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Glaeser Event
“Can Buffalo Ever Come Back?” – It’s up to all of us April 23, 2008 Say some bad things about us, and we take notice. Tell us that we – as a community – won’t come back and that the government should stop bribing people to stay, and we ask you to come to town to explain yourself. That’s exactly what happened last Friday when over 350 people who deeply care about this community came to hear Harvard professor Edward Glaeser present his perspective. Last fall, Glaeser’s paper “Can Buffalo Ever Come Back? Probably not – and government should stop bribing people to stay there” appeared in City Journal, and generated intense local feelings, which resulted in the Partnership, UB’s Regional Institute and the Buffalo Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York inviting Ed Glaeser here for a full day of dialogue. In short, Glaeser believes that a city’s success depends on investment in its people and a commitment to empowering and enriching their lives. He espouses a focus on people as opposed to “place,” emphasizing that by investing in its citizens – mostly through support of education and quality of life issues – a community can be more economically vibrant. There is no question that public investment must be strategic, especially in these economically challenging times. The Partnership believes that our region’s best chance for success is directly tied to thoughtful investments in our assets – and we particularly agree with Mr. Glaeser that human capital is primary among them. Let’s face it – we can’t have smart businesses without smart people. We do our part by providing unique opportunities for our members to grow their people and their businesses through the Partnership’s capacity building programs. These present members an array of opportunities to address their organization’s needs, ranging from CEO Roundtables, mentoring, industry specific seminars, and the list goes on. Importantly, in the midst of our commitment to support our members and all of their employees, there is one demographic that you’ve told us warrants special attention – young professionals. In order for our region to survive, let alone achieve economic vibrancy, it is imperative that we attract and retain young talent. To that end, and in direct response to member interest, the Partnership is developing a Young Professionals program, to better connect young professionals – ranging in age from their early 20’s to their early 40’s – to their employers, their community and their peers. Buffalo Niagara Young Professionals Program brings fresh perspective to the challenges facing both young talent and the companies for which they work. The initiative, which will be rolled out next month, will deliver professional development programming, resources and experiences that distinguish Buffalo Niagara as a great place to live, work and play. With the employer as our customer, our goal is to help you retain and attract high-skilled talent, identify and groom future executives, provide worthwhile professional development training, and – ultimately – to positively influence the region’s future by investing in young talent. Another priority effort that reflects Glaeser’s focus – and which the Partnership aggressively supports – is the UB2020 initiative, which is the University’s strategic plan for achieving academic excellence. Its goal is to grow the student population and faculty, while improving both the academic program and physical infrastructure. Without question, this is among the most significant economic development initiatives that our region has seen for a long time, and it exemplifies the ways in which an institution of higher education is inextricably linked to both the social network of its community as well as its economic vibrancy. And, let’s not forget what we heard in March when John Austin was here on behalf of the Brookings Institution’s Great Lakes Initiative and presented “The Vital Connection: Reclaiming Great lakes Economic Leadership in the Bi-National US-Canada Region.” The report concludes that due to the region’s innovation assets – research abilities, knowledge creation, and talent generation – it is poised to prosper in the global marketplace, especially if there is targeted policy and funding support from the federal government. This has led the Partnership and our counterpart business organizations across the Great Lakes to form a coalition to advocate for these long-overdue federal initiatives. Friday’s dialogue – which began with an apology from Ed Glaeser who went on to say that Buffalo is an amazing city – truly was a clear indication of what an incredible community this is. On a Friday afternoon which was the most beautiful day in over six months, 350 people showed up to hear a Harvard University professor defend his less-than-complimentary comments about our region. That speaks volumes about our spirit and our future.
Andrew J. Rudnick
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Glaeser Event
