Chamber Guides Collaborative Approach to Benchmarking

Earlier this week, the Madison Common Council directed city staff to begin work on the creation of a public/private voluntary energy benchmarking program. Benchmarking is a way to measure a building’s energy usage by comparing to usage from similar-sized buildings.

The adoption of this ordinance is the culmination of nearly two years of work. Originally, the program was proposed as mandatory for every city building over a certain size. The Chamber opposed a mandatory approach, which would have been costly, contentious and created false, negative public perceptions regarding energy usage. Rather than malign businesses, the Chamber advocated for a voluntary program that could educate businesses about the benefits of benchmarking to reduce energy consumption and lower costs.

The Chamber commends city leaders for defeating a mandatory, combative approach, and working towards a collaborative, voluntary program that can do great things for both the city’s sustainability and private business goals. In particular, special thanks goes to Alder Matt Phair for his leadership on this issue.

The Chamber will continue to work with all stakeholders in the design, promotion and execution of the program.

Chamber Joins Federal Call to Action for Innovation

The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce joined more than 250 organizations in business, education, science, industry and engineering in signing “Innovation: An American Imperative.”   This statement is a national call to action to strengthen federal policies as well as find sustainable investment channels for research and development that fund important innovation.  A similar statement was released in 2007. The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the second city chamber in the country to sign on to the initiative.

CEOs from around the country joined the effort including signatories below:

• Samuel R. Allen, Chairman & CEO, John Deere
• Norman R. Augustine, Co-Chair, Restoring the Foundation
• Wes Bush, Chairman, President & CEO, Northrop Grumman
• Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman & CEO, Merck & Co., Inc.
• Marillyn A. Hewson, Chairman, President, & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation
• Charles O. Holliday, Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell plc
• Joseph Jimenez, CEO, Novartis
• W. James McNerney, Jr., Chairman of the Board & CEO, The Boeing Company
• Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft
• Jay Timmons, President and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers

This initiative focuses on important areas of the Chamber’s most recent legislative agenda including:

• Ending sequestration’s deep cuts to federal investments in R&D
• Making permanent a strengthened federal R&D tax credit
• Reforming U.S. visa policy
• Stimulating further improvements in advanced manufacturing

For a complete copy of the statement, see here.

Chambers: reduce cuts to UW system

5/27/15

Members of the Joint Finance Committee:

As the voice of thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of workers throughout our state, the Chamber of Commerce signatories below are united in our concern over the proposed cuts to the University of Wisconsin System.

Innovative and prosperous companies are often found in the shadow of great universities and we are fortunate to have world-class universities throughout the state of Wisconsin. They are critical to each and every region’s economic success. The UW System is a vital statewide asset. It serves as an economic engine, a hub for cutting-edge research that creates new businesses and jobs, and a draw for attracting and retaining world-class talent in both students and faculty.

The total economic impact on our state economy of the UW System is more than $20 billion annually, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs, creating exciting startup businesses and generating an admirable talent pool for our future workforce.

Our level of concern is heightened by the fact that the flexibility originally proposed for the UW System has been eliminated, yet $300 million in cuts remain on the table.   The business community recognizes that you are wrestling with many competing priorities and extremely difficult financial decisions as you do the hard work of assembling the next state budget.

We encourage you, however, to ensure that the UW System’s ability to sustain the economic benefits it provides throughout the state of Wisconsin is not compromised by cuts too large for the UW System to absorb.

We hope you agree that we cannot afford to stall this engine that fuels our state’s economic success. Thank you for your public service and your commitment to growing Wisconsin jobs, businesses and prosperity.

Sincerely,

Zach Brandon
President, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce

Tim Sheehy
President, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce

Bob McCoy
President/CEO, Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce

Shannon Full
President/CEO, Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Laurie Radke
President, Greater Green Bay Chamber

Lou Molitor
Executive Director, Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerce

Michelle Dingwall
CEO, Greater Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce

John Casper
President/CEO, Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce

Keith Pilger
President of Board of Directors, Portage County Business Council

Chris Blasius
CEO, River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Opposes Madison Proprietary Interest Proposal

A recent City of Madison proposal could have a dramatic impact on future development projects. If adopted, the ordinance could require – for instances where the city provides financial assistance for a project – that the recipient employer enter into a private agreement stating their employees’ preference as to whether they want to be represented by a labor organization for collective bargaining purposes. Examples of where the city has a proprietary interest include projects utilizing tax incremental financing, as well as other business grant and loan programs. The ordinance could apply to a project developer, contractor, subcontractor as well as potential tenants through the duration of the city’s involvement in the project. 

At a time when public and private sector leaders have worked to improve the city’s economic competitiveness, this proposal would be a significant step backwards.

The ordinance’s provisions include: 

• Applicability to any loan or financial incentive of greater than $100,000
•  “Recipient of City financial assistance” to mean any person, including that person’s subcontractors, successors, or tenants
• Requirement that  the recipient of City financial assistance enter into a Proprietary Interest Protection Agreement for the duration of the City’s proprietary interest in the Development Project
• Applicability of the Protection Agreement to any contract, subcontract, lease, sublease, management or operating agreement for the duration of the proprietary interest of the City in the Development Project 
• An exemption for employers employing fewer than the equivalent of fifteen (15) full-time or part-time employees at the site of the development project.
• Exemptions for any residential development project and any development project involving a historically designated building
• An exemption for multi-tenant development projects built on a speculative basis.

Click here to view the full ordinance.                                                                             

The Chamber has communicated its opposition to the proposal at the City’s Board of Estimates and Economic Development Committee. Supporters have stated their intent to delay action for further review of the potential economic impact, and have also expressed their desire to work with stakeholders, including the Chamber, on these concerns.

Chamber Announces Madison Common Council Endorsements

MADISON – The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors announced today its endorsement decisions for Madison Common Council. With representation from some of Greater Madison’s most prominent – as well as emerging – companies, an endorsement from the Chamber Board signals a candidate’s strength on business issues and vision to grow Madison’s economy.

Chamber President Zach Brandon noted that the Spring Election will be an important instrument in determining the future course of Greater Madison’s economy.

“This is an important time in Madison’s history and we need to be sure our elected leaders are focused on helping us seize this unique moment and reach our fullest potential,” said Brandon. “We are energized and grateful to the many qualified and passionate individuals who are seeking to serve our city and support the growth of its diverse business community.”

The Chamber endorsed the following candidates for Madison Common Council:

While many of the candidates on the list are incumbents who received Chamber endorsements in previous elections, there are several new candidates that bring their own focused lens to economic development and business both within their respective districts and throughout the region. The Chamber did not endorse in every race. In some cases, no endorsement was made because more than one candidate met criteria for endorsement. A good example is District 16, where two candidates – Denise DeMarb and Tiffany Tobias – have a positive agenda for business and economic growth.

Similar to the 2013 Spring Election, the Chamber’s endorsement decisions closely mirror candidates endorsed by the Building Trades of South Central Wisconsin. Brandon was pleased by the positive statement the candidate alignment represents for the endorsed candidates.

“Both the Chamber and our friends at the Building and Construction Trades are focused on improving our economic competitiveness to support our unparalleled quality of life here in Madison,” said Brandon. “An endorsement by both the business community and private sector unions is truly a powerful statement that an individual is committed to help Madison’s employers and employees prosper.”

Attached is the press release from the Building and Construction Trades Council regarding their candidate endorsements.

 About the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce:
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business with more than 1,300 organizations – ranging from one-person shops to corporations with more than 8,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison area to its full potential. The Greater Madison region is a leader in innovation. From cutting-edge technologies to distinctive retail shops to inventive services and products, our members vary greatly but are united by the region’s entrepreneurial spirit. More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.

Contact: Gillean Kitchen, Director of Advocacy, at 608-443-1963

Click here for an electronic version of this press release.

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