Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where do I sign up for Rochester-to-Rochester?
A:Companies need to apply for participation in the program. (The application can be found on both the Digital Rochester and the GRE web sites.) We cannot promise in advance that any particular company will be included, but we will be trying to accommodate as many interested parties as possible.

Q: What kind of companies will participate in the program?
A: Product manufacturing, research and development, technology and professional services firms in growth mode are particularly encouraged to apply.

Q: Who should I plan on sending to the event?
A: This program is designed for members of your company’s leadership team, not for your sales staff. In fact, it would be inappropriate to send sales people with the intent of making a hard sell to the business leaders in the room. If you have an appointment with “Large Company” (see below) you will know that in advance so that you can have the appropriate resources meet you for that call.

Q: What can I say on the application that will increase the likelihood that my company will be selected to participate in the Fast Forward day of customized appointments?
A: This event is designed to help growing companies grow faster. Give us your best elevator pitch! Who are you, what do you do and what makes you unique? Share a little of your history, your mission & vision, your product(s) and/or services, your target market and the reason you’re the ones to own that market. Where do you stand on current market penetration? Who are your business partners? Why are your people the best? What future opportunities exist for your company? What kind of connections would do the most to accelerate your company’s growth? If we’re sold on you and given the information needed to line up some really beneficial meetings, you’re more likely to be selected.

If everyone’s story is equally amazing, we’re more likely to select the kinds of businesses that have the most potential to bring revenue and new jobs into our region. Traditionally, product manufacturing, research & development and technology companies bring a strong multiplier to community growth. We’re not likely, on the other hand, to select someone whose offering competes for internal Rochester dollars with existing local companies. That just moves the same jobs across the street and deposits the same dollars into a different bank account.

Q: Does this mean that you’ll line up a day of sales calls for me?
A: We want to encourage beneficial relationships between Rochester companies, and if we’re aware of someone who should consider your products and/or services rather than buying from outside our region, we certainly will try to set up that appointment. However, it’s not likely that this will mean a day of sales calls! Your own sales team is sure to be more expert in your customer space than we are. We’re more likely to know of someone who would make an attractive channel partner, to help you find a local expert who can help you overcome a technology hurdle or to connect you with a competitive packaging company that’s around the corner instead of around the world.

Q: Can you get us an appointment with “Large Company” to talk about our capabilities?
A: Maybe. We like to see the larger companies in our region using local suppliers when possible. However, we need you to help us present a good business case in order for us to get an appointment. If you currently produce 100 widgets a day at your peak capacity, it’s not realistic for Large Company to count on you to meet its demand for 10,000 widgets per day. If, however, you have advanced technologies that allow you to produce a specialized widget that will allow Large Company to launch their next generation product ahead of the competition, then you’ve given us information that we can use to open a dialog.

Q: Can someone from my company present at the event?
A: We don’t plan to have speakers from specific companies at this event. (An exception to this, however, might be someone from purchasing at “Large Company” explaining the steps necessary to become an approved vendor. We’d need to see that requested as a “write in vote” for program topics on the application.) The speakers for the half day session will be from state agencies that provide incentives, not-for-profits with programs that benefit local businesses and similar resources.

Q: When will we know if our company has been selected to participate?
A: We plan to be in touch with everyone by the middle of January, although the number of applications could impact that timeline one way or another.

Q: Where is the event being held?
A: Each segment of the event will be held in a different location, so we will be notifying people of the exact times and locations when we know which segments their company will be attending.

Q: I didn’t get my application in. Will you be doing this again?
A: We’ll be asking the participants for feedback, but we do expect this event to be the second in a series. We’ll pay attention to what works well this time, tweak the things that need improvement and work hard to continue to help local businesses to grow.

If you have additional questions, send us an .

Download the application here.