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In the News
| 2007 |
| March 19, 2008 |
Roc City Rising!
[ROC City Coalition and Eastman Young Professionals] We invite you to the first annual ROC City Rising event at the George Eastman House on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 from 5:30-7:30pm
Forging new relationships between Rochester’s established leaders and the rising stars of our community, this event will provide an unparalleled networking opportunity and a forum for announcing several important local and statewide young professional initiatives.
Thank you for visiting. Currently, we are experiencing difficulty with the on-line registration page. We are working hard to resolve the issue, and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
In the mean time, if you have any questions, please fee free to contact us at the phone number that was provided with the letter, and a committee member will be in contact with you shortly.
We appreciate your diligence and dedication to the community, and look forward to seeing you at the event.
Thank you! |
| June 13, 2007 |
Roc City on WXXI
Tuesday WXXI line up
Hr. 1-Best selling author and activist Kirkpatrick Sale; should the Union
break up in the interests of true democracy? (live line)
Hr. 2-Jeremy Cooney of the RocCity Coalition; how will we stop the brain drain of
young adults from our area?
And later was a related story .....
WXXI Local Stories
1,000 Gather for Rochester Economic Summit
Bud Lowell
ROCHESTER, NY (2007-06-12) A thousand business and local government leaders from the nine counties around Rochester gathered at Saint John Fisher College Tuesday to learn how the area can use its advantages to build a stronger economy.
The "Eyes on the Future" economic summit was part business meeting, part seminar and part pep rally.
Dennis Mullen is President of the Greater Rochester Enterprise. He says the panel taught three important lessons. He says they start with how other communities with challenges similar to Rochester's have beaten the odds and seen new business growth.
One of those communities is Sugarland, Texas, where David Wallace is mayor. His small city grew from a population of 25,000 in 1993 to 125,000 today. It's outperforming 99 percent of the other metropolitan economies in the United States.
Mayor Wallace says it was done by cutting taxes relentlessly and and pushing Sugarland's attractions to anyone who would listen.
Wallace said New Yorkers should elect legislators who will cut the cost of government and cut taxes if they want more jobs and growth in local revenues.
Granting that cutting taxes is a challenge with overlapping state and local governments, the G-R-E's Mullen said much of the the talk focused on ways of offsetting New York's high tax burden by marketing the low cost of living, skilled workforce and abundant low-cost water in upstate New York.
Business leaders at the seminar talked with top officials of "site selector" firms, who advise businesses on where to expand and re-locate.
Mullen said the entire region needs to collaborate as never before to compete with the rest of the nation.
© Copyright 2007, WXXI |
| June 8, 2007 |
Rochester Business Journal
Keeping young talent
Who says most young adults cannot wait to get out of Rochester?
A number of people, pointing to data showing the outmigration of young people from Monroe County and the surrounding region, have voiced that notion in recent years. But it is erroneous.
A recent ROC City Coalition survey of 18- to 40-year-olds in Monroe County underscores the point. Yes, a sizable portion of young people do move away from this area. But in many cases, they don't want to do so.
In the ROC City Coalition survey, completed by nearly 1,700 young adults, 64 percent said they plan to stay in Rochester. The hitch, as ROC City Coalition chairman Jeremy Cooney notes in this week's Q4, is this: "The majority of young people prefer or 'plan' to remain in Greater Rochester; however, they are not always able to stay."
The ability to stay hinges on finding a good job, and many young people depart after failing to locate one.
"In my MBA graduating class, I was one of four full-time students who remained in the area, of more than 100," wrote one respondent to an RBJ Daily Report Snap Poll on the subject conducted last December. "Many would have liked to stay if they and their significant others could have found good jobs here."
Added another Snap Poll participant: "As a Rochester college graduate, I had to make the difficult decision to expand my job search to other cities because of the lack of reasonable-paying, entry-level positions."
There's no denying that Greater Rochester in recent years has lagged many other regions in job creation. Yet it's equally true that a number of local firms--especially small companies--often struggle to find good prospects to fill particular positions.
Clearly, more work needs to be done matching young talent with job openings. And that begins with making soon-to-graduate college students more aware of opportunities here.
As Mr. Cooney noted this week in discussing the survey findings, too often young people assume these opportunities begin and end with Eastman Kodak Co. and a few other large corporate employers.
That's a misperception that needs to be fixed.
--Rochester Business Journal 6/8/07 |
| June 6, 2007 |
Democrat & Chronicle
Young adults tell why they want to leave the area
(June 6, 2007) — Even though the Rochester region continues hemorrhaging young adults, most of them want to stay for reasons including family ties and the area's cultural activities.
Yet a substantial portion of these 18- to 40-year-olds wants to scram, fleeing everything from the job market to a city that isn't metropolitan enough for their tastes.
Those are among the responses of 1,666 people who filled out an online questionnaire posted by the ROC City Coalition, an umbrella group for several organizations of young adults.
The answers indicated that about two-thirds of the respondents plan to stay in the area, one-third do not.
The top reasons people gave for wanting to stay included family, friends, career interests and the cultural and social scenes.
Family and career are two main reasons Victor Gomez doesn't plan to move anytime soon. The 29-year-old, living in the same Rochester house in which his father grew up, said that with a young son and a young business — G Inc. Designs — he anticipates staying for at least a few years.
"I've visited other places," he said Tuesday as he stood outside the Monroe Avenue clothing store he opened in April 2006. "Rochester is the more comfortable, easy place to live."
The top reasons given by respondents for wanting to leave were better jobs elsewhere, the weather and a limited social scene. A majority of all people questioned also indicated they don't believe the Rochester area offers job growth or job security.
High taxes and crime and violence were among the top challenges cited to living in the area. And when asked what improvements they most would like to see, "better jobs for graduates," "cleaner downtown," "better downtown safety" and "more downtown activities" topped the list.
The negatives people cited ranged from real problems to perception problems, said Jeremy Cooney, chairman of ROC City Coalition.
"The tumbleweed going down Main Street every weekend, it's disheartening," he said. But, he added, "There are jobs here. How do we market them better to the people graduating (from college)?"
Michelle McGuigan, 37, of Brighton doesn't anticipate ever leaving her hometown, largely because of quality-of-life issues.
"It's a great place to raise a family," the mother of two said Tuesday while sitting at Spot Coffee on East Avenue. "I think a lot of people in Rochester don't appreciate it until they've left."
The coalition plans to give the questionnaire results to city and county government officials as well as business leaders. Along with the numbers will be recommendations from the group that are likely to include: trying to get more young adults to volunteer for the Rochester Police Department's Police and Citizens Together Against Crime program; getting real estate developers to meet with young professionals to find out what sort of market demands and opportunities there are; and surveying area college students about what types of jobs they are looking for so economic development experts can better tailor their efforts.
"We don't want to become the blue-ribbon panel where there's a lot of hype and then we drop the ball," Cooney said.
MDANEMAN@DemocratandChronicle.com
|
| Mar 27, 2007 |
City Newspaper - Metro Ink
http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/news/articles/CITY+LIFE%3A+Poll+asks+what+young+adults+like+here/
CITY LIFE: Poll asks what young adults like here
By Susie Hume on Mar. 27th, 2007
When the ROC City Coalition --- an umbrella organization of several local groups that are focused on attracting and retaining young adults in the area --- decided to survey area 18 to 40-year-olds about what they like and don't like about Rochester, they were hoping for 500 responses. Since the online survey went up March 17, the response has far surpassed the group's expectations.
If you fall in that age group and want to participate, you have only a few days left. The survey goes offline at the end of March.
The survey is a "for us, by us" project, says Shonda Ranson, one of the founding members of the ROC City Coalition and a board member of the Greater Rochester Jaycees. It was produced by area young professionals for the benefit of area young professionals.
"So many people put out surveys where they decide why they think young adults are leaving the area, and they say, ‘Just choose one of the choices below.' And those choices were created by people outside the demographic," says Ranson. "We didn't want to do that."
The ROC City Coalition spent a couple of years on research, sending out preliminary questionnaires to come up with a survey that its members hope will prove both accurate and influential.
The Coalition has the support of county and city officials. Members have met with County Executive Maggie Brooks, Mayor Bob Duffy, and representatives of Governor Elliot Spitzer's office to find out what elected officials want to know about Rochester's young adults.
"The survey is meant for fact gathering, and the intention is to present the city, county, and Governor Spitzer's office with how people have responded to the questions," says Ranson. "What they do is up to them. But it also tells them that we are watching them. We've given them the answers, and we are holding them accountable for getting something done."
The ROC City Coalition survey can be found online at www.RocCitySurvey.com. A printable version is also available on the website. The survey closes March 31.
|
| Mar 19, 2007 |
More Money. Hotter Dates. (Thanks E-man)
Phase 2 of the Roc City Coalition Survey is launched County Wide.
TV media:
(CNN feed) RNEWS http://rnews.com/Story_2004.cfm?ID=47237&rnews_story_type=18&category=10
VIDEO: http://www.rnews.com/mediaplayer/players/wmplayerlite.aspx?sid=47237
(NBC) News 10 http://www.10nbc.com/index.asp?template=item&story_id=21957
VIDEO: imbedded flash player
(ABC) News 13 http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=04f4439a-6578-4d66-bd29-fecea82465c4
VIDEO: http://www.13wham.com/mediacenter/?videoId=182916
(CBS/FOX) News 8/7 http://www.wroctv.com/content/fulltext/?cid=9726
VIDEO: http://www.rochesterhomepage.net/media_player.php?media_id=4087
Radio media:
(Clear Channel) 106.7 KISS FM http://www.1067kissfm.com/main.html
(CBS/ABC) 1180 WHAM News radio http://www.wham1180.com/main.html
(NPR) 1370 WXXI Radio http://www.wxxi.org/radio/
Print media:
Rochester Business Journal: http://www.rbj.net/fullarticle.cfm?sdid=65421
Democrat & Chronicle: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070320/NEWS01/70320005/1002/NEWS
Insider (free newspaper): http://www.rochesterinsider.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
City (free newspaper): http://rochestercitynewspaper.com/
Online only:
Monroe County Website: http://www.monroecounty.gov/?q=node/3194 |
| Mar 6, 2007 |
13 WHAM TV 6 o'clock news video spot
http://www.13wham.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?VideoId=182255 |
| Mar 6, 2007 |
www.13WHAM.com article
Keep the Brains in Town
Last Update: Mar 6, 2007 12:44 AM
by Sean Carroll
(Rochester, N.Y.) - Rochester and Monroe County are focused on creating new policies and initiatives to spur economic growth in upstate.
There's even talk of creating a "young professionals czar" to bridge the gap between government and the young pros.
Shonda Ranson of the Roc City Coalition said, "When I came into Rochester I saw it as an opportunity. I worked crap jobs until I got the one I wanted and then I flourished-- and that's something that's available for people in Rochester that isn't always promoted."
Ranson is one young professional who's happy to call Rochester home. She's also a volunteer for the Roc City Coalition, a collection of local organizations that involves thousands of young professionals in the community.
In that role, she'll help local leaders fight the "brain drain" that threatens Rochester's economy.
County Executive Maggie Brooks said, "Our best defense against the "brain drain"? We must continue to encourage entrepreneurship, innovation, and provide access to high-quality, good-paying jobs… to that end I will be appointing a county liaison to Rochester City Coalition. This liaison will report directly to me on issues important to young professionals." This "young professionals czar" will hopefully use Roc City's resources to help shape a community populated with an increasing number of young professionals who are happy to call Rochester home.
" We want them to come back,” Brooks said. “We want them to say, this is where you should raise a family."
Roc City's asks young professionals to fill out an online survey. Please take a minute to fill it out. On the Web: www.roccitysurvey.org |
| Jan 1, 2007 |
Letters to the editor
Convince the young to 'love N.Y.'
Monday, January 1, 2007
I hope that Gov. Spitzer will make attracting young people to New York state and keeping them here a top priority. We need those in the governor's office not just to acknowledge the "brain-drain" threat to upstate's future but to provide incentives for attracting young talent to our area to work, live and raise a family. The flight of young people from Monroe County impacts our economy, our schools, our artistic culture and, most importantly, our families. We need our state leader to take immediate, creative and bold steps to reverse this trend. It all starts on "day one" and we're mobilized for action.
Jeremy Cooney, Rochester Cooney is chairman, ROC City Coalition |
| 2006 |
| Dec 22, 2006 |
RBJ Poll: Grads go where jobs are
Friday, December 22, 2006
Why do young people leave the Rochester area? Jobs. That's the opinion of nearly three-quarters of RBJ Daily Report readers who participated in this week's Snap Poll. High taxes was a distant second. More than 900 people took part in the poll, which was conducted Monday and Tuesday, and more than 250 submitted comments. (To read some of them, see below.) The respondents were asked the following question: "In your view, which of the following would be the most common reason cited by young people for leaving the Rochester region?"
The results:
• 72% Not enough good jobs
• 13% High taxes
• 9% Lack of a strong social scene
• 4% The weather
• 2% Too few cultural and recreational options
To take part in the next Snap Poll, sign up for the free Daily Report at http://www.rbjdaily.com/dailyform.htm.
Here are some of the respondents' comments: Rochester needs to create a stronger social community for young people—merge together the housing appeal of Park Avenue and the entertainment appeal of the East End into new neighborhoods that form "young" living communities. If you build this type of environment, young people will start looking for jobs that are available in this region— and they are available if sought out! |
| October 21, 2006 |
[Press Release] Hot Topics Take the Ho-Hum out of Leadership Training
Rochester, NY – On Saturday, October 21, the Clarion Riverside Hotel is expected to play host to future leaders, ages 18 to 40, for the Jaycees October Leadership Seminar. Focused on the roles of young adults in government affairs, the seminar takes a lighter, hipper, more fun approach to leadership training and government involvement.
From topics like What’s Your Sign? How to Network in a Room Full of People to Show Me the Money! What you Need to Start Your Own Business, the seminar takes young adults through civic leadership, business leadership, and social responsibility while catering to a fast-paced, action-oriented generation. Developed BY young adults FOR young adults, the Greater Rochester Jaycees (
www.GreaterRochesterJaycees.org) spent a year planning and polling, enlisting the help of Roc City Coalition to secure dynamic presenters.
Registration for the event is from 10 a.m. to noon in the hotel lobby for anyone 18-40 years old or can be made online in advance at http://nysjc-gals2006.jaycees.cc/. The seminar includes a catered luncheon with Keynote Speaker Assemblywoman Susan John (131st District) on “Government Involvement for Young Adults” followed by breakout sessions:
*what's your color? Trainer - ARIEL JONES, JCI
Know your personality and how to get the most of your team
*how to win! Trainer- SUZANNE DELANEY, USJC
Secrets to winning national Speaking/Writing competitions
what you should know Trainer - SCOTT KROLL, attorney
Wills, DNRs, & Power of Attorney -- Be Prepared now
show me the money! Trainer - ED LIND, SCORE
What you need to start your own business
*is this thing on? Trainer - MIKE JOHANSSON, insider
How to get media attention for your group or event
*what's your sign? Trainer – SHONDA RANSON, NYSJC
How to network in a room full of people
who voted for that?! Trainer - ERIKA ROSENBERG, CGR
Your voice in the government by Ctr for Gov Research Expert
that's SO twisted! Trainer - LARRY MOSS, BalloonHQ
Twist your own creature with a Guinness World Record Holder and liven up the work place
COMMUNITY INFORMATION BOOTH: SCAW* Trainer - FRANK WRIGHT, JCI
How you can help 'Sleepless' Children Around the World
(* sessions will be repeated due to high demand)
The Jaycees October Leadership Seminar is open to anyone in New York State who is between 18 and 40 at a cost of $25.00 for lunch, training, and a cocktail hour following the training sessions (photo ID will be required for alcoholic beverages). More information about the event can be obtained by emailing info@greaterrochesterjaycees.org .
About the Greater Rochester Jaycees –
The Greater Rochester Jaycees (est. 1984) are 18-40 year old women and men who develop leadership skills through volunteer action. From 2000 to 2005, we gave over $84,000 and ~22,000 volunteer hours to local causes in
Rochester, and that's just under our Community portfolio including events such as Balloon Manor, Monopoly Party, and Go Green and provided leadership training for over 100 local adults. We are affiliated with NY State Junior Chamber, US Junior Chamber, and Junior Chamber International, which means that we’re internationally networked to give bigger opportunities to our members. In addition, we belong to the esteemed Greece Chamber of Commerce and ROC City Coalition. For more information about the Greater Rochester Jaycees, check out www.GreaterRochesterJaycees.org . |
| October 20, 2006 |
To keep young people in city, enable them to build its future
Jeremy Cooney
Guest essayist
(October 20, 2006) — An acute dilemma plagues many upstate New York cities. Each year, more and more young people leave these mid-sized cities for larger urban markets with better professional and social opportunities.
This exodus is often termed the "brain drain," as a large number of those who leave are recent college graduates. Too often, these talented young people, who bring creativity and energy to the workplace, leave Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo for the appeal of larger cities nearby such as New York City, Boston and Philadelphia.
In addition to wanting better employment opportunities and attractive entertainment options, these young people seek communities in which they can be heard; they want opportunities to influence the community they will eventually inherit.
What happens when young people move elsewhere? Private enterprises in upstate cities struggle to gain access to the young, creative work force. These communities also suffer as they fight to maintain vibrant urban neighborhoods populated with young families.
In response to this alarming trend, Rochester has developed many innovative organizations that cater to high school graduates and young professionals. Groups such as Rochester-Area 20-Somethings are reaching out to young people to instill a sense of community and belonging in our region.
Rochester also has been successful in creating downtown housing, entertainment districts and partnerships between local universities and neighborhoods. But the work is far from done. Rochester still falls victim to the brain drain, and I personally know many parents and grandparents who would be overjoyed to have their families return to their upstate homes.
Formed in 2004, ROC City Coalition was convened by Arunas Chesonis of PAETEC Communications. It seeks to build on the momentum generated by RATS and others, and unite these important voices at one table. A consortium of independent young professional groups, the coalition also is supported by organizations and student representatives of area colleges and universities.
The ROC City Coalition does not want just a seat at the table; it wants to take tangible steps toward implementing change that will affect young people.
In 2007, the coalition will seek to harness the collective voices of its large member group constituencies to develop meaningful relationships with civic and business leaders. It hopes to provide a diverse and accurate voice for young Rochester, creating a productive and ongoing dialogue between city and county leadership, and young people in our community.
The coalition understands that Rochester's future will be fueled by the next generation of leaders. If our community continues to be denied this fuel by virtue of the brain drain, what will be the implications for the future? We must start the change now, and we believe it starts by listening to what young people have to say.
Please join me in helping to advance the mission of the ROC City Coalition. Together, we can engage young people to make our community a better place to live, work and play.
Cooney is the newly elected chairman of the ROC City Coalition. |
| 2005 |
February 24
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Two members of the ROC City Coalition weighed in on the topic of Rochester's Fast Ferry. Check out the PRO perspective of Peter Nabozny and the CON position from Jennafer Manetta on the editorial page of the Democrat & Chronicle. |
April 10
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The Democrat & Chronicle 's Business Reporter Joy Davia takes a look at "Hanging on to Talent" in Rochester, NY, including interviews with Kelly Sauke (RYP), Laura Hammond (RATS), and Shonda Ranson (Rochester Jaycees), as well as highlighting the April 1st Artisan Works event sponsored by PAETEC Communications, Inc. Get the PDF of the paper version here or check out the D&C's digital version (text only) here. |
April 13
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Digital Rochester's Juli Klie talks about a new "Golden Horseshoe" marketing campaign, highlighting the technical hotbed that surround Lake Ontario, including Rochester, Buffalo, Toronto, Ottawa, Albany, and Syracuse. See the Democrat & Chronicle 's digital edition here: Upstate, Canada sell area as tech hotbed |
May 31
|
Building Your Future: Center City Taskforce LIVE featured Mayoral Candidate Wade Norwood, City Councilman Bill Pritchard, and City Councilman Adam McFadden and was hosted by WDKX's Tauriq and Shiera (started at 5:30 p.m.) @ Soho East.
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| 2004 |
August 17
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The Democrat & Chronicle features the newly formed ROC CIty Coalition. View the article here |
October 1
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insider spreads the word about the ROC CIty Coalition. Read it for yourself |
October 8
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Letter to the editor at insider cheers the news of the ROC CIty Coalition. Read the letter |
October 10
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The Democrat & Chronicle carries ROC City report on our first survey. View the op-ed piece here |
October 13
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WROC's Melissa Long interviews David Mammano to learn more about ROC City. View a video clip |
October 14
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Holly Maynard from WOKR talks with ROC City about the results of the first ROC City survey. Read the story or view a video clip. |
October 28
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The Rochester Business Journal featured a full page on ROC City's formation, with excerpts from the first ROC City survey. |
October 25-31
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We can't even count all the times the media talked about the amazing Balloon Manor! CNN, The Today Show, ABC, CBS and FOX news feeds and all the local stations covered this one of a kind creation! Over 4,000 people toured the Manor, which was a fund raiser for the Wilmot Cancer center at Strong. Thanks to all of you who helped! Read more from RNews and the Democrat & Chronicle
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