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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 15, 2011                                             

BROOKINGS INSTITUTION TO BRING
NEW ECONOMY STRATEGIES TO UPSTATE CONFERENCE

BUFFALO, NY – The Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based public policy organization, will send Amy Liu, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, to the Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s Accelerate Upstate summit on August 5 to provide the conference’s keynote address, “Delivering The Next Economy” at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.  Accelerate Upstate’s title sponsor is BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York and Liu’s specific address is sponsored by M&T Bank.

The Brookings Institution’s mission is to provide innovative, practical recommendations that strengthen American democracy, foster the economic and social welfare, security and opportunity of all Americans and secure a more open, safe, prosperous and cooperative international system.  At the Brookings Institution, Liu is charged with providing local decision-makers with fresh trends analyses, policy ideas, and on-the-ground practices to help metropolitan areas, including their component cities, suburbs, and rural areas, compete and prosper.  She is a frequent speaker on ideas to advance U.S. economic competitiveness by building a next economy that is driven by exports, powered by low carbon, fueled by innovation, rich with opportunity and led by metropolitan areas.

“The Upstate region suffers from a lack of sufficient support from Albany,” said Andrew J. Rudnick, President & CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. “We need to get creative and focus on real solutions to our problems to get the actions we need to grow.  Having a world-renowned scholar like Amy Liu join us for Accelerate Upstate will help us tremendously as we build viable ideas for our future.”

In addition to Liu, numerous other conference participants will focus on Upstate development strategies, including Brian McMahon - Executive Director, New York State Economic Development Council; Ken Warner - Executive Director, Unions and Businesses United in Construction; Garrick Utley - President, SUNY Levin Institute; and John Faso - SUNY Levin Institute President.

Throughout the conference, the event’s participants will be invited to submit comments, observations and ideas in a number of ways – through comment periods attached to each of the conference’s panel sessions, through written comments or via social media. Feedback will be aggregated into a presentation to be given at the conference’s closing session, and then compiled into an Accelerate Upstate action agenda to be delivered to Albany and Washington following the event.

Working with the Buffalo Niagara Partnership to present Accelerate Upstate are City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, Erie County Executive Chris Collins, Visit Buffalo Niagara, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority and Buffalo Place. Accelerate Upstate is sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York.

Additional information is available online at www.thepartnership.org/accelerateupstate 

To contact:

Andrew J. Rudnick – 716.852.7100

Amy Liu - 202.797.6410, aliu@brookings.edu

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ABOUT THE BUFFALO NIAGARA PARTNERSHIP

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership includes nearly 2,500 employer members, working for improved business competitiveness and expanded economic activity in the region.  The Partnership advocates, locally, and in Albany, and Washington, D.C., for policies and resources to increase private sector investment and jobs. The Partnership also offers programs and services to its members to increase their chances for business success.