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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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