Talking Cities with Matt Enstice And Friends

Matt talks with Sam Marrazzo, the BNMC's new Chief Innovation Officer. Sam talks about why he sees himself as a connector of technology, people, and places. He also touches on how being stationed on the U.S.S. Independence kicked off his career in technology; the importance of strong university alignment to drive innovation within cities; his longtime partnership with Topcoder; and why we should a...

In this episode, we say a special goodbye to Michelle Levitt, founder of Too Much Neon, the podcasting business that took ground at BNMC's Innovation Center. Michelle is moving back home to St. Louis, MI to continue her career at Heil Sound, the family-owned business she's spent the past 13 years. Michelle talks about her experience moving to Buffalo and what it was like as an entrepreneur who sta...

Matt talks with Dean Seavers, Executive Director of National Grid US, an international electricity and gas company. Dean talks about his role leading the company's 15,000 employees across the northeastern US, the importance of advocating for their customers, and what it will take to get to a clean energy future.  Matt and Dean also highlight the longtime partnership between National Grid and the B...

Matt talks with Dean Seavers, Executive Director of National Grid US, an international electricity and gas company. Dean talks about his role leading the company's 15,000 employees across the northeastern US, the importance of advocating for their customers, and what it will take to get to a clean energy future.  Matt and Dean also highlight the longtime partnership between National Grid and the B...

In this episode, Matt talks with University at Buffalo President, Satish Tripathi, about how a UB education prepares students to respond to community needs and global issues; the research that UB is conducting that is making an impact locally and around the world; and the University's efforts to attract millennial learners to campus and keep them here in Western New York.

Today we're highlighting Candace Johnson, CEO of Roswell Park Cancer Institute, who was recently named #1 of the Power 100 ranking by Buffalo Business First. In this episode, Candace talks with Matt about their innovative partnership with Cuba, the surprising ease of recruiting stellar researchers & physicians to Buffalo, Roswell's role as an economic driver for the region, and why patients should...

Matt talks with Dr. Adnan Siddiqui about how rebellion and family experiences led him to become a world-renowned neurosurgeon; growing up & training in Pakistan; and the incredible partnerships and medical innovation happening right here in Buffalo.

In this episode, Matt talks with Landscape Architect, Joy Kuebler, about the nonprofit she started called Popup Park Buffalo that encourages kids through play; Joy's definition of 'placemaking' and how to create communities of value for everyone from ages 8 to 80; and what her ideal place would look and feel like. 

Matt talks with Leslie Zemsky, Director of Fun for Larkin Square, a dynamic public space in Buffalo, NY. Dubbed " Larkinville ," the neighborhood became a true destination when Leslie and her family began developing the area that, in the late 1800s, was home to the Larkin Soap Company , a mail-order conglomerate that was the Amazon of its day. Leslie talks about the common sense component of place...

We're throwing it back this week to an episode we released earlier this year featuring Buffalo's #1 Ambassador, Mayor Tony Masiello.  Matt talks with Tony about the opportunities and challenges that elected officials face in transforming cities. They discuss what led Tony to develop creative solutions to the difficult economic situation facing Buffalo during the 80s and 90s, much like many other R...

Linda Hunt, CEO of Dignity Health Arizona, visited the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus last week on a benchmarking trip with the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce where we invited her as a guest on Talking Cities. On the show, Linda discusses opportunities in Phoenix to leverage Dignity Health, as well as challenges facing the area and other southwestern cities. A nurse with aspirations to lead f...

Matt talks with Mike Morris, CEO @TopCoder, about going from a developer to an entrepreneur; starting the number one community of software developers on the planet more than 15 years ago; TopCoder's model of assigning co-pilots to help find solutions to complex problems; and the explosion of the gig economy to support the TopCoder community.

In this special 1-hour episode, Matt has a conversation with Bishop Tommy Reid and Pastor William Gillison about the role of the church in reviving cities; how technology and the media have changed ministry through the years; and what the two pastors with over 100 years of ministry have to say for our listeners about fulfilling your dreams and sustaining hope.     

Mehrdad Yazdani, founder of Yazdani Studio at CannonDesign, talks about growing up in Iran and seeing the movement of people from towns and villages to the country's capital, Tehran; the inspiration behind the Gates Vascular Institute and the impact of creating purposeful collisions; and his thoughts on technologies that will disrupt cities the most.

Michael Weiner, President & CEO of the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, talks with Matt about the role of the United Way as both a world-wide network as well as a leader within local communities; his view of the working poor and racial inequity as systemic problems faced across the country; driving data by zip code; and why his organization has found success in digital fundraising.

Matt talks with Gregg Mojica, Chief Technology Officer of Gradology, about life as a software engineer and serial entrepreneur at age 18. They talk about "gamifying" education to improve student grades, how Gregg's motivation to have his name in the app store while in high school pushed him to create a number of apps, and his role as a blogger for AppCoda, one of the leading iOS programming commun...

Dr. Nick Hopkins talks about the moment he learned the meaning of entrepreneurship and how developing new technologies has enriched his neurosurgical career; the outcome of cross-specialty experts coming together from around the world to share their successes and failures and how these collisions inspired the Gates Vascular Institute "club sandwich" design; and his outlook on the future of medicin...

Matt talks with Congressman Brian Higgins about the role of the federal government in finding new ways to finance infrastructure; social media igniting people around the world in the face of repressive regimes; the importance of the Great Lakes and waterways; and the celebration of location he sees in many cities.

Episode 28 // May 2, 2017// Matt talks with Vincent Stanley, director of philosophy for Patagonia, about what prompted the creation of such a socially-conscious company, the importance of sharing what they learned, how technology has impacted the industry, and why telling people "don't buy this jacket" was such a big deal.

Eva Hassett, Executive Director of the International Institute of Buffalo, talks about her love for Rust Belt cities and how she went from a career in government to leading a refugee resettlement agency; the economic impact that refugees and immigrants have on a city and how they're reversing population decline; and her vision for leaders at all levels to work collaboratively and strategically on...

Justin Booth, Executive Director of GObike Buffalo talks about the role infrastructure has in behavior change and how it helps facilitates an active living mindset in communities; the future of transportation and the opportunities and challenges of a society reliant on autonomous vehicles; how technology influences our ability to get around by improving accessibility & convenience of different mod...

George Chouman, CEO of ACV Auctions, talks to Matt about learning the essentials of business from his parents at a young age; why he left Synacor, Inc., a multi-million dollar company to lead ACV Auctions and pursue his passion for startups; and how he's able to give back the mentorship he once received as a young entrepreneur through his involvement with Launch NY. 

Matt talks with Roseanne Haggerty, President of Community Solutions , a not-for-profit organization based in New York City that works to end homelessness and the conditions that cause it. She highlights specific projects in Hartford , Brownsville (Brooklyn) and Times Square; their role in helping communities reorganize the way they work; building high-performing command centers with the full team...

Matt and Joanne Lee, Collaborative Learning Director for Active Living by Design, talk about keeping your feet on the ground while working on a national scale; local elected officials setting the tone to transform communities; social media lifting community voices; and the importance of carving out time to learn.   

Matt talks with designer & futurist Chris Cowart about the impact of technology in on city planning and staying ahead of disruption; practical application of the importance of reverse mentoring; humanizing medical technologies; the importance of engaging youth in emerging sports, and much more.