Wednesday, March 10th, 3:00 – 7:00 pm

at the Doubletree Hotel / 1111 Jefferson Road / Rochester, NY

Join us as Digital Rochester’s welcomes 30 companies to our career fair!    This is an ideal opportunity for people who are in transition and those who are interested [...]]]>

DIGITAL ROCHESTER’S TECHNOLOGY CAREER FAIR

Sponsored by Lee Hecht Harrison

Wednesday, March 10th, 3:00 – 7:00 pm

at the Doubletree Hotel / 1111 Jefferson Road / Rochester, NY

Join us as Digital Rochester’s welcomes 30 companies to our career fair!    This is an ideal opportunity for people who are in transition and those who are interested in advancing their careers.  Participating companies are seeking professionals with both technical and non-technical skill sets.  Spread the word to your network about this event and come prepared!  Review the career fair job postings and click here for Lee Hecht Harrison’s guidance on questions you may want to ask during your interview. 

Click here to see the list of participating companies and job postings.

We all know how critical tech has been in our [...]]]> Did you know that 90% of youth arrests occur between the hours of 3pm and 7pm? Or that there is clear evidence that $1 invested in strong after-school programs returns as much as $25 in reduced health care, law enforcement and incarceration costs within five years?

We all know how critical tech has been in our own education and careers. But the large majority of kids in Rochester simply do not have access to educational technology and to the professionals who can mentor them and help them see how that technology can significantly improve their lives.

Digital Rochester is partnering with United Way of Greater Rochester to make a real difference in our community this year. We’re proud to announce the Digital Rochester Fund for Kids, a program that will provide funds and volunteers to enrich opportunities for children in the city of Rochester to learn about technology and give them options for a bright future.

In its initial year, the Fund for Kids will focus on improving the after school program experiences available to our urban youth. The Digital Rochester Fund for Kids will directly help students in Rochester by providing access to technology and technology professionals, opening their eyes to the opportunities within their grasp. Digital Rochester has set a goal of raising over $10,000 to support the Digital Rochester Fund for Kids. And for every gift of $100 or more, Digital Rochester’s board of directors will match that gift, up to $3,000.

CLICK HERE TO GET INVOLVED!

FIRST OF ALL, WHAT IS DR?

Digital Rochester is a not-for-profit organization  focused on building and empowering the tech industry in the Greater Rochester area.  But what does [...]]]> We at DR wanted to spend some time bringing you the thoughts of DR’s new President, Josh Bouk. We hope you enjoy this interview about DR and where it’s headed!

FIRST OF ALL, WHAT IS DR?

Digital Rochester is a not-for-profit organization  focused on building and empowering the tech industry in the Greater Rochester area.  But what does that mean?  It means that DR creates value within the Greater Rochester tech industry by building connections within the “tech sector value chain”.  That value chain is made up of a variety of relationships – employer to employee; investor to entrepreneur; customer to supplier; student to educator; etc.  Each of these relationships represent real economic value in our area and the sum of the value in these relationships is the value of Rochester’s tech industry.  So when I say DR exists to build connections within that value chain, it means that everything we do is focused on creating and strengthening these relationships, thereby driving new or increased economic value to our region.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH DR AND HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?

I began coming to DR events back in 2001 at Tonic and over the years, I was a “casual” member – coming to a few events here and there but never getting actively involved.  However, about five years ago, I began recognizing that while I believed Rochester was a great place to raise a family, the direction that Rochester (and New York State) was headed did not give my family – my kids – the best chance of staying in the area over the next few decades.  Now I could choose to sit back and tell myself that the problem was too big to tackle, but instead, I decided I wanted to try to make whatever difference I could.  Since I’ve always been in the tech sector, the best way for me to contribute would be in helping build Rochester into a vibrant, growth-focused high-tech hub.  That led me to DR and its 4,500 members.  After getting initially involved in designing a series intended to build strong peer relationships between area tech CEOs, I joined the DR Board of Directors.

WHY DOES DR MATTER IN OUR REGION?

The Greater Rochester area has so much to offer as a tech center.  We have world-class universities and research facilities, a labor base that is simultaneously one of the most educated and affordable in the country, a history of innovation and entrepreneurship and recognized excellence in emerging tech areas including optics, energy and biotech.  We have all these assets, and yet, one thing is missing.  Collaboration.  When we look at how Boston, Austin and the Bay area all became prominent, we find a high degree of cross-industry collaboration.  This is why DR matters.  DR is focused on creating an environment that fosters collaboration by building awareness and relationships across our region and across tech industries. 
 

WHAT’S ON DR’s PLATE RIGHT NOW; WHAT’S THE GROUP CURRENTLY UP TO?

This is an exciting time for Digital Rochester.  We are in the process of growing our Board of Directors and have added several new board members over the past few months.  They are bringing new ideas and a tremendous amount of energy that I can guarantee will add significant value to our community.  We’re improving our communications strategy (starting with this fantastic new web site and our increasing use of social media tools) and will now focus on aggregating and distributing content of all sorts that will be of value to our members.  And there are some other, very exciting developments, that we’re not quite ready to go to press on … so stay tuned!

EVERY ORGANIZATION IS IN SOME STATE OF FLUX RIGHT NOW; WHAT ARE DR’S CURRENT CHALLENGES?

Simply put, finances and labor are our biggest challenges.  Digital Rochester has always been funded primarily through event sponsorships.  Not surprisingly, in this economic climate, fewer companies have the discretionary funds available for such things.  So we are taking a creative look at how we can raise the funds needed to continue to increase the impact of Digital Rochester in today’s economic climate.  We have also been a primarily volunteer organization.  We have an amazing VP of Operations in Lisa Doerner (who is our only paid staff member) who drives much of the day-to-day business of the organization and makes sure our events are delivered to the same level of quality that we have become known for.  But Lisa is only one person and everything else that we accomplish is through volunteers.  So we are constantly looking for other talented professionals who share a passion for the Rochester tech industry and want to help make Rochester the next great tech center.

WHERE IS DR HEADED? WHAT’S IT GOING TO BECOME?

Digital Rochester is nine years old and in those nine years, DR has become the premier networking community for Rochester’s tech crowd.  As we look forward, we all need to find ways to capitalize on the strength of that network to create real, measurable and sustainable economic value.  Therefore, we must be focused on enabling growth – for individuals, for companies and institutions, and for our entire region.  And while I may not be able to define exactly how we’re going to do that today, I can tell you that our Board is full of high-energy, committed people who want to partner with our members to make a difference in this city that we all love.

WHAT: Digital Rochester March “Spring Forward” Networking

WHEN: Tuesday, March 2nd, 5:30 – 7:30pm

WHERE: Strong National Museum of Play®

Strong National Museum of Play® is centrally located in downtown Rochester at One Manhattan Square. Directions and Parking Information

Join us for some fun as DR holds our annual networking event celebrating the approach of spring. Invite someone [...]]]>

WHAT: Digital Rochester March “Spring Forward” Networking

WHEN: Tuesday, March 2nd, 5:30 – 7:30pm

WHERE: Strong National Museum of Play^®

^{Strong National Museum of Play® is centrally located in downtown Rochester at One Manhattan Square. Directions and Parking Information}

Join us for some fun as DR holds our annual networking event celebrating the approach of spring. Invite someone new to join us at DR’s “Spring Forward” networking event. What better place to leave the winter blahs behind than Strong National Museum of Play^®? Take a walk through the Art of the Brick exhibit which includes 30 LEGO^® sculptures and join us in the Caterpillar Atrium for some delicious food from Tasteful Connections. Do you think any toys with digital technology made it into The National Toy Hall of Fame^®? Find out as you enjoy this exhibit which features 44 of America’s favorite toys. The fun continues at home if you enter the raffle and win a Sony BDP-S360 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player. Raffle tickets will be $1 each or 10 for $5.

Stop by and say hello to the folks from Layer 8 and hear how they help small and midsize companies optimize their Information Technology investment with a complete suite of products and services. Their services include core IT Infrastructure, Datacenter Operations, e-mail archiving, remote backup, development services, Unified communication integration and IT security services.

GENERAL ADMISSION FEE: $5 at the door.

ADMISSION IS FREE to Digital Rochester Supporting Members

Digital Rochester encourages moderation, especially if you will be driving.

The Rochester Top 100 Companies list is a celebration of successful companies that have risen above economic downturn and business struggles. Join us as we highlight two companies that embraced technology to transform manufacturing into some of the most needed technology today. Both of these companies beat the odds so greatly [...]]]>

The Rochester Top 100 Companies list is a celebration of successful companies that have risen above economic downturn and business struggles. Join us as we highlight two companies that embraced technology to transform manufacturing into some of the most needed technology today. Both of these companies beat the odds so greatly that they made it to the Rochester Top 100 Companies of 2009! The leaders of these companies will share with you their struggles and strengths, their ability to change and how they strive for continued business success – all while motivating the people around them in a very challenging technological environment.

WHAT: Digital Rochester’s Rising Stars

WHEN: Thursday, February 11th; 7:30 am – 9:30 am

WHERE: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Bausch Auditorium
657 East Ave.

SPEAKERS:
- Mark Gibson, President and Co-Founder, Xelic, Inc.
- Mike Bechtold, President, OptiPro Systems

SPONSORS: This event has been made possible by The Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester and Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE).

Click here for full event info and registration!

WHEN: Tuesday, February 2nd, 5:30 – 7:30pm

WHERE: Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, 114 South Avenue

We won’t be in France, but we’ll get a taste of how the French celebrate La Fête de la Chandeleur on February 2nd of each year. DR is fortunate to have Simply [...]]]> WHAT: Digital Rochester February Networking with Simply Crepes

WHEN: Tuesday, February 2nd, 5:30 – 7:30pm

WHERE: Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, 114 South Avenue

We won’t be in France, but we’ll get a taste of how the French celebrate La Fête de la Chandeleur on February 2nd of each year. DR is fortunate to have Simply Crepes sharing some of their specialties for this month’s networking! Don’t miss this opportunity to network, enjoy delicious food, and learn how local technology is enabling the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County to transform their library from a brick-and-mortar model to a new digital model! You will have an opportunity to tour the library’s digitizing department and see a demo of the Kirtas Technology BookScan Machine used to digitize their collections! As always, we’ll enjoy free beer High Falls and a cash bar will also be available.

GENERAL ADMISSION FEE: $5 at the door. ADMISSION IS FREE to Digital Rochester Supporting Members

Click here for the full event details!

Food, fun and prizes!! It’s Digital Rochester’s take on a holiday party, join us for Festivus on Tuesday, December 1st at the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC)! (map)

We’re dressing up our regular networking night with music by [...]]]> What: Digital Rochester FESTIVUS! 2009
When: Tuesday, December 1st, 5:30 – 8:00 pm
Where: RMSC, 657 East Ave., Rochester, 14607

Food, fun and prizes!! It’s Digital Rochester’s take on a holiday party, join us for Festivus on Tuesday, December 1st at the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC)! (map)

We’re dressing up our regular networking night with music by SoWhat, a hot jazz combo that features a fusion of classic and contemporary jazz styles.

And, as always, we will have our fabulous Chinese Auction! Looking for an iPod, GPS or maybe a night at the Del Monte? We’re gathering some great prizes, so treat yourself, or make your holiday shopping a whole lot easier! The best deal is 20 tickets for $20! (Or 50 tickets for $40 to improve your odds!!)

(Click here to see the growing list of prizes!)

Be sure to add this date to your calendar!

This event is made possible through the generous sponsorship of AdviStor, Inc.