Speaker tells 1,400 to be innovators
The United States is falling behind its international competitors, and funding for innovation in business has hit a 12-year low.
That was the assessment by Richard A. Bendis, founder and CEO of Innovation America in Philadelphia, who cautioned an audience at St. John Fisher College on Friday that Switzerland and South Korea are among the countries overtaking the U.S. in innovation.
Bendis was the keynote speaker for the economic development conference called Eyes on the Future, which drew more than 1,400 people to the college in Pittsford.
The third annual event, sponsored by the Small Business Council of Rochester and Greater Rochester Enterprise, was intended to stir enthusiasm for the region as a place to do business.
Bendis praised the Rochester area’s attributes, including an educated work force, and said there appears to be more economic development collaboration happening here than in many other parts of the country. But he challenged the conference attendees to be innovators and to do more to nurture innovative start-up businesses.
Bendis also participated in a panel discussion that included Rochester Business Journal publisher Susan Holliday, Pictometry International CEO Richard Kaplan, Monroe Community College President Anne Kress and GRE chief executive Mark Peterson.
A common theme during the discussion was that small business creates most of the jobs after a recession.
Peterson also showed a new GRE video that promotes the region as a place “where smart people live and smart businesses grow.” The video touts Rochester’s “intellectual density quotient,” which Peterson said includes the percentage of the population enrolled in college, patents issued per worker, the number of workers trained for a knowledge-based economy and the number of companies ranked among the best places to work.
Based on these criteria, Peterson said, the nine-county Rochester area outperforms much larger metro areas.
Eyes on the Future chairman Thomas Ioele said the conference was “a resounding call to action” to promote collaboration and engagement among businesses, organizations and individuals in the region.
