>> Coming up --
Researchers in Rochester are the quiet force behind some of the area's most successful employers.
One of them is Xerox.
>> As tough is it used to invest in innovation, while you are being ruthless about managing your business in the short term, do not trade off the investment that is required for long term health.
>> That is a belief held by University of Rochester President Joel Seligman, as well.
Also, mixing a little blues into red hot jazz.
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>> Rochester's news magazine since 1997.
This is "Need to Know."
>> Welcome to this edition of "Need to Know."
I am Julie Philipp.
Ann Mulcahy is the first woman to win the prestigious CEO of the year award.
She will be presented with that honor next month at the New York Stock Exchange.
This week she was at a dinner in Webster, one that she hosted along with her second in command.
We will talk about that event in a bit.
First, we take a look at one of the things Ann Mulcahy did to earn the CEO of the year award.
This from chief executive magazine, a time when most companies are cutting costs.
Research and development is central to her strategy.
She touched on that during her appearance in Rochester, where Xerox employs 7600 people.
>> This company was born in Rochester as a copier company.
It is a services led technology company that focuses on innovation and customers.
A lot of that innovation, and our engineering prowess, comes from the talented workforce here in Rochester.
If you look around, almost all of the products in this room were Rochester developed and born out of research from our Webster lab.
>> The commitment to research goes beyond its own lab.
In may, Ann Mulcahy pledged $1 million to the University of Rochester's Cancer Research Center, and that is one of the highlights of president Joel Seligman.
Peter iglinski had an opportunity to talk with the president.
>> You describe the University of Rochester as one of the leading universities.
Why is research important to the university?
>> That is how universities grow.
When you focus on what we will potentially do, you are focusing on our ability not only to research inside the university, attracting bright students and great faculty workers, but also research has the opportunity for job creation and economic development.
>> Right now we have over 21,000 full and part-time employees.
We're just short of 19,000, close to two billion dollars in payroll.
In effect, research is a very significant component.
In recent years we have received $350 million in support from the federal government.
We use that to support efforts to find new discoveries, new ways of addressing crises and urgently felt human needs.
Why come to the University of Rochester?
In part, you get to work with great professors doing cutting edge research.
It is in part because of the problems we are addressing in the city of Rochester are fundamental to our society.
>> Is research a growing field for universities in general?
>> It is certainly a growing field at the University of Rochester.
If you look at the federal government level, at the budget has been flat for several years.
The National Science Foundation is growing.
If you look at the University of Rochester in general, we have seen our outside research support reach 359 in 2007.
It is a very important area.
>> We say it is one of the leading universities, what criteria?
>> The 62 leading research universities are part of what is called the American Association of universities.
If you look at how well we do in medical research, the National institutes of Health, we came in 26 overall last year.
In some areas, we're one of the leading programs in the country, like the Institute of optics, for example.
>> If you ran across someone in a coffee shop and you have two minutes to talk about your research highlights, what would you tell them?
>> I would focus on John Trainer and the fact that the medical discovery of the year was in part based upon the work he did, commercializing a bird flu vaccine.
I would focus on the first cervical cancer vaccine.
In a very different sense, I would focus on new facilities.
The cancer center opened on May 15.
On May 16, the most efficient Laser of its type was opened at our laser laboratory.
We can figure out a way to actually create fusion.
It has been a long, long challenge we are pursuing.
I would focus on a new cardiovascular Research Institute.
I would focus on the new clinical sciences building, which the state in New York devoted $50 million to work on a building.
It is an area that we think we can provide vital applied research, and focus on delivering it to patients who need care in our society.
>> People may be surprised to know that there are medical efforts going on at the University of Rochester.
What other kinds of things that people may be surprised to hear about?
>> We are a comprehensive university.
If you look at the Eastman School of Music, and among other things, we have the leading organ program in North America.
We have been working on recreating some of the world's greatest organs and installing them in the county court Memorial Art Gallery.
In education, we're focusing on preschool science education.
We have one of the leading experts on Pentecostalism.
Frequently on NPR and other programs, we have a commentator in that field.
A young geologist is doing the kind of research -- She is focusing on why some mountains pop up so quickly.
She has done a study of the Bolivian Andes working with colleagues at Cal Tech.
They have discovered that mountains do not grow at a steady rate.
Every so often they will double in height.
That may sound like a fascinating tidbit, but it turns out it has very significant implications for climate and evolution.
Her work will help us better understand these things.
We hear about it in the news from time to time every once in awhile we have a tsunami or some unpleasant disturbance of that kind.
>> The sub research efforts.
It is easy for anything in politics to be a target.
How important is it for the community to understand the benefits of some of these research projects and how can a fully comprehend it, given the nature of the research.
>> Let me give you an illustration that I think is a useful one.
We have 78 scientists at the University of Rochester focusing on a stem cell research.
One of them, Craig Jordan is cancer cell research focused.
He is potentially doing work that could lead to a cure or therapy for what previously was often and still occasionally is a fatal disease.
This is the kind of research that is much more common in our medical centers.
We have researchers like David Williams, who have focused on what we called adaptive optics.
We use telescopes and discover their implications for the human eye addressing a series of blinding, and helping improve lenses for those who use various forms of corrected vision.
Most research done at the university is either basic research which helps us better understand the field, or is directly helping people.
>> A lot of research to the untrained eye that may seem frivolous is not frivolous.
There are important implications.
Is it a battle to get the public to understand and therefore support the research?
>> In a time when people are hurting in the economy and when there are other needs, we always have to make the best possible case and work very hard at it.
I want to say something that does not get said often enough to.
This community has been enormously supportive of efforts to create a great research university that focuses on ways we can stimulate employment, job creation, the arts, and our culture.
I'm very grateful to the Rochester community for the support they provided to the cancer center.
This is almost all support that has come from the local area from thousands of individuals.
The theater renovation and expansion project -- this is a way of strengthening downtown Rochester.
This support came because the community cares and understands these projects and takes time to support them.
Oftentimes, when you try to understand the kind of research, it is very simple to distinguish basic research, which is research that is for the sake of knowledge, compared to applied knowledge.
That cannot occur unless you have done the basic research first.
For so many people that are drawn to a career in academia or an experience as a student, they want to understand the world.
The basic understanding, whether it is focusing on the atom, focusing on what music is, it is the start of all that we teach in research.
>> THAT is Joel Seligman, president of the University of Rochester.
Now we have a little bit of our own research.
This is by no means comparable to what is happening at the University of Rochester.
We found out the information behind the famed blues brothers act.
That is said to be inspired by none other than Downchild, one of Canada's leading bands.
Joining me now is Donnie downtown walsh.
You have to tell us the story.
I know you have probably told of a million times.
>> WHEN we started in Toronto, we played at a bar.
We had a gig that we played once a week.
Dan Aykroyd and his troupe played with Gilda and they did theater.
Theater gets out at 11:00 at night.
The bars get out later.
They all came out and watched the band, hanging out.
Dan had in after hours club.
After we were finished, we would go to his after-hours club.
Eventually, he met up with John Belushi in New York city.
He was from Chicago.
They had Downchild records.
And they ended up playing Downchild music.
>> AND the rest is history.
Before have you play a little bit, your biography refers to a Sweet 16 party were your first introduced to blues music.
What is it about this style of music that grabs you and has kept doing it for so long?
This band has been together in some form for about 40 years now?
>> 39.
>> What is it?
>> It is hard to explain.
I was thinking about it recently.
How excited I was when I heard the style of music.
It was really exciting.
I remember that I heard Jimmy Reed and I went off the deep end.
After that, I was hunting down blues music like crazy.
This was in Toronto.
There was a little bit of blues music, but it was hard to find in the record stores.
I used to go to Buffalo to the record stores.
One time I lived in Ontario.
I went to Detroit.
>> Can you describe what it is about?
The?
>> I cannot describe it.
It is something that drives you crazy.
It is probably like people that like to crawl around in case.
>> I do not get that either.
>> I just love the music.
It makes me feel good.
It makes me feel really good.
>> CAN we hear a little bit of it?
>> Sure.
>> WHAT are you going to play?
>> THE harmonica.
>> I know that.
What are you going to play?
Are you going to make something up?
>> That was great.
That was very good.
You have a whole band that plays.
You do most of the writing and the producing of the music.
Your most recent album, I'm guessing it is this one.
Tell me about the venue.
It was pretty special for you to record there, wasn't it?
>> IT was one of the old dance halls from way back.
I'm sure they have one in this town, or had one.
A lot of them were down by the lake.
This one is in Toronto.
It's a beautiful venue to play in.
>> It is all wood.
>> A lot of wood.
They have sharpened it up a little bit.
It is still there.
It is a wooden dance hall.
>> In this day where there is a "American idol" and there is some digital enhancing going on, and there is not on this album.
You just took which recorded and put it on a record.
>> That is it.
It is almost easy.
>> Your band has received so many awards.
What do you think is the most memorable moment for you with this band?
>> There have been a few.
That is a tough one.
There has been a lot of different things that have happened over the years.
I do not know.
There's nothing that --
>> Enough to make it stick with it professionally, and for another 40 years maybe?
>> Check back with me.
>> OK.
Thank you very much for joining us, donnie walsh.
WXXI am 1370 is featuring interviews with the artists, fans, and behind the scenes folks every weekend on All Things considered.
WXXI is offering a lot of other programs and events connected to the jazz festival.
For a full listing, go to our website, WXXI.org/jazzfest.
It is time for the business section with the "democrat and chronicle."
>> Matt Daneman joins us now from the "democrat and chronicle."
The CEO of Xerox Ann Mulcahy held their first ever community event in Rochester this week.
Kind of wining and dining community leaders.
Take a look.
>> FIRST I wanted to host a special event with Rochester leaders tonight.
It is really to highlight our presence in Rochester and our connection with the community.
And really focus on the fact this has been a relationship that has served as both well for a very long time.
We're not announcing anything, no news today.
This truly is about talking about this very deep relationship that we have had with Rochester.
It would be fair to say, through thick and thin.
We really want to thank our partners and our customers and our colleagues who contribute to Xerox's success every day.
The timing is good, as well.
We are a company that is really on the threshold of a period of growth.
>> YOU can see her entire address to the media on our website, WXXI.org.
This was sort of a very unusual event.
What do you think?
It has never been held before.
>> IT is an interesting approach.
There were not there to announce anything.
It was all about wining and dining and solidifying the ties with the community, which is interesting approach given that is the fourth largest employer in the Rochester area.
It is not a castle on the hill sort of thing.
>> THIS is a global company.
I cannot remember how many locations.
>> 160 countries around the world they do business in.
This is the model of a multinational corporation.
>> WHAT is your take?
Why this pushed to make clear the connection between the company and the community?
>> It is pure speculation on my part.
What may be reflected is that you would not have seen this five years ago because Xerox was in dire financial straits.
What you see today, and when you see Ann Mulcahy, you see a company and a CEO that are confident.
They're not playing catch-up tidbit their books have been good for a number of quarters.
They're now profitable company.
Now is the time that they can stretch there might a little bit and not have to be on the defensive.
That is a reflection of what this was.
>> LET'S move on to American packaging company.
>> It is another company not singing the blues right now.
It is a packaging company that does packaging for a lot of consumer products.
What they did this week is announce a fairly sizable expansion, $9.3 million.
Not chump change by any means.
It will represent 25 new jobs over the next three years.
It is a nice bit of a manufacturing good news for the city.
It is an all-around nice little success story.
>> What do they credit their success to?
>> They are in a really good market.
Packaging is a big, big business.
According to the CEO, he says their business philosophy is investing in the company.
They have spent $100 million in the last 10 years and facilities in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Rochester.
This is just more of the philosophy of plugging in new technology and investing in your core business so it continues to grow.
>> WHAT kind of jobs?
>> PRIMARILY production, full-time sorts of jobs.
A few support people, but mostly people working on the lines with equipment and machinery.
>> CONSOLATION brands is always a buying things.
This week they sold something.
>> This company is singing the blues a little bit.
I cannot stop.
Constellation has had its most recent fiscal year -- it was not so hot.
They lost $600 million.
So far this year, they sold off a number of properties.
They have sold off a number of brands on the West coast.
Earlier this year, they sold off another well-known brand for $130 million.
They're trying to raise cash so they do not have to borrow so much.
>> Thank you very much for coming in today, Matt Daneman, business reporter for "Democrat and Chonricle."
New York now has an interview with David Paterson this week.
You can tune in to WXXI on Sunday at 6:30 for that interview.
I'm Julie Philipp.
We leave you now with the sounds of Downchild.
Have a great week.
It's been so long since I felt like clapping my hands
Its been so long since I felt like clapping my hands, but I just cannot help but when I hear the band.
It's been so long
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