Annual Report to Members

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This morning was the Partnership's 2007 Annual Report to Members and Honoring Excellence awards presentation in the beautifully-restored Asbury Hall at the Church. The Annual Report focused on the ways in which we collaborate with our strategic partners in order to move forward the Partnership's mission of expanding private sector jobs and investments in the Buffalo Niagara region. 

Most of our collaborative relationships fall into four categories..

1. Those intended to stimulate investment and jobs in target industry clusters

Life sciences, advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, back office/financial services and logistics: these industries have been identified as our target industry clusters because they are growing and our region can - if we have our act together - capture more than our share of that growth. Our target industry collaborations include working with the former Health Care Industries Association (HCIA) and BuffLink to create our Life Sciences Industry Council; and our alliance with various local and statewide organizations to create the NYSTAR Regional Partnership. We continue to work extensively with the Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA) to develop economic development strategies for all of our five targeted sectors.


2. Those intended to target economic development tools to maximize "smart" growth policies and practices

The partnership we have created over the past several years with Erie and Niagara Counties in the development of the Framework for Regional Growth has been an exciting one, and we are pleased that in recent months, both counties' legislatures have approved the plan. The Framework, as you know, is a blueprint to support county and regional government decisions regarding development, and can only be effective when that collaboration is extended to all stakeholders - cities, towns and villages within the two counties, which is where advocacy now takes us. 

Stemming wholly from a collaboration - of Upstate business organizations - the Unshackle Upstate campaign is an initiative that our members should be both excited about and proud of. Its impact is real - on workers' compensation, for example, Unshackle Upstate advocated for increasing benefits, while capping the length of time for which injured workers could receive compensation. In March, the state approved reform that does just that, and employer costs - which are among the highest in the country - will be reduced by 10 to 15 percent with savings to grow over time. The collaboration (especially with its results) has re-energized our membership in important and inspiring ways.all focused upon important measures to improve the business climate all across Upstate New York.


3. Those intended to intensify advocacy efforts necessary to achieve 1&2

Each year, we collaborate with Erie and Niagara counties, as well as the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls for completion of annual economic development priorities agenda for state and federal elected officials. In addition, we have partnered with you, business leaders of Buffalo Niagara, to raise over $500,000 to invest in the NOW campaign, which contains, among many advocacy components, the coalition-driven Unshackle Upstate campaign, as well as the effort to protect perhaps our greatest asset - our international border and bi-national economy - through working with the Binational Tourism Alliance, Business for Economic Security, Tourism & Trade (BESTT) Coalition, and Canadian Counsel General.


4. Those intended to deliver meaningful programs and services to small, minority, and women-owned businesses

Finally, but certainly not least, is our ability to create partnerships within our membership - through programs such as our Small Business Procurement and Diversity Supplier Programs, as well as our wildly-popular Woman-to-Woman Mentoring Program. We've also been able to broaden involvement in the Partnership's member programs by partnering with other chambers of commerce on specific programs and events, such as our health insurance or Twist networking events.


Four types of collaborations. All pointed to the Partnership's mission of expanding private sector jobs and investments in the Buffalo Niagara region, but each with its own set of expectations and results - and opportunities to get involved. Our member companies employ nearly 200,000 people. Imagine how this region's economic development would benefit from more collaborations and a louder voice from a significant percentage of them. 

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Also at this morning's event were awards to two members and one of our Unshackle Upstate partners who have embraced this collaborative spirit toward strengthening the Upstate business environment. They are:

HONORING EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Tom Stewart, President & COO, Gaymar, Inc.
The last president of the board of the Health Care Industry Association (HCIA), Tom Steward championed the merger of that organization with the Partnership. His dedication continues, as he currently serves as Partnership's Life Science Industry Council's founding chair. In addition to his leadership in life sciences, Tom also serves on the Partnership's Board of Directors.

Stephen Zenger, President, The Zenger Group
Stephen Zenger's assistance and in-kind contributions include countless individual acts of generosity that have built up over the years into mammoth support for improving the future of Buffalo Niagara's economy. Although he is a member of the board, serves on the Executive Committee, and is active on the Government Affairs Council.that barely begins to describe all he does for our organization. .  In no particular order, he's involved with, and an ardent supporter of, the Unshackle Upstate campaign, general campaign-related activities, event promotional materials, printed directories.and much, much more.

Rochester Business Alliance
The Rochester Business Alliance co-founded Unshackle Upstate with the Partnership in 2006.  Under the leadership of its President & CEO Sandy Parker the RBA has worked hand-in-hand with us to grow this critical coalition from two Western New York organizations to over 60 business and trade groups throughout Upstate. 

Sincerely,

Andrew J. Rudnick
President & CEO