Funded by some of the nation’s leading foundations, MFJ has just launched a new platform that helps police and prosecutor offices be transparent about their practices and accountable to their communities by publicly tracking monthly data and shared policy goals. United Way has shown resilience and the ability to adapt to our community’s emerging philanthropic needs for over 100 years. Its efforts were recently recognized by global philanthropist MacKenzie Scott with a transformative $20 million gift. It was one of fewer than 400 recipients among 6,500 organizations considered.