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Are Buffalo Niagara employers embracing diversity?

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Buffalo News - Matt Glynn | Tuesday, Nov 1, 2022

BUFFALO, N.Y. (Buffalo News) — Local employers are making headway on diversity, equity and inclusion, but they've still got work to do.

Those are some of the themes from the latest assessment by the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, two years after the business group conducted an initial survey.

Dottie Gallagher, the Partnership's president and CEO, said the effort employers put into diversity can have a meaningful impact.

"Our future as a region and our economic prosperity depends heavily on building equity for everybody who’s in our community," she said.

In the latest assessment, 79% of companies said they had started their diversity, equity and inclusion work, up from 72% two years ago. Of the 21% that hadn't started, their reasons included a lack of commitment from leadership, and the small size of their companies. A total of 271 individuals in Erie and Niagara counties responded to the assessment.

There was a 120% increase in companies that had set measurable and concrete goals, Gallagher said. "There is still great room for improvement but the needle is moving in the right direction." Those goals include procurement; the percentage of employees who are Black, indigenous and people of color; marketing practices; and community outreach.

Read more here.

Business group: Expand financial aid for training, apprenticeships, to address worker shortage

By mcotter@thepartnership.org | January 14, 2022

BUFFALO, N.Y. (The Buffalo News) — For employers, one issue is dominant these days. “Western New York, and our entire country, needs more people working,” said Dottie Gallagher, president and CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. No surprise, then, that helping solve the worker shortage tops this year’s edition of

Buffalo Niagara Partnership unveils its advocacy agenda

By mcotter@thepartnership.org | January 14, 2022

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Several mechanics are seeing a boost of cars coming into their shop for repair. Experts say it is because of bad road conditions in Western New York. According to a national research group that oversees road issues both on national and state levels, more money will