Everyone always says "It's who you know." Though that may be true in part, it's also true that you don't get to know anyone by sitting at home watching tv. Unlike pro sports referees making bad calls, the people on the news can't hear you from your couch. Our suggestion? Get out there, introduce yourself, don't fear meeting those you've only heard of.
This Wednesday we're hosting our 4th Annual HobNob event, featuring the CEO Silent Auction. This auction (award-winning by the way) is a fantastic opportunity to meet high-level regional leaders, and bid for one-on-one time with them. Head to www.thepartnership.org/events to see the list of 15 donating their time this year. They host the meeting, which often includes lunch, and you get to pick their brain. These meetings are your chance to learn from local business owners, begin valuable relationships, search out new opportunities. But please no sales calls. Save those for a later meeting.
Just in case you're feeling secure and not in need of connecting, one of our 2009 auctioned leaders made a great point - The time to build relationships is when you don't need them. That way they're there for you when you do. So join us at the Larkin at Exchange building Wednesday evening for the ultimate smorgasbord of connecting! The HobNob & CEO Silent Auction.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Leadership in Government (in NJ)
It's not going to be a popular move among legislators and special interest groups, but NJ Governor Chris Christie announced yesterday that he is immediately freezing all state spending. Across the country, governments are taking bold steps to right their fiscal ships, but so far not here in New York. There's been a lot of good rhetoric, but little follow through (i.e. last year's layoffs not only did not happen, but the state added over 8,000 jobs to the payroll!).
We need a bold move in New York, and history has shown us that it's not likely to come from the state legislature. The Partnership and Unshackle Upstate continue to call for Albany to cut the size and cost of state government, outlining over $12 billion in what we feel are "common sense" spending reductions.
Want to spout off a little about Albany? Join the Unshackle Army.
We need a bold move in New York, and history has shown us that it's not likely to come from the state legislature. The Partnership and Unshackle Upstate continue to call for Albany to cut the size and cost of state government, outlining over $12 billion in what we feel are "common sense" spending reductions.
Want to spout off a little about Albany? Join the Unshackle Army.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Back from Albany
Scheduling a business community lobbying trip to Albany is always a challenge, because you never know what you're going to face when you get there. We've been there on a day when the capitol was flooded with SUNY students protesting cuts and we've been there on days when legislators were running out of our lobbying meetings to make budget votes. This year, of course, we went not only when rumors surrounding the future of Governor Paterson's tenure were flying, but also during the vote to expel Queens Senator Hiram Monserrate from the New York State Senate.
Despite that political intrigue, I would call the trip a successful one. Upstate Night in Albany - a derivative of Buffalo Niagara Night from previous years - was a good event. With the new lobbying regulations that prohibit electeds and their staff from attending a "complimentary" event where food or drink is served, we changed the format and instead held an Unshackle Upstate rally. Which was appropriate, with lobby day coming the following morning - and was a good motivation for our troops.
For lobby day, we separated into four Unshackle Upstate teams and made over 25 visits with regional reps and Senate and Assembly leadership. Talking individually with legislators is always fascinating because they all - one-on-one - seem to "get it." You wonder, having those conversations, how when you put 212 legislators in a room things can turn out to be such a mess. For Buffalo Niagara's reps, there seems to be a clear understanding that the 2010-11 state budget cannot inflict any harm like last year's did, and we presented them Unshackle Upstate's "common sense" proposal to cut $12 billion out of the state budget.
In addition, we emphasized that the Upstate business community cannot withstand any more downstate-driven anti-business regulations, such as the Hoyt/Thompson IDA "reform" bill and the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Bill of 2009. We were very candid - specifically with the Republicans, who have asked for our support in putting them back into the Senate Majority and have promised that they are not the "GOP of old" - that these pieces of proposed legislation are litmus tests for what we could expect from a GOP majority. For either of these to pass, it is likely that they will need at least a few members of the Republican Minority to support them - and to us that's no way to get the support of the Upstate business community. We'll be monitoring these disastrous bills closely.
On the positive side, we had the opportunity to talk a lot about proposed SUNY legislation that stemmed from last year's UB2020 bill. Our delegation is already behind this legislation, so it's our role now to take the advocacy to the rest of the state. Upstate Night was a great opportunity to do so, as SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpfer attended and we helped her work the room - meeting business community leadership from around the state. We'll continue the effort to connect SUNY, business, labor and electeds around this important initiative.
Two days in Albany that we would report as productive. Much more to come over the next nine months, leading up to Election Day. To stay involved, I encourage you to join the Unshackle Army.
Despite that political intrigue, I would call the trip a successful one. Upstate Night in Albany - a derivative of Buffalo Niagara Night from previous years - was a good event. With the new lobbying regulations that prohibit electeds and their staff from attending a "complimentary" event where food or drink is served, we changed the format and instead held an Unshackle Upstate rally. Which was appropriate, with lobby day coming the following morning - and was a good motivation for our troops.
For lobby day, we separated into four Unshackle Upstate teams and made over 25 visits with regional reps and Senate and Assembly leadership. Talking individually with legislators is always fascinating because they all - one-on-one - seem to "get it." You wonder, having those conversations, how when you put 212 legislators in a room things can turn out to be such a mess. For Buffalo Niagara's reps, there seems to be a clear understanding that the 2010-11 state budget cannot inflict any harm like last year's did, and we presented them Unshackle Upstate's "common sense" proposal to cut $12 billion out of the state budget.
In addition, we emphasized that the Upstate business community cannot withstand any more downstate-driven anti-business regulations, such as the Hoyt/Thompson IDA "reform" bill and the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Bill of 2009. We were very candid - specifically with the Republicans, who have asked for our support in putting them back into the Senate Majority and have promised that they are not the "GOP of old" - that these pieces of proposed legislation are litmus tests for what we could expect from a GOP majority. For either of these to pass, it is likely that they will need at least a few members of the Republican Minority to support them - and to us that's no way to get the support of the Upstate business community. We'll be monitoring these disastrous bills closely.
On the positive side, we had the opportunity to talk a lot about proposed SUNY legislation that stemmed from last year's UB2020 bill. Our delegation is already behind this legislation, so it's our role now to take the advocacy to the rest of the state. Upstate Night was a great opportunity to do so, as SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpfer attended and we helped her work the room - meeting business community leadership from around the state. We'll continue the effort to connect SUNY, business, labor and electeds around this important initiative.
Two days in Albany that we would report as productive. Much more to come over the next nine months, leading up to Election Day. To stay involved, I encourage you to join the Unshackle Army.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Headed for Albany
Unshackle Upstate will be kicking off its 2010 lobbying season at Upstate Night, an Unshackle Upstate reception and rally on Monday evening, February 8 at the Palace Theatre in Albany. Well, actually, we'll be formally kicking it off... We've already been hard at work advocating for a better state budget than what's been offered so far.
Upstate Night is a derivative of our traditional "Buffalo Niagara Night in Albany," driven by a couple factors. First, in an effort to broaden the advocacy effort related to the event, we've collaborated with our Unshackle Upstate partners to widen the scope of the event. Which means not only attendees, but regional foods and drinks, from around Upstate. Our goal by expanding the event is to send a stronger message to our state reps.
Second, the event has changed from what was traditionally a political networking event with elected officials and staff into an Unshackle Upstate business community rally, setting the stage for our lobbying day the following morning. As you may have heard, new lobbying regulations in New York forbid electeds from attending "complimentary" food-and-drink events without the hosting organization fulfilling a laundry list of requirements. Since the details of the regulations are still being sorted out, we decided to make the switch. In truth, given what's on our plates this year in advocacy and political action, a rally-type event is probably more appropriate anyway at this point.
I hope to see all of our friends in advocacy at Monday's event, but then the real work is Tuesday. We've set up lobbying visits with delegations from across Upstate and will be visiting them in teams to talk about the state budget and the state's regulatory environment, including proposals to attach wage mandates to IDA incentives and to more heavily regulate agribusiness employers' relationships with their farmworkers. This is a pivotal year for New York State - and we, as Upstate taxpayers, cannot afford another year of downstate special interest-driven budgeting and policymaking. Our message will be strong and collaborative, and will carry through from Lobby Day to Election Day. I hope you're as tired of expensive government and unaffordable taxes as we are, and will join in.
If you can't make it to our two-day Albany event, I urge you to join up virtually by checking out http://www.unshackleupstate.com/, where you can sign up for the coalition's Twitter updates, become a Facebook fan, or even spout off about New York State government. Your comments could get posted at Monday night's event!
See you there!
Upstate Night is a derivative of our traditional "Buffalo Niagara Night in Albany," driven by a couple factors. First, in an effort to broaden the advocacy effort related to the event, we've collaborated with our Unshackle Upstate partners to widen the scope of the event. Which means not only attendees, but regional foods and drinks, from around Upstate. Our goal by expanding the event is to send a stronger message to our state reps.
Second, the event has changed from what was traditionally a political networking event with elected officials and staff into an Unshackle Upstate business community rally, setting the stage for our lobbying day the following morning. As you may have heard, new lobbying regulations in New York forbid electeds from attending "complimentary" food-and-drink events without the hosting organization fulfilling a laundry list of requirements. Since the details of the regulations are still being sorted out, we decided to make the switch. In truth, given what's on our plates this year in advocacy and political action, a rally-type event is probably more appropriate anyway at this point.
I hope to see all of our friends in advocacy at Monday's event, but then the real work is Tuesday. We've set up lobbying visits with delegations from across Upstate and will be visiting them in teams to talk about the state budget and the state's regulatory environment, including proposals to attach wage mandates to IDA incentives and to more heavily regulate agribusiness employers' relationships with their farmworkers. This is a pivotal year for New York State - and we, as Upstate taxpayers, cannot afford another year of downstate special interest-driven budgeting and policymaking. Our message will be strong and collaborative, and will carry through from Lobby Day to Election Day. I hope you're as tired of expensive government and unaffordable taxes as we are, and will join in.
If you can't make it to our two-day Albany event, I urge you to join up virtually by checking out http://www.unshackleupstate.com/, where you can sign up for the coalition's Twitter updates, become a Facebook fan, or even spout off about New York State government. Your comments could get posted at Monday night's event!
See you there!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
BPO and BN360 Present INFORMance: A Classically Informal Concert Experience!
BN360 is really excited to be presenting a unique event for our members on Feb. 11th. We're working with our friends at the BPO to highlight their young professional guest conductor Joey Young and to provide members the chance to get connected to one of Buffalo's greatest cultural assets - the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Kleinhans Music Hall. Please register as space is limited and click here for more info.
We'd like to introduce our guest blogger Joey Young, League of American Orchestras Conducting Fellow:
Hi, I am Joseph Young, Conducting Fellow with the Buffalo Philharmonic. I am delighted to be in Buffalo for this year. I was sort of skeptical with the all the snow and cold weather but, as everyone told me, I got over it and am growing to enjoy it. Buffalo is such a unique place. It has a budding arts scene, great food, loyal sports fans (even if they are losing), great food and true Buffalonians. But most importantly for me, it has a great orchestra.
I’m here in Buffalo not only conducting concerts but observing the great things that the BPO organization does. I have the opportunity to work closely with and be mentored by JoAnn Falletta, and to learn from the great staff behind the scenes. My goal while I’m here working with a world-class orchestra is to maximize my opportunities, since the BPO is giving me a chance to get my hands dirty, so to speak, as an assistant conductor.
My role here is to absorb as much as possible to become a future leader and innovator in the symphonic world. The role of a conductor is not only to be a great musician, but also an entrepreneur. Conductors not only have to present an artistic vision but have a grasp on fundraising and marketing. But the core of what we do is being the ambassador to music, our institution and the community. This is why I am so excited about presenting this unique program with Buffalo Niagara 360. This organization is fostering the next generation of innovators just as the BPO is doing with me. We all have desire to do fantastic work in our art and in the community and I can’t think of a better way introduce you to the BPO than with a concert.
This program will give you an authentic experience with the BPO. We really wanted to put a twist on the new traditional concert experience and provide everyone a closer and intimate seat to the music. The concert plans to be a casually informal experience with music from a child prodigy, Mozart; the father of the symphony, Haydn, and the insurance salesman that wrote music on the side, Charles Ives. We will also hear a solo from an instrument you hardly see in front of the orchestra, the bassoon. It’s an instrument with a unique sound and our amazing principal bassoonist Glenn Einschlag will be taking center stage.
I hope you can join us for a musical night of networking with young professionals and BPO musicians.
We'd like to introduce our guest blogger Joey Young, League of American Orchestras Conducting Fellow:
Hi, I am Joseph Young, Conducting Fellow with the Buffalo Philharmonic. I am delighted to be in Buffalo for this year. I was sort of skeptical with the all the snow and cold weather but, as everyone told me, I got over it and am growing to enjoy it. Buffalo is such a unique place. It has a budding arts scene, great food, loyal sports fans (even if they are losing), great food and true Buffalonians. But most importantly for me, it has a great orchestra.
I’m here in Buffalo not only conducting concerts but observing the great things that the BPO organization does. I have the opportunity to work closely with and be mentored by JoAnn Falletta, and to learn from the great staff behind the scenes. My goal while I’m here working with a world-class orchestra is to maximize my opportunities, since the BPO is giving me a chance to get my hands dirty, so to speak, as an assistant conductor.
My role here is to absorb as much as possible to become a future leader and innovator in the symphonic world. The role of a conductor is not only to be a great musician, but also an entrepreneur. Conductors not only have to present an artistic vision but have a grasp on fundraising and marketing. But the core of what we do is being the ambassador to music, our institution and the community. This is why I am so excited about presenting this unique program with Buffalo Niagara 360. This organization is fostering the next generation of innovators just as the BPO is doing with me. We all have desire to do fantastic work in our art and in the community and I can’t think of a better way introduce you to the BPO than with a concert.
This program will give you an authentic experience with the BPO. We really wanted to put a twist on the new traditional concert experience and provide everyone a closer and intimate seat to the music. The concert plans to be a casually informal experience with music from a child prodigy, Mozart; the father of the symphony, Haydn, and the insurance salesman that wrote music on the side, Charles Ives. We will also hear a solo from an instrument you hardly see in front of the orchestra, the bassoon. It’s an instrument with a unique sound and our amazing principal bassoonist Glenn Einschlag will be taking center stage.
I hope you can join us for a musical night of networking with young professionals and BPO musicians.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Social Media Networking Tools
The times they are a changing!
2010 has already arrived and with this decade there is sure to come more technological advances and internet fads than there were in the past decade. Within the past few years the way we as consumer, business leaders, and curious individuals, gather information has changed with the times. The amount of information easily accessible over the internet has changed the way we choose to do business. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn are among the top social media networking tools that allow us as people to connect and communicate with the world. So the dilemma is: How do we use them to our advantage?
The biggest factor that can help any individual stand out in a crowd or for a job can be their connections and social media networks are all about networking. Facebook and LinkedIn are all about increasing your network and contacts. It also helps you do this in a way that is more relaxed. It’s easy to write on someone’s wall or send a message and it can all be done without the pressure of a face to face situation. Becoming members of groups and fan pages allows you to get instant updates on what’s going on in the community. The Partnership’s young professionals program, Buffalo Niagara 360’s Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter account allows any of our members to get the latest news on events, or opportunities in the area and we are just one of many. Use us and others to get involved and connected to move yourself in a new direction.
It’s not just for fun anymore either. These sites can help not only you, as an individual, stand out but your company stand out too. The number of businesses taking advantage of the social media world has increased tremendously just over the past few months.
Creating fan pages, groups, tweets, videos, etc., has become the new way to market your business to the public. As a company using social media as a tool to promote your cause, products, service or image can give you the advantage over the competition. It also gives a sense of personal connection with your clients and prospective clients. Your information is showing up on there wall, sending little sentences to there twitter account and they can post links to your groups as well. Getting your company on the social media train is the new way to bond with the customers. Become their friends, let them be your fans, allow them into your groups and increase your business.
2010 has already arrived and with this decade there is sure to come more technological advances and internet fads than there were in the past decade. Within the past few years the way we as consumer, business leaders, and curious individuals, gather information has changed with the times. The amount of information easily accessible over the internet has changed the way we choose to do business. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn are among the top social media networking tools that allow us as people to connect and communicate with the world. So the dilemma is: How do we use them to our advantage?
The biggest factor that can help any individual stand out in a crowd or for a job can be their connections and social media networks are all about networking. Facebook and LinkedIn are all about increasing your network and contacts. It also helps you do this in a way that is more relaxed. It’s easy to write on someone’s wall or send a message and it can all be done without the pressure of a face to face situation. Becoming members of groups and fan pages allows you to get instant updates on what’s going on in the community. The Partnership’s young professionals program, Buffalo Niagara 360’s Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter account allows any of our members to get the latest news on events, or opportunities in the area and we are just one of many. Use us and others to get involved and connected to move yourself in a new direction.
It’s not just for fun anymore either. These sites can help not only you, as an individual, stand out but your company stand out too. The number of businesses taking advantage of the social media world has increased tremendously just over the past few months.
Creating fan pages, groups, tweets, videos, etc., has become the new way to market your business to the public. As a company using social media as a tool to promote your cause, products, service or image can give you the advantage over the competition. It also gives a sense of personal connection with your clients and prospective clients. Your information is showing up on there wall, sending little sentences to there twitter account and they can post links to your groups as well. Getting your company on the social media train is the new way to bond with the customers. Become their friends, let them be your fans, allow them into your groups and increase your business.
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