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Buffalo Niagara has strong employers, significant assets and capable organizations working to move our region forward. What we lack is an employer-led, shared, and data-driven roadmap that helps us understand where we stand, where our greatest opportunities exist and how we can capitalize on those opportunities to grow our region’s economy. 

That is the purpose of the Buffalo Niagara Prosperity Initiative. 

The BNP, working alongside key regional partners, is leading a two-step process designed to move us from data to strategy and, most importantly, to action.  

1. The Buffalo Niagara Prosperity Report

The first step is the Buffalo Niagara Prosperity Report. The report will benchmark our region against peer metros that are both realistic and aspirational. It will examine indicators that define regional competitiveness and economic health with a focus on workforce, innovation, infrastructure, housing, transportation and quality of place.  

The objective is not simply to assemble more data. It is to establish a common understanding of Buffalo Niagara's strengths, challenges and opportunities. 

2. The Regional Economic Growth Strategy

That foundation will inform the second step: development of a Regional Economic Growth Strategy. Using the Prosperity Report as our baseline, employers and regional partners will identify a handful of priorities with maximum potential to create jobs, spur investment, and position our region for sustainable economic growth. The strategy will establish measurable goals, identify organizations to lead specific priorities and create a framework for tracking our collective progress.  

This is not another study.

It is intended to be an organizing platform for action — one that builds upon successful work already underway and prioritizes collaboration.  The BNP should not and cannot own every solution. Our role is to bring employers and partners together around shared objectives, help establish accountability and provide the backbone necessary to sustain the work over time. 

There is another important distinction. The Prosperity Initiative is not about telling government what it should do for our economy. It is about identifying what we — employers, economic development organizations and other regional partners — can do together to strengthen Buffalo Niagara.  

Regions that grow intentionally understand their competitive position, make choices about priorities and organize themselves to execute. Buffalo Niagara should expect nothing less. And now is our moment.

If you are interested in learning more or contributing to this work, drop me a line at gloomis@thepartnership.org.