By Emily Hessney Lynch.
Published December 29, 2016.
It’s been a hell of a year, Rochester. We’re so glad you came along on this journey with us! We started 2016 as just a tiny, personal project, a small seed planted in the internet by our founder, Maria Gorre. The website was revamped. We started doing Instagram takeovers. And damn, did things take off from there! We’ve been so thrilled at the response we’ve been getting. We are all about generating positivity and sharing good vibes about Rochester, and so many people have been so excited to share their stories with us so we can share them with you. Thank you.
We’ve interviewed so many fascinating individuals this year. From hikers to artists, from students to restaurateurs, entrepreneurs and explorers. It’s been a blast!
In 2016, our team started to grow too. First, we were joined by Emma Daitz, then Taylor Wroblewski, then Emily Hessney. Though Emma and Taylor stepped down from the project later on due to other commitments and busy schedules, their contributions were invaluable!
Some of you may not know, so we’ll offer you a little sneak-peek inside I Heart ROC:
Emily, our Social Media Coordinator, is our boots on the ground. She conducts all the interviews, most of them IRL, all over Rochester at various awesome coffee shops. Emily is the one you’re talking to if you’re tweeting us, or Facebooking, or leaving comments on the ‘gram.
Maria, our Founder, hearts ROC from afar. She moved to San Francisco last year, but is still heavily involved in our rapidly-growing project. Maria does our graphic and web design. Those purple quotes? Yup, those are her. Those dope stickers? Yup, also Maria. Yes, the buttons too.
You can read more about the two of us here. And if you’re interested in helping out in any capacity or being featured on the site, head right this way. Oh, and you’d like stickers? Shop here.
We <3 you and we <3 ROC. Thanks for all your support in 2016. See you in 2017.
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