Amplifying stories from the Rochester, MN entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Collider Foundation Board of Directors Names New Executive Director
The Collider Foundation Board of Directors is pleased to name Amanda Leightner as the new Executive Director of the organization. Amanda transitioned from an interim to permanent Executive Director role in April 2022.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Amanda has been a long time member of the Collider community. She worked at the Mayo Clinic Office of Entrepreneurship before joining the Collider Foundation staff in 2019 as the Director of Community. In this capacity, she helped to develop and run Collider’s educational programs and headed the organization’s pilot Ecosystem Navigator program from 2019 to early 2022. Amanda also spent five years running Rochester Rising, a platform to amplify stories of Rochester entrepreneurs.
Amanda currently lives in Rochester with her husband, two dogs, and pet turtle. She brings her own small business experience to Collider through her work with Rochester Rising and a family business she runs with her husband. Amanda is excited to work with people on their journey of business ownership to help them create a different path for themselves and their families.
“All of us on the Board feel so excited to have Amanda take on the role of Collider’s Executive Director. Her passion for helping Rochester grow its entrepreneurial community and belief that starting a business should be open to everyone makes her perfect for this position. We can’t wait for all the wonderful things to come,” said Traci Downs, the Collider Foundation Board Chair.
June 6, 2022: This week in the Rochester entrepreneurial ecosystem
Welcome to another week in our entrepreneurial ecosystem.
This week, we roll into the second half of our Critical Conversations series, in partnership with Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. This Tuesday, the conversation will center around hiring employees. Spend some time with us this week to learn how other business owners in the community have added intentionally to their team. You can learn more and register here.
This Wednesday is the next Walk in Wednesdays at Collider! Walk in Wednesdays is a low pressure, no appointment needed way for starters in the community to connect with service Entrepreneurial Support Organizations at once to get questions answered about their business or business idea. This month, our team at Collider will be joined by representatives from the Small Business Development Center, CliftonLarsonAllen, the City of Rochester, and Altra Federal Credit Union. Feel free to just pop in, or you can register here as well.
And lastly, we are pleased to announce the we are Navigator's for the "Main Street Grant," which is being administered through Destination Medical Center.
The Main Street Grant program intends to provide no-cost grants for capital improvement projects that result in improvements to any permanent structure or other asset added to a property that adds to its value. The grant awards can cover up to 30% of the project costs with applicants securing other sources of funding to match any funds granted by this program.
Any person or organization planning to invest in eligible capital projects in the DMC district may apply. Businesses and organizations that represent Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), veteran, disabled, Black, Indigenous, or people of color whose projects will build wealth, create jobs, and stabilize communities in the district are strongly encouraged to apply.
Anyone interested in learning more about these grants or needing assistance with any part of the grant application can contact Collider for a 1:1 consultation.
-Amanda
This week in your ecosystem
Date: Tuesday June 7th
Location: 2900 19th Street NW (Saint Mary's University-Rochester Campus)
Critical Conversations is a 4 part series covering topics every starter needs to think about for their business. Join in to hear advice based on the experience of local business owners and connect with a community of like-minded individuals to help start or scale your idea.
This event is open to anyone in the community.
This third event in the series will talk about key issues you should think about when hiring your first employees and will walk you through the journey of local starters who have been there, and done that!
Learn more and register HERE.
Date: Wednesday June 8th
Walk in Wednesdays are a monthly event to bring together people with business ideas or people already running businesses with individuals and organizations that can help in Rochester, MN! Join us each month to talk through your business and let's get you connected to resources in the community to help it grow.
Learn more and register HERE.
Ecosystem Storytelling
Bringing a Love of Art into Hair and Make-up Styling with Amber Berry
Longtime hair and make-up artist, Amber Berry, always intended to pursue a creative career path, though cosmetology was not what she initially had in mind.
Amber was born and raised in Southeast Minnesota. After she graduated from high school she had plans to attend college for fine art, but at the suggestion of a close friend, she enrolled at the Aveda Arts and Sciences Institute in Minneapolis. Over the next three years she immersed herself in school.
“It just clicked. The education was great and I was able to meet and learn from people of so many different backgrounds and cultures. I really embraced the experience and learned so much.”
Read more HERE.
May 2, 2022: This week in the Rochester Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Welcome to another week in our entrepreneurial ecosystem.
And welcome to May!
First off, I wanted to thank everyone who came out for our latest drop-in day of coworking and happy hour this past Thursday. It was so nice to interact with others in the community in this way and really get the chance to connect. If you're interested in coworking but just not ready to jump "all in" yet, this is the perfect way to interact with our coworking members and experience our space. We host a drop in day every month, so be sure to keep checking our newsletter and social media feeds for updates!
Second, I want to call each of your attention to our storytelling. These efforts focused on entrepreneurship and the true early stage starters in this community launched with our brand Rochester Rising in 2016. Over the years, we've been honored to gain the trust to share hundreds and hundreds of stories of starters in this community (and over 255 podcast episodes to date). It has been so rewarding to see these efforts take on new life and direction under the guidance of our Director of Community, Corrie Strommen. This work takes someone who truly understands the value and impact these stories can have in being carefully and truthfully told to inspire all types of entrepreneurship and elevate the expertise and incredible talent we have in this community. I encourage you all to take a few moments this morning to read the latest incredible story with Brooke Burch and learn more about this Rochester starter.
And make sure you are subscribed to the Rochester Rising podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen in so that you never miss any of these stories of innovation and entrepreneurship.
-Amanda
Custom Sewing, Alterations, and Vintage Fashion with Brooke Burch
Brooke Burch, who runs a custom sewing and alterations business and sells vintage clothing out of her studio, attributes a longtime love of sewing and creativity to her grandmother, who she moved to Rochester to live with at an early age.
“I wouldn’t say that I was a hyper child, so much as inquisitive. To occupy that, my grandmother gave me all kinds of crafts to do. I was always playing with glue and yarn. I don’t know how, but at some point I got a hold of a needle and thread and took an interest in sewing. I would cut things up and tie and sew them back together. Eventually she must’ve gotten tired of me doing that because she got me a sewing machine and taught me the basics. So I grew up just experimenting with sewing.”
Although she loved sewing and designing, when she pursued further education at University of Wisconsin-Stout she was contemplating a degree in biology. But, a year into her studies when she declared her major, her childhood passion won out and she pursued Apparel Design and Manufacturing.
->Read more HERE.
April 25, 2022: This week in the Rochester entrepreneurial ecosystem
Welcome to another week in our entrepreneurial ecosystem.
First off, I wanted to say congratulations to Collider member Nate Nordstrom on his latest entrepreneurial endeavor with New Spin Bicycle Shop! Nate hosted the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce's Business After Hours at his business just the past week, giving us all a chance to experience what he has built. It has been incredible to see the growth of Brandhoot, Nate's other business, within the Conely-Maass-Downs building, and it will be incredible to see what this business does in the community.
Last week, Collider was honored to co-host a roundtable event with Destination Medical Center and Rochester Are Economic Development Inc. The event facilitated a discussion between the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove and local leadership about the state and value of the local innovation ecosystem. You can check out a recap of this event here.
And lastly, we hope you all can join us this Thursday for our next free day of coworking and happy hour. This is a great way to experience the Collider community and the incredible innovators and starters that exist within our ecosystem. Coworking will run from 9AM-4:30PM, with happy hour at CRAVE from 4:30-5:30. Please consider joining in! Please see more details below in the newsletter.
-Amanda
This week in your ecosystem:
When: Thursday April 28, 8-9AM
Location: Saint Mary's University of Rochester, 2900 19th Street NW
How does the creative community find their audience and price their products?
Join us for this panel discussion on this topic.
Register here.
Time: 9AM-4:30PM
Come join us at Collider for a free day of coworking! Come in to our space at the Minnesota BioBusiness Center at any time from 9am to 4pm to work and experience the Collider coworking community! We have desks, wifi, and snacks available for you. Get out of your house, meet some new people, and have a productive workday with us here at Collider! We will be gathering for Happy Hour afterward at Crave to unwind, enjoy some beverages, and network!
All are welcome!
This event is limited to fifteen people due to space limitations so please sign up with the free ticket link to reserve your spot!
*Please note that Collider is accessible via the skyway near the 3rd Street Parking Ramp and Think Bank.
Register here.
Date: Thursday April 28
Location: CRAVE American Kitchen & Sushi Bar
Join us every other Thursday to unwind, network, share ideas and support local businesses! All are welcome!
Ecosystem Storytelling
Rochester Rising Podcast Episode 255: Lee Green of Greenhouse Grafix
Listen in our our website, or on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts!
Collider Peer Groups Enter Second Year to Support Local Starters
This month, Collider Foundation wrapped up its first year hosting peer-to-peer groups, called Peer Networks, to support female and food business founders across southeastern Minnesota. This work assisted twenty-two different businesses through thirty-six hours of monthly meetups. Overall, participants viewed these Peer Networks as a unique experience that helped them feel supported and understood and reduced the isolation and loneliness of entrepreneurship.
This work leveraged the success of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation’s (SMIF) well established peer efforts to create these two pilot groups in the Rochester area.
Collider’s Female and Food Peer Networks connected entrepreneurs together, allowing them to provide solutions for one another as they individually started or scaled their businesses. These networks were built on mutual trust, respect, and vulnerability to allow founders to get value out of these interactions and be able to speak freely about their business struggles and successes.
In total, sixteen different women-led businesses participated in the Female Peer Network over the past year. In addition to monthly structured meetings, participants in this network have been organizing their own monthly meetings for the past several months to connect and work on their businesses together.
Our pilot Food Peer Network assisted six local businesses within the region. In addition to monthly get-togethers, this group created holiday gift boxes in late 2021, which were sold through Collider to benefit the continuation of this Peer Network as a way of giving back to the community.
Over this past year, the Female and Food Peer Networks were generously supported by the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation and Rochester Area Economic Development, Inc. (RAEDI). We are excited to announce that these two groups will continue on in the community for another year with support of these two organizations.