Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Dear Gov. Cuomo: Put Pen to Paper

Today, Partnership staff got word that the Historic Preservation Tax Credit Increase legislation (S6134) sponsored by NYS Senator Mark Grisanti was sent to Governor Cuomo.  By law, Governor Cuomo has 10 days to sign or veto the legislation, but what the Governor's position is has been a well kept secret.

The Partnership has been a long supporter of this issue, and our Buffalo Building Re-Use Project has labeled it as a priority for economic development in downtown Buffalo.  Increasing the tax credit from $5 - $12 million would lead to larger, more dynamic projects starting, finishing, and creating jobs.  Downtown Buffalo has been basking in the overwhelming success of a revitalized Hotel @ the Lafayette and Statler City, and this legislation would be the catalyst to additional exciting projects like the old AM&A’s department store on Main Street and the redevelopment of Millard Fillmore Hospital at Gates Circle.  The Buffalo News recently ran an editorial detailing the benefits of this legislation, read it here.

Over the next 10 days, Partnership staff will be urging Governor Cuomo to sign S6134 into law via social media, emails, and discussions with staff, and the more Partnership members (and the community as a whole) that remind the Governor how important this legislation is to Buffalo Niagara, the better.  Join us by emailing Governor Cuomo via our voterVOICE campaign, Facebooking and Tweeting him your support and reminding him how important this issue is for economic development in Buffalo Niagara!

If you have any questions, or would like to get more involved in our efforts, email me.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Results Roadshow postponed from 10/30/12

As we prepare for Sandy, we'll be postponing the October 30th installment in our Results Roadshow series on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.  Stay tuned to our events page as we identify a new date for this event.  Thank you!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

An open letter to Buffalo Niagara Partnership member investors - YOU are the Buffalo Niagara Partnership

Coming on the heels of our Annual Report to members, our staff is very proud of this editorial in the Buffalo News… and you should be too!

Why? Because you are the Buffalo Niagara Partnership.
       
While Partnership staff get the "glam" of wearing the Partnership name tag everywhere we go, it is Partnership investors that give us our marching orders and provide the credibility and expertise we need to get the job done.
          
As we look at the past year, take these numbers into account:

34 – the number of Partnership members, led by Ben Obletz, James Morrell, Christina Orsi, and Bob Shibley, who completed the Buffalo BuildingReuse Project, which analyzed downtown's office capacity and made recommendations, which have changed the downtown development conversations and received $11.25 million in funding from Mayor Brown.

11- the number of years Partnership volunteers, staff, and paid advisors, were led by Dennis Elsenbeck of National Grid, to pass legislation thatnow ties hydropower proceeds to economic development projects in our region.

7 – the number of Partnership directors, past and present, who put countless hours into the Regional Economic Development Council process, winning $100.3MMfor our region and setting the table for the Governor’s “$1 billion for Buffalo” promise.

11 – the number of Partnership members on our Manufacturers Council leadership team, which crafted a plan to create a skilled worker pipeline and lobbied successfully to fund the Dream It, Do It program through the Regional Council.  Dream It, Do It will connect highschoolers with attainable career paths in advanced manufacturing – both creating and filling jobs in our region. 

17 – the number of Partnership members on our Can-Am Council, which is leading the regional discussion on how we can best mitigate the sting of the Canadian Consulate closing, and move forward in a way that leverages our bi-national location for economic growth. 

20 – the number of employer investors who made financial commitments to the Partnership’s Regional Stewardship initiatives, which increase the clout of Buffalo Niagara employers at all levels of government, as we advocate for job growth and increased regional development. 

102 – the number of Partnership member companies that took time in the past 12 months to meet with our staff at their facilities to address their workforce, growth plans, and physical space needs.  These meetings provided our staff opportunities to generate immediate results for Partnership investors, and cater our actions to better meet member needs.  

35 – the number of young professionals serving in various leadership roles within our Buffalo Niagara 360 program, which hosted more attendees at events in the past year than any year prior. 

5,000 – the number of e-mails sent by Partnership investors to elected officials in New York State, with the goal of eliminating budget language that would have severely threatened the future stability of Roswell Park Cancer Institute.  Responding to the loud and unified voice of the Buffalo Niagara employer community, Governor Cuomo removed the language from the budget. 

2,500 – the number of employers financially invested in the Partnership, enabling us to provide expertise and advocacy on their behalf each and every day – and you’re one of them.  Please don’t forget that Partnership membership extends to all of your employees, and we hope they will all become active in our efforts to maximize private investment and jobs here. 

In a year where longstanding Partnership priorities – whether they be UB2020, funding streams for business expansion, or even relaxed regulations on ship ballast water discharge – took major steps forward, you deserve significant credit.  Partnership members came together, stuck together, and worked together, leveraging collective capabilities to maximize regional economic development opportunities. 

That’s expertise@work – and it made for a particularly good year.  

Monday, July 2, 2012

expertise@work made for a very good year...



200 Partnership investors, staff, and strategic partners gathered on June 26 to review our 2011-2012 year at the UB Center for the Arts.  When these folks work together toward private job and investment growth in our region, we all win.  We call that expertise@work.

The past year will go down as one of our best years on record and hopefully be one that sets the stage for even more success in the future.



The Buffalo News agrees the past year has been one of great accomplishment; check out David Robinson's story as well as the editorial board's take

You can also read Andrew Rudnick's annual report speech and find the official annual report document on our website

Our Annual Report is made possible by our generous supporters Univera Healthcare, CenterOne, Renold, Integrys Energy, and Try-It Distributing.

With much accomplished, much more remains to be done.  We'll keep you posted.

Federal Transportation Bill Passes!


Not all the news out of Washington DC last week came from the Supreme Court:  History was also made Friday when Congress passed the Transportation Bill presenting the first long-term funding authorization since 2005.  Our staff was in DC on Thursday to stay close to the deal and thank legislators for their action on our coalition’s #1 priority.  Nine members of our Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition spent the day meeting with offices of Great Lakes transportation bill conferees and their staffs, many of whom had been intimately involved in crafting the final bill. 

The bill passed the House by a vote of 373-52 and was then passed minutes later by the Senate with a vote of 79-14.  Republicans from both chambers cast “nay” votes.  See how your members voted: House | Senate.

Our coalition worked hard advocating for passage of a long-term comprehensive transportation bill along with specific coalition priorities.  Members were engaged in getting support for amendments, increasing the number of sponsors or signers for key provisions and letters of support and educating members on our priorities.  We were part of a larger effort and our efforts paid off!

This reauthorization, while not a 5 or 6 year deal (as we'd hoped), does run for 27 months which is much better than another short-term extension because it will provide states with more certainty in planning road and transit construction projects.

In addition, we made significant progress on two of our coalition’s priorities:

The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) fix language, while lacking an enforcement mechanism, is included in the final bill and is the strongest ever endorsement from Congress for spending all of the HMTF revenues on their intended purpose.  Our coalition will be closely monitoring the funding levels this year so that the actual appropriations, which come later, comport with the new language. 

The Projects of National and Regional Significance (PNRS) program was included in the final bill.  (The House bill would have eliminated the program.)  We look forward to fully analyzing the language in the final bill to see how we can position the Great Lakes Region to benefit from the PNRS program.

Reports also indicate that the new bill will reduce the average time it takes to complete a highway project by streamlining administrative processes and consolidating a variety of programs, consistent with our coalition's goals for more efficiency and flexibility.  We applaud these efforts and look forward to learning more from the language in the final bill.

Much of the deal was determined in the final hours of negotiations:  Republicans dropped their demands to piggyback onto the bill approval for the Keystone oil pipeline and relaxation of proposed restrictions on coal ash produced by power plants.  In return, Democrats gave up on $1.4 billion for conservation and agreed to allow states more leeway in the way they use money that once was mandated for landscaping, bike improvements and pedestrian walkways.

This critical issue is a journey, not a destination, and our Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition will now look to implementation and to the longer term policy and funding issues surrounding surface transportation. 

Monday, June 25, 2012

ATHENA Awards - Call for Nominations!

 
 
The Buffalo Niagara Partnership and title sponsor HSBC Bank announce the call for nominations for the region’s 23rd Annual ATHENA Awards®, in the categories of the following:
 
  • ATHENA Award®:
    The ATHENA Award® honors an exceptional individual who has attained and personifies the highest level of professional excellence, demonstrates support for the goals of women professionals, and provides significant and selfless assistance on their behalf.
  • ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award:
    The ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award honors an exceptional individual who is an emerging leader in her/his business or profession, who gives back to the community in meaningful ways, and who clearly serves as a role model for young women both personally and professionally.
Nominations are due by Friday, July 20, 2012, at noon. Forms are available online at www.thepartnership.org/Athena or by calling Sara Schumacher at (716)541-1759.
 
The 2012 recipients will be announced and all nominees honored at the 23rdAnnual ATHENA Awards® Luncheon on Friday, November 8, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo. Sponsors include Tops Friendly Markets, Towne BMW and Emedia Studios.
 
Connie Vari, Executive Vice President and COO of Kaleida Health, was the 2011 Athena Award recipient and Christine Bonaguide, a Partner at Hodgson Russ LLP, received the 2011 Athena Young Professional Award.
 
 

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Partnership's Proceeds Gains National Attention


The Buffalo Niagara Partnership's four year long advocacy effort, resulting in the successful inclusion of Hydropower Proceeds legislation language being included in the 2012-13 NYS Enacted Budget this past March, has garnered a lot of attention.  We've gotten press and blog hits on its passage and what it can mean for Buffalo Niagara; we've celebrated its potential with our members and local elected officials; and now, we've been recognized by our peers at the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), who recently named Proceeds as one of 3 national finalists for ACCE’s 2012 Alliance for Regional Stewardship Organizational Champion Award!


The Partnership's efforts will not only be recognized during ACCE's Awards Dinner and live winner announcement at their annual national convention on August 2, but Partnership staff will also be a participant on the convention’s Blue Ribbon Regional Programs panel during the first workshop session to discuss the Proceeds effort as a model other chambers can duplicate.


Proceeds is the crown jewel in what has been an extremely successful advocacy year for the Partnership.  The Partnership's advocacy effort also played a major role in the reversal of budget language harmful to Roswell Park Cancer Institute's long term viability, Tier VI pension reform, state adoption of an EPA ballast water standard, implementation of parts of UB2020 with the planned relocation of the UB School of Medicine to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, and most recently this week, legislative passage of a host of Buffalo Building Reuse Project (BBRP) priorities

It's been a busy, but extremely successful, advocacy year, yet there is more to be done.  We'll be pushing for gubernatorial support for our BBRP legislation and working towards reducing some of the state regulations and government mandates that make it 
difficult to run and grow a business in New York State.  We won't rest while there is advocacy work to be done, but for one weekend in Louisville this August, we might just pause to celebrate... a little.