Buffalo Niagara Partnership RAP – phase 2 Phoenix, AZ March 7-9, 2007

Challenge- Region Building Getting local elected officials to think and act regionally around development/growth issues Region is losing population: 10% /yr Urban area has increased 38% in past 15 yrs Strained Economic Development efforts Municipality-wide building moratoriums more popular than chicken wings

Proposed Solution- Create Regional Development Entity Retool existing regional entity (our MPO) to address regional issues that cross municipal lines Build off the strengths of/coordinate individual programs that alone will fail: Regional comprehensive plan Economic Development Strategy Targeted Incentives Merge/better align economic development efforts among development agencies

Next Steps: Continue advocacy efforts With Elected officials to find “supporters” With Industrial Development Agencies With other Chambers for grass–roots efforts Build on collaborations with other like-minded organizations Coalition for a Better Buffalo WNY Chamber Alliance More research on best practice models Develop plan to allocate Chamber staff to these efforts…and find resources $$$ Develop Communications/PR campaign

Key Learning Trust is a HUGE issue- bigger than anticipated – best practice models help Elected officials see this as a threat to their position/power - Must be able to answer “What’s in it for me” At the staff level, people are willing to work together - use these relationships Expensive effort- time, money and political Board Members may not be as “into it” as you’d like them to be

HELP Where to target advocacy efforts first - County or Local level, by Town? (….home rule State) Regional Collaborations- looked at Denver, Pittsburgh - others models? PR Campaigns – anyone else done something along these lines to elected officials? Chamber Role in business retention efforts: alone? with other ED orgs.? Realigning staff resources and funding