From Rochester to Reno: : How Two Cities Taught Me the Power of Reinvention

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From Rochester to Reno: How Two Cities Taught Me the Power of Reinvention

Direct from the President's desk

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I grew up in Rochester, New York, when it was still humming with the strength of American manufacturing. In the 1970s, it was a proud industrial city powered by giants like Eastman Kodak, Xerox, Bausch & Lomb, and General Motors. If you didn’t work at one of those companies, you probably knew someone who did.

Kodak alone employed over 60,000 people at its peak. Xerox added more than 30,000. General Motors added another 10,000 jobs with its deep presence through Rochester Products and AC Delco. For my family, it was personal as my father worked for GM. I remember the quiet tension that hung over our household during times of economic uncertainty: rumors of layoffs, talk of plant closures, the fear of being relocated. When your entire city depends on a handful of employers, those fears aren’t just economic…they’re emotional.

Eventually, the storm we were all quietly preparing for…arrived.

Kodak missed its opportunity to lead in digital photography, something I wrote about in The Customer Mindset. The irony was that Kodak had invented the digital camera. But the company couldn’t bring itself to disrupt its own film business. It wasn’t a technology failure but a failure to read the customer and act. That moment shaped my belief in the importance of staying attuned to changing buyer needs. You can’t lead, or grow, by clinging to yesterday.

As Kodak’s workforce shrank from 60,000 to under 7,000, and Xerox and GM scaled back, Rochester faced an identity crisis. But in the years that followed, I saw something equally powerful take root – resilience.

I eventually joined Paychex, one of the area’s top employers and a true success story of a company that evolved with the times. It was inspiring to see a homegrown business succeed not because it resisted change, but because it embraced it. Likewise, Wegmans, which started in 1916 as a produce pushcart business grew into a nationally beloved brand known for innovation, service, quality, and culture. It proved that a Rochester-based business could not only survive, but lead on a national scale.

The University of Rochester also became a cornerstone of the city’s reinvention. Its healthcare system expanded dramatically, becoming the region’s largest employer and a driving force in biomedical research and patient care. It helped stabilize the economy while ushering in a new era focused on healthcare, education, and innovation.

Still, Rochester’s journey was long and difficult. And it taught me this: if cities wait too long to diversify or invest in future-ready infrastructure, reinvention becomes a lot harder.

That lesson became even clearer when I moved to Reno, Nevada—another city that had been built around one dominant industry. For decades, gaming powered the economy. Casinos lined the skyline. Jobs were abundant, but diversification was minimal.

I worked at Intuit in Reno just as the city began to reimagine what “The Biggest Little City in the World” could become. What made Reno’s transformation so impressive was how the city thought outside the box. It didn’t just try to modernize gaming or wait for change to happen, it rebranded itself entirely. Economic and civic leaders began positioning the region not just as “Reno,” but as the greater Reno-Tahoe area leveraging the natural beauty of Lake Tahoe, the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the region’s lifestyle appeal to attract a new generation of businesses and talent.

It was a bold move, and it worked.

Companies like Tesla, Switch, Panasonic, and Google saw more than just open land, they saw a city willing to reinvent itself. Reno didn’t succeed simply because it attracted new industries. It succeeded because it was ready for them. Permitting was streamlined. Zoning was modernized. Infrastructure was aligned to support growth. And perhaps most importantly, economic development leaders were proactive, not reactive. When opportunity knocked, the city didn’t just open the door it welcomed it with intention.

The contrast between Rochester and Reno showed me the critical role of community development infrastructure in shaping a city’s future. Reno succeeded not just because it wanted growth but because it was operationally and culturally prepared for it. That made all the difference.

Cities that thrive in the future will be the ones that prepare in the present. That means investing in planning, permitting, and building departments. Not just for what exists today, but for what’s coming next. Companies making site decisions don’t have time to wait. They look for communities where they can move fast and grow faster.

For me, these stories, both from my hometown and my adopted one, aren’t just case studies. They’re personal. I’ve lived the uncertainty of an undiversified economy. I’ve worked inside companies that thrived because they evolved. And I’ve seen firsthand what happens when a city says yes to reinvention.

It’s a lesson I carry with me every day: you don’t need to predict the future, but you need to be ready for it.

Reinvention isn't a matter of luck—it's a matter of preparation. At SAFEbuilt, we help communities of every size modernize their infrastructure so they’re ready when opportunity arrives. Whether you're facing legacy systems or planning for new growth, we bring the tools, insights, and partnerships that help you build what's next.

Want to explore what reinvention could look like in your community? Let’s talk.