Have you seen the Chamber's newly-launched television ad campaign? We will be periodically releasing the commercials on the blog over the next several weeks.  The campaign gives viewers a sense of how some of the region's most prominent business leaders utilize Chamber membership.

Earlier this week, Chamber president & CEO Paul Guzzi was a guest on WBZ Newsradio 1030's Nightside with Dan Rea.  Paul joined the program to discuss the proposed Massachusetts ballot question that would repeal the state income tax and result in a $12 billion cut to the state budget.

Click here to listen (Paul's segment follows Carla Howell at about the 22 minute mark).

Yesterday, Joshua Boger, president & CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, addressed the Chamber's Life Science Forum. In his presentation, Dr. Boger discussed some of the company's experimental drugs, as well as his positive outlook for the biotechnology industry here in the Commonwealth.


Photos of the event can be seen here.

Read more about Dr. Boger's comment in the Boston Herald, or on boston.com.

Attorney General Martha Coakley appeared on Sunday's edition of TWIB. Micheal Kagan, President of Constellation NewEnergy also made an appearance.

If you missed Sunday's broadcast, you can watch video feeds on NECN.com.

Video of Attorney General Coakley on the mortgage foreclosure crisis, efforts to curb auto emissions and the state's new auto insurance program can be seen here.

Micheal Kagan on the revolutionary thinking we need to transform the world of energy as well as an outlook on cost, supply and plans for the future can be seen here.

Peter Howe discusses troubling jobless figures as well as Ben Bernanke's comments on the economy during a speech at Harvard commencement. There is also a look at the state's mandatory health law for a progress report. Video can be seen here.

On Sunday's edition of This Week in Business, Attorney General Martha Coakley will join Paul Guzzi and Mike Nikitas to discuss her office’s efforts to combat the state’s foreclosure problem. She will also discuss deregulation in the auto insurance industry.

Then, Michael Kagan, president of Constellation NewEnergy, will join Paul and Mike to discuss how employers – including Gillette Stadium – are implementing clean and renewable energy programs, as well as his perspective on changing energy prices. 

Plus, NECN's Peter Howe talks about jobless numbers and Fed Chief Ben Bernanke’s comments about the economy to Harvard’s graduating class.

Be sure to tune in Sunday at 12:30 on NECN.

On Wednesday night, the Chamber hosted the 99th Annual Meeting & Dinner at the Marriott Copley Place. 

  

With more than 1,500 registered attendees, this was the Chamber's largest Annual Meeting to date. At the dinner, Gloria Larson was inaugurated as the new chair of the Chamber. She is the first woman and first collegiate president to be inaugurated in the Chamber's distinguished history.


The newest members of the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians were also inducted at this year's dinner. Micho Spring, chair, U.S. Corporate Practice & Weber Shandwick New England, Weber Shandwick Worldwide; Peter Meade, former executive vice president, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Inc.; Larry Fish, chairman, Citizens Financial Group, Inc. and RBS Americas; and Ted Cutler, philanthropist and vice president, The Interface Group - MA, rounded out the 2008 inductees.

Photos of the event can be seen here.
Photos taken by Bill Brett of the Boston Globe can be seen here.
Coverage by the Boston Herald can be seen here.

The podcast of Governor Patrick’s address to the Chamber's Government Affairs Forum is now available on bostonchamber.com.

The Governor’s speech, given on May 1, 2008, was broadcast on Sunday, May 4, at 8:00 p.m. on 90.9 WBUR.

Yesterday, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick addressed the Greater Boston Chamber's Government Affairs Forum.

The focus of the Governor's speech was the Commonwealth's energy future. He called for the expansion of energy efficiency as a means to control costs. urged industry leaders to spur clean energy innovation. Governor Patrick told those in attendance that "The age of fossil fuels is passing. If we act now, the age of clean energy is ours."

If you missed the event, the audio will be broadcast this Sunday, May 4, at 8:00 p.m. on 90.9 WBUR.

Additional coverage of the event can be seen in the Boston Herald, Boston Globe and the Metro.

Click here for photos of the event.

On Sunday's edition of This Week in Business, Tom Kinton, CEO of Massport, will join Paul Guzzi and Mike Nikitas to discuss the continued turmoil in the airline industry and its impact on Logan Airport.

Then, Dr. Tom Lee, network president of Partners Healthcare, will join Paul and Mike to discuss health care costs.

Plus, NECN's Peter Howe on Liberty Mutual's acquisition of Safeco Insurance.

Be sure to tune in Sunday at 12:30 on NECN.

The Greater Boston Chamber has once again partnered with Metro Boston on a featured news item.  From time to time, the Metro will offer readers a snapshot of select Chamber speakers and their comments. Last week, Senator Kerry's address to the Government Affairs Forum was featured, and today's edition of the Metro highlighted yesterday's special briefing with Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly.

Southwest’s philosophy:

“You can save people money and make money at the same time.”

On Southwest’s secrets of success:

“We hire great people and treat them like family.  We try our best to care for customers like they’re guests in our home.  We keep our fares low and our operating costs lower and we do that by being safe, efficient and operationally excellent.”

For the article's full text, check out the Metro online.

For photos of the event, click here.

On Monday, Senator John Kerry addressed the Greater Boston Chamber's Government Affairs Forum.

The Senator spoke candidly about the state of the economy, the war in Iraq, the continuing foreclosure epidemic, and the job potential of the energy industry.

Senator Kerry's address was covered in the  Boston Heraldas well as the Boston Metro, and will be rebroadcast Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. on 90.9 WBUR.

Click hereto see photos of the event

On April 10, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a corporate tax bill which coupled a rate cut with several policy changes.  The issue now goes to the state Senate, where the Chamber will continue to work for tax legislation that strengthens employers' ability to compete and grow in Massachusetts.
 
The Chamber has been a consistent advocate for lower Massachusetts corporate tax rates; the current rate of 9.5% is the fourth-highest in the country.  The House bill lowers that rate to 8.75% in 2009, and makes further reductions to 7.5% if revenue growth thresholds are met.  A provision was also added which will lower the corporate income tax burden on financial services institutions by cutting their rate from 10.5% to 9.0%. 
 
The House bill also includes combined reporting and federal conformity ("check the box") tax policy changes.  The original version of the bill gave wide discretion to the Department of Revenue (DOR) in administering these changes to the corporate tax code, but the final bill includes important limits on such discretion.  The Chamber and other business groups strongly advocated for these limits, as they are critical to establishing a clear, predictable, litigation-minimizing tax process for Massachusetts businesses. 
 
The Chamber will continue to work hard for a bill which includes a significant rate cut and limits on DOR discretion.  In this time of economic uncertainty, a competitive tax climate is especially important to employers as you work to grow and create jobs here in Massachusetts. 

Earlier today, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce president & CEO Paul Guzzi released the following statement on the corporate tax bill that is currently before the Massachusetts House of Representatives:

"The Chamber, on behalf of its 1,700 member companies that employ hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents, urges the Legislature to enact a tax bill that includes a reduction in the corporate tax rate to 7.0%. 

The Massachusetts corporate tax burden is simply uncompetitive.  Massachusetts’ corporate tax burden is the 9th highest in the nation (Council on State Taxation, U.S. Census Bureau), and the Massachusetts corporate tax rate of 9.5% is the 4th highest rate in the U.S (The Tax Foundation). 

Over the past five years, Massachusetts corporate income taxes have been raised by $400 million, and Massachusetts unemployment insurance taxes have been raised by $600 million – totaling a billion dollars in new taxes in recent years on Massachusetts employers.

These factors have lead to anemic job growth.  From 2003 to 2007 Massachusetts had the 48th worst rate of job creation in the country and remains more than 95,000 jobs below its previous peak. 

Furthermore, recent tax increases have fueled the perception that Massachusetts is an inhospitable place to do business – as evidenced by a 2008 Chief Executive Magazine survey in which CEO’s ranked Massachusetts as the 48th worst state for business.

As the economy teeters on the edge of recession and the state faces anemic job growth, it is essential that Massachusetts tax policy promotes rather than hinders employers’ ability to stay and grow in Massachusetts.”

On yesterday's edition of This Week in Business on NECN, Eric Rosengren, president & CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, gave his first in-depth television interview since taking over the Fed last year. 

In the first segment, Greater Boston Chamber CEO Paul Guzzi and his co-host Mike Nikitas of NECN talked with Rosengren about the economic picture and recent comments by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.



In the second segment, Rosengren discussed the housing crisis and the Fed's Mortgage Relief Fund.



For more information please visit www.MortgageReliefFund.com.

Mortgage Relief Fund Contact Information:

CITIZENS BANK 1-888-411-1145

SOVEREIGN BANK 1-800-288-6225

TD BANKNORTH 1-800-288-0025

WEBSTER (CT) 1-888-681-7788

WEBSTER(MA & RI) 1-800-635-9191

BANK OF AMERICA 1-800-344-9403

MA BANKERS ASSN 617-523-7595

In the Business Beat, Paul and Mike wrap up this week's show with a discussion of business costs, IPO's, and the new partnership between UMass and China.  


 

On last Sunday's edition of This Week in Business, hosts Paul Guzzi, president & CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber, and NECN Anchor Mike Nikitas were joined by Professor Karl Case, professor of economics at Wellesley College. Professor Case discussed the ups and downs in the housing market, the foreclosure crisis, the role of the Fed, and what he thinks can be expected in the coming months.

In the Briefing Room, Paul and Mike were joined by Jim Foster, President and CEO Charles River Labs, who discussed his company’s expansion in Massachusetts and abroad. He also explained why the shaky economy has been good for his company’s business.

This edition of This Week in Business  was also Steve Bailey’s final appearance on the Business Beat. Steve discussed 30 years of business reporting in Boston. He also talked about some of the highlights of his career.

Congressman Barney Frank's address to the Greater Boston Chamber's Financial Services Forum in March was covered in the New York Times by columnist Joe Nocera.

 

At the Chamber's Life Sciences Forum on Wednesday, Dr. Christoph Westphal , CEO of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals addressed the Chamber membership. He spoke about the future of anti-aging pharmaceuticals and Sirtris’ leading role in their development.

The Boston Herald noted Westphal's enthusiasm about working in the Greater Boston area, " Boston is a great place to launch a life sciences company, because there are many skilled scientists, venture capitalists, lawyers and accountants."

Photos of the event can be viewed here.

At the Chamber's Financial Services Forum this morning, Congressman Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, called for increased regulation of financial markets.

The Wall Street Journal noted the Chairman's offer to exchange greater oversight of "credit-creating institutions" for access to the Federal Reserve as a lender of last resort.

The Boston Globe noted Congressman Frank's "renewed" call for expanded regulation.

Bloomberg's Alison Vekshin noted the call for formation of a financial services risk regulator.

CNBC has been debating the proposal all day, and interviewed Congressman Frank here.

Reuters and the CBS News Politico also have the story.

View photos of the event here.

At yesterday's Government Affairs Forum, House Speaker Sal DiMasi vocalized his opposition to casino gaming in Massachusetts, outlined his new proposal to grow renewable energy jobs in the Commonwealth, and offered his thoughts on changes to municipal government.

With the legislature holding a major casino hearing yesterday after the speech, the Speaker's comments on gaming dominated press coverage.

The Boston Globe covered the speech in today's front page story encompassing the day's casino news. And also laid out the full prepared text.

The Boston Herald ran several articles referencing the Speaker's address, including gambling pieces by Casey Ross and Scott Van Voorhis, as well as an editorial on casinos, a story on the Speaker's plan for municipalities, and editorial thoughts on the Speaker's non-casino ideas.

The Boston Business Journal gives a rundown of the speech.

NECN ran several pieces featuring the address throughout the day. (Here and here).

WCVB Channel 5 did the same. (Here and here). 

The extensive media coverage of the event further solidified the Chamber's Government Affairs Forum as the region'sleading platform for public policy leaders to make news.

In the Speaker's own words, "The Chamber’s Government Affairs breakfasts are a meaningful way for leaders in government to get together with leaders in business to share ideas and work together to improve our great Commonwealth."

View photos of the event here.

Massachusetts Secretary of Housing & Economic Development Dan O'Connell joined Paul Guzzi & Mike Nikitas this week to discuss the economy, the pending life science legislation, and the possibility of casino gaming in the Commonwealth.  Then, Boston Globe business columnist Steve Bailey checked in on casinos, health care, and his next move. Check out the video below.

Cover Story:

http://www.necn.com/Boston/Business/Housing-and-economic-development-in-Mass-/1205709495.html

The Briefing Room:

http://www.necn.com/Boston/Business/Casino-controversy-in-the-Bay-State/1205709740.html

The Business Beat with Steve Bailey:

http://www.necn.com/Boston/Business/Business-Beat-with-Steve-Bailey/1205710127.html