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Program Notes: President Dan presented both guest speakers with a token of appreciation – a pin representing the Rotary 4-Way Test.  MAJ. GEN. NORBERT RAPPL HIGHWAY PROJECT
Assemblymember Sarah Clark has served since 2020. Before that, she was a Senate staffer for 20 years. She shared that in 2010, she worked with Maj. Gen. Rappl to address veteran unemployment, which was at three times the normal rate. Sarah Clark collaborated with Human Resources professionals to find work for returning veterans, and she credits Maj. General Rappl with playing an integral role in their transition. She is most impressed with his commitment to veterans and the Town of Irondequoit. The highway naming bill has passed in both Houses and signs along the selected stretch of 590 south of Tryon Park to Ridge Road should be placed with DOT permission. Senator Samra Brouk may attend the ceremony, and Assemblymember Clark is excited that several Rappl family members will be present. Sarah Clark concluded by saying that it’s amazing when people give years of time and service and that she is happy to have learned all about Maj. Gen. Rappl’s contributions. She also hopes to attend the bench dedication.  VISIT ROCHESTER PRESENTATION
When President Dan asked for a show of hands, he found that less than half of all Club members knew about Visit Rochester. President and CEO Don Jeffries, who was introduced as a “true champion of service to our community,” took the helm of Visit Rochester 10 years ago. He used to belong to the Brighton Rotary, the club who sponsored Irondequoit Rotary. Don Jeffries is a Brighton volunteer firefighter who had just presented at his grandson’s school, and President Dan almost asked him to bring his turnout gear. Below are some highlights of his detailed presentation. The aim of Visit Rochester is to sell and market the Greater Rochester area to in turn maximize visitor spending. Why Rochester? It’s affordable, it’s a festival city (Visitor’s Booth was initiated at the Jazz Fest) and it’s the gateway to the Finger Lakes, a region that boasts of $4 billion in visitor spending alone. Wine tours, leaf-peeping, and Seabreeze (where out-of-state visitors flock to) are among our many attractions. Rochester is also known as the cultural capital of Upstate NY. The film industry has contributed to the economic development of the city. Who can forget the time when Spiderman was being filmed, Main Street was closed, and 30 cars cracked up in front of the Monroe County Office Building? The Visit Rochester website encourages prospective tourists to Enjoy our thriving city year-round. From our wide-ranging culinary scene, to attending one of our many festivals, or visiting our world-class museums and attractions, you're sure to find something to love... Don Jeffries strongly believes that Rochester is superior to larger cities such as Buffalo, Syracuse and Albany in bringing new money into the community and generating a wide array of tourism, such as international visitors, corporate travel, and sports enthusiasts. Don noted that “Chinese tourism is huge,” with 36 tour buses invited to Rochester before heading to Niagara Falls. We should try to get them to stay and go to the Strong Museum, which hosts 500,000 visitors a year. Don quips, “They’re not hard of hearing; they just don’t speak the language.” A partnership with I Love NY involves tourists from Ireland and England, and 1/3 of Bristol Mountain lift tickets are sold to our Canadian neighbors. The Recommend Rochester initiative targets business travelers. More information can be found here: https://www.visitrochester.com/recommendrochester/ Rochester’s Convention Center is bigger than the ones in Buffalo, Syracuse, and Albany. Don asserts that Zoom meetings during the pandemic “did not spell the end of personal meetings,” since people rebooked and wanted to socialize. He did recognize that COVID-19 hit the tourismindustry the hardest, but the County Executive said to hit the ground running. While the other three cities were laying off staff, Rochester received funding throughout the pandemic and kept calling customers. According to Don, the silver lining was that Monroe County residents stayed put and became better ambassadors. In fact, Visit Rochester will train ambassadors to show how we are a friendly city where people take the time to ask, “Can I help you?” This will improve the downtown area. Concerning sports tourism, Don mentioned that 125 sporting events a year took place in our city.He highlighted the Ice Plex near MCC with three rinks, which can attract promoters for hockey tournaments. Buffalo may have the Sabres and Bills; Syracuse is known for football and basketball; but Rochester has golf! We can host major events such as the PGA. The only thing that can “eclipse” the PGA is the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Genesee Country Museumand the roof of the Strathallan are among the many venues where people may come together, and our Club intends to participate in the eclipse festivities. Don hopes to encourage travelers to get a 2-3 night minimum stay in Rochester, the easternmost city in the eclipse’s path, to avoid waiting in traffic afterwards. Don urges us to “think in terms of 17,000 jobs in Monroe County” with respect to the hotel industry. He did address the migrant influx and the fact that they are temporarily sheltered at the Holiday Inn, where no one was staying due to it being under renovation. Don pointed out that these are families. As President Dan stated, Don Jeffries told us “things we might not stop long enough to realize about our city.” Families everywhere are invited to Come Play in Our Backyard. Do we Rochesterians now have a better idea about how remarkable our “backyard” is? |
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