SCORE Luncheon Remarks

Commissioner Carlos Carballada

Economic Development Director
City of Rochester NY

11:45 A.M., Friday, March 9, 2007
Oak Hill Country Club

 

Thank you to SCORE for helping to make Rochester better by improving the small
business climate.

There are so many dedicated people in our community working to make Rochester a
better city for themselves and their families, friends and the entire community. You are no exception.

When we work together as team, with common optimism, enthusiasm and strategy, we can make a very profound and positive effect on the community. In City Hall, we see that every day. We take pride in our responsibilities because they are so important.
The outcomes of what we do carry a lot of gravity. Especially in the small business
climate. After all, there are nearly 57,000 of them in this area. Their receipts total $2.2 billion.

We all want to see Rochester thrive. We all want to do our part to make Rochester
better or else we wouldn't be here. We all are doing our best at the jobs we do. But we have to first realize that we are all on the same team with the same mission.

And that mission should be to qrow the economy, keep our people safe, educate
our children and provide outstanding customer service. These challenges are
high. And therefore we cannot afford to be static. We have to constantly move upward.
Or more accurately, find our way upward. We need to be able to adapt, adjust and
reinvent according to the needs of the community.

So. I ask you today. Where do you fit in on the team?

My charter is business growth, job creation and retention, and investment in the City.

My challenge is to figure out how we return to the economic greatness of our past, are we poised for economic greatness and rebirth, and how do we get there? We have found that promoting collaborations is as good a foundation as any for solving
problems.

A good example is Animatics. One of the fastest growing silicon valley California
companies that opened a research and engineering office on St. Paul St. this week.
They could have chosen to outsource anywhere, but chose Rochester because of the
engineering programs at RIT among other things. As a result, we have a 94 yr. old
building back on the tax roles remodeled as a contemporary office and serving
beautifully in the inner city. Education driving economic development. Collaboration and coming together with service and quality in mind.

We are all working together with a common vision. And that vision is a revitalized
Rochester.

How do we continue to make good things happen? We have to be aggressive in
promoting growth through collaboration. I propose to you that all of our
successes are grounded in collaboration.

The economic development department in the City has many opportunities available to companies depending on their needs. Whether it's financial help or help finding
locations, our economic development department has wonderful staff, tools and
programs. Our programs are meaningful and useful and necessary to be sure. But our single most important program isn't a program at all. It's about establishing
relationships and opening up as many lines of communication as possible.

One of the first changes I made when I came on board with the City was that I wanted people to have direct access to me. I didn't want someone to have to call four times before their call returned. I give out my direct number to everyone. Call me and I will put you in touch with someone.

I'm establishing an account representative system. Where an employee from EDD
stays with their client every step of the way, from the first phone call to the ribbon
cutting. Mayor Duffy and I are accelerating our outreach program. I call on three
businesses a week. We started with the top 100 companies and mixed in other
companies and have visited many small companies by request. Some of them have
been in the City 20 or more years and never seen a Mayor in their office. We are
adding value by bringing a personal relationship to the table. We want to establish a
dialogue. We never ask for anything from them ... only "what can we do for you?

These meetings are giving us a real base of knowledge of what companies are out
there in the city. And what a variety of businesses there are. We have high tech
companies. Companies that have a global customer base. Companies with very unique products. Many of these don't want publicity, but are leaders in their industries. It is fascinating to learn of the richness and diversity in talents.

So much so, that the Mayor and I are invigorated by the opportunities we discover in Rochester and the Greater Rochester Area. There truly is lots of growth occurring, both revenue growth and employment growth. The papers are dominated by the big ticket numbers like when Kodak lays off, but that skews the big picture of job growth that we are seeing.

We have also been stressing the importance of retaining businesses. By collaborating, every hit is a benefit to all of us. We are making sure that we find ways to find unhappy businesses. We are doing that by opening up our communications. We want direct contacts to respond and cover the bases. We can champion for them in relation to other city services, such as zoning.

We are striving to provide a very high level of service. Many, many city employees
come into contact with the public every single day. We are putting the customer first. That's why you see City Hall on the Road. Rochester By the Numbers. Clean Sweep. Durand Beach. There are a number of departments concerned about customer service.

Let me tell you about one that candidly, I was surprised at. The garbage pick up guys. I discovered they do customer surveys. Sure, we see this as a nasty job, but a necessary one in a populated community. Their surveys show that 97% of their customers are satisfied with their service.

Now, if that was my bank's satisfaction rate, I'd be telling the world. It would be in all of my advertising, comments and speeches. The fascinating thing is that when I ask people, "how is your garbage service?" they look at me strangely. Those customers are consistently satisfied, and not one person has told me otherwise.

What I see around me now are a number of top-notch people doing a top-notch job.
who have a passion for the city.

Last year, we put together a vision document and set out our values and guiding
principles. It's kind of a mission statement. It simply says that we aim to be the best
mid-sized city in the US in which to live, work, raise a family and grow business. That our city will be renowned for its safe neighborhoods. vibrant economy. educational excellence and customer service. There is also a values and guiding principles section that states that our employees will take personal responsibility for serving our customers: taxpayers, residents, visitors and investors. We will be guided by personal integrity. accountability. customer focus, collaboration. and a "can do" attitude.

I believe we're off to a good start. A good foundation. Now what do we do? How do we bring Rochester back to greatness? How do we provide the human resource to enable us to do all that needs to be done?

Abraham Lincoln and his attendant listened to a talk, and after it was done, the attendant asked Lincoln what he thought of the speech. Lincoln replied that it was well done and well prepared - but not very good. When the attendant asked why, Lincoln replied that the speaker never asked the audience to do something great. I can tell you that it would be very helpful to us if you would agree to do great things with us.

Now, we receive hundreds of suggestions, but they never include an implementation plan, the who or the finances to put it in place. Sometimes we're not quite sure what to do with these. But we are not too proud to admit that we need help. In the Wild West, when trouble came into town, the sheriff brought all the good people together and deputized them to fight against the bad guys.

I would like to now deputize you. And if you would please stand up and raise your right hands .... You are all now deputy commissioners of economic development for the city and the entire Rochester community. I have your official business card here and you can get them from me after this. Thank you, you may be seated now. Please, carry this with you as a constant reminder that you are part of the area's future of economic development.

If you know of a company that is unhappy, please, call me. If you know of a company that is considering moving, or needs help with expansion, I want to know about it. We'll get the county, the state, GRE and anyone who can help convince this company to stay. I want to know about issues early on and expand our calling activity. And your input can be very helpful to us. You can be the eyes and ears for economic development for this city and the Greater Rochester community.

If we continue to concentrate on the day-to-day improvement of our city, then change, growth and investment will follow.