Talking Cities With Matt Enstice

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 communities. Oh, and what it's like to turn down Facebook.

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 medicine.  

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 behalf of this issue. 

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 modes; and the importance of government providing resources & funding for maintenance of existing facilities and how the private sector can support this work. 

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 at the table; and providing the freedom to challenge old assumptions.

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.

Matt talks with Clara Miller, President of the F.B. Heron Foundation, about Heron’s leadership in shining a light on the need for impact investing alongside mission investing; how asset managers and corporations are responding to millennials and why it’s important; and why the old Girl Scout adage "leave the campsite better than we found it" still applies.

Matt talks with Su Sanni, co-founder of We Did It, a software platform that helps nonprofits fundraise online, about getting bit by the entrepreneur bug in college; growing up as a first generation Nigerian American; and the surreal experience of waking up one winter morning to find himself on the cover of Black Enterprise.

Hear from Norma Nowak, entrepreneur, scientist, innovator and director of UB's NYS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences. Norma talks about the road that led her to founding Empire Genomics, a spin out company from research developed at Roswell Park Cancer Institute; the critical role her research played in the Human Genome Project; and how the advancement of technology has accelerated the genomics field in ways she couldn't have imagined.

In this episode, Matt talks with Dr. Samina Raja, Principal Investigator of the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University at Buffalo, about her work with one of the largest USDA grants for food systems research, Growing Food Connections; how she’s married urban planning and public health in her profession and the lessons local governments can learn from this type of collaboration; and how refugees in Buffalo are impacted by their food environments.

Matt speak 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.

Matt talks with Anne Wadsworth, social innovator and co-founder of @thewholegirl. GEC is piloting a community-led initiative in Kitenga, Tanzania, that supports the transformative power of education to enable young women to become catalysts for change in their communities. They touch on the importance in civic engagement in this international effort and using technology to build a school halfway around the world.

Matt talks with Robby Takac, co-founder of the Goo Goo Dolls, about the not-for-profit organization he founded that encourages kids through music, the “end of your arm” philosophy to improving communities, seeing the country with @RoadsideAmerica, and why he built a recording studio in his hometown of Buffalo, NY.

Matt & Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown talk about their experience with CityLab, the impact of the growing immigrant & refugee population to Buffalo’s revitalization, driving development through the city's new "Green Code,” sharing ideas with other mayors across the country, and his love of @FlamingFish food truck.