partnership@work

Ballast Water Policy Change - HUGE Advocacy Victory

Any idea what ballast water is? Or why there's been an enormous debate over it the past several years across the Great Lakes states, with New York at it's center?

The majority of people we come into contact with don't have answers to those questions, and for many the topic isn't even remotely on their radar screen. For the trade, logistics and shipping industries, the subject of ballast water is central to their existence.

Simply put, ballast water is fresh or salts water that is held in tanks and cargo holds of ships to increase stability and maneuverability during transit. Since the water generally comes from one body of water and is released in another, there are understandably environmental issues of concern in ballast discharge. As a result, strict regulations have been placed on ballast discharge throughout the Great Lakes region - with no regulations more strict than New York's. Our state's regulations, established in 2008, were so strict that the shipping industry consistently pointed out that the technology to meet the restrictions has not even been invented yet.

For the past several years, the Partnership and the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition have lobbied for New York to adopt a federal standard for regulating ballast water discharge. The state-by-state approach to regulating the shipping industry has been a tremendous hindrance to Great Lakes shipping and commerce, and New York since 2008 has received tremendous pressure from other states in the region and from Canada - New York's policy applied to ships traveling through our waters toward ports in other states. As a result, the Partnership pushed for change in New York's ballast water regulations to be a key policy request in the WNY Regional Council's five-year plan.

Credit to Governor Cuomo, he listened. Today we received word that the New York's Department of Environmental Conservation would at least for the time being be relaxing its aggressive policy stance on ballast water to the achievable federal standard. This is a huge victory for the Great Lakes economy, and we appreciate the Governor's leadership on the issue - as well as Senator Mark Grisanti's.

This is also a big victory, if not the most glamorous, for our advocacy team! Serving on a coalition of chambers of commerce from throughout the Great Lakes region, we've taken a beating (even if it's always been good-natured ribbing over dinner, we knew there was truth to it) over New York being the stickler on the issue. We're especially proud to bring this one home.

Overnight E-mails

Partnership followers know that we're constantly working to fix the little issues that hold businesses back in our area. Our work to achieve a big picture impact involves sustained attention to sometimes-unexciting details, and can often go overlooked.

I'm sharing an e-mail we woke up to this morning about our involvement with Unshackle Upstate. UU was born in our offices and has since grown to become a bi-partisan coalition of 80+ organizations representing upwards of 70,000 companies and employing more than 1.5 million people.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank your organization for the good work it is doing in its attempt to improve the business and living environment in this state. I firmly believe that the type of government reforms you are pushing for will reduce the burden on taxpayers without having to destroy services. There is still alot of good things about this state including our great education system, health care, public safety services and the vast array of quality of life services and it should not have to be a choice between great services and affordable taxes. We CAN do and MUST have both and I believe that the type of REFORMS that your organization is promoting will allow that to happen.

I also want to let you know that apparently your message is starting to be heard and followed by many elected officials and politicians around the state. A friend just sent me some information about the mayor of Jamestown, the town that I was born and raised in, who sounds like he is singing right out of your choir book. Even as a Democrat he is pushing for alot of the same government reforms that Unshackle is advocating, which will reduce costs and still preserve our good services. His recent "State of the City" speech is a good example where the last portion of it hits on alot of your major priorities like the retirement system and the various labor laws that are dragging this state down the hole.

His speech can be found on the Jamestown web site, www.jamestownny.net. Check it out, you might be just as encouraged as I was.

Thank you again for the good work you are doing.

Keep it up.

Letters like this help us maintain our focus as we dig into complex issues like pension reform, mandate relief, energy siting, funding of public entities, and federal bills, and we hope they help you understand that your involvement in the Partnership is critical to our long term success.

A challenge for our readers on this Friday morning heading into a long (for some of us!) weekend: Click through to thePartnership.org, review what we're working on, and commit yourself to getting involved. Our "events" page is a great place to start.

New Life for Old Buildings - Genesee Gateway

Buffalo's stock of older buildings represent some of our greatest challenges - and our greatest opportunities. As a part of our mission to advance our regional economy, the Partnership embraces our urban fabric and works hard to find smart solutions for space from the past.

That's why we recently completed our Buffalo Building Reuse Project, and it's part of the reason why our Annual HobNob & CEO Silent Auction event is headed to to the Larkin Center of Commerce- the largest building in Buffalo's resurgent Larkinville neighborhood- on February 28th. The LCC's industrial past is in the process of transition to a mixed use, high end future.

As we approach the HobNob & CEO Silent Auction, I'm posting a number of before & after shots of recently converted buildings around our region. Join us for the HobNob to see the results at 701 Seneca St on the 28th.

Today's before and after shots are right around the corner from the Partnership offices at Genesee Gateway.

We've seen what's possible, and on the 28th, we'll see what's next.

New Life for Old Buildings - Larkinville

As we approach the HobNob & CEO Silent Auction, I'll post a number of before & after shots of recently converted buildings around our region. Join us for the HobNob to see the results at 701 Seneca St.

First up is Larkin@Exchange, home to First Niagara, Travers Collins, and several other Partnership members.

Larkin@Exchange happens to be across the Street from the 2012 HobNob at the Larkin Center of Commerce.

Come see what's possible there.

See you on the 28th.

Supporting Pension Reform in NYS

On behalf of our 2,500 employer members, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership urges the New York State Legislature to support Governor Cuomo’s Tier VI pension reform plan given that the proposal will provide relief to overburdened business owners, taxpayers, school districts and municipalities across the state by saving more than $120 billion over the next 30 years.

New York holds the dubious distinction of the second most costly pension burden in the nation – taxpayers pay on average $574 each year to help cover the cost of public pensions. With mandatory contributions by the state for public pensions increasing 300 percent since 2004 and a projected increase from its current level at $1.5 billion to $2 billion in 2014 – if left unchecked, this fiscal burden will cripple the state’s next generation of taxpayers.

To stave off this crisis, Governor Cuomo has a proactive plan that would not affect current employees, and would still offer a defined benefits system for the future workforce as well as the opportunity to enroll in a 401K-style retirement account.

The Governor’s commonsense pension reform proposal enjoys support across the state. According to a recent Siena College Poll, “more than two-thirds of voters – including a majority of voters from union households – support the Governor’s proposal to create a new pension tier for future government employees, requiring them to make larger contributions to their retirement plans and saving employers money. It is overwhelmingly supported by voters from every party and region.”

From SUNY institutions, to local governments, to school districts, to public health care institutions, there is an explosion of personnel expenses to cover the pensions and benefits of retirees; expenses which often are in excess of the costs of current employees. The Partnership asks the New York State Legislature to address this crisis by joining with the Governor to implement a new pension tier for all new employees. The impact is long term, but it's enormous – it’s an opportunity to fix our state’s unsustainable pension system and provide long overdue tax relief for New Yorkers.

partnership@work in the Southern Tier

Working at the Partnership means getting to work on behalf of employers all across the Buffalo Niagara region on diverse issues that affect many people. Sometimes, the work is longer term, behind-the-scenes and goes unnoticed.

In yesterday's Buffalo News, a story appeared about the NYS Department of Transportation getting started on emergency repairs to the broken Rt. 219 bridge over Cattaraugus Creek. It's great news for businesses in the area, who depend on that route for customers.

Last year, several of our partners asked us for help with a situation where the State Department of Transportation was trying to turn that 219 bridge, knowingly in need of repair, over to Erie and Cattaraugus Counties, leaving them with the bill - an expense they didn't have the cash for (can anyone say "unfunded mandate"?). Remember, last year the state was also in the process of passing a property tax cap which would have further impaired the County's ability to afford the bridge. The Counties' response? If the state turned over the bridge, they would close it.

Enter Partnership staffers - we intervened with Governor Cuomo and days later an announcement came that the state would maintain ownership of the bridge. While our focus is regional, we often partner with our area's smaller chambers - from Amherst to Warsaw - when they don't have the resources to take a project on.

Now fast forward a year. Bridge restoration has now been granted “emergency” status, and it will reopen in April. Which is great news - the bill goes to NYS, which can afford it, while local commuters, shoppers, and business people get the infrastructure they rely upon and deserve.

All in a day’s work.

Connecting People And Growing Companies

In a few weeks, we'll host the 2012 HobNob & CEO Silent Auction at the Larkin Center of Commerce.

The HobNob is our area's most impressive networking event of the year, and the CEO Silent Auction offers the opportunity to connect with 14 of the most impressive business leaders on our region. As a part of the event, you can place nominal bids on the opportunity to get business ideas or career advice from the folks who run Alliance Advisory Group, Visit Buffalo Niagara, The John R. Oishei Foundation, Rich Products, Sonwil Distribution, Catholic Health, Erie Community College, Performance Management Partners, First Niagara, Roswell Park, Kaleida Health,Try-It Distributing, Univera Healthcare, and Merchants Insurance Group.

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time on the phone with Kamdon Flaherty, an entrepreneur who started Carrier Dynamics in 2009 to help mid size companies save money on their telecom needs. He “won” Tim Tevins, President & CEO of Columbus McKinnon last year.

"I had reservations on bidding on something like that, and had to fight it out with another guy," Kamdon told me. "(Tim) was good enough to take both of us!"

They met at Columbus McKinnon's corporate offices, where Tevins turned his phone off, closed the door, and asked Kamdon how he could be of help.

"My company was only two years old," Kamdon said, "and I wanted to understand Columbus McKinnon’s buying processes. He gave me feedback on my mission statement and elevator speech. I redesigned my website 30 days later with his input. He gave me a keen insight into the C-suite and helped me understand how I should structure my business."

Kamdon thought he would gage the meeting’s success on whether or not Tevins took another meeting. He has, and he continues to be a huge help.

People like to say that Buffalo Niagara is a place where who you know matters in a big way. Kamdon took his young company's fate into his own hands, and he's all the better for it.

2012 HobNob & CEO Silent Auction - register online

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012
5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Larkin Center of Commerce
701 Seneca St., 8th Fl.
Buffalo, NY 14210