partnership@work

Albany@Work - no longer an oxymoron.

2012-01-27T15:24:00.004-05:00

It's amazing how different a little over a year can make in the fundamental way a place operates, especially a place that's long been known for corruption and dysfunction. New York's capital in late 2010 was wrought with bad budgets, worse legislation, and a not-so-healthy mix of infighting and/or scandal amid the state's legislators who regularly convened here. Fast forward a year that included a fiscally sound budget, and productive, logical legislation from a refreshingly aggressive Governor and new, cooperative Senate Majority, and Albany 2012 is a whole new world.

Legislators are jovial with each other despite being from opposite parties, another fiscally sound budget that tackles issues such as pension reform and mandate relief is being proposed with widespread support, and legislative meetings run as smooth as silk. Partnership staff was in Albany this past week to experience these changes firsthand, and it was flat out awesome.

Meet with a Democratic Assemblyman about innovation investment like SBIR? "We'd love to do it; let's work together!"

Meet with a Republican Senator about the Buffalo Building Re-Use Project's asbestos legislation recommendations? "Great idea, let's use that language. Send it to my staffer."

Review the Partnership's # 1 priority, Proceeds, with the Governor's energy staff? "The money is there for Western New York, let's figure out out how to get it done. It makes sense."

In a very short period of time, the Partnership's advocacy team has went from fighting the "defensive" battles to stop bad bills from passing, to coming up with proactive, positive pieces of legislation that are well received by lawmakers and have a great shot of becoming a reality. While the change is sudden, it is welcome. A few more years like 2011, and based on this past week in Albany, 2012 looks promising, New York will be poised to reclaim it's status as the Empire State.

This is why we do what we do. It's why we are in Albany and DC, pushing for legislative changes that help the job creators and taxpayers of New York; it's why we engage politically and fought for real changes in the Legislature during the 2010 elections. It's why we'll continue to be aggressive in advocacy and in the political arena. We at the Partnership can't wait for New York State's economic revival, and will be a part of the uphill climb to make it happen!

DC Lobbying Trip Recap

2012-01-27T10:51:00.005-05:00

Reporting back on a very positive trip to DC earlier this week with our Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition. It was a busy two days, and our coalition - the 20 of us that participated from various chambers of commerce from throughout the Great Lakes region - left seeing real opportunity to move some initiatives forward that will have great impact on our mega-regional economy.

Overall, our team met with members or staff from 16 congressional offices, including regional representatives from Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and Wisconsin and key committee leadership. Our message focused on two items: (1) passage of a comprehensive, long-term surface transportation bill and (2) implementation of the "Beyond the Border" accord between Canada and the United States.

The good news: everyone seems to be on board with those two priorities. The more difficult part, of course, is getting them done. But across the board we were told as a coalition that what we were doing - heading down to the nation's capitol on behalf of 150,000 business in the region to express the importance of these initiatives - is exactly what's needed to keep pressure on our reps to move them forward. We will continue to do so.

We also had a great meeting with the Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Gary Doer (that's a picture of my colleagues and me at the Embassy), and to no one's surprise, Canada is in full support of our agenda. We were thrilled that our Canadian Consul General Marta Moszczenska joined us on the trip to help hammer that point home.

A couple state issues that we discussed, as well, where federal support is needed include New York's ballast water regulations, and the completion of the Continental 1 trade corridor - both items included in the Buffalo Niagara's 2012 Regional Agenda.

As an organization, we know that these legislative visits - whether they be to Albany or Washington - are key to getting things done on our members' behalf. The dynamic of the Great Lakes coalition, where representatives from three or four different states are meeting with individual legislators talking about the same priorities, carries some weight because we know it's something they don't see often. We're looking forward to an aggressive campaign on these issues in 2012 and will keep you posted on their progress.

DC Lobbying Trip - Taking Buffalo Niagara's Priorities to Washington

2012-01-23T15:09:00.007-05:00

A couple years ago, the Partnership made an internal decision to put our government affairs and business development staff under one umbrella. Besides the fact that some of our staff members have dual roles that fall into both departments, through over 450 face-to-face visits with employers over the past three years it's evident that the two are inextricably linked.

One thing we know from our employer visits is that most of our members do not have their own internal government affairs departments. Many of our larger members do, but for the majority, no. That's where the Partnership comes in - with our connections, we are able to serve as our members' lobbyists and government affairs agents at a fraction of the cost of bringing someone full-time in-house. Experience tells us this is an important service; I would say that for every ten companies with whom we have sit-down meeting, five have a government issue with which they need assistance.

Our role, as our members' emissary, is to take their message to our elected officials. This week, our staff will be in Washington, DC advocating on our members' behalf as part of a 4-year-old coalition of chambers of commerce from throughout the Great Lakes region, the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition. We will be meeting face-to-face with congressional representatives from the Great Lakes mega-region, as well as key committee chairs and the Canadian Ambassador to the U.S.

While you can read our coalition's full agenda at the link above, our message on this particular trip is a simple one: the Great Lakes' economy will take a strong step toward revitalization with action on two initiatives currently underway in Washington - passage of a comprehensive, long-term transportation funding bill and implementation of the Obama/Harper "Beyond the Border" accord. Both have specific impact on the Buffalo Niagara region, our workforce and our economy.

If we're successful, what does it mean (in other words, why are we doing this?)? It means advancement of stifled infrastructure projects in the region and the jobs that come with them. It means new border policy that will allow for the Buffalo Niagara region to grow and better market its trade, logistics, warehousing and distribution opportunities and the jobs that come with that. It means easing the ability to do business with peers on the Canadian side of our border that will lead to business opportunity for Buffalo Niagara's employers, and the jobs that come with that.

Our members - Buffalo Niagara's employers - rely upon the Partnership to be their voice in local, state and federal government. For us, it's incredibly rewarding to come back from Albany or Washington (we'll be in both this week) to tell our members that we moved the needle on the issues that they've told us are important to them.

We hope to come home this week with some good news. Until then, keep track of the trip on our facebook page and Twitter (#BNPatwork).

partnership@work ... in three places at once!

2012-01-23T10:17:00.002-05:00

It's always fun to see how much is going on at the Partnership. Last week, we rolled out our Buffalo Building Reuse Project to an immediate and positive response from Mayor Byron Brown, hosted Execs Connect, and held the second meeting of our new Perspectives Council. Next week, we'll wrap our insurance open enrollment period for 2012, which helps more than 800 Buffalo Niagara employers achieve cost certainty and flexibility in their employee benefits programs.

In the midst of all that, this week is a busy week in our federal and state advocacy efforts. Two Partnership teams will be simultaneously advocating for Buffalo Niagara business growth in Albany and Washington in the first part of this week. Through the magic of hard work, air travel, car travel, and lots of online activity, we'll be updating you on these efforts as they happen.

AJ Wright, our Manager of Government Affairs, is in Albany to ensure that the needs of Buffalo Niagara employers stay top of mind for our elected officials. His big three goals for the trip are:

Continuing to draw attention to the need for Proceeds legislation, which we had hoped to see in the Governor’s 2012 Executive budget.

Distributing the Partnership's 2012 legislative agenda – mandate relief; Roswell Park regulatory relief; includes IDA “civic facilities” legislation.

Continuing to advocate for our Accelerate Upstate agenda, which we developed this summer with the support of 300 stakeholders from across NYS.

AJ has meetings scheduled with a host of our elected officials as well as a number of our partners and peer organizations in Albany. Watch for a recap of his work Wednesday on this blog.

Meanwhile, three staffers - Andrew Rudnick, Craig Turner, and Nadine Powell - will be at work in Washington DC to draw attention to our needs and efforts on the federal level. They're in town to push for our big six Buffalo Niagara job growth priorities in 2012. Craig Turner will be blogging about our work in DC - watch for updates from him both this afternoon and on Thursday.

These aren't sightseeing trips; there's real work to get done. We've made enormous progress in the last six months, but there's much more left to do. Follow our efforts on our facebook page, on our twitter feed (use hashtag #BNPatWORK for updates specific to these trips), and keep watching our blog.

Don't forget, it's business as usual here in Buffalo. BN360 is hosting Gamechangers this Wednesday on the Medical Campus. We'll keep you posted.

Buffalo Building Reuse Project Recommendations Released

2012-01-20T15:48:00.008-05:00

Earlier today we released our Buffalo Building Reuse Project (BBRP) recommendations to help downtown compete more effectively in the 21st century.

We completed BBRP over the course of 2011 at the request of Mayor Brown to add some private sector perspective to the downtown development process. Our BBRP volunteers - more than 30 developers, tenants, landlords, academics, public officials, and real estate agents- considered both the possibilities and the challenges facing downtown.

Downtown has both an oversupply of commercial space and growing demand for residential units, so our volunteers recommended an aggressive conversion strategy to transition older commerical buildings into residential space. BBRP outlines several steps to help that happen, ranging from zoning and permitting changes, to targeted public investments, to creating a lead agency with the purpose of helping developers accelerate downtown projects.

Mayor Brown responded favorably to BBRP, committing to seeing the recommendations through and announcing a multimillion dollar investment to fund necessary improvements.

You can read much more below:

Building for 2012

2011-12-17T15:11:00.009-05:00

December 31st will mark the end of 2011, and personally marks six months since I moved to Buffalo to join the Partnership. In the last six moths, I've seen our Business Development, Events, Government Affairs, Membership, Special Projects, and Workforce Development teams work to fix the issues that hold Buffalo Niagara employers back and find solutions to proactively build for a more prosperous future.

I've fielded lots of calls from lots of people asking me what we do for our members, how all of our activities fit together, and what our plans are for the future. Today, I want to talk about six key projects that will guide our organization in 2012:

Great Lakes Metro Chamber Coalition Agenda: Our alliance with peer organizations from the 12-state Great Lakes area, focusing on federal transportation and infrastructure funding, border reform, and economic investment in the Great Lakes themselves.

These initiatives are of even greater significance here in Buffalo Niagara, and in 2012, we will grow our involvement in this coalition to aggressively seek federal support for our local needs.

More information about our relationship with GLMCC is available here.

WNY Regional Economic Development Council Plan: “A Vision For A Prosperous Western New York”, was built by public and private stakeholders (including plenty of Partnership staffers and board members) from across our region and won more than $100 million in state funding.

Building on our success, we will continue to ensure the inclusion of projects with true economic development potential- those most likely to grow private sector investment and employment. We will also seek support for meaningful projects (like the Niagara Experience Center) that were not funded in 2011.

Review 2011’s plan here.

Accelerate Upstate Action Agenda: The Partnership’s plan to grow the Upstate economy, developed with the input of more than 250 Upstate stakeholders in a summer 2011 summit.

We will build on the success of the Accelerate Upstate summit by collaborating with old and new partners across the state to adapt and build Upstate’s economy of the future.

Check out the AU Action Agenda.

Unshackle Upstate: Our alliance with peer organizations across Upstate New York that seeks to hold elected officials accountable for minimizing the cost of doing business in our state.

Building on 2011’s achievement of a hard property tax cap, UU’s top goal for 2012 is mandate relief.

Learn more about Unshackle Upstate.

Buffalo Niagara Regional Agenda: An annual prioritization of projects and policy changes needing state and federal support we produce with our local government partners in Erie and Niagara Counties.

UB 2020 topped our Regional Agenda for several years; given its final passage, the top priority now becomes renovation to the US Peace Bridge Plaza.

Read the full 2012 Buffalo NiagaraRegional Agenda.

Buffalo Building Reuse Project (BBRP):A Partnership-led, private-sector study of conditions in downtown Buffalo and recommendations to spur private investment in the future.

The BBRP recommendations will be released to Mayor Brown in a few days. There will be plenty to read in the next few weeks

These six initiatives cover varying geographies, but all involve embracing a reasonable approach to fix what ails our economy and building upon our region’s existing strengths. At their core, they include:

- Anything and everything CanAm
- Leveraging our location as a transportation, distribution, and warehousing logistics hub
- Preservation of and access to our fresh water
- Building upon our existing access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy
- Recruiting, developing, and retaining talent (which includes immigration)
- Reforming government policies, procedures, and attitudes
- Identifying additional sources of business financing- especially for early stage companies

Much has been done, and there’s plenty left to do.

Enjoy your holidays. We'll see you in 2012!

Why Washington Matters To You

2011-12-05T10:22:00.000-05:00

Why does Washington, DC matter here in Buffalo Niagara? Outside of legislation and taxes, the business opportunities available through federal government contracts have significant potential for area companies. Our Government spends billions of dollars each year with private companies across the country on a range of services, not just tanks and helicopters.

The federal contracting process may seem like a daunting process- slow and full of red tape. We want to help you learn to find and follow federal dollars, enabling you to approach this process strategically.

We’ve teamed with Bloomberg Government (B-GOV) to help our members learn more about revenue opportunities available through the federal Government. Many businesses are quite simply unaware of the things they can do to discover, research and bid for government contracts, despite federal goals for awarding contracts to small and mid-cap businesses, minority-owned businesses and other groupings. The opportunities are almost endless.

Start your day this Thursday, December 8, with a free seminar to learn how you can find, research, and identify partners for federal contracts. Sharpen your competitive edge with news, data, and analysis on the business implications of government actions.

Buffalo Niagara can better support its young professionals

2011-11-28T18:06:00.000-05:00

I've blogged here before about moving to Buffalo Niagara after eleven years away in five states. I'm from here, so I knew about the strong community and everything our region has to offer, but was also a bit hesitant to make the move.

I was hesitant because, after spending eleven years in other places, I was unsure where I would fit in. What would I do after work? How would I occupy my time on the weekends? I often wondered how young professionals who weren't from the area got acclimated, and assumed they struggled.

Three years ago, the Partnership launched our 360 program in response to concerns from our members who had difficulty attracting and retaining talented young professionals to our area. We said we would initiate a program to help young professionals accelerate their careers and get involved in the community. 360 grew and grew, and came to be known for connecting young professionals in social settings.

This summer, Christina Lopez was promoted to the position of Workforce Development at the Partnership and began overseeing the 360 program. Through her leadership, the program is expanding beyond its social roots, and is growing in three areas relevant to Buffalo Niagara's future leaders: leadership development, business networking and community involvement.

Three new programs have been added to the 360 calendar:

Government Unplugged, which matches our area's young professionals with their peers in public service, offering both groups the opportunity to grow professionally and personally.
Be-A-Mentor, which connects young professionals with service opportunities in inner-city schools.
Game Changers, which showcases a special group entrepreneurs - the big-thinking, risk-taking, no excuses-making visionaries who are determined to start their own businesses right here in our region.

360 began its 2012 programming year a few weeks ago as hundreds joined together in the Larkin Center of Commerce for a Kickoff Celebration. It's not too late to get involved, and a $25 membership (waived if your company is a 360 member) gets you access to the whole year's calendar of events.

Learn more and get involved on the Buffalo Niagara 360 website.

We can achieve great things in 2012

2011-11-28T09:53:00.001-05:00

Welcome back from Thanksgiving!

For those of you who got an early start on your Thanksgiving celebrations, you missed a big week at the Partnership.

Last Monday, we unveiled our 2012 Buffalo Niagara Regional Agenda with our partners from the City of Buffalo, City of Niagara Falls, Erie County, and Niagara County. The Regional Agenda rollout event, held Monday night at Pettibone’s downtown in Coca Cola Field, was well attended by our members, the media, as well as elected leaders representing Buffalo Niagara residents at the local, county, state, and federal levels.

Our Regional Agenda began in 2001 when the then-new Senator Clinton made it clear that our region was missing out by approaching the state and federal governments for project support in a piecemeal fashion. Buffalo Niagara, she said, needed to speak with one voice, and the Partnership began assembling local stakeholders and leaders on an annual basis to prioritize key projects. That approach has proven successful, yielding results in 2011 like the passage of SUNY 2020, Recharge NY, the Excelsior Jobs bill, and Article X, which streamlines the regulatory process for the siting of power generation facilities.

This year, the development of our Regional Agenda was led by Nadine Powell, our Manager of Business Development, with the support of AJ Wright, our Manager of Government Affairs. These two worked with government entities across our region to build a relatively brief, but impactful list of projects that need support.

Being in my first year at the Partnership, this was my first opportunity to see the development of our Regional Agenda up close. As an observer to the process, I witnessed how initiatives the Partnership pushed to include were largely legislative and policy driven, whereas the content driven by our elected leaders often involved physical development. I also saw how Nadine and AJ narrowed large lists of priorities from each of our partners into a workable list that would represent the interests of all parties.

You can review the 2012 Buffalo Niagara Regional Agenda here. You’ll note that this year’s agenda is topped by the revised Peace Bridge expansion and renovation project, as UB/SUNY 2020, which had led the Regional Agenda for years, is now becoming a reality. Achieving a faster, safer, and more efficient border crossing is a huge priority and major focus for all of us. Later today, our President & CEO, Andrew Rudnick, will join US Senator Charles Schumer, the Canadian Consulate, the Peace Bridge Authority, and the Bi-National Economic & Tourism Alliance for a press conference at the Peace Bridge as they announce new efforts to make it easier for local residents to obtain Nexus passes and cross our bridges faster.

Imagine the impact if these projects come to fruition. We’ve started the process by getting everyone on the same page and producing a unified, cohesive document that outlines what we want to do in the coming year, and we’ll continue our work to see them through. The beat goes on.

ASG Makes the Hive Buzz

2011-11-14T10:15:00.001-05:00

I've been blogging the last few weeks about the new normal, and how we think our SellingHive program can give companies a leg up when it comes to selling in an increasingly turbulent economy. One of our members, Applied Sciences Group will be taking advantage of the Partnership’s trial period to augment their sales strategy with SellingHive.

Applied Sciences Group is a software engineering firm that provides services to technology companies and advanced manufacturing firms. Many companies sell products that can be described with color, weight, size and material, but ASG's custom solutions are project specific. Their clients have them design systems, write code, develop test procedures, provide human machine interfaces, and provide database integration services. Even further, their target clients are in a wide range of industries including medical devices, defense contracts, and ceramics... and even food and dairy!

We all know of companies trying to do more with less, and Applied Sciences Group is helping their customers do just that, but finding sales partners who understands their sales cycle is challenging. With a sales force of two people, and a heavy reliance on referrals to generate new business, ASG’s ability to reach new markets and secure new clients was limited without “feet on the street” in a new territory.

Enter SellingHive. Kim Grant, ASG's Business Development Manager, sees SellingHive as a means to get introduced to qualified prospects. SellingHive will let her spend more time scoping out new projects and less time hunting down decision makers.

In a tough economy where prospects are busy, we all need to be creative and find new ways to hit our results. Count Applied Sciences Group as one local employer taking steps to ensure they'll continue to grow.

Recruiting Young Engineers To Buffalo Niagara

2011-11-04T17:25:00.004-04:00

Praxair invited me up to Tonawanda this morning to talk to several dozen young recruits they are looking to bring to our region. Most of these folks were undergrads, with a few grad students in the mix, and from all over the country. They were all chemical and mechanical engineers (read: smarter than yours truly).

The recruits had spent most of the morning learning about their potential employer, and my job was to help them understand what their lives would be like here as young professionals. Many of my colleagues at the Partnership got quite the kick out of the idea that meeting me might convince someone to move here, and have enjoyed yanking my chain about it.

I spoke for about 30 minutes, opening with the Million Reasons video which was produced by our friends at Buffalo Niagara Enterprise. Their mission is to recruit companies to our region, and I used their video as background about what it's like to work here:

I then spoke about four main things:

We are not a suburb of New York City; we are a bi-national region. We're closer to Cleveland, Detroit, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto than NYC. We're connected to the world and value our location right along the Great Lakes and Canadian border. They were intrigued.
Buffalo doesn't have wings. I did, however, show them pictures of some. Also beef on weck, Loganberry, sponge candy, and chicken finger subs. They were hungry.
I talked about our history- the Erie Canal, invention, innovation, being an industrial hub, and how involved we all are in our communities. This isn't a place where you'll commute an hour and a half each way every day (like I did in Chicago), struggle to meet people (like I did in Boston), feel bored (like I did in Indiana), or write rent checks that make you want to cry (like I did in New York City). They were interested.
Yes, it snows (just like everywhere else I've been), and we make the best of it. We have Powder Keg in the winter, the Sabres to get us through the sometimes-dreary Spring, festivals all summer, and beautiful Autumns. They were seeing the possibilities.

I also told them about Buffalo Niagara 360, our young professionals program we launched at the request of our members to ensure that young people new to town are able to build networks of friends and partners.

To finish, I used the For Real video which was produced by our friends at Visit Buffalo Niagara to show them about life here:

Their eyes seemed to open as they saw some examples of what life here looks like, and I felt like I'd made an impact. This is what I signed up for when I decided to join the Partnership.

What would you present if you were in front of a room full of talented young folks with no roots here?

The New Normal: A Growing Company

2011-10-29T15:14:00.000-04:00

Last week, I blogged about the New Normal for businesses: having to find innovative ways for their company to grow when the economy just isn't. The good news, I said, was that Buffalo Niagara employers are better prepared for this new reality than their peers in many other places.

Today I'm writing about a company, SellingHive, that is starting up and growing in this environment. They've grown inside the SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator, and our friends at the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce brought them to us (history has a strange way of repeating itself... a few years ago, we introduced the Chautauqua Chamber to another young firm, Liazon). Now, we're working with SellingHive to help them help our members find new ways to grow in this crazy economy.

A week ago, we invited a handful of members to learn about how SellingHive can help them, and have a free event on 11/18 for more companies to see what it is all about. SellingHive is a social networking website, connecting sales pros to their prospects. These connections lead to the development, negotiation and completion of business deals. It allows companies to not just find and talk about new markets, but to work them.

Our member Sherex Fastening Solutions is looking to SellingHive as a new way for them to thrive in a more difficult world. Vice President Adam Pratt, who is active with our Manufacturers' Council, says, “Business growth is our number one priority. We expect SellingHive to help us generate revenue in a quicker, more profitable manner.”

John Wanamaker, a famous retaler in victorian-era Philadelphia, used to joke that he never knew which half of his marketing budget went to waste, and businesses today are still trying to figure out the same thing. With SellingHive, you don't just pay and hope for the best, but find your results and then pay.

“Social media sales and marketing are all the rage today and SellingHive has the potential to be the ‘next big thing’ in business social media,” said Bernie Switzer, President of Partnership member Precision PhotoFab (and a proud new Dad!).

To grow, we need to find a whole new way to do business, and we can do it right here in Buffalo Niagara. For companies, residents, employees, and our members, there is no need to go anywhere; there are endless opportunities for success right here in Western New York.

Make sure you join us on 11/18.

The New Normal

2011-10-27T13:04:00.001-04:00

Have you heard of the New Normal? It's a phrase that's been used to explain the underwhelming economic performance across our country, and the world, for the last several years.

Since 2008, we've encountered higher unemployment rates, slow growth, hesitant customers, and a cautious public. What used to feel like a temporary condition has begun to feel quite permanent, and the best companies are learning how to adapt and operate in this environment.

Our region's economic stagnation (probably 70 years of it now) has forced local employers to play this game for quite some time. If you sell widgets in our area, to a local population, each widget you sell is one that someone else didn't. When you're promoted and your career accelerates, someone else was passed over. Because we've seen only minimal growth as a region, it means that it's that much harder to grow your company or career here. It's why the work we do at the Partnership is so important.

It also means that the local employers who have thrived are truly best in class. If you've grown your business locally in the past 70 years, it means you were good enough to grow despite everything going on around you. It also means that as the rest of the country struggles to adapt to the New Normal, it's business as usual for us. This time, we are ready for whatever comes at us.

In the coming months, I'll be posting examples of how Buffalo Niagara businesses can thrive in the New Normal. It's all about thinking differently, finding new approaches, meeting your clients' needs, and focusing on what's important. In the meantime, please feel free to leave a comment here or e-mail me with your thoughts on what's been going on.

BN360 Mentoring Makes a Difference

2011-10-21T12:29:00.007-04:00

A group of BN360's best and brightest stepped up to participate in one of our most unique and impactful initiatives to date. On Tuesday, October 11th, ten BN360 young professionals launched the “Be-A-Mentor” program. A new addition to the BN360 menu of member benefits, "Be-A-Mentor" is a collaborative effort with the University at Buffalo’s Liberty Partnerships Program that pairs students from Buffalo Public Schools with young professional mentors from the BN360 program.

The University at Buffalo’s Liberty Partnerships Program is a premier provider of support services for inner city youth enrolled in grades 5-12 who are at-risk of dropping out of school. They provide in-school academic support, comprehensive summer programming, SAT preparation, academic and college admissions counseling and after school programming. Dedicated to providing students with the resources they need to succeed throughout their academic careers and into the future, Buffalo Niagara 360 was asked to collaborate on a pilot program that would provide positive, career-focused role models to connect with students about their futures.

360 mentors will work with the UB LPP and Buffalo Academy of the Visual and Performing Arts students to enhance interpersonal skills, promote effective communication and assist in developing an educational career pathway, while working to increase their knowledge about the professional world. Throughout the school year, mentors will meet regularly with students from November 2011 until May of 2012 to set measurable and attainable goals and explore available career opportunities throughout the Buffalo Niagara region.

Our current pilot will serve as the model for a second program to be launched next year at Buffalo’s East High School. This second program will focus on careers in technology, math and the sciences. Currently BN360 and the UB LPP are working to monitor the progress of each program, in an effort to open the mentor model up to additional inner city schools by the fall of 2012. To learn more or to find out how you can "Be-A-Mentor," contact Christina Lopez at clopez@thepartnership.org or at 716.541.1723.

Selling More By Building Your Hive

2011-09-28T14:41:00.001-04:00

Starting my career, I never thought I wanted anything to dowith sales.

Soon, though, as I met folks in all different functions formy first employer, I began to realize that selling was where the actionwas. Our reps were out of the officemore, meeting with people, and were the face of our organization. I learned that increasing revenues was a lotmore fun than cutting costs. I startedspending more and more time with our reps in the field, and eventually became amarketing manager so that I could support them on a full-time basis. Eventually, I went on to business school, andafter that, I went to work for a large consulting company to help big salesteams improve.

In time, I realized the best sales teams are built like this:

The reps are fascinated by the product
The reps are team players, providing goodinformation to their support team, fully believing that their manager is theirtrusted internal advocate
The reps are the right match for hunting orfarming (whatever their companies need)
The reps are money motivated
The reps can manage ambiguity
The reps demand autonomy
The reps are loyal to the organization (eitherbecause of their earnings or genuine happiness)

At the Partnership, I get to work with companies all acrossour region. Buffalo Niagara employersneed us to improve the business climate and help them do more with less. It’s exciting for all of us when we can finda solution that can help them grow, and today is one of those days.

We are launching a new alliance with SellingHive, a websitethat is about to change the way the world sells. SellingHive is a web tool that allows reps tobid on introductions to decision makers, then rate their experience if they arethe successful bidder- a lot like a hybrid of Ebay and LinkedIn. SellingHive will allow reps to build theirnetworks, cut down on cold calling, and get to decision makers faster.

Even better? SellingHive is a local company- based in the Southern Tier, they have been hidingout from the internet giants and are now easing their way into the market. Buffalo Niagara Partnership members have thefirst crack at joining, and we are currently in a period of exclusivity withthem. To learn more, e-mail our Senior Director Sara Schumacher.

Happy selling.

"Fandelirium" & Buffalo Expats

2011-09-27T11:19:00.000-04:00

This morning's Buffalo News went a step beyond equating Sunday's Bills win to the 1990s-era Fandemonium that was common at then-Rich Stadium, calling Sunday's environment at Ralph Wilson Stadium "fandelirium." They went on to describe how many of our region's transplants - numbering in the hundreds of thousands - responded all around the country.

Just as one example, here is the scene at Delilah's in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL:

If you spend some time on YouTube, you'll see the same scene played out in cities all across the United States (and the world), where Buffalonians still feel enough of a connection to their faraway hometown to come out and watch their team with dozens of strangers. Our stringent business environment has sent Buffalonians to Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Denver, and practically everywhere else, but their hearts remain here.

It's why we've launched and maintain programs like Buffalo Niagara 360 (developing young professionals), Accelerate Upstate (to focus on the things we can do well), and Unshackle Upstate (to achieve the legislative results we need to advance our region in Albany), and it's why our work continues to improve the chances of business success in Buffalo Niagara.

Who are the expats in your life? What needs to happen to bring them home?

9/11/2011

2011-09-11T20:04:00.001-04:00

Remembering those lost, honoring those who protect us, and looking to our future with hope.

YP’s Benefit From 360 Approach

2011-09-06T18:37:00.003-04:00

As the busy fall sports season rapidly approaches, and old local rivalries are revisited on sports fields across the region, I am reminded of a great lesson in business and career development. If you want to be among the best, you must consistently compete with and against the best.

If you’ve ever played a sport, then you are familiar with this concept. As an athlete, you have experienced the skill development that occurs when you consistently play against stronger opponents. You understand that when you are challenged to play your hardest, to play your best- you learn, adapt and grow quickly as an athlete. The same can be said of the business and career development of a young professional.

Finding ways to surround yourself with motivated and successful people and creating your own 360-degree approach to building that system of motivated and successful people, will help challenge you and enhance your career, driving you to achieve that next level of success.

One way to start on this path is to participate in mentoring relationships that will facilitate your development. Such relationships will help you by exposing you to past successes and failures of others. You’ve heard the saying, “Those who fail to remember the past, are sure to repeat it.” Learning from the mistakes and successes of others can save you both time and money in your career and business objectives.

The following suggestions will help you to form a 360-degree approach to building successful mentoring relationships:

1. Identify people at the “Next Level.” Start by finding people associated to business associations like the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and the Buffalo Niagara 360 Program. Look for professionals that you respect in your current or future industry -someone you could emulate. Ask yourself, “Who do I respect and want to learn from?” Identify those “next-level” business professionals and learn from them how you can achieve their level of success.

2. Create a “Master Mind Group.” The concept of a “Master Mind Alliance” is a great approach to emulate. No one person has all the right answers, so surround yourself with other motivated young professionals who can help you achieve your goals. Be clear in your purpose and make sure the group is designed to benefit every member.

3. Give back, be a Mentor. Look for others to share with and you will learn more about yourself. Giving back to the community with your special talents, education and skills will help expose our communities’ youth to the myriad of careers across our region, while exposing them to your special leadership qualities and traits.

Become a better manager by mentoring other young managers. Practice your presentation skills by teaching others to develop and deliver better presentations. Pay it forward by getting involved and assisting other young professionals with achieving their goals.

Remember that talented individuals are all around you. Your company’s board members, senior management staffers and new hires all present abundant opportunities to develop a 360-degree network and can help you achieve your business and career goals.

The greatest athletes in the world are not created overnight. They are conditioned to earn their success over time, continually challenging themselves to be better and to do better and so can you. Take charge of your business and career goals and learn to reach higher with the help of others professionals like yourself.

Finding the Right Career

2011-08-22T17:16:00.003-04:00

Are you re-entering the workforce after raising kids? Looking to take the next step in your career? Have you just been laid off or fired?

No matter why you're on the job hunt, you're bound to find out that the landscape has changed since you last looked for work. The good news is as the first of the baby boomers retire, employers are facing a shortage of qualified employees, giving job hunters a sizable advantage. Unfortunately, thanks to technology and an ever increasing demand for productivity in the workplace, your new job will be a lot more demanding than your last. According to author Sylvia Ann Hewlett, who studies employment trends as the president of the Center for Work-Life Policy in New York, the average work week for many has stretched from 40 to 50 hours and in some cases soars as high as 70 hours. Even part-timers are working what used to be close to a full-time week. So where ever you land, expect your new job to hold a more rigorous schedule than jobs that you have held in the past.

If you're going to be working harder, it's even more important to get a job you'll really like-a job that will not only help you meet your financial and career goals, but will also reward your psyche, by stimulating your creativity and giving you that feeling of accomplishment that sometimes only the workplace (and of course, that paycheck) can provide.

How do you get started? For most of us, this is the biggest obstacle we face when it comes to finding a new job. It's just so hard to get started. There's no real deadline and nobody breathing down your neck to make sure you send that resume or call that contact. So take advantage of this time to create a strong and clear job seeking strategy. Keep the following in mind while working on your job search:

What you love to do? What have you dreamed of doing in the past? What do you naturally enjoy doing? Jot down what comes to mind, no matter how improbable it seems.

Think outside the box. Take note of projects or topics that stir your compassion or excite your imagination. Reflect on stories of people you admire. Ask yourself why certain activities make you happy, and pay attention to those things you really enjoy doing.

Be patient. Remember that your search may take some time and you might have to go down a few different roads before finding the right career path. Time and introspection will help you identify the activities you most enjoy and that bring you true satisfaction.

Once you have figured out which career path looks promising, you can begin weighing important considerations, like salary and work/life balance. After taking a close examination of what your career goals and objectives are, you will be best equipped to start on your next task of how to find the job that is right for you!

Visit www.iambuffaloniagarajobs.org for the latest job postings for whatever life and career stage you’re at.

New Member Profile: Welcome Atlantic Bedding and Furniture!

2011-08-19T12:03:00.002-04:00

The Partnership has recently welcomed Atlantic Bedding and Furniture (ABF) to its growing list of members. We believe that as a national company with a local owner/operator, Atlantic Bedding will benefit from the extensive networking and business expertise offered by the Partnership. We believe that these tools will expand Atlantic’s customer base and accelerate their success.

Atlantic Bedding sets itself apart by offering quality bedding, furniture, and accessories at rock bottom prices. Local owner/operator Chris Schunk operates the WNY showroom and warehouse in Lancaster, New York, which is a part of a network of 40+ outlets across the eastern United States. Schunk views the Lancaster showroom as his first and has plans to expand both in Western New York and into other regions as well. For customer convenience, shipping to the nearest outlet is always included in the price or you can ask about a white-glove home delivery option.

Why Atlantic Bedding and Furniture Joined the Partnership:

Chris says he views the Partnership as a tool for his success as an entrepreneur and is excited about what is to come. “There is an extensive network of businesses throughout the region that can be beneficial to other businesses, and the Partnership helps facilitate these connections,” says Schunk. As an entrepreneur, he chose Buffalo as the place to start his business adding, “I love Western New York, and when I found Atlantic Bedding and Furniture I found a perfect fit for me and Western New York because it brings a great value to the area that it deserves.”

Contact Information:

6495 Transit Road, Suite 16
Lancaster, NY 14026
Telephone: 716-681-8121

Post written by Katie Mertens, a communications intern at the Partnership. Katie is an junior at the University at Buffalo from Binghamton, NY studying public relations.

Managing Millennials

2011-07-25T16:21:00.003-04:00

By now, you've probably heard of millennials, but do you know who they are?

Millennials, sometimes known as the "Echo Boom", are the children of America's 70+ million baby boomers. As the baby boomers begin turning 65 in 2011, their children are entering the workforce.

These new workers are different than any group we have known before. Typically thought of as being born after 1982, they don't remember President Reagan or the Challenger, and can barely recall a time without easy web access. Sometimes known as the Peter Pan Generation, they are stereotyped as not wanting to grow up and being reluctant to set out in life without their parents. They've been called the Trophy Generation, as just showing up at little league was enough to bring home some hardware. Experiencing formative years in the booming 1990s, millennials hold high expectations, and are expected to change jobs much more frequently than their parents or Gen-X cousins.

Check out these videos and see what your thoughts are. Do you have millennials in your office? How has it changed your company?

You can read about recruiting, employing, and marketing to this huge segment of our economy here.

An Open Letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo

2011-07-21T10:23:00.005-04:00

Dear Governor Cuomo:

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. That's a thank you for ReCharge NY, part of your budget (which cut spending by 10% - I guess that deserves a "thank you" too...), a thank you for SUNY2020, and a thank you for the 2% property tax cap. When you became Governor almost 8 months ago, we and our Upstate partners would have been thrilled with any one of these accomplishments - you've delivered them all. So thank you!

What's equally impressive - it seems you're not quite finished. With the roll out of "Phase II" aka NY Works, you've compiled a real, sensible plan to economic development, job creation and revamped state operations with a $1 billion commitment to making New York "Open for Business". Needless to say, well done.

With that being said, we're bummed that you'll be unable to join us for our Accelerate Upstate event occurring August 4 & 5. (We understand scheduling conflicts, though.) Seems to me, the Accelerate agenda goes hand in hand with NY Works. We've hustled to bring in presenters that will discuss ways to use Upstate's assets to better New York as a whole. We aren't focusing on the Upstate/Downstate divide - that's been done before. We want to figure out how we can best thrive in a state where about two-thirds of the population lives south of the Tappen-Zee Bridge. We get that's never going to change- and we are ok with it.

Accelerate Upstate is going to be about how we can be the best one-third we can be, which will undoubtedly improve the rest of New York State. Your approach to the duties of the Governor thus far, especially with the NY Works plan, seemed to be a match made in heaven with Accelerate, and we look forward to presenting our findings to you after the event concludes and we compile all the great ideas and discussions that will take place.

Again, thank you for orchestrating one of the best legislative sessions this state has ever seen. We look forward to continuing to work with you as the NY Works plan develops and we really become Open for Business.

Sincerely,
AJ

PS- Governor, if you decide to show up to Accelerate Upstate, we PROMISE we'll act surprised. We might even jump up and down a little.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet

2011-07-18T17:02:00.006-04:00

If you are using Twitter for your business, you have no doubt used Twitter to promote an event or product. But, have you ever thought about live Tweeting from an event itself?

Live Tweeting is a great way to give an insider's view of your event. People hear directly from you what is happening when it is happening. It's also a great way to emphasize important points and drive followers to learn more about you by sending them to your website.

We often live Tweet from our bigger events (think Innovate or ATHENA). In fact, we'll be live Tweeting from our next big event, the Accelerate Upstate conference, on August 4 & 5 (follow us on Twitter @BNPartnership and look for the #Accelerate hashtag).

But sometimes it is difficult to determine when live Tweeting is appropriate. Here are five tricks for getting the most out of your live Tweeting.

Pick the right event. Ideally, the event you want to live Tweet would be interesting to the vast majority of your followers. For us, we tend to live Tweet from our signature events and a few of our other events where the messaging is of interest to people who couldn't make the event.

Create a #hashtag for your event and start using it weeks in advance as part of your Twitter promotion. Hashtags are a great way to put your Tweets into categories.The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or a topic in a Tweet. We're using #Accelerate for the Accelerate Upstate event.

Tweet as often as is needed, but not too much. Keep Tweets to a minimum ... hit only the high points. If you feel like you need a lot of Tweets from the event, start a separate account just for that event. If possible, start that new Twitter account well before the event and try to recruit followers who might be interested in that event to follow the new account. But you should only set up a new account if you are prepared to use it!

Follow regular good practices on Twitter. When you find a relevant, useful tweet from someone else at the same event, retweet them. Reply to people who ask you questions. Thank people for helping you out. (Twitter is a great way to thank sponsors and other presenters ... we'll be thanking all of our sponsors at #Accelerate Upstate, especially title sponsor BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York).

Don’t #go #hashtag #crazy in your Tweets at the event. It’s OK to use a hashtag in moderation, as in one or two at most per Tweet, but anything more than that will annoy your followers.

If possible, post photos, quotes from people at the event and any observations that you truly think will be useful to your followers.

These are just a few tricks to get you started on live Tweeting. Do you have any others?

Downtown, Our Shared Future

2011-07-15T18:03:00.009-04:00

Ahhh… just back from a nice stroll down Main St. to grab myself a delicious Taco from Lloyd’s Taco Truck – definitely a must if you haven’t tried it. I had the pleasure of meeting my younger brother and his girlfriend who is from out of town (Columbus, OH), and relaxing for a few minutes. She is in town for the weekend, and he’s showing her around the City.

Being a Buffalo nut who optimistically (and realistically) views the future of Downtown as a huge success story, I took the liberty to go on-and-on about all of the new projects underway, and the hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment that are making a strong foothold in Downtown. I expected to be met with the same disgusting self-inflicted pessimism that I tend to run into when detailing Buffalo’s under-appreciated (and unsung) successes, but I encountered a refreshing point of view on this sunny scorcher from my brother’s girlfriend – a 21 year old college grad visiting Buffalo for her first time. “I think it could be really cool down here,” she said as we sat on a bench in Lafayette Square, “but you can tell it’s not meeting its full potential.”

If you’ve been Downtown recently, you’ll recognize things are happening. Both large and small projects are taking shape on the heels of organizations and developers who understand the regional value of Downtown, and the tremendous assets it boasts. Decades of sprawl and disinvestment in urban areas has left many cities to deal with a lot of the same issues we are facing (we’ll leave that issue for a separate blog), but the cities who are doing the best (economically and otherwise), are those who understand the lynchpin role their downtowns play in the future and success of their region.

A look down Main St. @ night.

I could go on and on about how and why downtown is so critical to our region – the world class architecture and long entrenched spirit of innovation, its history and current presence as the regional hub of commerce and business, its role as the cultural and entertainment center – but I think everyone reading this innately understands and agrees. After all, Downtown is the gateway to our region and our face to the world. Most importantly, Downtown offers some of the most compelling opportunities to drive our region’s economy forward.

The Tishman building on Lafayette Sq. - plans are currently in the works to convert this office building into a mixed use development, similar in concept to Uniland's highly acclaimed Avant building on Delaware Ave.

The Hotel Lafayette on Lafayette Sq. - Rocco Termini's Signature Development is in the process of converting this historic hotel into a mixed of residential and a "one-stop-shop" wedding boutique.

There is plenty of literature and demographic trend analysis out there that chart the fundamental shift in lifestyle preferences that is beginning to take hold in our nation’s cities and shows no sign of stopping. The approximately 80 million people that fall within my generation (I’m 24), overwhelmingly prefer to live in vibrant, walkable urban centers. According to a recent Brooking’s study, over 88% of college graduates would prefer to live in a vibrant, walkable urban environment. Additionally, a recently released CEOs for Cities Report, reported that over 63% of college grads choose the city they want to live in before they begin searching for jobs. I can attest to this as I have seen friend after friend go city hunting before job hunting.

The other large demographic constituent is the baby boomer generation (approx 70 million nationwide), whose kids have moved out and therefore no longer need their big sprawling suburban castle, and instead are downsizing for walkable and highly serviceable urban environments. I can vouch for my parents when I say that this lure is circling in their heads (they currently live in the suburbs).

While our region is beginning to understand the economic benefits of reinvestment strategies in our tradition urban areas (take the Village of Hamburg as an excellent example), there are still principle impediments that face these communities, and most of all Downtown. One of, if not the most, fundamental barrier to the influx of private investment in downtown, is the building stock. Years of disinvestment and neglect have left numerous old and impressive buildings in a state of under-utilization or vacancy. As a result, the process of rehabilitating and reusing some of these magnificent structures puts developers in the red as the money needed to upgrade older building systems, remediate environmental issues such as asbestos, and dance around modern building codes adds substantial costs to their proformas that cannot be recouped with market rents (or at least just yet). As a result, these buildings are in limbo – too unfeasible to privately tackle either through demolition and new construction or through adaptive reuse and rehabilitation.

Acknowledging this issue, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, at the behest of Mayor Byron Brown, has undertaken the Buffalo Building Reuse Project, in order to identify strategies on how to better match our current building supply, with demand – creating a more vibrant regional center. With the assistance, knowledge, and vision of over 40 subject matter experts, we have been working to develop effective solutions, while building off of the International Award Winning Queen City Hub: A Regional Action Plan for Downtown Buffalo, the City’s comprehensive planning document for Downtown.

The project kicked off in March and final recommendations and strategies will be together sometime late fall. Check back next week to get a more comprehensive understanding of where we are in the process, and get a glipse of the strategies we are pursuing.

In the mean time, to prime the pump, check out some of these related articles:

http://www.brookings.edu/topics/walkable-urbanism.aspx

http://www.ceosforcities.org/work

ATHENA: The Career Woman

2011-07-11T17:12:00.006-04:00

In Greek mythology, Athena was known as the goddess of War, Wisdom, Strategy, Strength, and Heroic Endeavor. Athena was regarded as the protector of civilization and with her companion Nike, the goddess of Victory, it was believed Athena protected the heroic on the battlefield and bestowed victory upon those who revered justice, serving as the essence, the prototype of the contemporary career woman.

Often described as strong, fair and merciful, Athena served as an early role model for women throughout time. Each year, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership recognizes individuals from our community who exemplify the leadership traits of the goddess Athena. This year, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership will honor two local professionals with the 2011 ATHENA Leadership Award and the 2011 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award at a luncheon in November. The ATHENA Awards committee is currently seeking nominations for these honors.

The ATHENA Leadership Awardhonors an individual in our community 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. In 2010, the Partnership recognized Sister Denise Roche, President of D’Youville College with this honor. This award is dedicated to promoting and honoring the valuable contributions being made to advance the status of women in the Buffalo Niagara region.

The ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award recognizes emerging women leaders across professional sectors for exemplary leadership. It actively supports and celebrates the ATHENA mission of supporting, developing and honoring women leaders, inspiring women to achieve their full potential, and helping to create balance in leadership worldwide. This award honors women between the ages of 25 and 40 who excel in their chosen field, devote time and energy to their community in a meaningful way, and serve as role models for young women. Last year, Amy Schmit of University at Buffalo Center for Excellence was named the 2010 Athena Young Professional. Both honorees are exemplary leaders who continue to advance the status of women throughout the Buffalo Niagara region.

If you are interested in learning more about the ATHENA Award’s, or how to nominate a professional dedicated to advancing the status of women in the Buffalo Niagara Region, visit www.thepartnership.org/athena or call 716.541.1759 for more information. Nominations will be accepted until noon on Friday, July 22^nd for consideration.

Accelerate Upstate - August 4/5 in Buffalo

2011-07-08T12:09:00.007-04:00

Working in the business I do, I love family picnics. I love on the 4th of July and on Labor Day when you get your family around the table and everyone starts spouting off on what's wrong with the city/state/country and what they would do if they were in charge to fix it. I'm always convinced that positive change could actually take place if we put all of our uncles in a room for one day to sort things out.

Well, that's kinda what we're doing - on August 4 and 5, the Partnership will be hosting an event called Accelerate Upstate in downtown Buffalo. We're inviting stakeholders from across Upstate from every sector - that's business, labor, government, not-for-profit, special interest groups and everyone else - to get together for two days... Not to talk about the problems with Upstate - we've spent enough time doing that - but to talk about solutions and opportunities. What assets does Upstate New York possess that make us an attractive place to live, work and invest, and how do we - and by "we" I mean taxpayers, employers and government leaders - make the most of them.

Because the reality of the situation is that for the rest of eternity, 2/3 of this state's population is going to live east of the Hudson River. We may lament that fact, but it is what it is. Which means that our lack of political clout isn't likely to change. So how do we live within that world in a way that will lead to economic stability and even prosperity? Well, we need everyone in the room to come up with a plan for doing so.

You can find a list of the speakers we've invited to Accelerate Upstate here - we think it's a strong and influential list, and since I booked all of the speakers I've had the privilege of talking to them about the event. They're not coming because it's a speaking opp. They're coming because it's a topic that's needs to come to the forefront. And while we're going to be doing a lot of "talking" for those two days, we're also going to be turning that dialogue into action. All of the comments from speakers, panelists and attendees will be compiled into an Accelerate Upstate action agenda to be delivered to Albany after the conference.

Of course, while they're here we want the attendees of Accelerate Upstate to see Buffalo, so we've set up a unique schedule where the conference's "breakout sessions" are being spread throughout downtown. In addition, we're hoping that the conversation will flow from meeting rooms to our Accelerate Upstate networking reception aboard the USS Little Rock (overlooking the final concert in the 2011 Buffalo Place Summer Concert Series at the Erie Canal Harbor Central Wharf).

We all have our opinions on what needs to change to make Upstate New York vibrant, keep our children from moving away and see more jobs being created. Don't waste your ideas over hot dogs and potato salad so they're forgotten by the time the badminton racquets are pulled out. Join us on August 4 and 5 in this collaborative community effort to Accelerate Upstate.

Enjoy the Night Air -- and Make a Few Connections too!

2011-07-05T16:28:00.004-04:00

Have you attended Execs Connect yet this year? If you have, then you know that it's a mix of the popular Networking with a Twist with a dash of Buffalo Niagara 360’s Execs Unplugged all rolled into one. It's the perfect platform for both open and targeted networking, bringing young professionals to established executives and small business reps to decision makers.

The final event for this year is taking placing Tuesday, July 12th at the Buffalo Yacht Club ... great food, great networking and a fabulous setting on a Buffalo summer night ... what more can you ask for!

If you're new to the event, let me give you the rundown. You visit as many "Exec" tables as you can, have the exec sign your "game" card and turn it in for a chance to win some fabulous prizes, including a wine dinner for six at the Buffalo Yacht Club! It's as simple as that!

Not sure what to talk to the execs about? Ask them about their business. Ask if they have any interesting projects they are working on. Ask what's on the horizon for their company.

Check out the list of next week's execs:
Ken Jagodzinski, Director of Marketing, Upstate NY, Verizon
Richard Kincade, WNY Operations Manager, UPS
David LaRoche, Account Supervisor, Manzella Marketing Group
JP Midgley, CEO, Avalon Document Services
Jamel Perkins, Vice President Information Technology, Delaware North
John Prizner III, Director of Development School of Management, UB School of Management
Bill Shepard, Vice President of Group Services, The Creative Problem Solving Group
Bob Stelianou, Principal, Trautman King Markwart Associates, PC
Heath Szymczak, Partner, Jaeckle, Fleischmann & Mugel, LLP
Earl Wells III, President, E3 Communications, Inc.

Register online today!

Happy Networking!

Happy Canada Day

2011-07-01T15:09:00.008-04:00

Happy Canada Day to our friends and neighbors to the North (and West!). Our binational location is one of many things that makes life and business in Buffalo Niagara so unique. We continue to find new ways to improve our border crossings, knowing that collaborating with you is a key aspect of our growth. While we might disagree on hockey teams, we appreciate seeing you at our sporting events, malls, and festivals. Happy 144th Birthday!

2011 Jobs Express Funds Summer Youth Employment

2011-06-27T17:30:00.000-04:00

Are you an employer looking to build a reliable pool of future employees? If you answered yes, the Buffalo Employment and Training Center (BETC), is looking for businesses like yours to participate in “2011 Jobs Express.” A state funded program “2011 Jobs Express” is designed to encourage local business leaders to hire employees between the ages of 14 and 21 for summer employment throughout the Buffalo Niagara Region.

The BETC recently received $330, 556 in State funding to implement this young adult workforce program. As a result they will provide work readiness training, supportive services and wages for approximately 100 area youth who are placed in private sector jobs. Designed specifically to target employers with entry-level or seasonal openings, including super markets, retail stores, restaurants and recreational programs, “2011 Jobs Express” will allow the BETC to subsidize the wages of those young adults who are placed with local employers, giving businesses the resources to hire, train and foster the growth in young adults from our community, creating a sense of pride for both workers and employers.

Statistics show that for every year a teen works, the income earned in their twenties rises between 14 to 16 percent. Studies also indicate a direct correlation between summer employment and higher graduation rates. Additionally, companies that hire younger workers during the summer months benefit by building a reliable pool of future full-time employees.

The BETC will run this community minded, summer outreach program beginning Monday, July 11^th through Thursday, August 25th- for all in-school youth, and Thursday, September 29th - for all out-of-school youth. If you are interested in learning more about the “2011 Jobs Express” program, or are interested in participating in building our communities workforce for tomorrow, please contact Jeff Nixon at the Buffalo Youth Employment and Training Office by phone at (716) 856-8139 ext. 3134 or by email at jnixon@wdcinc.org.

Innovation in Our Lives

2011-06-20T20:46:00.003-04:00

At last month's Innovate Buffalo Niagara awards, the Partnership celebrated some of the most innovative companies in the region; companies whose success is attributed to creatively implementing new ideas to enhance their products and services for their customers.

One of those honored was the HEALTHeLINK project, the winner of the Collaboration Award. The purpose of the project is to create and maintain a secure and reliable infrastructure for health care providers, insurers and other medical professionals to share clinical information. This electronic system will allow for real-time sharing of clinical information among health care professionals in order to promote collaboration, limit duplication, control healthcare costs and improve the delivery of services, clinical outcomes and patient safety. The ultimate winner in this collaboration will be the healthcare consumer.

Among the collaborators on this project was Independent Health, one of the leaders in the national healthcare debate. IHA Chief Medical Officer Thomas J. Foels, M.D. talks more about the HEALTHeLINK project and Independent Health's achievement of the "triple aim" in this month's Expert Forum. Read more about it on the Partnership's website.

Who Says You Can't Go Home?

2011-06-17T15:50:00.014-04:00

Hi everyone - Tom Murdock here, the new Marketing & Communications Director for the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. I am a native Buffalonian and returned home on June 1 after spending the last 11 years in Ohio, Massachusetts, Illinois, Indiana, and most recently, New York City. I came back to Buffalo and joined the Partnership to have a positive impact on my hometown and help our member investors grow their businesses.

My first three weeks in town have been quite the experience and I have attended many of the great events the Partnership puts together for our members and the community. In just the past few weeks, we have hosted our recurring Partnership 101 event, an installment of our renewable energy series hosted by Phillips Lytle, a happy hour for young professionals at the Ronald McDonald House, and our All Star Affair co-hosted with the Buffalo Bills and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York.

Yesterday, I was able to attend a Sustainable Development event we presented with the Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors at Templeton Landing. The morning featured two panel discussions with professionals from around Buffalo Niagara and the United States. The first panel featured Paul Beyer from the NYS Department of State and Bill Tuyn from Greenman-Pederson, and was moderated by Dennis Elsenbeck of National Grid. Paul and Bill made strong cases for the need to rethink our development model and encourage smart growth and new urbanism. Each presented strong examples of both local and national projects which made for a fascinating and interactive discussion.

The second panel occurred later in the morning and was hosted by Steve Ricca of Jaeckle, Fleischmann & Mugel, LLP. It centered around the business case for sustainable development and featured panelists Dena Belzar of Strategic Economics, Laura Hackathorn of the Village of Hamburg, and Carl Montante of Uniland Development. Visiting from California, Dena was able to provide an outsider's perspective on our built environment and encouraged the audience to consider some of our previously held ideas, especially involving public transportation. Laura walked attendees through Hamburg's experience of revitalizing its downtown through private investments and streetscape improvements. Carl Montante helped the audience understand his firm's experience in developing Avant downtown and their decision to pursue mixed uses.

From there, we left Templeton Landing and went on a tour of waterfront progress hosted by Peter Cammarata and David Stebbins of Buffalo Urban Development Corporation. The first stop was the offices of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation, where President Tom Dee briefed the crowd on post-Bass Pro plans for Canalside. Tom and his team have made enormous progress in the past year, building visible signs of progress, turning opponents into supporters, and tripling the number of summertime events held at Canalside to more than 300. Tom had his audience buzzing with excitement for Canalside's bright future.

After leaving ECHDC, we visited the new RiverFest Park, where we were greeted with Peg Overdorf, Executive Director of the Valley Community Association. Peg talked us through her efforts to raise money and construct the new park, which many are already calling Peg's Park. I had read about RiverFest in the paper and online, but was astonished to see the scale and beauty of the park. There is plenty of room for expansion to neighboring properties and Peg is anything but short on ideas or energy for the future. This is one of those things that you have to see to believe and is certainly worth the trip.

Next, we headed to the Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park, RiverBend, Ship Canal Commons, each a project of Buffalo Urban Development Corporation. Like Peg's Park, the impact of these brownfield redevelopments are much greater than you'd assume after reading about them in the paper. Our tour guides drove us through their massive developments with great pride. Where Republic Steel and Hanna Furnace once operated (and polluted), three new tenants have already moved in to the development's light industrial space. Surrounding the old Union Ship Canal is a large recreational green space that has just been planted and hides the light industrial spaces from the water. Fortunately for the new plantings (but unfortunately for us), rain had started to fall and kept us on the bus. Instead, you can see a two week old image of the site (pre-plantings) here as well as a rendering here. Here is Dave showing us a picture to demonstrate the scale of this huge development:

Our last stop was in Larkinville where the Larkin Development Company's efforts have expanded beyond their initial redevelopment of the 600,000 square foot Graphic Controls building to include redevelopment of adjoining blocks and attracted other developers to the area as well. The Larkin At Exchange Building is at full capacity and has attracted tenants including Kaleida, Travers Collins, and First Niagara's headquarters. LDC is in the process of redeveloping the Larkin U building for additional First Niagara Space and constructing another building for Capital Management which has outgrown their current space. Ironically, construction of the Larkin At Exchange Building began exactly 100 years ago this weekend, and LDC is celebrating today with its tenants by sharing a massive cake (think a piece for each of the 2,000 employees in the Larkin Building) shaped just like the building.

Here are a few shots of Donna Kostrzewski, Vice President of LDC showing us around and the chocolate she shared with us:

What a great day for this repatriated Buffalonian. Seeing these sites will turn cynics into believers and I would highly encourage all of you to take your own tour (and bring your friends!). Thanks for reading!

Networking can Make a World of Difference

2011-06-10T11:00:00.001-04:00

How many people do you know and more importantly, how many people know you? Actively and effectively building business connections will have a positive impact on your career whether you’re a new or seasoned business professional.

Your next job, promotion or business deal could be directly connected to the strength of your network. Experts in the business industry report that over 70 percent of jobs are never advertised. If you, or someone you know, are one of the thousands of people within our region, who are actively seeking work, then networking with Buffalo Niagara’s 360 Program should be at the top of your list of strategies to enhance your career opportunities.

Make a Plan. In your quest to increase your networking opportunities, determine first what it is that you want to achieve. Take time to visualize your desired outcome. Are you searching for a business partner, looking to hire an ideal candidate or simply wanting to increase your community awareness? Taking some time to understand what it is you want and knowing what you’re passionate about, will help you stay focused on achieving your goals.

Find a regular place to network. The Buffalo Niagara Partnership is a great place to start with dozens of opportunities to learn about various industries and businesses throughout the region, while attending anyone of the dozens of events offered to our members year-round. To find the best fit for you, narrow your focus and find networking groups that will help you meet both your personal and professional needs. Talk to friends, co-workers and business contacts to learn about the best places to network. Get involved with organizations like the Buffalo Niagara Partnerhsip or the Canisius Women’s Business Center; state or local industries or trade associations and service-based organizations such as Rotary, Kiwanis or the Lions Club.

Set your goals. Plan monthly targets like “Happy Hour-for-a Cause” or the Medaille “Business Leadership Series” to get involved and make new connections. Work on nurturing existing personal and business relationships. For every one-or two-hour business event you attend, like a luncheon or networking reception, plan to meet five to 10 new people. Focus on spending no more than 10 minutes with each new person you meet and limit the time you spend with your friends and co-workers. Focus on building mutually beneficial relationships by not always trying to satisfy your own networking goals, but by helping others to accomplish theirs first. Look for ways to help others and they will look for opportunities to help you too.

Give back to the community. Once you’ve found a great place to network, get out into the community and find a place to volunteer. Giving your time and attention to community organizations is one of the best ways to network. In the process of providing your time and talents to different groups or organizations like the one’s listed on our Volunteer Page, you will demonstrate your abilities and learn new skills. Volunteering will give you the opportunity to develop relationships with people outside of your office, while meeting business and community leaders connected to the organization.

Build on your network. Building mutually beneficial relationships and forming business connections is a long-term strategy that often produces immediate results. Start today, build a plan and get ready to enrich your life through the habit of effective networking, because the world rewards those who have started and continue to effectively develop, a strong network of business connections.

Happy Hour For-A-Cause Visits Ronald McDonald House

2011-06-10T10:57:00.001-04:00

The Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo provides a home-away-from-home for families of ill or injured children receiving treatment at Buffalo-area hospitals. Families from all over the world that travel to Buffalo are welcome to stay at the Ronald McDonald House. The House serves as a warm haven for families at their time of need. Maintained by volunteers and staff, the Ronald McDonald House relies on the support of a large network of volunteer groups from around the region. Buffalo Niagara 360 will participate in this tradition during the months of June and July starting with Happy Hour For A Cause on Thursday, June 16, 2011 from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. at 780 W. Ferry Street in Buffalo. Bring an item from the Ronald McDonald “Wish List” and sign-up for your opportunity to volunteer your time for this worthy cause with our BN 360 team!

Founded locally in 1983 with a seed grant from McDonald’s Corporation, the House receives some support from local McDonald’s owners and operators, but it relies heavily on the generous donations of individuals, community groups and local businesses to cover operational expenses. Located in the historic district of West Ferry Street in Buffalo, the Ronald McDonald House is a 14,000 square-foot home that accommodates up to 50 people at a time. The House features 15 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a fully stocked kitchen, a family room, children’s playroom and various other common areas.

Over the last 28 years, the House has played host to more than 17,000 families and their children. Guests are provided with private bedrooms, van transportation to and from the hospital and a fully stocked kitchen, where meals are often prepared by volunteer groups. The House also has a great playroom for children, provides free laundry facilities, exercise facility and computers with Internet access.

Visiting families are asked to contribute $15 per night per room. The actual cost of a family’s stay is much more than that and the House depends on the generous donations from the Western New York community to cover the additional expense. To learn more about how you can help the Ronald McDonald House, follow this link or call (716) 883-1177 for more information.

Saturday, July 9, 2011-BN 360’s Ronald McDonald House Clean-Up For A Cause
9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
Ronald McDonald House780 W. Ferry Street, Buffalo, NY

Volunteer Effort

Join us for BN 360’s Ronald McDonald House Clean-Up For A Cause. A 360 team effort to support the Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo. Volunteers will participate in a two-hour indoor and outdoor clean-up of the 14,000 square-foot Ronald McDonald House. This event is limited to 10 volunteers. Sign-up for BN 360’s Ronald McDonald House Clean-Up For A Cause at the June 16th Happy Hour For A Cause. For more information contact Christina M. Lopez, Manager, Workforce Development at 716.541.1723 or by email at clopez@thepartnership.org.

Saturday, July 30, 2011-BN 360 Cooks For Kids!
1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Ronald McDonald House780 W. Ferry Street, Buffalo, NY

Volunteer Effort

Help make the Ronald McDonald House a real home away from home for its visitors by joining us as BN 360Cooks for Kids! Our groups will plan the menu, shop for menu items and prepare a home cooked meal in the House kitchen for our guests. Volunteers must be at 14-years of age to participate. Sign-up for BN 360 Cooks For Kids at the June 16th Happy Hour For A Cause. For more information contact Christina M. Lopez, Manager, Workforce Development at 716.541.1723 or by email at clopez@thepartnership.org.

Congressional Briefing Series with Congressman Brian Higgins: Join Us!

2011-06-08T15:16:00.004-04:00

Every summer, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership offers a unique opportunity for its members to participate in one-on-one interactions with our region's federal representatives. We are kicking off this year's 2011 Congressional Briefing Series with a lunch featuring Congressman Brian Higgins on Wednesday, June 29th.

Congressman Higgins has represented the 27th Congressional District since 2005, and his tenure in Washington has fortified the reputation from his days in the state Assembly as one of Buffalo's strongest advocates. Congressman Higgins has been passionate in DC about the Outer Harbor and waterfront development as well as the continued push for a new Peace Bridge. His astute understanding of what the Buffalo Niagara economy's biggest needs are led to the recent opening of a U.S. Passport office in downtown Buffalo, affording residents and consumers the opportunity to handle new homeland security border crossing regulations the easiest way possible.

The format for the Congressional Briefing Series includes the Congressman addressing the crowd on a federal topic of his choosing, including an overall update of the going-ons of Washington. The floor is then opened for questions, and as past experiences have demonstrated, Congressman Higgins is always one of the most candid and forthcoming participants in the Series when answering inquiries from our members.

If you're curious about the federal government and its processes, current affairs in DC, or your business is facing a federal issue you'd like to bring up to your representative, there is no better opportunity for you to do so than a Congressional Briefing Series. I encourage everyone to join us on June 29th! If you'd like to attend, please register here.

UB Partners Day - Collaboration Works!

2011-06-06T15:02:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity on Friday morning to present a session with my good friend Al Hammonds from the UB Office of Economic Engagement (OEE) as part of UB Partners Day. Partners Day is an annual event where UB invites in members of the community from various sectors - business (small and large), economic development, foundations - and not only recognize their strategic partnerships in the Buffalo Niagara region, but explore through a series of workshops the opportunities that are available. From our perspective, the event is part educational and part relationship building.

Al and I presented on collaboration, specifically with the University of Buffalo. A little over a year ago, UB came to the Partnership and asked how the university, with the wealth of services it offers, could connect with our members, the Buffalo Niagara business community. It was an important connection for us to make. Each year, Partnership staff personally visits with hundreds of employers in the region through our Employer Outreach Program. We interview them, find out their challenges and opportunities, and see where we can be of help. In many cases, the employer doesn't know what resources exist for them, so we provide the conduit, if indeed the service they need isn't one that we provide in-house.

Take the cold storage facility that was in the process of haggling with the Chinese over four containers of tomatoes that were rotten and unusable when they arrived at their doors. We were able to make a personal connection for them to World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara.

Or the Blasdell manufacturer who's expansion is being thwarted by a NYS DEC regulation that costs over $100K per year to fulfill - we facilitated a tour of the plant by then-Senator Bill Stachowski and have connected them with now-Senator Tim Kennedy.

There are hosts of other examples, but the organizations and people with which we work we refer to as our economic development "toolkit." When UB came to us with 13 pages of "centers" that can provide invaluable services for our members, our toolkit grew enormously. From workforce development programs to hi-tech modeling to CanAm trade assistance, the resources available through UB are extensive. So much so, that we've actually partnered with the OEE on a series of workshops designed for economic development professionals to learn about the university's offerings. In November, we highlighted tools for manufacturers; in January, workforce and career placement services. Next up, we'll be focusing on the Buffalo Niagara logistics industry.

The collaboration has already yielded results. A number of Partnership members have already, through us, tapped into internship programs at UB. Some have contact the NYS Center for Engineering Design and Industrial Innovation (NYSCEDII) - which we hosted for a follow-up event with manufacturers here at the Partnership - for design services. And we continue to have strong ties into which our members can tap with UB programs in the Schools of Engineering and Management and the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL). The collaboration in one year has been wildly productive.

UB, meanwhile, in its own outreach to the community, has encapsulated its resources onto the OEE web site, creating an easy reference guide to the various programs (and there are a lot of them!). But if you want some help navigating, give us a call at the Partnership - we'll use the relationships we've built at UB and other organizations engaged in economic development to help you grow your business.

Innovation @work

2011-06-02T09:45:00.005-04:00

From celebrating innovation amongst our membership at our Annual INNOVATE Buffalo Niagara Awards and exploring the creation of an innovation-economy through a visit from Jumpstart CEO Ray Leach to advocating for reauthorization of the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to fund cutting-edge R&D with strong commercialization potential, May was all about innovation.

Yesterday, as I attended a meeting at the Innovation Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (one of our region’s most successful ensemble casts supporting innovation) and heard about the 100% occupancy rate in the labs, the thousands of employees, world-class researchers, doctors that drive life-saving research, diagnoses, and treatments each day, and the millions of square feet of space currently under construction – the importance of collaboration in the name of driving an innovation-based economy was strengthened.

Just as May was filled with all things innovative, June is proving to be another month filled with events dedicated to the vital role innovation is playing in Buffalo Niagara's economic revitalization...

Tomorrow, the Partnership will be participating in UB Partners Day – a day of workshops, exhibits and speakers focused on “Innovation with an Impact” – an exploration of how a partnership with UB can help boost growth for large and small businesses alike as well as the region as a whole. You can join us – the morning of workshops is open at no charge to the public!

On June 9, Bright Buffalo Niagara and UBCOE will host the Bright Forum at the Albright Knox Art Gallery– an event which will bring together investors, entrepreneurs, professionals and community leaders to hear over 25 company presentations highlighting ground-breaking innovation happening across the life sciences, energy, IT and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Kicking off on June 14, UB COE will be hosting the 2011 Pre-Seed Workshop for those at the very beginning of the innovation life cycle. Offering objective feedback on the viability and commercialization potential of your idea; this two-day workshop will lend you the pre-seed support you need to your idea and vision into a technology venture. And for those a bit farther along in the process, Insyte Consulting, our region’s NYSTAR designated SBIR/STTR specialist, will host a 3-hour FREE SBIR/STTR Workshop on June 16, outlining ways that entrepreneurs and established businesses alike can leverage this federal funding opportunity.

With ALL new net job creation in the last 30 years coming from high-growth entrepreneurial companies, it’s clear why we must continue to join forces to spur and support regional innovation…

The City of Good Neighbors

2011-05-31T15:28:00.004-04:00

Buffalo has long been known as the City of Good Neighbors. Perfect strangers stop to push cars that are stuck in snow during the winter or shovel out the driveway of a neighbor, just to be a good neighbor. Those selfless acts foster a sense of community throughout the region. The same can be said for people who volunteer their time to support organizations/people in need.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, about 62.8 million people volunteered in the United States through or for an organization at least once between September 2009 and September 2010. In the Buffalo Niagara region, more than 246,000 volunteers gave an average 29.3 hours per resident. That equates to $554.7 million of service. Those are pretty impressive numbers by anyone's standards.

If you are one of those 246,000+ people from Buffalo Niagara, you know why you do it. You want to learn or develop a new skill. You want to expand your network or work with diverse groups of people. You enjoy the personal sense of achievement you get from helping others. You just want to give back to the community.

As we approach the summer season, why not think about volunteering or attending one of the many events this summer ... the Mash Bash to benefit the American Red Cross, the Ronald McDonald House 5K Run or the 3rd Annual Labatt Blue BBQ & Blues Bash to benefit Gateway Longview to name a few.

Let's face it, 246,000 people in this community are already involved ... why not you too?

The Details Behind NY's Property Tax Cap deal

2011-05-26T09:41:00.003-04:00

Earlier this May, Governor Andrew Cuomo came to Buffalo State College to talk about his priorities for the remainder of this year's legislative session, and at the top of the list was enacting a state-wide property tax cap - something the Partnership and Unshackle Upstate have spent years advocating.

During the Governor's "People First" presentation, we heard some very similar statistics that Unshackle had been touting during its lobby visits on the cap. One of the Governor's staff even joked that they pulled the information directly from Unshackle's Property Tax Cap White Paper. In Upstate New York you'll find 9 of the 10 top counties in the nation when comparing property tax rates measured against home values. And Upstate isn't the only part of NY affected... Westchester, Nassau and Rockland Counties are ranked 1,2, and 5 respectively when it comes to highest property taxes paid in real dollars.

Property taxes don't just affect homeowners, though. Studies show that property taxes have the strongest negative impact on business, because they are paid regardless of profit. In New York State, the energy sector paid 17 percent of the nearly $19 billion in property taxes paid by businesses in 2009. Those taxes increase the cost of powering our homes and businesses, and those costs are inevitably passed on to the consumer.

Earlier this week, the Governor, Senate Majority Leader Skelos and Assembly Speaker Silver announced an agreement on the property tax cap - one the Partnership, Unshackle Upstate, the Business Council, and many of the other members of our statewide coalition pushing for the cap have all given the "thumbs up" - that would cap property taxes at 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. This hard cap, which some are arguing is the strongest cap in the nation, is the first step towards relieving the tax burden in New York State.

There are stipulations to the cap that help appease some detractors, mainly local municipalities that will be hamstrung by unfunded mandates, that allow for the cap to be "pierced". There needs to be a 60 percent voter override, either by voters in a school district or governing body, to increase property taxes or a major legal settlement that takes up more than 5 percent of a district's budget. There also is a slight carve out for municipalities can account for pension payments - but even then, only a percentage of the increase is allowed to be applied towards piercing the cap.

While we fully agree with the concerns of the local municipalities, we believe that a property tax cap will be the driver to attaining mandate relief from New York State. Any attempt to combine the two issues will lead to another legislative session of lots of talk and no action on a cap OR mandate relief, which will not help anyone. In recognition of the need for mandate relief as a parallel goal of our statewide coalition, Unshackle Upstate submitted a letter of recommendations to the Governor's Mandate Relief Redesign Team and has been vigorously working on recruiting support in the Assembly and Senate for their recommended legislation. Read more about that effort download a copy of Unshackle's mandate relief letter here.

With the above stipulations and next year's projected numbers, it is estimated that the average maximum allowable increase for next year's property taxes by local governments would be 2.9 percent, with that number dropping in subsequent years. According to the state Comptroller, NYS property taxes rose 73 percent from 1998 - 2008, more than twice the rate of inflation. This hard property tax cap will effectively halt that annual increase - allowing New York State's tax burden on homeowners and businesses to begin to return to a sense of normalcy.

Make the Most of a Job Fair

2011-05-23T15:05:00.006-04:00

Buffalo Niagara has its fair share of job fairs coming up in the next few weeks. If you are looking for a job, you well know that job fairs are excellent places to learn, network and oftentimes, land a job. But the bigger the job fair, the more overly-crowded, competitive and confusing they can be. That is why preparation is key to having a successful job fair. Here are few tips to help you down the right path.

Before the Job Fair:
Research participating companies, if possible. This will help you to "target" companies that will be a good fit for you and your career goals, as well as help you to prepare a thoughtful answer to that dreaded interview question, "Why do you want to work for us?". Prepare questions that show interest and knowledge about the organizations.

Prepare a resume that presents your skills, experience and education. Proofread your resume. I'll say it again PROOFREAD your resume. Your resume is a reflection of you and what skills you will bring to the company. Plan to take at least 25 crisp resumes to a job fair, 40 or so if it's a huge event (in a scannable format if possible).

Develop and practice a "one-minute commercial" including a brief summary of your experience, education, skills, interests, strengths and goals. Be prepared to quickly sell your skills, talents and experiences. Even though a job fair tends to be a more casual environment, attire, body language and manners still count. Dress sharp, act professional and display enthusiasm.

Prepare to fill out a job application on the spot. Unless you're otherwise directed, it's best to turn it in right away. Taking it home first allows your better-prepared competitors to beat you to it.

At the Job Fair:
Arrive a few minutes early to register if required and plan your "attack." Visit your targeted employers first with resume in hand, but remember that they have many more job seekers waiting, so don't try to hog all their time or be offended if they cut it short. Once you've hit all of your targets, "shop" other employers' booths and do some networking.

When wrapping up your conversations with employers' representatives, ask them what the next steps are. Ask if it is OK to contact them to follow up, and if so, when.

Keep track of what employers you have spoken to and take notes about the conversation. Collect business cards or contact information as you go.

After the Job Fair
Treat this as if the interview had been at their company and follow up within 24-48 hours with a thank-you letter to each of the representatives with whom you spoke. Doing so might make you stand out in their minds and help you land a follow-up interview.

If you were given the green light to follow up with a company representative, follow through.

When you are not at jobs fairs, don;t forget about two great tools the Partnership offers for jobs seekers: http://www.buffaloniagarajobs.com/ (a free website for job seekers) and our "Jobs" website LinkedIn page (http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=2885861) which offers information for job seekers.

Want to Accelerate Upstate?

2011-05-18T11:25:00.002-04:00

We’re hosting a two-day conference in Buffalo August 4-5 to develop an action plan for accelerating priority projects and economic growth in the 40,000 square miles that compose Upstate New York. Upstate leaders (and that includes YOU) with diverse perspectives are being invited to focus on how Upstate can thrive given the state’s particular political balance and the resulting limited political clout Upstate.

Within six weeks of the conference, the Accelerate Upstate action plan will be distributed to event attendees and delivered to the capitol in Albany.

Partnership President and CEO Andrew J. Rudnick was joined by Erie County Executive Chris Collins and Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown at a press event yesterday to invite leaders from across New York to the conference. Some of what they had to say:

“What’s different about this conference?” asked Rudnick. “Rather than rehash and focus on the challenges we face, the two-day dialogue will focus on agreeing upon solutions and positive steps that the Upstaters can take – together -- moving forward.”

Erie County Executive Chris Collins said, “For too long, Upstate New York has been at the mercy of Albany politics dominated by Downstate interests. We all know too well the impact that has had on our Upstate communities. I commend the Buffalo Niagara Partnership for organizing this conference to develop an action plan for moving vital projects and policies forward for the benefit of every Upstate New Yorker.”

“I look forward to welcoming leaders from across Upstate New York to Buffalo to discuss issues that are affecting our communities,” said Mayor Byron W. Brown. “The conference provides Upstate with a stronger voice and the opportunity to present regional concerns to state lawmakers. This collaboration will make New York State stronger as a whole.”

The Partnership organized the Accelerate Upstate conference after encountering universal frustration – expressed by Upstate business leaders, labor leaders, municipal and school leaders, environmentalists, not-for-profits, farmers and more – over the region’s inadequate political clout, and the negative impact of it.

Consider the following:

Only 81 of the NYS Legislature’s 212 members represent Upstate constituents

All major statewide elected offices are held by Downstaters

The leaders of both legislative houses hail from Downstate districts

The 17 New York State counties that showed a population decline in the 2010 census are Upstate

The first night of the conference will include an Accelerate Upstate bash on Buffalo’s waterfront – a social event designed to foster networking and a collaborative spirit among the diverse participants. Visit Buffalo Niagara is an event partner, to ensure the region’s assets are shown off to attendees, who are expected from every corner of Upstate.

To learn more about the panel topics, speakers and registration, please visit www.thepartnership.org/accelerateupstate

BN360's Business Leadership Series, Part 4

2011-04-22T12:32:00.001-04:00

On April 11, Buffalo Niagara 360 presented the 4th installment of its “Business Leadership Series” sponsored by Medaille College. Business consultant and corporate trainer Larry Mietus of Speaking of Strategy provided a presentation on “Powerful Communications Skills for Contemporary Leaders.”

Larry gave BN360 members a thorough overview of what it takes to have powerful communication skills. These are skills that any professional can use to effectively communicate their viewpoints, facilitate a meeting, and actively listen to others. Common barriers to communication such as fear, misunderstanding, and differing positions of power were discussed. Many of us have been in situations where we may have been hesitant to express ourselves because we felt our opinion wouldn’t be welcome. Other times, a conversation can stall because one person’s position within the organization may not be high enough in the staffing matrix to be perceived as important enough to be heard.

Just as with learning styles, people have different communication styles and it’s important to try to determine how people best listen and engage with one another. A co-worker may be an “auditory” learner if their responses may include phrases such as, “I hear what you’re saying” – or they may be kinesthetic learners, who work best when taking a brisk walk and physically engaging in the conversation.

When one is able to understand another’s communication style, they must also practice active listening skills: listening to words and thoughts, listening to the “full” story, and recognizing emotions, among others. Non-verbal communication plays a significant part in any conversation. If your co-worker gives you the impression they aren’t fully engaged in what you’re saying, communication can break down. Non-verbal cues that indicate a person isn’t listening may be unintentional, but they can be more powerful than the words being spoken.

Larry’s presentation also focused on good public speaking skills, providing a general outline of the critical components to a good speech (knowing your audience, being aware of your non-verbal cues, having good visual aids) and delved deeper into the meat of what makes a good presentation great. When we have to speak in front of an audience, we must remember that being nervous is a natural – and important – part of the process. If you don’t have at least a few butterflies in your stomach, you may be overly confident about how prepared you are. Use your nervous energy to give a dynamic, engaging speech!

Thank you to Medaille College for sponsoring this year’s “Business Leadership Series.” We look forward to bringing you another series’ worth of compelling topics next year. Stay tuned!

Peace Bridge Unveils New Web Site

2011-04-15T15:08:00.005-04:00

The Partnership and the Buffalo Niagara business community work in strategic partnership with the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority - both in advocacy for progress on the Peace Bridge Expansion Project and in day-to-day operations to facilitate trade across one of the busiest CanAm bridge crossings. The Peace Bridge is a huge component of our regional economic development and our close connection to Canada is a key factor in many companies' decisions to locate here in Buffalo Niagara.

This week, the Authority unveiled its revamped web site at www.peacebridge.com, aimed at providing convenient border travel information and updated traffic details. This site also features various content renovations and a whole bunch of other web tools to help make your Peace Bridge experience easier.

To make things as convenient as possible, access to what's going on with and at the Peace Bridge is available at mobile.peacebridge.com (real-time traffic updates), and on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, or sign-up for Peace Bridge RSS feeds.

As for the Expansion Project, itself, here's the current scoop:

In February, President Obama included in his Executive Budget funding that could possibly be tied to the Peace Bridge U.S. Plaza, however given the on-going federal budget debate, there is no certainty that it will be there in the end of negotiations. The next step in the process for the Project is completion of the Federal Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), however, in a classic chicken-and-the-egg scenario, the Federal government won't issue the FEIS until funding for the project is identified. Meaning, the completed FEIS can't be used to build momentum toward funding the project. So the battle is in the federal budget - and the Partnership continues to lobby our WNY federal delegation in that regard. As always, we will keep you posted.

Government Affairs Update

2011-04-14T14:25:00.004-04:00

It's been a busy couple weeks here in the Government Affairs world of the Partnership. We had so much going on, I figured this week's blog post would be a good place to recap...

Partnership Endorses Jane Corwin for Congress

Assemblywoman Corwin has consistently been one of our most impressive representatives, and her understanding of the needs of the business community and the governmental burdens we face has been underutilized in the Minority of the State Assembly, where Downstate leadership dominates the agenda. We can't wait to see how her 100% Unshackle Upstate Scorecard record translates in the House of Representatives! Learn more about Jane's campaign at http://www.janecorwin.com/.

Buffalo Niagara Night in Albany

In mid-March, we celebrated Buffalo Niagara's famous fare in Albany, bring hometown favorites like beef-on-weck, Mighty Taco, Anchor Bar, Yancey's Fancy, Rich's desserts, and Bison dip (and a lot more!) to our Albany officials to remind them who and where they represent! We also presented our analysis of the NYS Executive Budget, which we gave an overall thumbs up. With over 150 Partnership members, elected officials and staff mingling, including a surprise visit from NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, the event was a huge success, extremely informative, and productive in bringing our positions on the budget to light.

2011-12 NYS State Budget

Fiscally responsible, on-time with no new taxes, and Upstate-friendly... need we say more? If the budget had included UB2020 (we are looking forward to the summit with Governor Cuomo in May!) and a property tax cap (coupled with mandate relief!) we might have been accused of writing the budget ourselves! With Upstate "wins" like the IDA cost recovery repeal and Recharge NY, coupled with restored funding for Roswell Park, this budget was a welcome sign of change coming from Albany.

Movers and Shakers - "Governor Cuomo's First 100 Days"

NYS Senator George Maziarz and City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown joined Partnership members in discussing the recently passed state budget, the impact Governor Cuomo has had on Albany, and what we can expect to come during the next few months of the legislative session. All in all, our presenters provided fantastic insight into the inner workings of Albany, it's impact on our local municipalities, and a preview of what issues we will be fighting for (or against...) as the Governor's first legislative session moves towards a conclusion.

1099 Repeal

So much of our advocacy efforts are done behind the scenes; it's often hard to really show how we operate when we attack or promote an issue affecting our members, and the business community as a whole. With the overly burdensome 1099 reporting requirement of the health care reforms looming over every employer's head, we have been working diligently to repeal the requirement along with partners across the nation. We were successful. This issue really highlighted how we sometimes come across an issue, created by government placing more burdens on businesses and employers, and how we fight to stop it. As long as these types of issues keep coming out of DC and Albany, we'll keep standing up for employer interests!

Celebrating Innovation Right Here in Buffalo Niagara

2011-04-11T11:53:00.003-04:00

Innovation happens every day in the Buffalo Niagara region. By striving to do things smarter, faster, better, local companies are finding new ways to thrive in our region. That's why the Partnership celebrates innovative companies each year at the Innovate Buffalo Niagara Awards.

We are proud to celebrate this year's finalists:

Target Industries: Cleveland BioLabs, Inc.; Kinex Pharmaceuticals, LLC; Empire Genomics, LLC; Freed Maxick & Battaglia, CPAs, PC; Liazon Benefits; Life Technologies; Power Drives, Inc.; Sonwil Distribution Center, Inc.; The Mentholatum Company; Yahoo, Inc.

Collaboration: BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York; Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA); HEALTHeLINK

Entrepreneur: Niagara Dispensing Technologies, Inc.; PURE Solutions NA, LLC; You and Who

Leadership: Hyatt Regency Buffalo Hotel; Kaleida Health; VSP Marketing Graphic Group, Inc.

We hope you can join us on May 3rd at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo as we celebrate these innovative companies and their contributions to the region's workforce.

What is your brand?

2011-04-05T10:59:00.000-04:00

Have you ever taken one of those brand recognition quizzes? You know the ones I am referring to ... you look at a logo and have to determine what company they represent. If you're like me, you score pretty high on those tests. I can really relate to a company's brand. But have you ever given any thought to what your personal brand is?

Personal branding (how we market ourselves) is a hot topic these days with so much of our lives on display on the internet. Everything we do, what we wear, what we say and how we say it is part of our brand. Even this blog is part of my brand. Personal branding is so relevant that many hiring managers "Google" potential employees to get a better sense of the person's life outside the office.

So what do you do to create your "brand"? Realistically, you should look at it as a process, much the way a company does. Define your goals, create a strategy, implement your tactics and evaluate how effective you've been at reaching your goals.

1. Define your goals
It is important in this step to be honest with yourself. Determine what you want to accomplish, but be realistic. Don't pursue a path as a college professor if you don't like speaking in front of a group.

A good way to start this process is to think about the positive things your peers have said about you. Do they think you are a great communicator? Someone who can ease tensions in a room? Someone who has a knack for coming up with great ideas? Someone who works well under pressure? All of these attributes are part of your brand.

By summarizing these characteristics you will move yourself toward the place you need to be ... the place where what you think of yourself matches what others perceive about you.

2. Create a Strategy
In this step, you create the plan to help you achieve your goals. This is your step by step action plan. For example, a former intern of mine wanted to move from a career in the newspaper industry to a career in public relations. Her action plan included pursuing a Master's degree and interning in an organization where she would get hands-on experience in the field, as well as exposure to what a job in PR would entail.

3. Tactics ... Tactics ... Tactics
In the PR world, tactics are those "concrete" things you actually produce to help to promote your brand. In the world of personal branding, we refer to those "concrete" things as your Personal Branding Toolkit. Items in your toolkit should include (at the minimum): business cards; a resume, cover letter and references; a portfolio or examples of your work; a LinkedIn profile; a well defined, appropriate personal style; and an email address. I can not stress enough the importance of having at least one business appropriate email address. These are email addresses that are generally inclusive of your name and nothing else (ex. firstname.lastname@gmail.com).

4. How are you doing?
The final step is one that is often overlooked. It is really important to evaluate how things are going. By taking at look at yourself and evaluating your personal brand along the way, you will be able to make adjustments to your plan if needed. Ask others for feedback (someone you trust, but someone who will also be honest with you). If the feedback is something you can change, don't be afraid to explore changing it.

BN360 Attends We Live NY Summit

2011-03-30T16:07:00.001-04:00

On March 25^th, over 400 young professionals from across NYS convened at Cornell University for the We Live NY Summit. The Summit was made possible by We Live NY, a statewide coalition of young professional leaders focused on attracting and retaining talent throughout NYS. Buffalo Niagara 360 is proud to be a member of WLNY’s steering committee, representing WNY as the group implements initiatives that encourage young professionals to network with their peers, promote collaboration amongst their organizations, and become engaged in their communities.

The Summit featured dozens of breakouts grouped by Business & Entrepreneurship, Political & Civic Engagement, Cuisine & Culture, Neighborhood Revitalization, and Health & Wellness. Attendees were hard pressed to decide which breakouts to attend - from pitching business ideas to angel investors and entrepreneurs, an introduction to the Political Leadership Institute (for running or managing political campaigns), to attending a locally sourced wine and cheese tasting, the WLNY Summit aimed to satisfy everyone’s interests.

While the breakout sessions offered a wide variety of topics, the common theme was leadership. By attending the Summit, WLNY Chairman Jeremy Cooney said, attendees were “…taking a leadership role in the future of New York…we are committed to taking actionable and measurable steps in making our state a place that is innovative, exciting, and attractive for young professionals.” Innovation and leadership are key factors in the growth of the state, as stated in a letter addressed to attendees by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: “We depend upon…leaders like all of you, to invent the next wave of products, start new companies, and create the jobs that will drive New York’s economy into the future.”

After a productive day full of networking and learning, followed by a “Dine Around Ithaca” and pub crawl, attendees I spoke with left the Summit feeling engaged, energized, and ready to apply what they learned back to their own communities across NYS.

Quality is Key to Controlling Costs in Healthcare

2011-03-29T16:58:00.003-04:00

Independent Health President & CEO Dr. Michael Cropp believes that providing quality healthcare is essential to controlling costs in the industry. Lawmakers continue to debate certain parts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) one year after President Obama signed it into law. Despite the ongoing debate among lawmakers, Independent Health has maintained it's focus here in Western New York on ways to improve the quality, access and affordability of health care.

Read why Dr. Cropp believes we need to achieve the triple aim of better health, better care and better costs in this month's Expert Forum, Independent Health - Leading True Health Care Reform.

UB2020 passes the Senate!

2011-03-02T16:27:00.003-05:00

This afternoon, the New York State Senate passed legislation enacting UB2020's proposed reforms! The Partnership would like to thank Sens. Grisanti, Maziarz, Gallivan, Ranzenhofer and Kennedy for sponsoring and supporting this crucial legislation, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support: 53-1. UB2020 will now go to the State Assembly, where it did not come up for a vote in 2010. Now is the time for you to contact your Assembly representative and tell them to pass UB2020 the Assembly!

Millions of Dollars in Savings

2011-03-02T15:57:00.003-05:00

As the Partnership’s annual open enrollment winds down for its Bright Choices health insurance program this year, it’s a good time to look back and take stock at how far we have come. In response to the theme “Starting Today,” more than 125 new companies joined the hundreds of current members taking advantage of the wide choices and excellent range of products on the Bright Choices® Benefits Exchange™. This is just the latest in a series of successes that stretches back more than three years. Showing foresight, leadership and a real concern for the businesses in Buffalo Niagara, the Partnership was one of the first organizations to push for real innovation in the area of employee benefits.

In recent years, employee benefits purchased through chambers of commerce have gone from bad to worse. Chambers have watched their insurance programs erode and their members suffer. The situation has gotten so bad for some chambers that they have actually decided to drop their benefits programs altogether. They have been hit from several sides at once: the insurance companies have decreased coverages, limited the choice of plans and raised prices to the point where the chamber’s insurance plans are no longer viable. The smaller and most vulnerable businesses have been left with little choice.

It was in this environment that the Buffalo Niagara Partnership found itself three years ago. But the Partnership decided to do something about it . . . to get out in front of this issue, to serve its members and its community and to see if there was another way to approach this problem. They looked for companies with new plans and new ideas. And one of them, Univera, joined forces with Liazon to respond. Here was a truly innovative solution to employee benefits that actually helps businesses save money while providing employees with more and better insurance choices. Plus, Liazon’s solution includes the Bright Choices Benefits Exchange -- the online store with state-of-the-art decision support technology.

That first year there were four Univera plans on Bright Choices, along with MetLife Dental, Life Insurance, Disability Insurance, and Allstate Accident and Critical Illness insurance. The following year saw the number of medical plans on the Benefits Exchange grow to eight. Other plans were also added, like Long-term Care, telemedicine programs and even pet insurance. And each year more and more members signed on.

The Partnership’s pioneering efforts helped the benefits programs of many chambers around the state. Today, the Bright Choices Benefits Exchange has been embraced by over 20 chambers of commerce throughout New York, from the Buffalo Niagara area and the Southern Tier, to Albany/Saratoga, to the Hudson Valley and to New York City. In every area where the Liazon program takes hold, the businesses in that region experience significant cost savings. The Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce, for example, one of the newest chambers to come onboard, recently estimated that their first year with Liazon saved businesses in their area $1million in insurance premiums, simply by providing a wider variety of good choices and letting employees decide.

The Bright Choices program through the Buffalo Niagara Partnership has had an even bigger impact on businesses in Buffalo Niagara over the past three years. It is difficult to estimate the full financial impact of the program because it is not an apples-to-apples comparison -- the plans today are so robust as compared with the anemic plans of three years ago. However, looking at the experiences in other parts of the state, the savings could amount to several million dollars. That’s money that is folded back into the local economy to support new investments and job growth.

This blog was written by Partnership Vice President Fred Bristol. Please contact Fred to fill your insurance needs.

Independent Health: Working Toward a Healthier WNY

2011-03-01T14:49:00.005-05:00

In the year that has passed since the Patient Protection and Afforable Health Act became law, Independent Health continues to work toward achieving what it calls the triple aim: better health, better care and better costs. From its Patient-Centered Medical Home pilot initiative to Wellness Tools & Discounts to tips for living healthy, Independent Health encourages Western New York families to take greater personal responsibility for their health.

Independent Health's President & CEO Dr. Michael W. Cropp discusses more about what Independent Health is doing to create a healthier WNY in this month's Expert Forum. This is the first of three pieces in 2011 discussing Independent Health's position with the local business community and the programs it offers to WNY individuals and families.

You Made New Contacts, But Now What?

2011-02-28T09:50:00.005-05:00

Last week, more than 300 Western New York business people attended The HobNob & CEO Silent Auction at the Larkin Building. By all accounts, it was a great event where people exchanged business cards and made many new contacts.

Our thanks goes out to the 15 CEOs who were on the auction block that night. It speaks mountains about this community that those 15 individuals are willing to carve an hour out of their incredibly busy schedules to meet with another business professional. On the block that night were: H. Thomas Chestnut, President & CEO, AAA of WNY; William Collins, Principal, Travers Collins; Michael Cropp, M.D, President & CEO, Independent Health; Jacqueline Culliton, Sr. V.P. , First Niagara Bank; Frank Curci, President & CEO, Tops Markets; Jon Dandes, President, Rich Baseball Operations; Robert Gioia, President, The John R. Oishei Foundation; William Gisel, CEO, Rich Products Corp.; John Hurley, President, Canisius College; Tim Loftis, Partner, Jaeckle, Fleischmann & Mugel, LLC; Kevin Neumaier, President & CEO, Ecology & Environment, Inc.; Chris Palmerton, President & CEO, Medtek/Buffalo Filter; Timothy Tevens, President & CEO, Columbus McKinnon; Donald Trump, M.D., President & CEO, Roswell Park; and Paul Vukelic, President & CEO, Try-It Distributing. Special congratulations to Michael Cropp, M.D, President & CEO of Independent Health who was the night's biggest draw.

I would definitely be remiss in not thanking our sponsors, especially First Niagara who was the event's presenting sponsor. Other sponsors included Tops Friendly Markets, Travers Collins & Company, Integrys Energy Services of New York, Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel LLP, Seneca Gaming Corporation and Summer Street Capital Partners.

Now that the event has passed and business cards have been exchanged, the question is "how do you nurture that new business relationship without seeming too aggressive or creating an awkward situation?"

Here are a few pieces of advice to get you started:

1. Write down any noteworthy personal information the contact shared with you on the back of their business card, along with the date and event information where you met. These small details will help you to reconnect with that person when you do follow up.

2. Invite a new contact to connect with you on LinkedIn. This is one of the easiest ways to stay connected to someone you've just met. This gives you (and them) the opportunity to look over each other's profiles and find out more about the person's professional background.

3. Send an interesting article that is related to your new contact's business/industry. This is a simple, yet effective way to show your interest in their work. A word of caution though. Make sure the articles are worth the person's time to read ... there is nothing worse than having your inbox flooded with information that is of no value to you. Inundating a new contact with usless information is a good way to alienate them.

4. Look for new contacts at the next networking event you attend. Many of the people who attend Partnership's events are repeat attenders so the chances are good you will see them at another one of our events. Many of these people also attend other networking events throughout the region. So be on the lookout for new contacts when you attend events. Saying "hello" at the next event is a great way to stay connected.

Remember, the key to building your network is to create a lasting connection with the people you meet. Following up up shortly after an event is the way to start.

Buffalo Niagara 360 a part of the We Live NY Summit

2011-02-25T11:56:00.000-05:00

Inform...Empower...Connect...Take Action...Make Progress

BN360 is proud to be a part of We Live NY (WLNY), a coalition of emerging leaders, representing diverse backgrounds, dedicated to improving quality of life in New York State and promoting New York as an attractive place to live, work, and learn. The group is comprised of young professionals from all regions of New York, and the Partnership’s Ann Mestrovich represents Western New York as a steering committee member and leader of the BN360 program. WLNY serves as: (1) a convener of young professional organizations across the State, collaborating to provide a statewide voice among young leaders; (2) an organization seeking to create a culture that fosters innovation among different geographic regions through communication and strategic partnerships; and (3) an organization addressing issues of importance to the emerging leadership in New York State.

Next month, the group will present the We Live NY Summit, brining upstate and downstate communities together to discuss ways to attract and retain young talent in NYS. The event will unite more than 800 young professionals for three days of structured conversations and collaborative workshops at the Statler Hotel at Cornell University. The Summit is devoted to showcasing young adults who are making progress to make change and engage their peers within their respective regions. Interactive panelists and knowledge sharing will focus on Business & Entrepreneurship, Civic & Political Engagement, Culture & Cuisine, Health & Wellness, and Neighborhood & Community Revitalization.

BN360 will be present and we invite other young professionals from Western New York to take the trip to Cornell!

Assembly Gabryszak on "listening tour"

2011-02-23T11:00:00.005-05:00

Last week, NYS Assemblyman Dennis Gabryszak joined with the Partnership in a session he dubbed a "listening tour" of the Buffalo Niagara business community. About 17 Partnership members attended the closed-door session for the opportunity to sit down with the Assemblyman, pick his brain on state business climate topics and offer their perspective on doing business in Upstate New York.

The Partnership and Assemblyman Gabryszak have built a strong working relationship since his election in 2006 (and we were working together pretty well when he was Cheektowaga Supervisor prior to that). He understands the business side, and has demonstrated that he's driven to get things done. That's why we weren't surprised (though we were appreciative) when he took the Assembly lead last year on legislation that secured funds derived from allocated by unused hydropower to be used for economic development in the Buffalo Niagara region. With Dennis' leadership, it passed.

Last week's session was as informative for us on the Partnership's business development team as it was for the Assemblyman. While several of the employers in the room had state issues to discuss that were specific to them, the predominant theme continued to be New York's bad business climate.

The issue most often highlighted was taxes, and comparisons were made to our employers' operations in other states. One WNY employer pays $1.25 per square foot in taxes for his facility in New York State - $.65 per square foot for a similar facility in Pennsylvania. That's not a 30,000-foot level "Albany needs reform" campaign - those are real numbers that our employers face when making their hiring, expansion and relocation decisions. Regardless of how you feel about economic development incentives for employers, those kinds of numbers put Upstate New York at a tremendous disadvantage before any negotiations even begin. It's the reason that the Partnership and Unshackle Upstate spend as much time as we do fighting for comprehensive reform in how Albany operates. The cost of government is overbearing and taxes can't be contained, much less made more competitive with other states, until the burden of government is lightened.

The broken workers compensation system in New York State was another topic raised, with specific examples of problems given (one of which was a former employee who was filmed working out at the gym during his disability period and is STILL receiving lifetime benefits). Across the board there seems to be intricacies in how Albany does business that hinder the growth of the private sector.

Of course the question was raised to the Assemblyman "What can you do about it?" As is usual in these sessions, there is a sense of hopelessness that big picture things are actually going to change - especially for us at this end of the state. Gabryszak was candid with everyone present that he's going to continue to raise the conversation, build relationships with Downstate legislators (where the bulk of the power is) and capitalize on the momentum of reform that Governor Cuomo has introduced in his first two months in office.

We like the fact that the Assemblyman made a point to come listen - it was a productive session that has received good feedback. We promise our ability to put Buffalo Niagara employers in a room for any other elected representative who would like to have similar interaction.

Capping Property Taxes

2011-02-16T16:24:00.013-05:00

We <3 2% Tax Cap!

This past Valentine's Day, Albany got a different spin on the well known "I <3 NY" mantra, with business organizations from across the state coming together to proclaim: We love the property tax cap.

New York State has the highest property taxes in the United States, 78% above the national average. In Upstate New York, you'll find 9 of the top 10 counties in the nation with the highest tax rates when compared to home value - including Erie, Chautauqua and Niagara. When measured in real dollars, our friends in Westchester, Nassau and Rockland counties are 1,2, and 5 respectively. These figures drive people, and businesses, out of New York.

During meetings with Lieutenant Governor Duffy, Legislative leaders, and senior staff to Governor Cuomo, this diverse coalition stressed that the passage of a property tax cap is the first step to forcing true mandate relief, a step that is absolutely necessary to keep our local governments from going completely bankrupt. However, there is more to this cap than just renewed hope for a constantly re-hashed political sound byte for mandate relief: a cap undoubtedly helps the economy grow. Property taxes account for 39 percent of all taxes paid by businesses, totaling $21.9 billion in 2009. Lowing property taxes allows a state to be more attractive to business investment; in layman's terms: JOBS.

The current property tax cap legislation introduced by Governor Cuomo was passed 45-17, with broad bi-partisan support, by the New York State Senate. Now is the time for the New York State Assembly to pass the tax cap. Assembly Leadership, seemingly reluctant to do anything beneficial to Upstate New York, is allowing this bill to languish in committee. I urge you to contact your local Assemblymember (find out who is your representative in the Assembly here) and tell them the time for a property tax cap in NOW. Also, contact your state Senator - all 5 from the Buffalo Niagara region voted YES - and say thank you.

While it may take some time for the Assembly to pass the tax cap, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown today proposed a 3 year property tax freeze for the City of Buffalo during his annual State of the City address. We commend the Mayor for recognizing the detriment rising property taxes can have on a community, and we hope the Assembly will join the mayor of the 2nd largest city in New York State in acknowledging that with controlled property taxes, economic growth and mandate relief are right around the corner.

Networking ... Yes!

2011-02-14T13:29:00.006-05:00

We have all heard it over and over again ... networking is the key to building strong business relationships. But saying it and doing it are two different things. We may have the best of intentions ... we sign up for a business networking event or two and we actually show up at the event, but once we get there we fall into the same old habits of talking to the people we already know. While it's nice to reconnect with friends and acquaintances, this hardly helps to build our list of contacts.

So how do you break out of our old networking habits? Here are a few simple tips to get you started on the road to a successful networking event:

1. Display confidence when entering the room
Follow the advice your mother gave you ... stand up straight and smile. A smile makes you more approachable. But don't panic if you are not approached right away. Look for the right opportunity to meet others. Take advantage of the event staff ... at a business networking event, the hosting organization will have plenty of staff on hand ... ask one of them to introduce you to some of the people in the room.

2. Be interested
Pay attention to what the other person is saying and ask them questions to help you get to know them and their business. Your chance to talk about yourself will come.

3. Your Elevator Introduction
Be able to tell others who you are and what you do in short, fabulous and memorable fashion (30 seconds or less). The point here is to elevate their interest in who you are so they will follow step #2 and be interested in you in return.

4. Don't overstay your welcome
There is nothing worse at any event than to have exhausted all conversation and be standing in awkward silence. Don't be afraid to politely excuse yourself and thank the person for their time. But be sure to exchange business cards before leaving.

5. Follow through
If the conversation ends with you promising to do something, do it. Whether it is calling, sending an article or making an introduction to another, the follow through will help you move that person to your network of contacts.

Are you ready to network? Check out the Partnership's next event, The HobNob & CEO Silent Auction on February 24th, for an opportunity to mix and mingle with hundreds of business professionals. And take advantage of the opportunity to bid on a few of Buffalo Niagara's business leaders during the CEO Auction.

Want a few additional pointers on networking, attend our free seminar Maximizing Your Networking Opportunities on February 16th at Keybank on Transit Road in East Amherst.

BN360's Business Leadership Series, Part 3

2011-02-11T14:42:00.003-05:00

On February 7, Buffalo Niagara 360 presented the 3rd installment of its “Business Leadership Series” with Medaille College. Consultants Dale Stephens and Nick Pitillo from OGP Consulting, LLC provided an interactive presentation on “Leadership and Change” focused on good communication methods and coping strategies during times of change.

BN360 members were led through several exercises exploring potential negative and positive reactions to change. Dale and Nick walked them through a diagram demonstrating the “Likely Employee Reactions to Announced Change”, a breakdown of employees’ typical reactions to change (10% angry / 65% fearful, skeptical, and distrustful / 15% uncertain but open / 10% hopeful and energized). The point they stressed was managers have to address employees’ varying reactions to change – and their willingness to adapt – by using appropriate communication strategies.

“I can stand what I know. It’s what I don’t know that frightens me.” Francis Newton

Good communication was identified as the key tool managers can use to effectively present change and mange their employees’ reactions to it. By proactively listening to employees’ reactions, informing them that you understand their concerns, and planning for next steps (asking for understanding, soliciting their ideas) managers will have a higher chance of getting their employees to accept change.

The content wasn’t geared just for managers, but also for any employee who has to work with change in the workplace. Dale and Nick also helped attendees create personal plans for “self management” during times of change and stress.

Save the date for the 4^th part in our “Business Leadership Series”: April 11 at Medaille’s Amherst Campus

1099 Repeal Clears Huge Hurdle – the U.S. Senate!

2011-02-10T11:53:00.006-05:00

On February 2, 2011, the Senate voted 81-17 to repeal the expanded 1099 reporting requirement that was included in the healthcare reform law they passed less than a year ago. The repeal was passed as an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. With 34 Democrats rushing to join Republicans in scrapping this onerous provision, their new enthusiasm for “a common-sense solution for business owners so they can focus on creating jobs, not filling out paperwork for the IRS (Amendment Sponsor Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan)” is ironic at best. Given that we’ve been working hard on this repeal since last spring and the fact that the 1099 repeal is poised to pass the House quickly, it’s an understatement when we say that we are extremely pleased (thrilled, overjoyed…) that the 1099 repeal has passed the Senate! We can now confidently say that the 1099 provision will be long gone well before its 2012 implementation date.

With this important hurdle cleared and a clear win for the business community on the books, I believe it’s instructive to take a moment to relive the 1099 saga as we look to what else the 112th Congress can accomplish this year. Last spring, the business community stumbled across Section 9006 – a small provision so well hidden in PPACA that it didn’t garner much attention until late April (four months after the bill passed!). As soon as one of our members brought the provision to our attention, we began advocating for a full repeal of the expanded reporting requirements that would require all businesses to issue a 1099-Misc. for every business-to-business transaction of $600 or more of goods or services beginning in 2012.

And advocate we did! By July, the business community was in an uproar with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce leading the charge. But, to our dismay the advocacy efforts of hundreds of thousands of business owners fell on deaf ears as Rep. Mike Johanns’ Senate version (S. 3578) of the House’s 1099 repeal bill garnered only 7 Democratic votes when it came to the floor in September. Despite rising anger among business owners and the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS), an independent organization within the IRS, coming out in opposition to the 1099 mandate, the White House and Congressional Democrats defended the provision whole-heartedly going into November 2nd.

What a difference an election can make. By late November, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid had changed their tune considerably and President Obama joined the business community in calling for repeal, saying “the 1099 provision in the health care bill appears to be too burdensome for small businesses. It just involves too much paperwork, too much filing.” Senator Johanns brought his repeal bill to the floor again and it garnered 61 votes – only 6 votes shy of the 67 needed to pass.

And then… the 1099 repeal showed up in the President’s State of the Union address. Immediately, Senate Democrats began lining up to vote for repeal as the Johanns bill’s bi-partisan co-sponsor list grew considerably. A week later, Senator Stabenow borrowed his legislative language, changed 5 words and offered it as her own nearly identical amendment. As debate on the FAA reauthorization bill neared completion, Senator Reid called Senator Stabenow to introduce her 1099 repeal bill while blocking Senator Johanns who then watched his amendment (with a Democratic sponsor) pass easily.

Don’t get me wrong – this repeal is great news. It’s just interesting that a Democratic leadership who authored the stealthily included provision, voted for it, and fiercely defended it is now basking in the glow of their efforts to kill it. Bottom line – let’s hope the Democrats, led by a President who just had a neighborly lunch at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, keep “adopting” more of these kinds of ideas as their own.

Buying Local: What does it mean and how do we make it happen?

2011-02-07T13:40:00.006-05:00

Over the past year-and-a-half, Partnership staff has conducted close to 600 face-to-face visits with employers in the Buffalo Niagara region to discuss their opportunities and challenges in doing business here. The information we've compiled has been invaluable as far as sharpening our focus to best serve the needs of the regional business community - the direct interaction with our members has certainly strengthened our efforts.

The predominant theme among all of the feedback we've received is that there needs to be a much stronger focus on buying local here in Buffalo Niagara. This is a concept that the community has struggled with for some time, with occasional initiatives sprouting up and the "Buy Local" catchphrase seemingly on the tip of everyone's tongues. It's clearly important to the people that live and do business here - which begs the question, "Why isn't it working?"

Last Friday, we asked that question to a room full of employers in the professional services industry in an effort to begin a dialogue that we believe will ultimately turn into a Partnership initiative.

To be clear, the definition of "buying local" is broad, which is probably why it's difficult to craft an effective initiative. Projects and organizations such as Buffalo First have done a good job in raising the issue and encouraging consumers to support local companies. For our purposes, our Friday conversation focused on two areas of buying local - business-to-government and business-to-business. What we heard is that the Partnership is instrumental to both.

Business-to-government is a big animal - one that's going to take some advocacy. Many in the service industry feel that too many local and regional government projects and purchases are let outside the region (one of my members e-mails me every time one is - and, unfortunately, he's e-mailing me quite a bit). The Partnership has engaged in advocacy on this level - including lobbying for a "local sourcing preference" in NYPA's off-shore wind project RFP - but there is much more to be done. Certainly there are rules against protectionism, but the sentiment was that in the bidding process for government work, being local should score some points given the economic impact (jobs and investment here in the region).

For business-to-business, the interesting consensus was that companies often go out of the area for professional services work because there is a perception that the quality of work will be at a higher level. Because let's face it - in our region we can beat other regions on price, simply based on the fact that salaries here are typically 3-5% lower than many other metros (which is why we're an attractive option for employers like GEICO and Citi, who have opened "back office" facilities here in the past few years). What's fascinating about the quality question, however, is that the Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, when it is recruiting companies to our region, highlights (rightfully) the quality and effectiveness of our workforce - decades of assembly line workers produce generations of strong work ethic. And it would seem to me the measure of quality of workforce is the quality of the goods, services and processes resulting from that workforce - so where this idea is coming from is beyond us. But there's an education that needs to take place that Buffalo really is a hotbed for outstanding business-to-business services.

Our staff took in a long list of brainstorm ideas from Friday's session that we'll certainly share when they're vetted. We thought we could have the discussion and follow up with an initiative - I have to say that given the passion we heard on the issue, our effort will end up being more a program than an initiative. Stay tuned for more details and follow-up.

Join in our LinkedIn conversation - let us know what "buying local" means to you.

Social Media for Business ... A Guide to Get you Started

2011-02-02T17:38:00.003-05:00

Entering the world of Social Media for your business can be incredibly overwhelming. Which sites should I use? What do they do? How do I use social media sites to promote my business? These are all questions you have asked yourself if you have been exploring the use of social media as a marketing tool for your business/organization.

The Partnership's favorite social media tools are: Facebook (all the young and mature kids are doing it), Twitter (used for sending quick messages called Tweets … 140 characters or less please), LinkedIn (a great tool for business networking), Blogger (each of our “experts” contributes a blog in their area of specialty ... if you're reading this post, you've already found us) and YouTube (we post videos of our events so you can relive your memories or find out what you missed).

So now you know which social media tools you are going to use, but next comes the bigger question ... how do I get started?

Ultimately, you can’t go into the social media world and expect an instant return. It is more like building a snowman ... something we Buffalonians know well. You start off with a small amount of snow and roll it around for awhile. It may seem like nothing is happening for a long period of time, but then before you know it you have a very large marketing base.

Step 1: Setup
Choose the social media sites you are most comfortable with. And start with 1 or 2 outlets to get you going. Ask yourself these questions while you’re setting things up: What is my brand, business, or organization? Which services are you most familiar with from the start? What types of imagery, photos, and styling would you like to use? What are other companies in your industry doing? Have you ever blogged?

Then start to build your follower base ... invite your family and friends to become followers first.

Step 2: Define Your Schedule and Focus Your Content
You have a few followers in your network. You have your sites looking the way you want them to with personalized or branded backgrounds/logos. Your Facebook and Twitter pages are linked together. The time has come for you to develop your posting schedule (defined by your followers' level of expectation) and determine what type of content engages your users.

Ask yourself: How often can I share/create content? Does my following enjoy industry videos, images, jokes, quotes or questions? How should I mix things up? What types of questions should I ask my followers? How do I engage my users with contests or promotions that don’t seem like marketing?

Once you have decided how often you want to post to your social media sites, determine if you want to use a program like Hootsuite which allows you pre-schedule your posts.

Step 3: Growth
Growth is not strictly about the numbers ... it’s a steady pace of engaged users combined with numbers. Growth is all about trying to establish a steady pattern for a length of time.

Here are a few tips to help with this step:
1. Don’t make any significant alterations to your website or social media accounts ... let people get used to your sites first.
2. Consider launching some simple ads on Facebook, Google Adwords, Twitter and local blogs. Establish a budget ... do not spend a lot to start (I wouldn’t spend more than $50) until you can see where your advertising is the most effective.
3. Observe how people are finding you.
4. Don’t get discouraged it takes a little time to affect masses in social media.

Last but not least
When you have been through it all, be excited! And just like everything else in life, keep learning ... explore what is current in social media and add to your business/organization's arsenal of social media tools whenever appropriate. Stick to it, keep your content fresh and you will see the rewards!

2011 State of Logistics

2011-01-13T13:29:00.004-05:00

On Monday, the Partnership held our annual State of Logistics event. Before a crowd of 70, Jack Ampuja, President of Supply Chain Optimizers, revisited his predictions from last year’s event and gave us a look forward to what the coming year holds for the industry. Jack hit the nail on the head when he predicted that cost control would be the #1 industry issue in 2010 as the year forced logistics providers to continue their emphasis on supply chain management and network optimization to increase efficiencies and reduce costs.

Reflection on the year brought with it some good news – the industry has seen 12 consecutive months of increasing truckload revenue, in-bound ocean cargo was up 21% at year end, intermodal volume is back to pre-recessionary levels and Yellow Road (a internationally renowned trucking & logistics company) survived the recession – all indicators that allow the logistics industry, who has been severely battered by the recession, to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Want even more good news? Year end reports from National Association of Purchasing Management indicate that the U.S. manufacturing economy is back (!), U.S. factory utilization is up, and truck tonnage has made a significant recovery.

With 2010 over, what does 2011 hold in store for truckers, distributors, customs brokers, 3PL firms and supply chain management professionals? Jack indicated that fuel costs will again be a crucial issue (oil has again reached $90/barrel), the enforcement of regulations such as the ISF, CSA, and the 100% air cargo screening mandate will continue to make it more onerous to ship freight and trucking capacity will remain tight as equipment and driver shortages continue. Despite these challenges, the New Year brings with it increasing opportunities in international markets as the U.S. embraces the President’s export initiative to double exports to 20% of GDP by 2015. For comparison, our northern neighbor exports 50% of its GDP annually – an export-orientated model that the U.S. must study closely as we strive to achieve economic recovery through export growth. For more on Jack’s predictions for 2011, please click here.

With that overview, Jack turned things over to our panel: Jim Manno, Vice President of Sonwil Distribution Center, Damon Piatek, President of Welke Customs Brokers USA, and John Soos, General Manager at Empire State Shippers Association. As Jim started the conversation in response to a question from the audience regarding the increasing role of technology in logistics and supply chain management, it quickly became evident that one emerging trend – the use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Devices) is revolutionizing the industry by providing a means to manage assets in a way that reduces cost, increases control and availability, and boosts customer satisfaction. At Sonwil, Jim uses this technology to track inventory for his customers, allowing him to find any asset, from a truck to a single SKU in less than 60 seconds!

Damon continued with a discussion of what the recent expiration of the GSP or Generalized System of Preferences, a U.S. program that provides preferential duty-free treatment for products from 130+ developing countries, will mean for the industry - a headache for importers as they will have to pay duty on these goods and then apply for a retroactive reimbursement once Congress reauthorizes the legislation!

John touched on something Jack had introduced in his 2011 outlook as he signaled that regulatory issues will seriously affect rates as the year progresses. One of the biggest problems for the trucking industry will be the recently reduced number of “hours of service” – a number that indicates how long a trucker can be on the road each day. These reduced hours of service coupled with the driver shortage and the 200,000 – 400, 000 drivers that the new Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) program will take off the road will result an additional 10% decrease in trucking capacity.

As the panel continued to answer questions from Jack and the audience, each touched on the importance of moving forward with the Peace Bridge expansion project so our region can maintain its competitive advantage, increased understanding about regulatory issues, continued investment and focus on infrastructure, and increased awareness of the benefits of greening your supply chain.

As the program wrapped up, each panelist offered his “takeaway” for 2011:

Jack: It’s all about people (hire & train the best talent) process (streamline internally & do more collaboration externally) and technology (cloud computing & RFID)!

Jim: The U.S. MUST invest in transportation infrastructure!

Damon: Buffalo Niagara holds many advantages for logistics stakeholders – namely, access to domestic markets, Toronto and world market so we can only go up from here. Most importantly, [with the right investment] logistics can spur growth here!

John: Buffalo Niagara is only 90 miles away from Toronto but comparatively much less expensive – a statistic we need to capitalize on!

All in all, it was a fantastic event. A big thanks to Jack Ampuja for a great presentation and Jim, John and Damon for their industry insights.

To see what else the Partnership is doing on behalf of the logistics industry, click here to see our 2010/11 Action Agenda. Looking for support with a specific logistics issue, problem or opportunity? Contact Craig Turner for one-on-one assistance for you and your company!

The Business of Politics

2011-01-12T16:07:00.004-05:00

I came across an interesting article this morning, citing a report that good government group NYPIRG published about the 2010 Election cycle and campaign donations, citing "a combined $66.9 million into the campaign accounts of state and local candidates" from business interests compared to just over $20 million from unions and labor interests. While the article does not vilify "big business" as puppet masters of government, it would be easy data for anti-business interests to spin.

However, all across the state, it's been widely agreed that this election cycle "was the most aggressive business interests had ever been." In fact, that was the Partnership's rallying cry in 2010. The increase in political action was due solely to one thing - something Governor Cuomo said in last week's State of the State; New York State has the worst business climate in the United States. Frankly, business leaders finally got fed up.

Long has the political conversation in NY been steered by special interests like public unions that drive up contract costs at the expense of taxpayers and are aghast at the word "layoff" or "furlough" even when the state is facing a $10 Billion (with a B!) deficit in this year's budget. Sure, you can argue businesses that contributed to campaigns are also a special interest group, but there is another word for businesses - employers.

I, for one, am thrilled that business leaders finally came together and flexed some political muscle. The sound bytes coming from Gov. Cuomo and the State Senate sounds like they may have heard the message. The US House of Representatives has banned earmarks, aka pork barrel spending, in an effort to show they "get it." Even NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver uttered the words "reduce spending" in his remarks before the State of the State!

What's most important though, is the message that Judgement Day 2012 is just around the corner, and employers and taxpayers will now be even more prepared if our current representatives fail to deliver on their campaign promises. The NYPIRG report has confirmed business' commitment to turning this state around, and there is the resolve to remain on task, as the Committee to Save New York demonstrates. I encourage you to visit their site, and see that it is an opportunity for leaders and organizations to come together and work towards a solution to the challenges New York must address, not faceless "big business" interests hell bent on world domination. Let's save that rhetoric for Hollywood.

2011 State of the State - Impressions

2011-01-05T16:22:00.004-05:00

While I’ve never gotten the chance to attend a Governor’s State of the State address personally, I have been able to attend both Governor Paterson’s swearing-in and acceptance speech as well as his Upstate address. The greatest impression I took from both of those speeches was Governor Paterson’s ability to memorize his speeches due to being partially blind. Though an impressive talent, the contents of those speeches unfortunately never impressed me.

With a New Year comes a new Governor, and Governor Cuomo’s Inaugural State of the State was full of impressive content. A property tax cap along with mandate relief, a strict spending cap, government agency consolidation, cutting Medicaid, a permanent Power for Jobs program (skipped over in the speech, but part of his plan released immediately after), the creation of Regional Economic Development Councils chaired by Lieutenant Governor Duffy – our voice for Upstate New York, serious ethics reform to clean up the corruption and wasteful spending in Albany, and redesign the state’s Medicaid program to save money through finding efficiencies.

Before Cuomo began the State of the State, he extended an olive branch to the Legislature, inviting Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and new (partially due to our efforts in November!) Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos to address the crowd of over two thousand, plus the thousands more watching and listening via the internet and radio. Both Skelos and Silver addressed the need for bipartisanship, and the need to work together to save our state. If I hadn’t watched him say it, I would have never believed the Speaker said, “We can work together, we will work together… to reduce state spending…” after experiencing first-hand the wasteful spending tendencies of the Assembly Majority. Silver also stressed the need for make our colleges and universities more affordable and a source of job creation- the exact goal of UB2020, which was stifled last year in the Assembly! Perhaps with a new Governor and an Upstate-friendly Senate, UB2020 will finally come to fruition.

Governor Cuomo has the unenviable task over the next few weeks of creating a budget while facing a $10 billion deficit; nevertheless he has an ambitious plan to "right the ship." First and foremost, he expressed his intent to work with the Legislature, instead of against it, using a battleship analogy and some clever Photoshopping to illustrate his point. (Note: The plane attacking the ships represents special interests!) With Captains Skelos and Silver, it appears Admiral Cuomo is ready to do battle with the powerful special interests that dominate state politics. Humorous, but Cuomo seems dead serious on this stance.

One of the more exciting proposals Governor Cuomo outlined was the creation of 10 regional Economic Development Councils, which will be chaired by Lt. Gov. Duffy. These councils will have a “bottom-up” approach to create innovation and allocate resources, and will promote a healthy competition for grant monies to the best and most productive councils. IF the Governor can keep politics out of how the money is allocated, this proposal will certainly be a boon to Upstate. Along with the Councils, a permanent Power for Jobs program, which has long been advocated for by the Partnership, and its implementation will have a lasting, positive effective on the Buffalo Niagara region.

Governor Cuomo concluded his speech with an impassioned call to action for the Legislature and all residents of the State of New York, bringing us back to the Empire State by striking back. “We can make Jan. 5, 2011 the day that we seized the opportunity and the state of New York strikes back.” (Hopefully LucasFilm isn’t currently serving the Governor a copyright infringement lawsuit…) The Governor closed with a rousing decree, "We're going to build back bigger and stronger than ever before!" For the sake of New York, its employers, its residents, and its future, let’s hope we all, especially the Governor and the Legislature, seize the day as well as the impressive content of this speech.

PS- If you missed my live tweet during the Governor's State of the State, be sure to check out our Twitter page!

Post "Card Check": We knew it was coming

2011-01-04T12:29:00.005-05:00

First of all, congratulations to everyone who advocated in the past two years against the Employee Free Choice Act ("Card Check") - with Republicans being sworn in to the House tomorrow, the legislation is dead. Despite support from many in power in Washington the past several years, Card Check was just too one-sided in favor of unions and didn't receive the support it needed to pass. Thank goodness for that, as it tread directly on one of the basic rights we hold dear in America, secret ballot.

With that debate behind us, however, the nationwide business community must be wary of non-legislative changes forced through by the Obama Administration (after heralding passage of Card Check as a priority during the last presidential campaign).

The first came a couple weeks ago when the National Labor Relations Board proposed a new rule that would require employers to notify employees of their right to unionize under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The rule seeks to obligate covered employers (that's those falling under the NLRA - basically everyone minus agricultural, railroad and airline employers) to post notices regarding NLRA rights either at a conspicuous location in the workplace or electronically if the employer customarily communicates with workers through electronic means. It's similar to minimum wage posters or NLRA rights that federal contractors must post.

What's the problem? It's just a notice? Well, there are laws - laws that unions tried to strengthen even further through Card Check - that govern how employers can speak with their employees about unionization, with strict penalties for those found crossing the line. Such a notice conspicuously mounted in private sector workplaces is nothing more than an advertisement for unions - that the employer may or may not be able to counter. Given that we are well aware what the unions are trying to accomplish (after they showed their hand in the Card Check debate), this foray into private sector workplaces paints the picture of a slippery slope going forward.

The Partnership will be joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in submitting comment in opposition to this proposed rule. Public comments will be accepted until Feb. 22 to:

Lester A. Heltzer, Executive Secretary
National Labor Relations Board
1099 - 14th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20570-0001

Or submit on-line comments here.

Guest Blog: Unleash the Power of the Benefits Consumer

2011-01-03T11:55:00.003-05:00

It’s a simple idea: free choice of consumers to purchase goods and services should dictate economic structure. Consumerism is fundamental to our way of life, and now the Partnership and Liazon have applied this principle to create a system in which people, not companies, buy benefits.

Benefits consumerism is about transforming benefits by putting economic purchasing power and decision-making in the hands of participants. It’s about supplying the information and decision support tools needed, along with financial incentives, rewards, and other benefits that encourage personal involvement in altering health and health care purchasing behaviors.

So, let’s strip away the confusion created by the old approach to employee benefits and provide straight answers and real data about how this new approach – retail employee benefits – helps lower costs. Three ways that the Bright Choices® Benefits Exchange ™ unleashes the power of the consumer to drive costs out of the employee benefits system:

1. Fix Your Benefits Costs
Consumerism – retail employee benefits – starts by providing employees with the money they need to buy their own benefits. In a recent study, Towers Watson Consulting concluded “…employers need to take a step back to consider more systematic ways of managing their health benefit programs, essentially building an operating model for benefits that mirrors disciplines the company applies to other key areas of the business.”

Arguably, you have no more volatile component in your company’s budget than employee benefits. Most of your other outlays are pretty much fixed costs that you might adjust only slightly year over year. But some employers have seen benefits costs leap up as much as 70% from one year to the next, and almost no one escapes the double-digit inflation that has become the norm every year. Exacerbating the situation is the reality that benefits consume a larger percentage of your revenue, and it may be difficult to raise prices accordingly in the current sluggish economy. You need to get a hold of these costs and set a fixed budget for your employees’ benefits.

To do this, uncouple benefits costs from the plans themselves and the administration of those plans. Recognize that in a consumer economy it is not up to you to pick the plans; you are merely contributing money to your employees toward the purchase of benefits. In effect, you’re making a compensation decision that is independent of the insurance each employee actually buys. “Benefits” is a budget line item that you determine based on what you can afford to give your employees to buy insurance. In a long-range budget, you might build in an annual increase, say 5% a year that you can live with, in contrast to the variable and volatile double-digit increases you currently have to absorb.

2. Let Your People Buy Their Benefits and Costs Go Down
Research in the area of consumer demand for health insurance shows that the actual purchases consumers make when they control the decision are as varied as their choice in cars, houses and investments. You would be very surprised if all your employees drove the same car, lived in the same neighborhood, or chose the same mutual funds. So why do we assume they all want the same type of insurance protection? As we all know, the restricted offering in the current benefits practices costs too much and those limited choices create employee dissatisfaction.

In addition to the high costs of benefits themselves, one of the main problems with today’s system is that the company bears most of the cost, while the employee receives most of the value. And, the cost is usually unknown to the employee. In every survey of employees about their benefits, they estimate benefits costs at from 35% to 50% below the actual costs. This means that 35 cents or more out of every dollar you spend on benefits is essentially wasted. But even more significant in this equation is that the value of the benefits is virtually unknown to you, the employer.

That value can be measured by the amount people are willing to spend on benefits. Provide them with a range of options, and some will stay with a traditional plan, some will pick a high-deductible plan, some will fall somewhere in between. More important, however, is the fact that when consumers are paying, they buy less costly plans. We have seen this with company after company: when you give people choice and the technology to provide each with a personalized, transparent recommendation, employees pick lower cost plans than the ones you picked for them.
It’s pretty simple to balance this equation – bring the cost and the benefit together in the hands of the consumer. This is the power that the consumer has to drive costs out of the system. It is a power that no employer, no broker, and no insurance carrier can wield.

3. Improve Your Employees’ Health and Productivity
As we have said, consumerism encourages good health and health care purchasing behaviors. Consumer-driven plans and accounts support higher use of prevention, more adherence to medical treatments, greater personal responsibility, and an emphasis on health and health care education. And healthy employees are less likely to miss work and more likely to come to work healthy. By promoting health, consumerism drives down these costs and helps to boost employee productivity.

Benefits consumerism has been called a megatrend -- a major movement so powerful that the direction of change cannot be stopped. The Partnership and Liazon enable this megatrend with a comprehensive retail approach to employee benefits. Using the Bright Choices Benefits Exchange, employees become better benefits consumers, and only consumers can drive costs out of the system.

This blog was written by Partnership Vice President Fred Bristol.

Guest Blog: STARTING TODAY . . . The Partnership will change the way you buy employee benefits.

2010-12-03T12:02:00.002-05:00

For 2011, the Bright Choices® program from the Buffalo Niagara Partnership offers you a new retail approach to employee benefits . . . the Bright Choices Benefits Exchange™. This is an online store where you let your employees shop for a portfolio of benefits customized for their unique needs from “wide aisles with brimming shelves” of insurance and other products. At its heart, this is the same Bright Choices we’ve had for several years – with its large selection of Univera, MetLife, AllState and other products. But it has grown and matured into a full online store that will enhance your benefits shopping experience with a new consumer-oriented look and feel, even better decision support, and more tutorials on benefits topics.

Now entering its 3rd successful year, the Bright Choices Benefits Exchange is a proven program that provides real choices and cost savings for subscribers. With Bright Choices, you get true convenience, the low-cost options you’re looking for, an extensive selection of benefits products, consumer advocacy for claims and enrollment support when you need help, and complete benefits administration.
If you currently subscribe to Bright Choices® and are taking full advantage of the program, then you already know how convenient it is and how much you can save. Starting Today that experience gets even better – easier to use, richer graphics, more support . . . along with the wide product selection that is the hallmark of program . . . the Bright Choices Benefits Exchange will change the way you buy your benefits.

If you currently subscribe to Bright Choices but only for health insurance through Univera, then Starting Today you can experience the full power and employee satisfaction that comes when you put your people in the driver’s seat and let them shop for the range of benefits they actually need. You simply allocate a dollar amount for your employees to spend, and then let them use their allocation and their own money to shop on the Benefits Exchange™. They are happier and your life is easier.

If you’re not yet in the Bright Choices program, but are buying grandfathered Blue Cross/Blue Shield or Independent Health insurance through the Partnership, then this is the year you have to make the change. Due to decisions made by the carriers to curtail certain plans and dramatically reduce others, we are no longer able to offer or support Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Independent Health products. Starting Today, you can join the thousands of satisfied people who take advantage of the Bright Choices Benefits Exchange for their benefits through The Partnership. It is easy to join. Watch your mail for more information later this month, attend a seminar or webinar in December and January, and/or call Fred Bristol at 541-1729 for a free consultation to explore your Bright Choices options.

If you have not joined Bright Choices® and are not getting benefits through The Partnership, then make it your New Year’s resolution to get your employees onto the Bright Choices Benefits Exchange. Starting Today, you can begin to experience the convenience, cost savings and peace of mind that are the promise of the program.

LET’S GET STARTED . . . TODAY!

This blog post was written by Partnership Vice President Fred Bristol.

Prevailing Wage Bill Passes Assembly: WNY delegation (minus one) opposes

2010-12-02T09:30:00.005-05:00

On Tuesday this week, a bill the Partnership has opposed - A.10257-D/S.8379, which would mandate that utility companies pay prevailing wage rates to any service workers with whom they do business - passed the NYS Assembly. Since the bill was approved by the State Senate earlier this year, it now goes to Governor Paterson for his signature/veto. The Partnership is urging the Governor to veto the bill.

The negative impact of this legislation, if signed, is not difficult to see:

First, we consistently deal with "prevailing wage" issues, which generally mean that on state jobs (spending of public $$$), workers on the job must be paid a rate set regionally for that occupation by the NYS Department of Labor. In many proposals (i.e. IDA "reform" legislation), "prevailing wage" is a thinly-veiled attempt to shut non-union shops out of the bidding process for state work, but for New York State public works jobs, prevailing wage is the law, and a way of life.

Utility companies, however, are not state entities and do not fall under the prevailing wage requirements of the state. This legislation would identify them as such - the first time that New York has attempted to place that status on private, shareholder-owned companies. Which creates an extremely slippery slope that could likely lead to the state attempting to mandate wages in the private sector. With the economic environment in New York as poor as it is - that's a horrible message to be sending the those employers (job creators) looking to remain, expand or do business in New York, particularly Upstate.

Second is the sheer cost of it. Prevailing wage mandates in Upstate New York typically raise the cost of doing business by 28%. Since it would be utility companies incurring those cost increases on the services they require to operate, the increases would be passed on to the consumers. The state continues to go out of its way to find ways to further burden Upstate's employers.

Here's the refreshing news: the WNY delegation has stood up to this downstate-driven piece of legislation, voting almost unanimously in opposition (the only vote to move the bill forward came from Assemblyman Hoyt). They deserve credit for understanding the issue and the impact it would have here in the Buffalo Niagara region, and for taking that message to Albany.

We will continue to oppose this legislation with the governor's office, part of a collaborative effort among a statewide business community that can't afford to have Albany's hands any deeper in their pockets.

2011 Regional Agenda

2010-11-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

Today, the Partnership - in collaboration with the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls and Erie and Niagara Counties - released the 2011 Regional Agenda, a compilation of federal and state funding and policy priorities related to economic development. The agenda was rolled out at our annual Public Officials Reception, held at Pettibones Grille in Coca-Cola Field.

This is the 10th year that the Partnership has worked with our municipal partners and community organizations to craft the regional agenda - and it's interesting to look at how the world of economic development has changed since we started back in 2002:

On the federal and state levels, we've been through in Republican-Democrat flips in congressional and state majorities, the governor's mansion and the White House - and, thus, experienced different approaches to earmarks ("pork"), economic development policy, and how projects are funded.

Locally, we've worked with terrific partners, all of whom may have had different philosophies and priorities, but understood the importance of the collaborative regional effort.

We've been through boom and bust times for economic development spending, having to weed our way through a recession and make the most out of federal stimulus funding.

And even will be communicating the Regional Agenda in vastly different way than we ever have before - not relying on press releases and traditional media, but using blogs, Facebook and Twitter to highlight the projects and policy requests that top the list.

That being said, a lot stays the same. The process of developing the agenda is consistent, the Partnership will continue to lead the advocacy efforts through face-to-face lobbying visits to Washington and Albany, and initiatives that have been emphasized on the agenda in years past - such as UB2020 and the Peace Bridge Expansion Project - take center stage for 2011.

Though an extensive amount of work goes into the Regional Agenda each year, we think of today's roll-out not as the end of something, but as the beginning. The job ahead of us now is to see the items on the agenda implemented, and that will be our focus in our lobbying efforts for the rest of this year and into 2011. We'll be counting on our members' voice and involvement, as well.

Guest Blog: Are you a leader? Think about it.

2010-11-16T17:44:00.001-05:00

Even if the position you hold within your organization does not lend itself to a leadership title, possessing the essential qualities needed to be an effective leader can sometimes have a stronger impact in the long-run. While leadership is continually defined as a management role, it is just as important to assess and develop the skills necessary to make a difference not just in your career, but in your life.

In an effort to educate local young professionals on how to advance in their professions and embrace leadership as a trait, not just a position, Buffalo Niagara 360 (the Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s young professionals program) joined forces with Medaille College to offer a Business Leadership Series focusing on the qualities needed to become a leader in any organization.

Approximately 30 people, including Buffalo Niagara 360 members as well as Medaille College students and alumni, participated in the second of the four-part series that took place Monday, November 15. Attendees were treated to an interactive and informative presentation by Serendipity Leadership Solutions co-founders Angela Berti, Kimberly Chairmonte, Sara Hanavan, Lauren Reinig and Alison Wilcox, who are all 2010 graduates of Medaille College's Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership program. Each woman outlined the importance of recognizing leadership as a trait, not just a role, and included personal experiences with utilizing leadership as a quality in their own organizations.

For young professionals, the question becomes: What does it take to be a leader? Hanavan explained that the most important characteristic of a leader is authenticity, along with being aware of your strengths and weaknesses. She additionally stressed the need to be in touch with your emotions, citing the task of putting the interests of others ahead of yourself.

Reinig, who shared a personal story of how she tackled leadership at a young age, offered tips for individuals who find themselves new to a leadership position. Building respect is a must-do, as well as asking for help, setting a mission, understanding team dynamics and supporting your team members.

Berti emphasized that leadership happens in your personal life, work life and community, and utilized the example of the families of the victims of Flight 3407, which crashed in Clarence Center almost two years ago. Together, they were able to change aviation standards and laws that impact the airline industry today.

For more information on how to get involved with Buffalo Niagara 360 and find out about upcoming events, visit www.buffaloniagara360.org.

Future dates for the Business Leadership Series:

February 7, 2011 – Medaille College Amherst Campus

April 11, 2011 – Medaille College Amherst Campus

This blog was written by Public Relations intern Stephanie Hamm, who attended this program as a young professional.

New Congress Means Defeat of Card Check

2010-11-08T14:46:00.003-05:00

Wanted to pass along a column put together by our partners at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, highlighting essentially the defeat (and public outrage) of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), aka "Card Check" legislation. As you know, we have been working against this particularly burdensome piece of legislation for a number of years - and we're pleased that a more balanced Congress will mean its failure at least for two years.

Even longer, actually, if our elected reps listen to the clear voice of the American people, who have demonstrated that they do not want the right of secret ballot to be removed. While last Tuesday's vote was not a condemnation of "Card Check" specifically (other than in the four states where an EFCA stopper was actually on the ballot), it was a condemnation of the type of hands-on government the EFCA represents.

With business interests throughout the country, we have worked hard to defeat EFCA and look forward to spending our time now on more pro-active pursuits on behalf of Buffalo Niagara's employers.

Guest Blog: 2010 ATHENA Awards

2010-11-04T17:27:00.002-04:00

In celebration of the professional achievements and continued support for women in the region, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership presented the 21st annual ATHENA Awards® on November 4 at the Adam’s Mark Hotel in downtown Buffalo. The awards are dedicated to promoting and honoring the valuable contributions being made to advance the status of women locally. Each of the 10 nominees for the ATHENA Award® offered dynamic professional backgrounds and demonstrated that their continuous hard work was truly making a difference in the community.

The winner of the prestigious 2010 ATHENA Award® was Sister Denise A. Roche, GNSH, Ph.D., who has been the president of D’Youville College since 1979.

In her 30-year tenure, Roche has kept long term success a constant goal, significantly diversifying programming by adding physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic, physician assistant, dietetics and more. The most significant addition under her leadership is the D’Youville College School of Pharmacy. In the past seven years, Roche and D’Youville College invested nearly $70 million to renovate and construct new buildings on campus, along with the purchase of the then-closed elementary school on Fargo Avenue to build the new Montante Family Library. With the addition of new and improved campus infrastructure, enrollment has doubled to approximately 3,000. Roche’s next goal is to transform D’Youville College into a university.

This year also included the ATHENA Young Professional Award, which honors an individual who is an emerging leader who demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in their business or profession. Of the nine nominees, the 2010 award winner was Amy M. Schmit, who is currently the director of special projects for the University at Buffalo NYS Center for Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

Her previous work with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus aided in the awarding of several million federal dollars for infrastructure and streetscape improvements. Schmit also assisted in insuring a grant from a national foundation, which resulted in Buffalo being named as one of the 25 pilot projects across the country from the organization’s most competitive applicant pool to date. She currently serves on the board of directors at C.M.H. Counseling and the Jog for Jake. She also sits on the Hospice Memorial Walk committee, Bison Fund Luncheon committee and the Foundation for Community Betterment’s Buffalo committee.

This blog post was written by Stephanie Hamm, an intern in the Partnership's Communications Office. Stephanie is currently studying for her Master's in Public Relations.

Guest Blog: It's Insurance!

2010-11-03T19:56:00.002-04:00

Strip away all the emotions tied up in employee benefits, all the partisan griping and name calling about healthcare reform, wipe away the employees’ sense of entitlement, get rid of the talk about Obamacare and what it all boils to down to is . . . insurance. In this country, we have gotten so wrapped up in the corporate “welfare system” called employee benefits that we believe every runny nose should be covered by company-paid medical plans. We take it as a given that our employee benefits will insulate us from the costs of every small health issue we have. We pay a high price for this entitlement, but because we don’t actually see the cost, or see it indirectly as a payroll deduction out of each paycheck, we don’t actually know what we’re buying.

But the fact is, benefits are just insurance. And the definition of insurance is “a promise of compensation for specific potential future losses in exchange for a periodic payment. Insurance is designed to protect the financial well-being of an individual . . . in the case of significant and unexpected loss.” Notice something here? Nowhere does this definition mention coverage levels or treatments. It is silent on the subject of co-pays, out-of-pocket maximums, and prescription formularies. Insurance, and by extension benefits, is all about money, full stop. The purpose in buying any insurance is to protect your income and your savings should something major and unforeseen come up.

Think about your car insurance. You’re not insuring your tires, or your oil, or your headlights. You expect to buy new tires periodically, and honestly a set of tires today can cost about as much as the MRI your doctor wants you to have. So, why don’t we put in a claim against our automobile policy to cover our tires? Or, how about an oil change at Jiffy Lube? It costs about as much as a visit to the doctor’s office, but we don’t expect our car insurance to pay for it. Even when we have a minor accident and knock out a headlight, most people will opt to not involve the insurance company and will pay for it out of their own pocket. But on that dark night when the deer leaps out of the ditch and into our headlight, when we can’t swerve around her, when we do major damage to our car, we expect the insurance to cover the repairs . . . after the deductible, of course. And why do we make these decisions? Because we know what car insurance is for . . . the unexpected and expensive. We want to control the cost of that insurance; we’re spending our own money for it and we don’t want our rates to go up.

In employee benefits, until now, it has worked completely differently. Because we aren’t laying out our own money for treatments, we accept doctors’ recommendations without questioning them and with no concern for cost. We avoid the stress of having to pay attention to the dollars, shop for the best deals and make decisions. This system leads us to over-consume health care services and make extravagant use of services that have high costs and low benefits. If we had individual insurance, instead of group insurance through our company, and we had to pay the full costs of treatments, we would think we were buying a Maserati . . . the sticker shock would send us reeling. Until now, employers have been funding this high performance sport car called group insurance and they are feeling the pinch.

The problem is that it is not sustainable. It is inefficient.

The solution is two-fold: cost transparency so that employees, as benefits consumers, know what they’re actually paying for the insurance and treatments; and benefits plans that act like insurance – not entitlement programs. When they know what things actually costs and they are covering it with their own money, employees make better decisions about how their healthcare dollars are spent and their actions will drive costs out of the system. When they understand the role of health insurance to cover them for significant, unexpected medical situation, they will use the insurance to protect their income and their savings. A Consumer Driven Healthcare Plan is just that kind of insurance. These plans have lower premiums at various price points balanced against higher deductibles so that, like car insurance, employees can decide how much of their own money is “in play” before the insurance kicks in.

The Bright Choices® Benefits Exchange™ available through the Buffalo Niagara Partnership is based on these basic ideas. Full cost transparency . . . the cost of the insurance is published to each participant. A selection of Consumer Driven Healthcare Plans . . . participants can find the right mix of premium and deductible. Income protection . . . the Benefits Exchange helps employees select plans that protect their financial well-being and cover them against significant loss, at a price they can afford. All employee benefits are about money. After all, it’s insurance.

Guest Blog: This blog post was written by Buffalo Niagara Partnership Vice President Fred Bristol.

Federal Infrastructure Funding Crystal Ball

2010-10-26T09:10:00.001-04:00

The Partnership spend yesterday focused on infrastructure, with a couple events surrounding some really great conversation.

The first was a symposium we partnered on with Continental 1, the trade corridor proposed to run all the way from Toronto to Miami (utilizing the expanding 219). It was a full day of dialogue on the importance of trade corridors to not only the Buffalo Niagara region, but to the U.S. economy. National and regional speakers from along the Continental 1 route offered their insights into the future of infrastructure funding for projects such as Continental 1 and the Peace Bridge, the strength and opportunity of the Buffalo Niagara CanAm port and trends in logistics that will make our region's intermodal capabilities that much more important.

It was a good, uplifting session that raised the awareness of the Continental 1 project, which has regularly been featured on the annual Buffalo Niagara Regional Agenda. Unfortunately, funding for a supplemental environmental impact study for the 219 project in New York's Southern Tier was lost in last year's state budget cuts - the funding, about $6.5MM, is essential to the continuation of the project. Given the importance of the trade corridor, the Partnership continues to advocate for restoration of the funding - in addition to the commencement of the Peace Bridge Expansion Project.

Following the Continental 1 session, a handful of Partnership members sat down with Janet Kavinoky, who is the transportation guru for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Janet shared her insight into SAFETEA-LU extensions and the hopes for a comprehensive surface transportation bill being passed next year. Of course, a week before the elections, it's difficult to say what the make-up of Congress will be, but from her work in the trenches she didn't think we'd see anything until at best September, 2011. It is likely that Congress will pass another extension of SAFETEA-LU before the year ends - and that some in Washington are calling for only a two-week extension to force action on a larger program.

The Partnership will be engaged in the advocacy for the comprehensive transportation bill, and for Buffalo Niagara's share of the funding - including that for the Peace Bridge Expansion Project and Continental 1.

How can Upstate's voice be heard in Albany?

2010-10-19T16:05:00.004-04:00

Back in March, the Partnership came to the conclusion that the best way for Upstate to have any voice in Albany was with the Senate Republicans in power. However, the decision wasn't based solely on party politics (although Unshackle Upstate's scorecards indicate that is part of the issue) as much as it was geography. The Senate Republicans simply represent a broader area of Upstate. We fully acknowledge their past indiscretions (i.e. kowtowing to special interests, public unions, Bruno's misdeeds) played a big part in the issues we are facing today, but the last 2 years of Democratic, downstate control of the Senate, Assembly and Governor's mansion has proven ONE thing: downstate representatives either do not understand what ails Upstate, or, more likely, do not care. On top of that, the 5 Upstate Dems that could have held their leadership to the fire were an utter disappointment.

This goal is one of many reasons we have endorsed Assemblyman Jack Quinn for Senate. (Here's a lot more reasons, if you are interested....) Today, the Buffalo News issued an editorial titled "Aiming for GOP control: Upstate needs a Republican Senate to get what it deserves from Albany" that made us think they had bugged our office, (we checked, they didn't!) and we couldn't agree more. 2 years of exorbitant spending, $1.2 billion in tax and fee increases last year, plus $8 billion the year before, is more than enough to know downstate's 2 year control of NYS government is in dire need of an Upstate balance. The Partnership gets it, the Buffalo News gets it... now it's time to make it happen. Join the Unshackle Army and vote for Upstate on Judgement Day.

More bad Albany legislation directly hindering growth in Buffalo Niagara

2010-10-13T13:48:00.006-04:00

Here at the Partnership, we've been a strong supporter of Verizon's plan to build a data center (similar to Yahoo's recent groundbreaking) in Niagara County. As usual, however, Albany is threatening to get in the way of real development in Upstate New York, this time with onerous regulations and unrealistic financial implications. This proposed legislation is a major hiccup in a plan that is welcomed by local representatives and businesses alike, which is usually a hurdle in itself in this area. According to Verizon and Somerset officials, it's Albany getting in the way of a $500 million project. “[This legislation] weighs as heavily in our decision as do things like power, taxes, environment,” Verizon spokesman John Bonomo said. “The business climate in the state is as important as some of those other factors.”

Luckily, all is not lost in Albany. Some elected officials, like Assemblywoman Jane Corwin, understand both the negative implications of this bill and the positive results that could come from this project. Perhaps that's why she was the top scorer on Unshackle Upstate's scorecard, with a perfect 100. The Senate (Foley) and Assembly (Brodsky) sponsors of the referenced bill: a combined -13. That about sums it up.

As always, the Partnership will continue to fight anti-business legislation that is constantly coming out of Albany, while also standing up and supporting the Albany representatives who fight for us.

Guest Blog: Broaden your Network!

2010-10-08T12:21:00.002-04:00

Networking is often one of the most important - if not the most important - components for job-seekers on the hunt for employment, especially in today’s struggling economy. Many times, open positions are not advertised and it is crucial that job-seekers develop a network of professional contacts who can provide information and potential job leads.

Join members of Buffalo Niagara 360, the young professionals program of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, for the unique opportunity to make new connections and give back at Happy Hour for a Cause on October 15 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Bada Bing!, located at 115 West Chippewa in downtown Buffalo. Admission is $10 with a book donation for Project Flight or $15 with no book. Books should be for a middle-school level reader, and can be new or used. The more the better! Attendees will be treated to an open bar (featuring well drinks and domestic draft) during happy hour and two-for-one domestic bottles after happy hour.

A few tips on networking:

Don’t be shy! Take the initiative to approach others, introduce yourself and share a piece of information that could uncover a common thread you share with that person.

It is important to have a positive attitude. People will feel flattered when you show a genuine interest in them and their organization, and will usually reciprocate with the same genuine interest.

Dress for success. Professional appearance is fundamental when making a first impression. Making the effort to dress professionally - nice slacks and a collared shirt for men and nice slacks or a skirt and a blouse for women - will show prospective contacts and employers that you are serious about finding employment and that you can perform the job well.

Be prepared. Equip yourself with any necessary materials, including business cards and a copy of your updated resume to share. Make sure to proofread your resume to make sure there are no errors!

Don’t forget to follow-up. After the event, send a thank you card or e-mail to each person you made a connection with. Be sure to mention a point from your conversation and if applicable, include a referral to supply to the individual you just met.

Remember the reason you came. The purpose of networking is not to see who can collect the most business cards in a period of time, but to establish and develop a few relationships that have potential.

For more information about Buffalo Niagara 360 or other upcoming events, visit http://www.buffaloniagara360.org/Home.

About Project Flight:
Since 1994, non-profit organization Project Flight has been dedicated to the cause of promoting literacy in children from pre-K through high school. They have done so, most notably, by getting books in the hands of kids who need them through their Book Bank. Project Flight has delivered more than two million free books to children over the years. For more information on Project Flight, visit http://www.projectflight.org/.

This blog was written by Partnership intern Stephanie Hamm. Stephanie is an intern in the Partnership's Communications' office.

Guest Blog: Five Questions to Ask Before You Renew Your Benefits

2010-10-05T09:36:00.004-04:00

It’s upon us, we’re head into the “season” — and I’m not talking about the holidays. This is the time of year when insurance renewals come due, and on the heels of that, we slide right into open enrollment for benefits. It is axiomatic that there are two letters employers dread to receive: anything from the IRS and their renewal letter from their insurance company. You know the medical plan rates are going up. That’s a given. Try to think of a year when they haven’t. And then comes open enrollment, or what should be known as your employees’ annual “pay cut”, as they absorb a greater share of the rate increase each year. So, here are some questions you might want to ask yourself this year.

1. Why do they call it a “renewal”, anyway, when there’s nothing new about it?
The word suggests that you come out better off, more refresh and energized, than when you went in. You are renewed by a vacation, a brisk workout, even a hot shower. People renew their wedding vows. Calling it benefits renewal doesn’t make the pain go away

2. Are things getting better or worse for you?
Inevitably with benefits renewal you end up in a worse position with higher rates and less satisfied employees. That’s because the employee benefits system has gone too far down the wrong path and fosters the wrong kinds of conversations. If you are talking to a broker, or perhaps directly to an insurance company, those are the very folks who benefits most from the status quo. Remember, when your insurance rates go up, commissions on those rates go up, too.

3. Has the system been bad so long you’ve just gotten used to it?
Some employers have even said that they no longer believe that the system can be fixed, and they are skeptical of anyone who says they can fix it. They have just resigned themselves to live with things they way they are.

4. Is the status quo sustainable for you?
If your rates continue to go up, they could put you out of business. At the current rate of inflation of benefits costs, there comes a point in the next five years or so when the benefits for an employee making $40,000 will be more expensive than the employee’s salary.

5. When was the last time either of the familiar players – a broker or a carrier – brought you a truly new idea?
Sure, they offer stop-gap measures and ways to adjust your rates or share more costs with your employees, but in the last year, have you heard a really new idea that actually saves you money? It is not in their interests to think of new ways to make employee benefits work, because they’re working just fine for these folks.

As we head into the benefits season this year, isn’t it time for you to stop having a broker conversation about your benefits and start having a business conversation. Ask the hard questions and get the right answers. Make your benefits as predictable as every other line item in your company’s budget. Offer a program that addresses your employees’ real needs and makes them more satisfied with their benefits. Take a hard look at your benefits and to explore a solution that is working for hundreds of your counterparts here in Western New York.

This will be the third season that the more than 800 Buffalo Niagara Partnership members who participate in the Bright Choices® employee benefits program will know what it feels like to avoid all these headaches – for their companies and themselves as benefits consumers. They have experienced first-hand the cost savings and choice that are the central features of this retail approach to employee benefits. They are using the Bright Choices Benefits Exchange™ -- an online benefits store where people shop for benefits – to buy the benefits that are right for them. And they have reduced their administrative burden.

This blog was written by Buffalo Niagara Partnership Vice President Fred Bristol.

Target Industry Action Agendas Released

2010-09-27T14:05:00.003-04:00

Last week, the Partnership released its 2010-11 target industry "action agendas," which will guide our business development work for the next year. Our economic development work focuses on five "targeted" industries - industries that, for some specific reason, are growing or are poised for growth in Buffalo Niagara. They are: advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, life sciences, logistics and professional services, and the potential for job creation in these sectors offers the greatest return on the investment of our time and resources.

Over the past twelve months, Partnership staff has engaged in outreach meetings with over 400 Buffalo Niagara employers, soliciting feedback on the direction in which the Partnership should be headed. These meetings have been instrumental in the creation of the action agendas, which really have a dual purpose: (1) focusing our time and efforts on high-impact deliverables that will help provide opportunity for our members - and their industries (and, as a result, the regional economy) - to grow; and (2) identifying and strengthening the Partnership's role in each sector.

The effectiveness of the action agenda vetting and implementation is evident. Some highlights from the last year's work:

(Agribusiness) Defeat of the proposed NYS "Farmworkers" Bill, which would have devastated family and larger farms in Upstate New York;

(Logistics) Coordination with a number of local entities in logistics of an Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Customs Matters and Trade Facilitation (ITAC-14) tour of Buffalo Niagara international bridges, which included high-ranking officials in Homeland Security, Commerce, Transportation and U.S. Trade Representative;

(Life Sciences) Creation of the Buffalo Niagara Life Science Resource Guide and Directory - digital and print editions;

(Manufacturing) Presentation of the Partnership's 2010 Renewable Energy Series in March and April, 2010, focusing on opportunities for Buffalo Niagara companies in the wind supply chain;

(Professional Services) December's adoption of a "tiered incentives" program by Erie County IDAs that based the awarding of incentives on various criteria, including local sourcing.

In addition, key relationships in each of the industry sectors have been created over the course of the past year that help to ensure that the work needed to be done in Buffalo Niagara is, indeed, being done. A major component of the Partnership's day-to-day work is collaborating closely with industry groups and other entities also working to grow the regional economy. Whether its our partnership with Medtech in the life sciences industry, our aligned advocacy efforts with the Erie and Niagara County Farm Bureaus in agribusiness, or the joint events we put on with World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara to talk logistics, the Partnership can add the "big picture" economic development perspective to whatever the initiative.

In the end, our target industry work comes down to our "ABCs" (as does everything else we do) - Advocacy, Business Development and Connecting. These are the areas where the Partnership is a resource for our members as we work to strengthen Buffalo Niagara's business climate.

Guest Blog: How Does the World See You?

2010-09-23T12:49:00.005-04:00

How you look shouldn’t matter, but it does. Named The Halo Effect by psychologists, if your visual message is positive, the person you’ve just met will assume the other aspects about you are equally positive. Therefore, a professional who takes the time to maintain a professional appearance presents the image of being able to perform adequately on the job.

No professional should be without at least one outstanding dress suit. It’s a wardrobe basic and must be well-tailored, classic in color and flattering to the body. The focus is fashionable yet conservative.

The question is not how does the world see you? It’s how do you want the world to see you?

1) Identify your goal.
2) Dress the part for the job, the company, and the industry.
3) Wear colors which are flattering to your hair, skin tone and eye color.
4) Wear styles which are flattering to your body type.
5) When in doubt, dress up not down.
6) Don’t dress for where you are, dress for where you want to be!

If you are one of almost 15 million unemployed Americans, the first impression you make on a potential employer is the most important one. Take a look at this video for additional advice on making a first impression that's modern and memorable.

This blog was written by Molly McGowan, Investor Relations Associate at the Partnership.

DISCLOSE... but first, we fundraise!

2010-09-22T13:59:00.003-04:00

If you are one who keeps tabs on politics, as I do, you often shake your head at the sheer arrogance of some of our elected officials, on both sides of the aisle. From our friends in Albany literally getting indicted while holding elected office to the blatant favoritism of unions in HR 5175/S.3295 (click the link for our position), a.k.a. the DISCLOSE Act, it's amazing what our politicians think they can sneak by the general public.

This story, however, is one for the ages. Not only is DISCLOSE a “transparent attempt to rig fall elections" (per Sen. Mitch McConnell), the Senate Democrats are hosting a high dollar fundraiser in NYC the NIGHT BEFORE THE VOTE... If only our Buffalo Bills QB had that kind of gumption. The Senate Democrats control the Floor Calendar (what gets voted on, and when), but with most of their members too busy fundraising outside of DC, they couldn't schedule a vote until Thursday. The Senate Majority is simply banking on the fact that the public is 1) not paying attention, or 2) doesn't care. It is time to prove them wrong.

I urge you to call out our U.S. Senators on this arrogance, and tell them to defeat the DISCLOSE Act tomorrow. Contact them here and here.

Guest Blog: Why Should Anyone Be Led By You or Me?

2010-09-22T08:32:00.002-04:00

Effective leadership is the key to success in any setting, with the intent to establish a clear vision and provide the tools required to achieve it.

As an opportunity to equip area young professionals with the skills necessary to become productive leaders within their own careers and communities, Buffalo Niagara 360 (the Buffalo Niagara Partnership's young professionals program) collaborated with Medaille College to offer a Business Leadership Series focusing on the qualities needed to become a leader in any organization.

Close to 40 people, including Buffalo Niagara 360 members as well as Medaille College students and alumni, participated in the first of the four-part series that took place Monday, September 20. Attendees were able to mingle with other local professionals and enjoyed an informative presentation by William Weeks, a clinical associate professor and chair of the Management and Leadership Program at Medaille College.

Weeks highlighted various points, outlining the importance of the leader-follower relationship and traits that distinguish a dynamic leader. Weeks additionally stressed the importance of being authentic and self-aware, evaluating one’s ability to lead others if they were not fully conscious of who they are.

A troubling situation can occur when there is little differentiation between a manager and a leader, causing miscommunication and little consistency when executing tasks. Weeks explained the need for the creation of fractals within organizations, or a smaller replica of the whole.

By preparing the next generation of business and community leaders with the essential skills needed to succeed, it ensures continued growth in our region, which is what the Buffalo Niagara Partnership constantly strives for.

For more information on how to get involved with Buffalo Niagara 360 and find out about upcoming events, visit www.buffaloniagara360.org.

Future dates for the Business Leadership Series:

November 15, 2010 – Medaille College Buffalo Campus

February 7, 2011 – Medaille College Amherst Campus

April 11, 2011 – Medaille College Amherst Campus

This blog was written by Public Relations intern Stephanie Hamm, who attended this program as a young professional.

Lobbying in DC with the Great Lakes Chambers

2010-09-20T21:26:00.004-04:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to head to Washington as part of a coalition of chambers of commerce from throughout the Great Lakes region. Our coalition, representing over 30 chambers in the mega-region, has visited DC a number of times over the past few years to visit Congressional reps, to educate them on the challenges and opportunities of the Great Lakes economy. This time, with Congress at home campaigning, we spent our time presenting our Great Lakes agenda to various agencies within the Obama administration.

First off, we were thrilled with the access. Our DC-based lobbyists advising us on the trip emphasized the importance and uniqueness of our ability to get the appointments - for two days we met with key contacts in the Departments of Energy, Commerce, Transportation, Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency. The meetings, themselves, were extremely encouraging - to be honest, current leadership in Washington and the business community haven't typically seen eye-to-eye on a lot of things, so we weren't sure what to expect. It became quickly apparent that we were creating a number of mutually-beneficial relationships. Each of the agencies have a host of programs on which they need to educate the business community, and we - the chambers - have access to the business community. In addition, as a group we can provide feedback to the agencies on the effectiveness of the programs, and the needs of employers going forward.

Key topics covered on the trip include transportation funding, which is set for some significant debate early next year, federal investment in innovation and sustainable, renewable energy - all components of the Great Lakes agenda.

I've said it a lot - while lobbying in business-unfriendly New York State can be frustrating at times, working on our federal agenda through the Great Lakes coalition is amazingly refreshing. We spend a great deal of time engaged in what we call "playing defense" - advocating against Downstate, special interest-driven proposals that make economic development and job creation more and more difficult. The pro-active work on the Great Lakes agenda is particularly rewarding - really opening your eyes to the possibilities that positive attention to the region can create.

Tuesday, September 14, is Primary Day!

2010-09-13T14:43:00.004-04:00

There are important primaries in almost every party (you must be a registered member of a party to participate in this election), including a race for the Republican Governor candidate, Conservative Governor candidate, Democratic Attorney General candidate, Republican U.S. Senate races (both seats) and a bevy of local primaries throughout Erie and Niagara Counties.

The Partnership is actively supporting the following candidates in tomorrow's election; we believe they share our focus – improving the business climate in New York State and Western New York:

60th NYS Senate District: Rory Allen (vs. Antoine Thompson)

144th NYS Assembly District: Joe Golombek (vs. Sam Hoyt)

Ellicott District, Buffalo Common Council: Reverend Darius Pridgen (vs. Curtis Haynes)

Dr. Rudnick did a "Primary Day Primer" detailing why we are supporting these three candidates, which you can read here. We've created an Election Day page on the Partnership website that shows how you can find out where to vote, who's running in your neighborhood, and what else we've been doing in the political arena, including our fundraiser for Jack Quinn and how our local elected officials scored on Unshackle Upstate's Legislative Score Card.

Primary Day elections are 100% about getting out the vote, often the more organized campaign emerges victorious because they got their voters out. Help ensure that the candidates you chose to support enjoy that success by voting tomorrow. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

If you have any questions about our supported candidates, or any other candidates up for election in your neighborhood, shoot me an email and I'll be happy to give you more information!

So, please – GET OUT AND VOTE – and forward this to your family and friends to do so as well!

Running government like a business

2010-09-07T09:10:00.002-04:00

We hear candidates talk a lot about how their intent, if elected, is to run government "more like a business." Of course, those slogans always get the opponents reminding voters that government is, indeed, NOT a business, and can't necessarily be run like one. Then, given how recently whatever the most recent Wall Street or oil spill scandal has happened, the "run government more like a business" tagline can be interpreted as being a good or bad thing.

From the Partnership's perspective, while government does not exist to make a profit (as private sector business does), there are certainly many opportunities to bring business principles into government. Streamlining operations to be more cost-effective, focus on strong customer service and eliminating waste are tried-and-true private sector strategies that are certainly applicable in government. While there's admittedly a trend (especially in New York State) toward big, expensive government, candidates with a plan to change that through instilling business principles deserve your attention.

The interesting thing to remember about government is that we - voters - are not only the "customer," but we're also the boss. And acting as the boss is where we can really bring business concepts into government - particularly in hiring. Every couple years, we get the opportunity to determine whether we want to re-hire someone who's already been on the job, or fire them and replace them with someone else (in business, we'd call this a "review"). Unfortunately, too many voters do not take this relationship, and the opportunity resulting from it, seriously.

This year, we are faced with some pretty poor examples of job performance in Albany. For the past two years since we've put the current group of elected officials into office, state government has done little beyond pushing its hand deeper and deeper into our pocket. Spending in two years has risen by $16 billion (yep - billion), with taxpayers footing the bill. Here in WNY, our elected reps failed to deliver (for perspective - labor and business both agree this is the case) a no-cost initiative that would've spurred 20,000 new jobs for our community - that being UB2020. The job just isn't getting done.

In the case of Senator Antoine Thompson, who faces a candidate in Rory Allen that we like a lot (small businessman, understands what it takes to create jobs and the impediments that Albany puts in the way of that) in next week's primary election, there's so much more. A taxpayer-funded trip to Jamaica during the legislative session that his staff was instructed to cover up?! Wasting hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' dollars sending ridiculous mailings (including birthday cards) to residents?! How about sponsoring legislation that would help Antoine, himself, benefit financially from a car accident he was in years earlier?! If you were the boss of a company, would you keep an employee like this? Well, we are the boss of the company called New York State government.

If we're going to instill one business principle into New York State government this year, it should be hiring and firing based on work performance and qualifications. Special interests continue to have success at putting people into office who will do their will because the largest special interest of all - taxpayers - don't take advantage of their role as boss. This is the year for voters, particularly Upstate voters, to demand better job performance. We do that at the polls.

Governor Paterson signs "proceeds" bill

2010-09-02T20:20:00.002-04:00

Let's face it, this year has not been the greatest for Upstate interests in Albany. The state's 2010-11 budget increased spending by some $6 billion, including $1.2 billion in new taxes (a total of $414 per person over the last two years). Economic development programs that benefit Upstate job creation were decimated through a reduction in funding (Empire Zone) and deferrals of tax credits that were already promised to employers - and included in their budgets. That's a big part of the reason why the Partnership has taken such an aggressive political role in making change in Albany this election day.

This week, however, score one for the good guys!!! Legislation was signed by Governor Paterson that will allocate funds derived from the sale of unallocated expansion power and replacement power through the New York Power Authority to economic development initiatives within 30 miles of the Niagara Power Project - potentially $10 to $25 million per year.

How it works: take Yahoo! for example. Part of Yahoo!'s incentive package to come to Niagara County was an allocation of hydropower. Of course, they're not up and running yet, but you can't re-allocate that hydropower to someone else - so that power is temporarily sold into the electric grid. Those funds - aka "proceeds" - are collected by the New York Power Authority (that's the $$$ that you heard last year as being "swept" by Albany to fill budget gaps). This legislation, which has been a priority of the Partnership for a number of years, re-invests that cash into our community in economic development projects and initiatives through a Western New York Economic Development Fund.

Especially given the difficulty in doing business in Upstate New York caused by poor economic development policy from Albany, this is a HUGE lift for the Buffalo Niagara region. There, of course - as with all of these types of legislation - are specifics to be sorted out, and the Partnership will continue our heavy advocacy to ensure that the program reaches its optimal effectiveness, but we are ecstatic to have found success here. Particularly in light of Albany's failure to come through for UB2020. Thanks to the "proceeds" bill sponsors Dennis Gabryszak in the Assembly and Bill Stachowski in the Senate for carrying this legislation to passage.

Why is the Partnership supporting Assemblyman Jack Quinn?

2010-09-01T13:57:00.005-04:00

It's been mentioned quite a bit on this blog that the Partnership is aggressively amping up it's political involvement this election season, with one goal in mind: to bring the New York State Senate to a more Upstate-friendly majority. A main cog in accomplishing that goal is electing Assemblyman Jack Quinn to the Senate for the 58th Senate District (encompassing Hamburg, Lackawanna, Cheektowaga, West Seneca, South Buffalo and Eden).

Quinn's race is being viewed state-wide as the difference maker in who hold the Majority in next year's Senate, but that's not the only reason he deserves our support. Quinn has been one of the most savvy and effective representatives of the Buffalo Niagara employer community, actively engaging Partnership members on legislation and issues regarding Western New York and working with Partnership staff on developing his policy positions. In our book, that earns Quinn more than an endorsement and a PAC donation. That's why on Thursday, September 16th, we are hosting a fundraiser for his campaign at Pettibone's in downtown Buffalo. For significantly less money than New York State spends in one-tenth of a second ($438 per .1 seconds v. $99) your support will help Assemblyman Quinn drastically slow down the Empire Center's $pend-o-meter...

Assemblyman Quinn's 5-Point Plan focuses on cutting spending and taxes, pension reform, job creation, Medicaid reform and ethics reform; all areas the Partnership and our state-wide coalition, Unshackle Upstate, have weighed in on. Not only does Quinn's plan address the expanding deficit and increased spending our state is facing, he provides responsible and logical areas of wasteful spending that need to be reigned in.

Quinn's pension reform plan is a shining example of how to address the pension "double standard" New York's taxpayers are facing every day. His job creation plan is more than just political "we need jobs" doublespeak we hear so often; he lays out areas where New York needs to improve and invest, especially in 21st century manufacturing and emerging technologies like the life sciences.

New York currently spends $1 Billion a week on Medicaid, Quinn's plan cuts $8 billion annually. Taxpayers have seen more than their fair share of corrupt politicians. Quinn's plan ends the dysfunction and corruption that leads to late budgets, pay to play schemes and the extreme waste of our tax dollars.

Again, Quinn has earned our, and your, support this November. Special interests in Albany and downstate will be doing all they can to ensure the status quo remains after this election. Join us on September 16th and help the largest yet least-represented special interest of them all, the Upstate taxpayer. See you there!

Regional Agenda: Rail Station Breaks Ground

2010-08-30T23:47:00.004-04:00

Our staff is hard at work putting together the 2011 Regional Agenda, but last week we took some time to celebrate one of 2010's advocacy victories, the groundbreaking for the Niagara Falls International Rail Station. The rail station is a top priority for Mayor Paul Dyster and the Buffalo Niagara region and will provide a tremendous rail resource for the Niagara Falls tourism industry when complete. With the recent improvements at the Niagara Falls International Airport (another Regional Agenda item from past years), Niagara Falls is making strides in taking advantage of a lively Canadian market, as well as a greater opportunity to attract regional visitors.

The rail station groundbreaking is another example of the impact that the annual Regional Agenda has on economic development opportunities in the Buffalo Niagara region. Ten years ago, the Partnership started the Regional Agenda process as a way of coordinating among the many municipalities and agencies in the region - to get everyone on the same page when asking the federal or state government for funding or action. Some successes over the last decade include the saving of the Niagara Falls Air Base, hundreds of millions in investment in the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, delay of WHTI and the implementation of Enhanced Drivers' Licenses and the new downtown Buffalo Federal Courthouse. It's clear that our region enhances our opportunity for success by speaking with one voice.

The 2011 Regional Agenda will be rolled out this year on November 22.

A Little Advice for Job Seekers

2010-08-27T11:09:00.004-04:00

The Partnership's workforce development team will be represented at the WNY Job Expo on Tuesday August 31st at the Connecticut Street Armory. The event is sponsored by the Soldiers of the 27th Infantry Brigade, but it is open to all job seekers ... veterans and non-veterans alike. With more than 50 employers represented, as well as free classes on finance, small business loans and resume building, this event is a must for any job seeker. Check out the website for additional information ... http://www.erie.gov/veterans/job_expo.asp

Job fairs are a great way for you to explore potential employment opportunities and learn more about companies who are actively hiring in the area. Many people see it as something as serious as a first interview, while others view it as an opportunity to gather information about potential employers. Regardless of what reason you have for attending, there are a few important things to keep in mind before, during, and after the job fair to make it successful for you.

Before the Job Fair:
Find out what businesses are going to be at the job fair, and spend some time doing some research about them. What types of jobs do they have open? What kind of people are they looking for? What kinds of skills do these people need to have?

Develop some questions you'd like to ask employers. Narrow down your list of businesses to include those who have positions you are interested in, or are businesses you think you might like to work for. Then list some questions you would like to ask the company representative at the job fair.

Proofread your resume - at least twice. Even if you think there are no errors, have someone else look it over too. Don't let errors overshadow your qualifications for a job!

Be sure your resume contains your updated contact information. You'll want employers to be able to reach you if necessary. Double check that your address, phone number, and e-mail address is current.

At the Job Fair:
Dress the part. As with a job interview, first impressions at a job fair are important. It isn't always necessary to wear a suit to a job fair - unless you are looking for a job that would require you to dress professionally at work. Business Casual is usually the most appropriate at a job fair - nice slacks and a collared shirt for men and nice slacks or a skirt and a blouse for women are appropriate. Make sure your clothes are clean and pressed. Avoid wearing excessive jewelry or clothing that is too short or revealing.

Take time to talk to employers. Don't just drop off a resume and move to the next booth. Take time to get additional information and make an impression. The point is not to see how many resumes you can give to employers in the least amount of time - it is to establish some solid job prospects.

Use your research to appear confident and knowledgeable. It works to your advantage if you can tell employers how your skills match what they are looking for. Employers want to hire people who are genuinely interested in their company. Do your homework!

Greet the employer with a firm handshake, and maintain eye contact throughout your conversation. Showing interest and good manners is important, regardless of the type of job you are looking for. Every employer appreciates someone who is dedicated, conscientious, and attentive.

After the Job Fair:
Follow up with a thank you note. If you picked up a business card, or the name of the company's job fair representative, send a thank you note a day or two after the job fair. This is not only polite, but will let the representative know you paid attention, are serious about the job, and that you are the right person for it.

I hope this advice helps. Good luck!

Young Professionals Come Together

2010-08-23T16:36:00.005-04:00

Young professionals in their late 20s to early 40s are a group we need to focus on attracting, "repatriating," and retaining in this region. Nationwide, 20something individuals often leave home to explore other communities and try their hands at various careers. These young people grow into professionals with top rate skills, buying power and a desire to plant roots - all things our community and our employers can benefit from.

These young professionals are the reason the Partnership launched Buffalo Niagara 360 in 2008. The program was born out of our members' need for effective strategies for retaining and attracting young professionals in the area, and out of our desire to cultivate this region's next generation of business and community leaders.

Last week, the Partnership kicked off Buffalo Niagara 360’s third year with a party at Pearl Street Grill. Hundreds of young professionals from throughout the region joined us for great food and networking at The Shindig to learn more about becoming engaged in their community. Membership in 360 offers future business leaders a forum to particpate in professional development opportunities. This is a value added proposition for the young worker, as well as their employer.

The Partnership encourages all of Buffalo Niagara's college students and young professionals to become engaged! Learn about the region you live in, get involved in your community, take part in our civic and cultural activities, take a stand and vote in November, and take some time to volunteer for one of the numerous not for profit organizations in the area. It is your interest, passion and activism that will help our region grow!

Over the past 2 years, more than 1,500 young professionals took part in Buffalo Niagara 360 activities and nearly 100 senior-level executives joined them as informal mentors and program supporters. Their continuing involvement shows the large number of educated and talented young people we have here, who are willing to learn, network, grow, and make a difference for their futures and for the future of the region.

Buffalo Niagara 360 offers plenty of ways and opportunities to get involved, so take some time today to learn how you can make a difference. Be part of the growing movement of young professionals who are helping Buffalo Niagara move forward into an even brighter future. Learn more about ways to get involved at www.buffaloniagara360.org