December 5, 2024 • 24 mins
Join us for an insightful conversation with Alison Zelms, City Administrator of Rochester, Minnesota. Discover how Rochester is transforming from a "big little city" to a "little big city," blending global ambitions with its beloved local charm. Learn how strategic partnerships and destination marketing are shaping Rochester's identity as a city where world-class medical innovation meets an exceptional quality of life.
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Episode Transcript
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Bill Von Bank (00:00):
The Growing Destinations podcast is brought
to you by Experience Rochester.
Learn more about Minnesota'sthird largest city, which is
home to Mayo Clinic and featureswonderful recreational and
entertainment opportunities, byvisiting
experiencerochestermncom.
Alison Zelms (00:16):
We do have a small town feel to us, even though
we're the third biggest citypopulation-wise and second
biggest geographically in thestate.
So how do we continue thatcommunity character of
neighborliness and continue togrow and transform and welcome
new people in and allow thatneighborliness to maybe be an
(00:36):
expanded cultural experience?
Bill Von Bank (00:39):
Welcome to the Growing Destinations podcast,
where we take a deep dive intodestination development and
focus on a wide range of topics,from tourism and entertainment
to economic development andentrepreneurism and much more.
I'm your host, bill Von Bank.
Rochester is a city on the move.
Minnesota's third largest cityis experiencing tremendous
(01:01):
growth and that growth isexpected to continue for years,
fueled in part by DestinationMedical Center and Mayo Clinic's
bold, forward unboundinitiative to transform
healthcare and reimagine itscampus in downtown Rochester.
Guiding the city through thisperiod of rapid evolution is my
guest AlZelmsZelms, rochester's city
(01:23):
Administrator.
With a leadership philosophygrounded in collaboration,
innovation and community-focusedoutcomes, alison is at the
forefront of shaping Rochester'sfuture.
Alison, welcome to the GrowingDestinations podcast.
Alison Zelms (01:38):
Thanks, bill, glad to be here.
Bill Von Bank (01:39):
We have a lot to talk about related to Rochester
and its growth, but first let'stalk a little bit more about you
and your career journey.
Alison Zelms (01:46):
Well, I got interested in, I guess, public
service, not necessarily localgovernment Growing up in the Air
Force.
My dad was in the Air Force.
We moved around a lot and Iwould say probably the defining
moment in my life that made meinterested in communities is
living in West Germany.
When it was still West Germanywe traveled a lot.
We went all across Europe whilewe were there for about four
(02:08):
years and also went throughCheckpoint Charlie to East
Germany.
So I would say that just alwaysstands out in my mind as being
sort of like the Wizard of Oz inreverse, going from color to
black and white, and it's justalways stayed with me that many
people, most people, don'treally get to choose where they
live and the experiences thatthey have, and so it's really
important that as governmentemployees, we provide the best
(02:32):
opportunities for as many peopleas possible in the place that
they do live.
Bill Von Bank (02:35):
And what inspired you to pursue a career in local
government and cityadministration?
Alison Zelms (02:39):
Well, I knew I didn't want to take a lot of
science and math and hard stuffwhen I was in college and I was
always interested in some kindof public service.
I didn't really know what Iwanted to do, actually until I
got to grad school.
So I went through undergrad atAugustana College in Northern
Illinois and studied publicadministration and Spanish and
(03:00):
Latin American studies andapplied to grad schools because
I still didn't quite know what Iwanted to do and made my way to
the University of Kansas thathas the number one program for
public administration.
So I really fell in love withlocal government and understood
more about what theopportunities were there when I
was in grad school and had aninternship at the state of
Kansas.
And then you needed to fulfilla full-time employment with a
(03:23):
city in order to actuallygraduate from the University of
Kansas graduate program.
So my second year there I wasemployed full-time at the
University of Park, texas citydown in Texas and first time in
Texas, and that's where Istarted my work with cities.
Bill Von Bank (03:39):
I am curious, however, because in addition to
your college career, you alsospent some time on stage doing
improv, so tell us more aboutthat.
Alison Zelms (03:48):
Sure, I did not start my life knowing what I
wanted to do.
Right, I knew what I thought Imight be good at and that I
guess I always thought youneeded to have like a job, a
career.
But in my heart of hearts I wasalways kind of clowning around
when I was in high school withfriends and loved Saturday Night
(04:08):
Live and in my dream world Iwould have been on Saturday
Night Live.
So when I was working for thecity of Evanston on the North
Shore of Chicago, I actually didSecond City.
So I was enrolled there and hada troupe, the Carlos the
Terrible, shocking name.
I don't even remember why wenamed it that, but I actually
(04:29):
got to perform at the SecondCity while I was there.
So it was harder than it lookedand all improv, not Saturday
Night Live.
They actually have a skit thatthey're.
You know they have writers.
This was just games on stageand having to go with the flow.
Bill Von Bank (04:44):
How do you use that experience in your
administrative role?
Alison Zelms (04:49):
Working for a city .
I mean, it's sort of likehopping on a fast-moving train
when you join a new community orwhen a new elected official
joins a community.
They get elected, but there'sso many things happening,
especially in a city likeRochester where you have just
this unprecedented amount ofgrowth occurring.
It's really helpful to not haveto have everything planned out.
(05:12):
We have a lot of planning thatwe do here, but any given day
there could be some new surprisethat's happening.
So, being able to go with theflow and just sort of not be
phased by the unexpected and sayyes and yes and instead of no,
because you can't really controlwhat's happening, you have to
really guide it and hope for apositive outcome and do
(05:33):
everything you can to get thepositive outcome.
But you don't always get toplan your day out.
Bill Von Bank (05:37):
What attracted you to the role of city
administrator in Rochester,Minnesota?
Alison Zelms (05:42):
Well, that is an interesting story.
I was not looking for a newposition.
I was working for the city ofMankato and our motto there was
sort of related to RochesterLess filling tastes great in
Mankato there.
So lots of similarities,similar points of view and
similar things happening on theground over time in the last 20
(06:02):
years expansion of the CivicCenter, et cetera.
I saw the job posting in themiddle of the night.
I woke up in the middle of thenight on one Friday night,
couldn't sleep and was scrollingthrough LinkedIn and saw the
job posting, and then the nextmorning I don't.
I never.
I would always go north, tolike go to Costco at Burnsville,
and I would never thought to goeast on Highway 14.
Of course there'd been a lot ofconstruction on Highway 14.
(06:24):
And I said hey to my partner,bob, let's, maybe let's swing
over to Rochester this weekend.
They have a Thai place.
We like Thai food.
So we came over and I couldn'tstop thinking about it.
So I put my hat in the ring andhere I am.
Bill Von Bank (06:40):
Here you are in a community facing unprecedented
growth.
Did you imagine when you tookthis role that Rochester would
be involved in so muchdevelopment so quickly?
Alison Zelms (06:52):
I sort of did.
I was trying to look into a lotof detail when I was looking to
see whether or not I thought Imight be a good fit and enjoy my
time here, be helpful to thecommunity, my time here, be
helpful to the community andlooking at some of the
initiatives the destinationmedical center was working on
and the significant change thatthey were looking at, and having
worked with Mayo Clinic HealthSystem and Mankato, I had an
(07:13):
idea of some of the changes theywere looking at and their prior
strategic plan.
So I had a sense that there wasgoing to be a lot happening
here, of course, all of itcoming together at the same time
with a lot of city projects aswell, over the next seven years.
I didn't necessarily anticipatethat they would all be
happening in the same sevenyears, but I guess it's a good
(07:33):
problem to have, and now we willbe guiding and shepherding that
to the most successful fruitionas possible.
Bill Von Bank (07:39):
What opportunities and challenges do
you see in aligning cityservices with this
transformation?
Alison Zelms (07:45):
Most cities don't get the opportunity to have such
unprecedented change and thinkabout how are we continuing to
grow as an organization andchange as an organization.
So succession planning is goingto be really important for the
city organization over thisperiod of time.
Fortunately, the city councilhas approved the opportunity for
us to staff up for Bold ForwardUnbound, and that's all coming
(08:08):
from building permit revenue anda lot of the work.
You know the vast majority ofthe work.
There's work that happens thatisn't directly related to
construction, but the lion'sshare of all of those folks will
be focusing on all of theconstruction impacts and paid
for in that way.
So it gives us an opportunityto think about, as we move to
the next phases in the nextthree, five, seven years, what
(08:29):
else are we going to need?
I think the biggest challenge isgoing to be all of the
construction, and so you know wehave a very short construction
season as far as roadways go,and we have a lot of that that's
going to be torn up, so it'salso an opportunity for us to
dig once.
So really get a lot of thatthat's going to be torn up.
So it's also an opportunity forus to dig once.
So really get a lot of olderinfrastructure that's
underground completed with alarge footprint and make sure
(08:52):
that we're not back in this areaagain in decades.
Bill Von Bank (08:55):
How does Rochester balance its identity
as a global destination withmaintaining its unique local
character and quality of lifefor residents?
Alison Zelms (09:10):
That is also, I think, on people's minds, maybe
not in that specific of aquestion, but I always think of
it as we are going from being abig little city to a little big
city as we go through thehurdles of new transformation.
Especially downtown, we have alot of global visitors, but we
also have a lot of global peoplewho move here to either work at
the Mayo Clinic or otherrelated business.
So I think the key is reallysaying what do we still want to
(09:34):
be as we continue to transform?
What are the great things aboutour community that we want to
make sure that we champion andthat they remain intact?
We do have a small town feel tous, even though we're the third
biggest city population wiseand second biggest
geographically in the state.
So how do we continue thatcommunity character of
(09:54):
neighborliness and continue togrow and transform and welcome
new people in and allow thatneighborliness to maybe be an
expanded cultural experience andfeel slightly different, but
still feel comfortable being ina larger community, not a big
city, but a large community thatalso has those big city
(10:16):
amenities?
Bill Von Bank (10:17):
We hear this a lot that Rochester is so
walkable and the urban coreespecially and micro mobility
around the community is so great.
Do you envision changes to thator making more amenities around
that?
Alison Zelms (10:33):
I would say so.
Part of what we are trying to dois making sure that as we
transform whether that's privateinvestment, mayo Clinic or
other private investment orpublic amenities that the public
areas are more walkable andthey're more friendly and more
inviting to walk.
One big thing that we havecoming forth after many years of
(10:53):
planning is Link Rapid Transit,and so the ability for people
to even if they drive downtownbut they never get back in their
car again until they drive outof town being able to hop on and
off fear-free from that systemand being able to really get
around downtown despite theseason, I think is going to be a
game changer, and I do thinkthat as people start to see how
(11:16):
easy that can be and how quickthat, folks will consider asking
the city okay, what directionare you going next on phase two?
So those are things that we'rethinking about now as we get
very much into the constructionphase of phase one.
We need to start thinking nowabout that, seven years from now
, about what other direction arewe going?
Are we going to go east?
(11:36):
Are we going north?
Are we going south?
What is the most valuableopportunity to bring people to
the core from, maybe not theedge of the city, but further
out within the city.
Bill Von Bank (11:46):
A referendum was passed to continue with a
half-cent sales tax in the cityover the next 20 years to really
help with a number of differentdevelopment opportunities.
One of those is a new sportscomplex.
Can you share some details onthat?
Alison Zelms (11:59):
We are knee-deep in that as well.
So we have a lot of consultantson board.
We have site selection stillbefore us and site layout, so
now we have a constructionmanager at risk on board.
We also have an architecturalfirm and an operator at risk.
That actually is.
They're all working together tolook at making sure that we
(12:19):
have the most usable facility.
Of course, you didn't mentionthe dollar amount $65 million
which sounds like a lot of moneyuntil you start trying to
construct a recreation facilityto the standards that people
would like, and I think ourinitial very 5% design phase had
us, our desires being more like$90 million to $100 million
(12:42):
worth of desire.
So making sure we constructthat in such a way in the first
phase that meets as many needsas possible but doesn't prevent
us from growth in the future,where it's designed in a way
that it doesn't make sense toever expand.
So really focusing on how do weoperate it well in its first
stages and then making sure thatit's built with that future
(13:03):
expansion in mind.
Bill Von Bank (13:04):
And certainly has the opportunity to ensure that
local residents' needs are metwith it.
But it's also an opportunity togrow the visitor economy,
because you already haveinfrastructure in place to
accommodate visitors who mightuse a sports facility, and
oftentimes that's on a weekend.
So can you share a littleinsight around that?
Alison Zelms (13:22):
Absolutely, and I've worked in other communities
like Sedona, arizona, where wealways talked about the shoulder
season and for folks who aren'ttouristy or destination
marketing savvy, that's theseason where you're slower, and
our shoulder season in Rochesteris the weekend, because people
come for medical care throughoutthe week.
Sometimes they'll get here onSunday evening, but that means
(13:42):
we have a about 6,000 hotelrooms that are not that busy on
the weekend and also not thatexpensive.
So it does have a greatopportunity for there to be
tournaments and other activityhere on the weekend.
But, as you pointed out, reallygetting that right mix of
programming and design in thefacility will mean that it can
also be very busy throughout theweek for youth sports, for our
(14:04):
local community, for seniors,for other types of uses, and
still be that great amenity onthe weekend for more revenue
generating tourism.
Bill Von Bank (14:13):
Well, you mentioned destination marketing
and you were the keynote speakerat the Upper Midwest Convention
and Visitors Bureau's annualmeeting this past fall that was
hosted in Rochester.
Your presentation focused onembracing bold collaboration.
Can you share the key takeawaysfrom your presentation and why
collaboration is essential forcreating destination vibrancy?
Alison Zelms (14:36):
Sure.
Well, that's just a littlecallback to my Saturday Night
Live desire days and going toimprov school.
I just think it's so importantto embrace risk right, it
doesn't mean you always take therisk, but embracing the ideas
of taking risks, especially withour partners, and saying what's
the worst thing that couldhappen.
I think that we should try thisand kind of fail forward in the
(15:10):
city of Rochester 121,000residents, many, many visitors
and really focusing on how canwe each take our best foot
forward to make sure that thisis a great place to live and
also to visit.
And I was inspired at theannual meeting from Experience
Rochester that if you make aplace that people want to visit,
then you make a place wherepeople want to live.
And if you make a place wherepeople want to live, then you
make a place where people needto work and then where people
want to live.
And if you make a place wherepeople want to live, then you
make a place where people needto work and then where people
(15:31):
need to have a business.
And there's this flywheel thathappens.
And so, acting with confidence,thinking really hard about the
timing of decisions, those typesof things are important.
They all are all things thatyou have to think about in
improv too.
If you don't have the righttiming, no one's going to laugh
because it won't make any sense.
If you don't have the righttiming in government, then it
(15:51):
may be too soon for people toreally adapt and change.
Or if you don't act when theopportunity is available, it
might not be available again for10, 20 years.
So there's just a lot to thinkabout, and making sure that you
have strong relationships withyour partners really helps in
those risky moments for peopleto take that leap forward
together.
Bill Von Bank (16:11):
How do you view the economic impact of visitors
to Rochester, particularly withits dual identity as a medical
destination and a growingtourism hub?
Alison Zelms (16:21):
Well, I live in the Northeast so I think about
it as the downtown is sort of mybackyard.
There are places I can go up inthe Northeast, but it's just as
fast for me to go west on EastCircle Drive yes, go west on
East Circle Drive as it is forme to come into town and go
downtown and eat.
So we have to have a certaintype of service, amenity, a
(16:43):
certain amount of hospitality.
Business and living in acommunity that can serve a
global customer like those whocome to the Mayo Clinic, is
really a great opportunity.
We have an internationalairport.
You can get from Rochester toanywhere and back just right
down the street at the localairport.
So it is something that isunique.
But if we can really catalyzethe fact that we are a global
(17:06):
destination and make ourselvesalso a regional destination, a
statewide destination and anational destination and not
just have people when they comehere and they need to be here
for care, think about comingback, whether that's to start a
business, whether that's to owna home, whether that's to visit
during different seasons whenthey weren't able to be here, or
(17:27):
when they're well becausethey've been cured at the Mayo
Clinic I think that's really aunique opportunity that we have,
because people come andexperience us very differently
when they're here for care thanthey might if they came back for
leisure.
Bill Von Bank (17:40):
One other business opportunity for the
community and it's a big one isthe convention business, and the
city owns a 200,000 square footconvention center.
So how do you view that as apiece to this economic vibrancy
puzzle?
Alison Zelms (17:54):
I would say the destination marketing is really
important.
It puts us on the map becausepeople hear about the different
things that are available.
It also puts us in touch withour partners in communities that
are near us.
So I know there's a lot ofpartnership with the National
Eagle Center so we can be thehub where someone stays and then
goes out on the spokes to someof their visits.
But we also in the conventionbusiness have such opportunity
(18:17):
to bring care here.
So I know that we had I'm goingto get this wrong but the Nurses
Association, which is anassociation of nurses
associations who haveconventions.
They were just in town lastweek and so being able to
showcase that you could be herein the home of the Mayo Clinic
and have your convention,especially if it's medical
(18:37):
related whether that's devicesor actual medical practitioners
is excellent.
It also provides an opportunityto have a wonderful local
amenity for local events.
So we really appreciate thepartnership with Experience
Rochester and the ConventionVisitors Bureau operation
because through those revenueproducing conventions where
(18:58):
people are here for city-widesfor three or four days, staying
in hotels and going out on thetown, we also are able to
provide reasonable cost or nocost opportunities for local
groups to actually be in thebuilding and experience such a
wonderful amenity.
Bill Von Bank (19:14):
How do you ensure that the benefits of tourism
and destination marketingpositively impact local
residents and businesses, notjust visitors?
Alison Zelms (19:22):
I don't know that you can ensure it, but I think
having a mindset that makingsure that we're a place that
people would want to visit makesthis a place where people want
to live.
So we have a huge trail system,a very extensive network of
trails.
So as part of that walkabilitythat you mentioned earlier, all
of our flood control and waterquality system also pretty much
all of it has trails along withit or some sort of park amenity.
(19:45):
So I know that people in thiscommunity really value their
parks and their trail system toget around, whether that's
biking, walking for fitness orfor leisure or to get where
they're going.
So I would say, if we lean intosome of those outdoor
experiences, that is probablyone of the best crossovers that
we have.
But also having a healthyapartment market for people who
(20:09):
maybe are only going to be herefor a shorter period of time not
necessarily a month or threemonths or something of that
nature, but even two or threeyears for either medical
education or for residency, etc.
That they have a greatexperience here.
That is sort of like a longvisitor, like a long visitor,
and they talk to people andinvite people to come see them
(20:29):
while they're here, and thoseare the same folks who might end
up having a really greatexperience and thinking, wow, I
didn't even know this little gemwas here.
Bill Von Bank (20:39):
Maybe it's something I should consider in a
place where I might want tolive.
It's a story I've heard frommany healthcare professionals.
They're here for the two-yearstint and all of a sudden, 30
years later, they're still here.
Alison Zelms (20:47):
We do have a lot of folks that own homes in the
Olmstead County zip code andalso in the Maricopa County zip
code.
It is a very high percentage.
Bill Von Bank (20:55):
In Arizona.
Alison Zelms (20:56):
Yep.
So whether they're goingthrough the care network or
something of that nature, orthey received care here that
they really enjoyed it, and sothey're looking for it to come
back in some capacity.
Bill Von Bank (21:07):
Looking back what have been some of the most
impactful moments of your career.
Alison Zelms (21:12):
Well, some of them were kind of tragic, but it
does kind of prepare you foranything, and when I was in the
city of Prescott, arizona itjust always comes to mind when
people ask me this I was thereduring a tragic loss of 19 City
of Prescott hot shots in a burnover event, and so that was kind
of the ultimate pivot, theultimate, not fun improv, where
(21:33):
you just had to figure out howto make sure that you were
providing the best support tothe families and also the
organization still has tocontinue to move and to be
supported.
So it resulted in a lot ofreally long term challenges for
the community, because obviouslyit just sort of became the tag
for the community and they stillit's almost 11 years out it's a
(21:56):
day that I don't forget.
So it is something, though,that I think shapes how I
approach my work, in thatanything can happen at any time
and it probably also shapes howI approach my life is that I
take a lot of gratitude forthings that maybe other people
wouldn't, and I really have adeep appreciation for my
teammates at the city ofRochester that are out there
(22:17):
doing hard work every day rain,shine, day, night and just the
ability to come together andrally, so it probably does
affect my teamwork a lot.
Bill Von Bank (22:26):
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to
take on leadership roles inlocal government or city
administration?
Say yes.
Alison Zelms (22:33):
So it's a really simple one, but I think I
learned a lot through my careerby being I was in the room, so I
said yes to meetings a lot thatmaybe people wondered why I was
there and heard about ideas towork on things and put my hand
up and said that I would helpand lead.
That I didn't.
Probably I had to do a lot ofresearch and learn about it, but
(22:53):
it really helped me tounderstand the breadth and depth
of work that we do as acommunity.
I would say, whether it's fromthe elected side of the aisle or
the appointed side of the aisleand elected officials have a
really hard job.
So just watch the meetings, getinformation, participate, get
interested and curious in howthings work and watch how that
(23:14):
works and think about how youwould maybe lead in that role.
You can learn a lot fromexperiences that you might have
done differently, and you canalso learn a lot from
experiences where you think, wow, I don't know how they
accomplished that.
They did a really good job.
So I would just say, lean inand say yes to things and get
your foot in some door somewhere, whether that's on the elected
(23:35):
side a board or a commission or,on the appointed side, some
entry-level type of position orapply.
There's a lot of uniquesimilarities to business.
We're not that different frombusiness.
We have a budget, we haveprocesses, we have a finance
department, we have HR, we haveall of those more traditional
roles that every organizationneeds.
(23:55):
It's just in a governmentformat.
Bill Von Bank (23:57):
Allison Zelms, we're extremely glad you said
yes to city administration.
Best wishes on Rochester'stremendous growth and thank you
for being our guest on theGrowing Destinations podcast.
Alison Zelms (24:08):
Thanks, Bill.
Bill Von Bank (24:09):
Thank you for tuning in to the Growing
Destinations podcast and don'tforget to subscribe.
This podcast is brought to youby Experience Rochester.
Find out more about Rochester,minnesota, and its growing arts
and culture scene it'sinternational culinary flavors
and award winning craft beer byvisiting
experiencerochestermncom.
The Growing Destinations podcast is brought
to you by Experience Rochester.
Learn more about Minnesota'sthird largest city, which is
home to Mayo Clinic and featureswonderful recreational and
entertainment opportunities, byvisiting
experiencerochestermncom.
Alison Zelms (00:16):
We do have a small town feel to us, even though
we're the third biggest citypopulation-wise and second
biggest geographically in thestate.
So how do we continue thatcommunity character of
neighborliness and continue togrow and transform and welcome
new people in and allow thatneighborliness to maybe be an
(00:36):
expanded cultural experience?
Bill Von Bank (00:39):
Welcome to the Growing Destinations podcast,
where we take a deep dive intodestination development and
focus on a wide range of topics,from tourism and entertainment
to economic development andentrepreneurism and much more.
I'm your host, bill Von Bank.
Rochester is a city on the move.
Minnesota's third largest cityis experiencing tremendous
(01:01):
growth and that growth isexpected to continue for years,
fueled in part by DestinationMedical Center and Mayo Clinic's
bold, forward unboundinitiative to transform
healthcare and reimagine itscampus in downtown Rochester.
Guiding the city through thisperiod of rapid evolution is my
guest AlZelmsZelms, rochester's city
(01:23):
Administrator.
With a leadership philosophygrounded in collaboration,
innovation and community-focusedoutcomes, alison is at the
forefront of shaping Rochester'sfuture.
Alison, welcome to the GrowingDestinations podcast.
Alison Zelms (01:38):
Thanks, bill, glad to be here.
Bill Von Bank (01:39):
We have a lot to talk about related to Rochester
and its growth, but first let'stalk a little bit more about you
and your career journey.
Alison Zelms (01:46):
Well, I got interested in, I guess, public
service, not necessarily localgovernment Growing up in the Air
Force.
My dad was in the Air Force.
We moved around a lot and Iwould say probably the defining
moment in my life that made meinterested in communities is
living in West Germany.
When it was still West Germanywe traveled a lot.
We went all across Europe whilewe were there for about four
(02:08):
years and also went throughCheckpoint Charlie to East
Germany.
So I would say that just alwaysstands out in my mind as being
sort of like the Wizard of Oz inreverse, going from color to
black and white, and it's justalways stayed with me that many
people, most people, don'treally get to choose where they
live and the experiences thatthey have, and so it's really
important that as governmentemployees, we provide the best
(02:32):
opportunities for as many peopleas possible in the place that
they do live.
Bill Von Bank (02:35):
And what inspired you to pursue a career in local
government and cityadministration?
Alison Zelms (02:39):
Well, I knew I didn't want to take a lot of
science and math and hard stuffwhen I was in college and I was
always interested in some kindof public service.
I didn't really know what Iwanted to do, actually until I
got to grad school.
So I went through undergrad atAugustana College in Northern
Illinois and studied publicadministration and Spanish and
(03:00):
Latin American studies andapplied to grad schools because
I still didn't quite know what Iwanted to do and made my way to
the University of Kansas thathas the number one program for
public administration.
So I really fell in love withlocal government and understood
more about what theopportunities were there when I
was in grad school and had aninternship at the state of
Kansas.
And then you needed to fulfilla full-time employment with a
(03:23):
city in order to actuallygraduate from the University of
Kansas graduate program.
So my second year there I wasemployed full-time at the
University of Park, texas citydown in Texas and first time in
Texas, and that's where Istarted my work with cities.
Bill Von Bank (03:39):
I am curious, however, because in addition to
your college career, you alsospent some time on stage doing
improv, so tell us more aboutthat.
Alison Zelms (03:48):
Sure, I did not start my life knowing what I
wanted to do.
Right, I knew what I thought Imight be good at and that I
guess I always thought youneeded to have like a job, a
career.
But in my heart of hearts I wasalways kind of clowning around
when I was in high school withfriends and loved Saturday Night
(04:08):
Live and in my dream world Iwould have been on Saturday
Night Live.
So when I was working for thecity of Evanston on the North
Shore of Chicago, I actually didSecond City.
So I was enrolled there and hada troupe, the Carlos the
Terrible, shocking name.
I don't even remember why wenamed it that, but I actually
(04:29):
got to perform at the SecondCity while I was there.
So it was harder than it lookedand all improv, not Saturday
Night Live.
They actually have a skit thatthey're.
You know they have writers.
This was just games on stageand having to go with the flow.
Bill Von Bank (04:44):
How do you use that experience in your
administrative role?
Alison Zelms (04:49):
Working for a city .
I mean, it's sort of likehopping on a fast-moving train
when you join a new community orwhen a new elected official
joins a community.
They get elected, but there'sso many things happening,
especially in a city likeRochester where you have just
this unprecedented amount ofgrowth occurring.
It's really helpful to not haveto have everything planned out.
(05:12):
We have a lot of planning thatwe do here, but any given day
there could be some new surprisethat's happening.
So, being able to go with theflow and just sort of not be
phased by the unexpected and sayyes and yes and instead of no,
because you can't really controlwhat's happening, you have to
really guide it and hope for apositive outcome and do
(05:33):
everything you can to get thepositive outcome.
But you don't always get toplan your day out.
Bill Von Bank (05:37):
What attracted you to the role of city
administrator in Rochester,Minnesota?
Alison Zelms (05:42):
Well, that is an interesting story.
I was not looking for a newposition.
I was working for the city ofMankato and our motto there was
sort of related to RochesterLess filling tastes great in
Mankato there.
So lots of similarities,similar points of view and
similar things happening on theground over time in the last 20
(06:02):
years expansion of the CivicCenter, et cetera.
I saw the job posting in themiddle of the night.
I woke up in the middle of thenight on one Friday night,
couldn't sleep and was scrollingthrough LinkedIn and saw the
job posting, and then the nextmorning I don't.
I never.
I would always go north, tolike go to Costco at Burnsville,
and I would never thought to goeast on Highway 14.
Of course there'd been a lot ofconstruction on Highway 14.
(06:24):
And I said hey to my partner,bob, let's, maybe let's swing
over to Rochester this weekend.
They have a Thai place.
We like Thai food.
So we came over and I couldn'tstop thinking about it.
So I put my hat in the ring andhere I am.
Bill Von Bank (06:40):
Here you are in a community facing unprecedented
growth.
Did you imagine when you tookthis role that Rochester would
be involved in so muchdevelopment so quickly?
Alison Zelms (06:52):
I sort of did.
I was trying to look into a lotof detail when I was looking to
see whether or not I thought Imight be a good fit and enjoy my
time here, be helpful to thecommunity, my time here, be
helpful to the community andlooking at some of the
initiatives the destinationmedical center was working on
and the significant change thatthey were looking at, and having
worked with Mayo Clinic HealthSystem and Mankato, I had an
(07:13):
idea of some of the changes theywere looking at and their prior
strategic plan.
So I had a sense that there wasgoing to be a lot happening
here, of course, all of itcoming together at the same time
with a lot of city projects aswell, over the next seven years.
I didn't necessarily anticipatethat they would all be
happening in the same sevenyears, but I guess it's a good
(07:33):
problem to have, and now we willbe guiding and shepherding that
to the most successful fruitionas possible.
Bill Von Bank (07:39):
What opportunities and challenges do
you see in aligning cityservices with this
transformation?
Alison Zelms (07:45):
Most cities don't get the opportunity to have such
unprecedented change and thinkabout how are we continuing to
grow as an organization andchange as an organization.
So succession planning is goingto be really important for the
city organization over thisperiod of time.
Fortunately, the city councilhas approved the opportunity for
us to staff up for Bold ForwardUnbound, and that's all coming
(08:08):
from building permit revenue anda lot of the work.
You know the vast majority ofthe work.
There's work that happens thatisn't directly related to
construction, but the lion'sshare of all of those folks will
be focusing on all of theconstruction impacts and paid
for in that way.
So it gives us an opportunityto think about, as we move to
the next phases in the nextthree, five, seven years, what
(08:29):
else are we going to need?
I think the biggest challenge isgoing to be all of the
construction, and so you know wehave a very short construction
season as far as roadways go,and we have a lot of that that's
going to be torn up, so it'salso an opportunity for us to
dig once.
So really get a lot of thatthat's going to be torn up.
So it's also an opportunity forus to dig once.
So really get a lot of olderinfrastructure that's
underground completed with alarge footprint and make sure
(08:52):
that we're not back in this areaagain in decades.
Bill Von Bank (08:55):
How does Rochester balance its identity
as a global destination withmaintaining its unique local
character and quality of lifefor residents?
Alison Zelms (09:10):
That is also, I think, on people's minds, maybe
not in that specific of aquestion, but I always think of
it as we are going from being abig little city to a little big
city as we go through thehurdles of new transformation.
Especially downtown, we have alot of global visitors, but we
also have a lot of global peoplewho move here to either work at
the Mayo Clinic or otherrelated business.
So I think the key is reallysaying what do we still want to
(09:34):
be as we continue to transform?
What are the great things aboutour community that we want to
make sure that we champion andthat they remain intact?
We do have a small town feel tous, even though we're the third
biggest city population wiseand second biggest
geographically in the state.
So how do we continue thatcommunity character of
(09:54):
neighborliness and continue togrow and transform and welcome
new people in and allow thatneighborliness to maybe be an
expanded cultural experience andfeel slightly different, but
still feel comfortable being ina larger community, not a big
city, but a large community thatalso has those big city
(10:16):
amenities?
Bill Von Bank (10:17):
We hear this a lot that Rochester is so
walkable and the urban coreespecially and micro mobility
around the community is so great.
Do you envision changes to thator making more amenities around
that?
Alison Zelms (10:33):
I would say so.
Part of what we are trying to dois making sure that as we
transform whether that's privateinvestment, mayo Clinic or
other private investment orpublic amenities that the public
areas are more walkable andthey're more friendly and more
inviting to walk.
One big thing that we havecoming forth after many years of
(10:53):
planning is Link Rapid Transit,and so the ability for people
to even if they drive downtownbut they never get back in their
car again until they drive outof town being able to hop on and
off fear-free from that systemand being able to really get
around downtown despite theseason, I think is going to be a
game changer, and I do thinkthat as people start to see how
(11:16):
easy that can be and how quickthat, folks will consider asking
the city okay, what directionare you going next on phase two?
So those are things that we'rethinking about now as we get
very much into the constructionphase of phase one.
We need to start thinking nowabout that, seven years from now
, about what other direction arewe going?
Are we going to go east?
(11:36):
Are we going north?
Are we going south?
What is the most valuableopportunity to bring people to
the core from, maybe not theedge of the city, but further
out within the city.
Bill Von Bank (11:46):
A referendum was passed to continue with a
half-cent sales tax in the cityover the next 20 years to really
help with a number of differentdevelopment opportunities.
One of those is a new sportscomplex.
Can you share some details onthat?
Alison Zelms (11:59):
We are knee-deep in that as well.
So we have a lot of consultantson board.
We have site selection stillbefore us and site layout, so
now we have a constructionmanager at risk on board.
We also have an architecturalfirm and an operator at risk.
That actually is.
They're all working together tolook at making sure that we
(12:19):
have the most usable facility.
Of course, you didn't mentionthe dollar amount $65 million
which sounds like a lot of moneyuntil you start trying to
construct a recreation facilityto the standards that people
would like, and I think ourinitial very 5% design phase had
us, our desires being more like$90 million to $100 million
(12:42):
worth of desire.
So making sure we constructthat in such a way in the first
phase that meets as many needsas possible but doesn't prevent
us from growth in the future,where it's designed in a way
that it doesn't make sense toever expand.
So really focusing on how do weoperate it well in its first
stages and then making sure thatit's built with that future
(13:03):
expansion in mind.
Bill Von Bank (13:04):
And certainly has the opportunity to ensure that
local residents' needs are metwith it.
But it's also an opportunity togrow the visitor economy,
because you already haveinfrastructure in place to
accommodate visitors who mightuse a sports facility, and
oftentimes that's on a weekend.
So can you share a littleinsight around that?
Alison Zelms (13:22):
Absolutely, and I've worked in other communities
like Sedona, arizona, where wealways talked about the shoulder
season and for folks who aren'ttouristy or destination
marketing savvy, that's theseason where you're slower, and
our shoulder season in Rochesteris the weekend, because people
come for medical care throughoutthe week.
Sometimes they'll get here onSunday evening, but that means
(13:42):
we have a about 6,000 hotelrooms that are not that busy on
the weekend and also not thatexpensive.
So it does have a greatopportunity for there to be
tournaments and other activityhere on the weekend.
But, as you pointed out, reallygetting that right mix of
programming and design in thefacility will mean that it can
also be very busy throughout theweek for youth sports, for our
(14:04):
local community, for seniors,for other types of uses, and
still be that great amenity onthe weekend for more revenue
generating tourism.
Bill Von Bank (14:13):
Well, you mentioned destination marketing
and you were the keynote speakerat the Upper Midwest Convention
and Visitors Bureau's annualmeeting this past fall that was
hosted in Rochester.
Your presentation focused onembracing bold collaboration.
Can you share the key takeawaysfrom your presentation and why
collaboration is essential forcreating destination vibrancy?
Alison Zelms (14:36):
Sure.
Well, that's just a littlecallback to my Saturday Night
Live desire days and going toimprov school.
I just think it's so importantto embrace risk right, it
doesn't mean you always take therisk, but embracing the ideas
of taking risks, especially withour partners, and saying what's
the worst thing that couldhappen.
I think that we should try thisand kind of fail forward in the
(15:10):
city of Rochester 121,000residents, many, many visitors
and really focusing on how canwe each take our best foot
forward to make sure that thisis a great place to live and
also to visit.
And I was inspired at theannual meeting from Experience
Rochester that if you make aplace that people want to visit,
then you make a place wherepeople want to live.
And if you make a place wherepeople want to live, then you
make a place where people needto work and then where people
want to live.
And if you make a place wherepeople want to live, then you
make a place where people needto work and then where people
(15:31):
need to have a business.
And there's this flywheel thathappens.
And so, acting with confidence,thinking really hard about the
timing of decisions, those typesof things are important.
They all are all things thatyou have to think about in
improv too.
If you don't have the righttiming, no one's going to laugh
because it won't make any sense.
If you don't have the righttiming in government, then it
(15:51):
may be too soon for people toreally adapt and change.
Or if you don't act when theopportunity is available, it
might not be available again for10, 20 years.
So there's just a lot to thinkabout, and making sure that you
have strong relationships withyour partners really helps in
those risky moments for peopleto take that leap forward
together.
Bill Von Bank (16:11):
How do you view the economic impact of visitors
to Rochester, particularly withits dual identity as a medical
destination and a growingtourism hub?
Alison Zelms (16:21):
Well, I live in the Northeast so I think about
it as the downtown is sort of mybackyard.
There are places I can go up inthe Northeast, but it's just as
fast for me to go west on EastCircle Drive yes, go west on
East Circle Drive as it is forme to come into town and go
downtown and eat.
So we have to have a certaintype of service, amenity, a
(16:43):
certain amount of hospitality.
Business and living in acommunity that can serve a
global customer like those whocome to the Mayo Clinic, is
really a great opportunity.
We have an internationalairport.
You can get from Rochester toanywhere and back just right
down the street at the localairport.
So it is something that isunique.
But if we can really catalyzethe fact that we are a global
(17:06):
destination and make ourselvesalso a regional destination, a
statewide destination and anational destination and not
just have people when they comehere and they need to be here
for care, think about comingback, whether that's to start a
business, whether that's to owna home, whether that's to visit
during different seasons whenthey weren't able to be here, or
(17:27):
when they're well becausethey've been cured at the Mayo
Clinic I think that's really aunique opportunity that we have,
because people come andexperience us very differently
when they're here for care thanthey might if they came back for
leisure.
Bill Von Bank (17:40):
One other business opportunity for the
community and it's a big one isthe convention business, and the
city owns a 200,000 square footconvention center.
So how do you view that as apiece to this economic vibrancy
puzzle?
Alison Zelms (17:54):
I would say the destination marketing is really
important.
It puts us on the map becausepeople hear about the different
things that are available.
It also puts us in touch withour partners in communities that
are near us.
So I know there's a lot ofpartnership with the National
Eagle Center so we can be thehub where someone stays and then
goes out on the spokes to someof their visits.
But we also in the conventionbusiness have such opportunity
(18:17):
to bring care here.
So I know that we had I'm goingto get this wrong but the Nurses
Association, which is anassociation of nurses
associations who haveconventions.
They were just in town lastweek and so being able to
showcase that you could be herein the home of the Mayo Clinic
and have your convention,especially if it's medical
(18:37):
related whether that's devicesor actual medical practitioners
is excellent.
It also provides an opportunityto have a wonderful local
amenity for local events.
So we really appreciate thepartnership with Experience
Rochester and the ConventionVisitors Bureau operation
because through those revenueproducing conventions where
(18:58):
people are here for city-widesfor three or four days, staying
in hotels and going out on thetown, we also are able to
provide reasonable cost or nocost opportunities for local
groups to actually be in thebuilding and experience such a
wonderful amenity.
Bill Von Bank (19:14):
How do you ensure that the benefits of tourism
and destination marketingpositively impact local
residents and businesses, notjust visitors?
Alison Zelms (19:22):
I don't know that you can ensure it, but I think
having a mindset that makingsure that we're a place that
people would want to visit makesthis a place where people want
to live.
So we have a huge trail system,a very extensive network of
trails.
So as part of that walkabilitythat you mentioned earlier, all
of our flood control and waterquality system also pretty much
all of it has trails along withit or some sort of park amenity.
(19:45):
So I know that people in thiscommunity really value their
parks and their trail system toget around, whether that's
biking, walking for fitness orfor leisure or to get where
they're going.
So I would say, if we lean intosome of those outdoor
experiences, that is probablyone of the best crossovers that
we have.
But also having a healthyapartment market for people who
(20:09):
maybe are only going to be herefor a shorter period of time not
necessarily a month or threemonths or something of that
nature, but even two or threeyears for either medical
education or for residency, etc.
That they have a greatexperience here.
That is sort of like a longvisitor, like a long visitor,
and they talk to people andinvite people to come see them
(20:29):
while they're here, and thoseare the same folks who might end
up having a really greatexperience and thinking, wow, I
didn't even know this little gemwas here.
Bill Von Bank (20:39):
Maybe it's something I should consider in a
place where I might want tolive.
It's a story I've heard frommany healthcare professionals.
They're here for the two-yearstint and all of a sudden, 30
years later, they're still here.
Alison Zelms (20:47):
We do have a lot of folks that own homes in the
Olmstead County zip code andalso in the Maricopa County zip
code.
It is a very high percentage.
Bill Von Bank (20:55):
In Arizona.
Alison Zelms (20:56):
Yep.
So whether they're goingthrough the care network or
something of that nature, orthey received care here that
they really enjoyed it, and sothey're looking for it to come
back in some capacity.
Bill Von Bank (21:07):
Looking back what have been some of the most
impactful moments of your career.
Alison Zelms (21:12):
Well, some of them were kind of tragic, but it
does kind of prepare you foranything, and when I was in the
city of Prescott, arizona itjust always comes to mind when
people ask me this I was thereduring a tragic loss of 19 City
of Prescott hot shots in a burnover event, and so that was kind
of the ultimate pivot, theultimate, not fun improv, where
(21:33):
you just had to figure out howto make sure that you were
providing the best support tothe families and also the
organization still has tocontinue to move and to be
supported.
So it resulted in a lot ofreally long term challenges for
the community, because obviouslyit just sort of became the tag
for the community and they stillit's almost 11 years out it's a
(21:56):
day that I don't forget.
So it is something, though,that I think shapes how I
approach my work, in thatanything can happen at any time
and it probably also shapes howI approach my life is that I
take a lot of gratitude forthings that maybe other people
wouldn't, and I really have adeep appreciation for my
teammates at the city ofRochester that are out there
(22:17):
doing hard work every day rain,shine, day, night and just the
ability to come together andrally, so it probably does
affect my teamwork a lot.
Bill Von Bank (22:26):
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to
take on leadership roles inlocal government or city
administration?
Say yes.
Alison Zelms (22:33):
So it's a really simple one, but I think I
learned a lot through my careerby being I was in the room, so I
said yes to meetings a lot thatmaybe people wondered why I was
there and heard about ideas towork on things and put my hand
up and said that I would helpand lead.
That I didn't.
Probably I had to do a lot ofresearch and learn about it, but
(22:53):
it really helped me tounderstand the breadth and depth
of work that we do as acommunity.
I would say, whether it's fromthe elected side of the aisle or
the appointed side of the aisleand elected officials have a
really hard job.
So just watch the meetings, getinformation, participate, get
interested and curious in howthings work and watch how that
(23:14):
works and think about how youwould maybe lead in that role.
You can learn a lot fromexperiences that you might have
done differently, and you canalso learn a lot from
experiences where you think, wow, I don't know how they
accomplished that.
They did a really good job.
So I would just say, lean inand say yes to things and get
your foot in some door somewhere, whether that's on the elected
(23:35):
side a board or a commission or,on the appointed side, some
entry-level type of position orapply.
There's a lot of uniquesimilarities to business.
We're not that different frombusiness.
We have a budget, we haveprocesses, we have a finance
department, we have HR, we haveall of those more traditional
roles that every organizationneeds.
(23:55):
It's just in a governmentformat.
Bill Von Bank (23:57):
Allison Zelms, we're extremely glad you said
yes to city administration.
Best wishes on Rochester'stremendous growth and thank you
for being our guest on theGrowing Destinations podcast.
Alison Zelms (24:08):
Thanks, Bill.
Bill Von Bank (24:09):
Thank you for tuning in to the Growing
Destinations podcast and don'tforget to subscribe.
This podcast is brought to youby Experience Rochester.
Find out more about Rochester,minnesota, and its growing arts
and culture scene it'sinternational culinary flavors
and award winning craft beer byvisiting
experiencerochestermncom.
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