(bright music) - [Announcer] Funding for this program is provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

(upbeat music) - "R-Town, the show about Rochester" learns about a program supporting budding entrepreneurs, and we find out how to connect to volunteer opportunities in the community.

We also grab a slice at a local pizzeria and discover the beauty of one man's lifelong hobby.

All that, coming up next on "R-Town, the show about Rochester."

(upbeat music) Coming to you from 125 Live in Rochester, Minnesota, "R-Town."

For an entrepreneur turning ideas into action is a big and often daunting step.

Today, we're joined by Amanda Leightner, Executive Director of the Collider Foundation, here to share with us how the CO.STARTERS Program is helping build a vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem right here in Rochester.

Welcome back to R-Town, Amanda.

- Thanks so much for having me today.

- So can you tell us a little bit about what this program is?

- Yeah, so CO.STARTERS, it's a national program, but the purpose of it is to help communities elevate entrepreneurship within their city.

So CO.STARTERS, it's a 10-week, cohort-based program, and it takes people from idea to understanding the next actionable steps with their business.

So we use a modified business canvas and work through the 11 pieces of the canvas over the 10 weeks and just keep the process of starting a business really accessible and easy to understand, and I think the biggest learnings come from the participants learning from each other and being paired with mentorship in the community as well as guest entrepreneurs.

So it just helps people think through their idea and understand the next steps to get it off the ground.

- Wow, it sounds like a really great resource.

So if I'm participating in this, what can I expect to learn and experience while I'm in the cohort?

- Yeah, great question, so we really help people think a lot about their idea and what problem they're solving with their idea, understand who their target customer is, and if there's really a strong market for that.

So it really helps you to think through a lot of critical things before investing a lot of time, before investing a lot of money and other resources in getting it off the ground and moving forward with it.

So, we take a lot of time to learn about your business and a lot of your motivation to do that, because I think that's a huge part of it too, really understanding what's driving you.

And we also really pride ourselves on tying this program into the community.

So like I said, people are paired with mentorship in the community, and we also make very intentional introductions to make them feel that they're connected and then supported across Rochester as a whole.

- You obviously work day in and day out with entrepreneurs in our community.

What would you say are some of the biggest challenges that entrepreneurs face in our community?

- Yeah, I think one of the biggest challenges, and it might seem very simple, is just having access to the tons of free resources that we do have in Rochester to start and grow your business.

I think some of the times, people just don't know about them or feel that they have access to them or that they aren't accessible to them or for them.

So just making people aware of that and helping to form that trusted bridge between entrepreneurs and resources, especially the ones that are right for that entrepreneur and not having them run all around the community, spending their valuable time trying to figure out or find exactly what they need to start or scale their business.

- And, you have programs like CO.STARTERS, there's obviously other initiatives that the Collider Foundation's involved with.

How do programs like CO.STARTERS support this ecosystem, the entrepreneurship ecosystem?

- Yeah, that's a great question.

CO.STARTERS, I feel like we really instilled a give before you get mentality, and I was seeing a lot of that in the participants.

So, understanding from them that people in the community are giving of their time to help them, and hopefully we see that come back from those participants in when you have the time and the space, giving back and mentoring other entrepreneurs that are a couple steps behind you and instilling that thought of giving back and really putting yourself in the shoes of someone who is trying to get started, so I think that's the first thing that's really the warm feeling.

Otherwise, startups, small businesses actually create more new jobs than large organizations.

I believe the stat is a new business creates 3.5 jobs in their first year, so if we had 10 participants going through CO.STARTERS, you can envision maybe in the next couple months, those jobs being created in the community and opportunity for local people to make an impact.

- What does success look like in the CO.STARTERS program?

- I think success looks like those people just feeling supported to me first of all, and understanding what's available to them and really feeling like they are supported, and they understand where to go to get that support.

I think one of the hardest things is just getting your business off the ground.

You probably heard before this valley of death that entrepreneurs go through before they get to sales, and for me, success is having people know that there's resources out there to help them get through that.

- Fantastic, and our last couple seconds here, when is the next cohort starting and how can people sign up and find out more?

- The next cohort starts January 31st, and they can find more information on our website at Collider.MN.

- Awesome, well thank you so much, Amanda, for joining us, and good luck with the next cohort of CO.STARTERS.

- Yeah, thank you so much.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - Be sure to stick around.

We have much more coming your way on "R-Town."

Pizza anyone, we check out a local pizzeria that's serving up more than just a delicious slice, and we catch up with United Way of Olmsted County to find out more about how to get involved with opportunities in the community.

But up first, we explore the whimsical and intricate creations of woodworker, Caryl Clossner, in this week's R Culture segment.

(bright upbeat music) - A farmer always considers himself a farmer.

Well, I've been a farmer my entire life, and I'm 74 now, so born on a farm and still here.

When I was, I think it was 10 or 11 years old, grandparents, my mother and I went to Bily Clocks down in Spillville, Iowa, and that was two brothers that did all this carving and scroll saw work, and I saw what they did, and I guess I was hooked at that point.

(saw humming) The main thing you want with a scroll saw is to get something as little vibration as possible.

(saw humming) Takes quite a bit to tip the nickel over.

Work with a scroll saw, that's the main thing, 'cause yeah, fretwork, most people don't have any idea what that is.

Hopefully I have my pictures handy, because trying to describe it is a little difficult sometimes.

Real fretwork, I started that about maybe 20 years ago on a small scale and then when I quit milking cows, and then I didn't have them to take care of, so I had a lot more free time, and it's about 12 years ago, then it took off into the bigger stuff.

(bright upbeat music continues) I don't like using all the same wood, get a little variety.

I don't put any paint on anything.

Everything is just natural color.

The big clock back here, there's eight different types of wood on there that gives you your different coloring.

We're out in the country, I don't have somebody, just a house just 10 feet from me or 20 feet from me.

I can get out.

I can listen to the birds sing in the morning, watch the deer going up the driveway.

(door opens) I mean I like just the fact that you can turn just a simple piece of wood into something that a lot of people can't do or don't want to do.

(saw humming) When I'm doing this woodworking, I feel a sense of accomplishment.

To me it's relaxing.

You do have to concentrate on it, and you just let the rest of the world world go by.

Sometimes I'm at the scroll saw for five minutes, (saw hums) you can't follow the line, you have blades break, and you just get up and walk away.

And I've had other nights, I start out at 7:00, and I've gone as late as 1:30 in the morning already, so every day is different.

(bright upbeat music continues) If you want something as straight as possible, so that the points don't break off, or you don't want any knots in it.

When I'm cutting a log into boards, why it's amazing what you can find for a grain in one log that you won't have in the next one and different coloring from one log to the next, whether it's oak or walnut or cherry, you're still getting something different.

The hardest thing about it is staying on the lines, especially if you've got something with a straight line that you're trying to cut.

Well this is the big one, four foot wide, nine and a half foot tall.

There's eight different varieties of lumber in it.

If I had to guess, why, I know it's over a thousand hours that I've invested in it, and no, I never thought halfway through that I was gonna quit, so long as when I got that far, it was finish it.

I'm hoping that some museum would want to take it and put it on display.

I've had several people say it should be in a museum where more people could see it, 'cause everything is a little bit different, and little different process in doing it, and different sizes, and some is more complex than others.

It's just a nice accomplishment when everything is done.

(bright upbeat music continues) - [Announcer] For more information about this story and other R-Town features, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter at KSMQ #RTown, or ksmq.org/rtown.

(upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Danielle Teal with R-Town Spotlight, excited to have this fabulous guest today, Jes Peterson, thank you so much for being here.

She is the new owner of Kismet.

How exciting is that?

- [Jes] Very.

- (laughs) Okay, so first tell us a little bit about Kismet.

It's been a staple in this community for a very long time, so give us a little back history of that and how you became the new owner.

- Yes, so Kismet has been in the community for 19 years.

Previous to that, it was another consignment shop, called Heidi's Closet.

So that corner has been known for Kismet for ever and ever.

So Penny started small with the one building and then was able to acquire the rest of it over time, and I got an amazing opportunity to take it over from her as she moves on to her next chapter.

- And this is not a new gig for you to be in home decor and clothing and that sort of thing.

What is your history with that and then how perfect could this combination be that you ended up with this business?

- It could not be any more perfect.

My heart is so full.

I'm like, "Why did I never work here before?

This is great."

Anyway, so I started my first retail job at 15, back in the vanity days, out at TJ Maxx, learned a lot about visual merchandising and customer service, the pace of retail, found my love for home decor with Pier 1, did some time at TJ Max, and I also had a 10-year career in banking, so that combo- - Pulled it all together.

- Really made this opportunity absolutely perfect.

- And what's offered there is quite popular right now.

There's a niche for sustainability and for repurposing clothing and home decor.

How popular is it right now as you've transitioned to taking over the business and continuing those efforts forward?

- The place is wild.

It's constantly busy, in and out.

I was telling you earlier, we get in about 200 items a day- - Which is, I couldn't believe when you said that.

- Right, and then we go out about 200 items a day, so it's just a constant cycle.

Some items live in my store for approximately five minutes, and even sometimes, say it's an item from the next day, I'm like, "Well that's been here for 24 hours."

Well, I'm only open 11:00 to 4:00 currently, so it's literally been here six hours, and somebody falls in love with it, and there it goes.

- That's amazing, so where can people find out more information about Kismet?

You can't miss the building.

It has a beautiful mural on it, find out more information and how they can perhaps bring their clothes or shop.

- Yeah, absolutely.

So we are open Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 to 4:00.

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram.

You can email me photos of any of your items.

If they're larger home decor, KismetRochMN@gmail.com.

That makes it a little easier on the client, instead of lugging something- - Absolutely, no one wants to log a big table there.

- Yes, so that's been working wonderfully.

What else were you asking me to say?

- And how they can find it, how can they find the location through your site then?

- Oh yeah, or look for the giant mural.

- Yep, look for the giant mural.

Thank you so much for being on the show.

- Yes, thank you.

- Thank you, this is Danielle Teal with R-Town Spotlight.

(upbeat music) - Hello again, this is Michael Wojcik, delighted to be back with you for your R-Town Rundown.

Obviously, coming up next Tuesday is election day.

It is the social event of the season.

You don't wanna miss out on it.

A lot of people are always wondering about where they can get information, and if you go to vote411.org, you can find all sorts of nonpartisan information about where you vote, who's on your ballots.

Election polling places are going to be open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM in Minnesota, and that goes along with the current 46-day, early voting period that's going on, so I encourage everyone to get out there and vote.

Going on this weekend at Rochester Civic Theater, "Murder for Two," this sounds like a lot of fun, two actors, one piano and 13 different characters.

That's gotta be a lot of chaos going on at once, and you don't wanna miss it.

Feast, which is a local event put on at the Mayo Civic Center is an opportunity for you to go in and try artisan food producers and beverage producers from this region.

It's become a big event over the nine years it's gone on.

It's going on Saturday from 10:00 to 4:00, and it's a lot of fun, and you get to try good foods going out there.

"Despicable Me 2," a movie that came out relatively recently is part of the ongoing Cinemagic free Saturday movies.

The doors open at 9:00 AM this Saturday.

It's the first Saturday of every month, and the movie starts at 10:00.

This Sunday, going on at Quarry Hill is bird banding.

With the bird banding, they will not only show you how to do bird banding and do some, but they're gonna teach you why it's being done.

It's a lot of fun for the whole family to go out, and the event is free.

Going on Sunday at the Rochester Recreation Center, if you're wondering about pickleball, and I'm certainly curious about pickleball, you hear a lot about it.

There is an introduction to pickleball for $20 at 3:00 PM at the Rochester Recreation Center.

You can go learn about pickleball as well.

And finally, We Bike Rochester is continuing to put on weekly bicycling events through the autumn on Sundays at 2:30.

The locations change, so you can check their website or their social media for where it's going to be this particular week.

Thank you for watching, and that's a little bit of what's going on in R-Town.

(bright Italian music) - Hi, I'm Danielle Teal, and I'm at Pasquale's Neighborhood Pizzeria.

Super excited, because guess who I'm with?

The man himself, the creator, Pasquale Presa.

How are you?

- Great, thank you.

- [Danielle] You have pivoted in the face of a pandemic disruption to meet the needs of the community.

Can you share a little bit about how this got converted to a marketplace?

- Yeah, for me it was really something new, and because of the pandemic and COVID, people were asking, "How can you put your amazing products in the freezer "in jars and bags, so we can have 'em at home?"

And I gotta tell you, it was such a learning experience that I needed to do this right away in order to stay in business.

- [Danielle] So can you walk me through some of these items that you have that you're offering?

- We connected with my family in Italy, and for us to bring our olive oil that's from our family.

We also brought in pasta that's from our family, our sauces that are recipes from our family.

For me it was an opportunity that I know it's shelf stable, and it could be in your cupboard for a while or at the supermarket for a while.

- [Danielle] What inspired you to do this?

- It's all about quality.

We never compromise quality, and the ingredients are important, and they're true, so we stand behind that.

No matter what, you will never get something that's below grade in this restaurant.

- One of the focuses that you do have is community.

Why is that so important to you?

- There was a a need for people to be together, come together, help each other, and that happened really, really big during the pandemic, so we want to showcase what they wanted more and more.

So we need their help to come into our facility or others, and support us more and more for what they want.

- This is Danielle Teal with R-Town Walkabout and holy canole, I'm gonna get some canoles and go have a treat!

(bright Italian music continues) - Arrivederci!

(upbeat music) - The United Way of Olmsted County works to connect and mobilize community members to address some of our community's greatest challenges.

Here to share more about how we can get involved in volunteer opportunities throughout our city is Kaytlyn Anzivino, Engagement Coordinator at United Way of Olmsted County.

Welcome to R-Town!

- Thanks for having me.

- So it's November, November is upon us.

(laughs) It came quick.

And that means that the holiday season is upon us as well.

What are some ways that community members can get involved this season but also beyond?

- Yeah, there's plenty of ongoing opportunities to get involved in our community.

One of the main ones right now that we're focusing on is hosting a community school drive.

There are seven full-service community schools in Rochester.

So what a full community school does, it provides wraparound resources to support families and students in our area, resources, like food, clothing, hygiene products, other school supplies, or other miscellaneous things students or families may need.

We also have another opportunity that's also upon us, 'cause tax seasons just right around the corner, so you can sign up and be a VITA Tax volunteer, which basically Volunteer Income Tax Assistant.

They help community, family members, or individuals in our county to file taxes, so it's free tax prep, and then you can always browse our Get Connected site, which is a great tool.

There's plenty of ongoing and upcoming volunteer needs.

So, with colder weather we have coming up, our seniors like to stay in and bunker down, so you can sign up and be a friendly visitor, be that ray of sunshine during the not so warm months.

You can also make sure that everyone has what they need this holiday season by volunteering at a food shelf or food pantry or even donating winter wear, so coats, hats, mittens, and stuff like that.

- Great, fantastic.

I've actually been really excited about the Get Connected tool.

I've looked through it.

- [Kaytlyn] Oh awesome!

- Yeah, it's great!

Can you tell us a little bit more about that tool and how both volunteers and organizations can use it?

- Yes, so our Get Connected portal is a great tool for community members to browse upcoming volunteer needs, ongoing volunteer needs.

We partner with 180 different non-profits in Olmsted County that utilize this portal, and they can post on there.

It's a self-guiding portal, so you can customize it to your interest, your hours you want to volunteer or you're available.

You can even track your volunteer hours as well.

On the flip side, for organizations, it's great.

You can go in and edit any time of an ongoing need or update anything you need to educate people on what your organization does but also get more volunteers and awareness out there as well.

- As an engagement coordinator with United Way of Olmsted County, what is your work, what is your primary role?

- Oh yeah, that one's good.

My title is engagement coordinator, so I have the opportunity to engage people across our community to give, advocate, and volunteer, and that looks very different in everybody's different capacities.

- And we hear a lot about volunteerism, certainly around this time of year, but can you tell us a little bit about just some of the benefits of active volunteerism for individuals and community members in a city like ours?

- Yes, for sure, so volunteering really provides an opportunity for individuals to engage with the community if they're not already.

It also has individuals can make the impact directly, right in your county or community.

Volunteering also has an opportunity to meet new people, learn new skills, as well as polish old skills.

It also, when you volunteer, it increases your awareness about community needs, like maybe that you might not have known about.

Volunteering also helps strengthen systems to build community where everyone can thrive regardless of where they're at.

- We're a very busy community as well.

A lot of people have other things that they do in addition to their jobs and things like that.

But if people are considering volunteering, what are some tips or words of advice if I'm sitting there with that Get Connected portal and thinking like, ooh, can I do this, should I do this, how do I get involved?

- Yeah, for sure, one, I guess when you look at the Get Connected portal, a question I think you should ask yourself is what am I passionate about or what am I interested in learning?

And then go from there, 'cause the Get Connected is very exploratory, if that makes sense.

If you're looking to volunteer or looking to get involved, volunteering is a great opportunity to learn different things about the community, so I also think rolling up your sleeves and being part of the solution of community is great.

- Yeah, and just trying something new that you've never done before.

- [Kaytlyn] Yes, exactly.

- So, you mentioned give, advocate, and volunteer.

Can you tell us a little bit about the ways in which, in addition to volunteering, giving, and advocacy are ways that community members can make an impact?

- Yeah, so there's plenty of ways for people to engage with the community.

I would say browse your local community websites and pages to really learn about more pressing community issues, 'cause United Way, we are great, but we don't have all the answers.

- That's fine, I mean no one has all the answers, but we are being part of the solution, so can you tell us a little bit more about some of the advocacy that more of us can do?

- Yeah, they can reach out to our local representatives and talk with them about the community issues that they see or have researched about upcoming issues that we see in our Olmsted County.

- Great, and we talked a little bit about this in the introduction as well.

So meeting these greater challenges, what are some of the things that we see in our community that United Way of Olmsted County is helping to address alongside community members?

- Yeah, for sure, one of the major things we just have touched about is the childcare crisis that is happening.

So we are working alongside our non-profits of how to address that community issue as- - Can you just describe what the childcare crisis is?

- Yeah, so childcare crisis, basically, is a lack of daycare or lack of services for children or families to maybe have their children go to while they go to work, so it's also hindering our workforce a little bit as well, because now those parents are staying home, because they don't have childcare services, so that's becoming a bigger issue.

So United Way is looking at how do we help and step in and doing that and support non-profits that are doing those works, so that's one of the things we're advocating and pushing for as well, as well as mental health.

We have a new look at that as well, because that is an upcoming need that we've been seeing the trend go up, but we haven't really been all in on that yet, so we're looking to advocate for that as well.

- Great, yeah, childcare and mental health, those are also really big things that came out of during that pandemic period as well.

Great, well in our last couple of seconds here, can you just tell us how people can continue to stay connected with United Way of Olmsted County and get involved?

- Yeah, so you can visit our website or you can also go back to our Get Connected as well.

I think that's it.

- Great.

Well thank you so much, Kaytlyn, for joining us and for all the work you do with United Way of Olmsted County.

- [Kaytlyn] Thank you.

- And thank you for joining us today.

For more wonderful content produced right here in Rochester, please be sure to check us out on Facebook and Twitter at #R-Town.

I'm Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara for "R-Town, the show about Rochester."

Be well and stay safe, and we'll see you next time.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (bright music) - [Announcer] Funding for this program is provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.