Butler, Warren business leaders to advocate for region at Statehouse

Local leaders are scheduled to meet with state officials and leaders of the 132nd General Assembly, including Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor and Secretary of State Jon Husted. Legislative topics to be addressed include economic development policy, the state budget, transportation projects and policy, and inclusion policy, according to event officials.

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Rick Pearce, president and CEO of the Chamber Serving Middletown, Monroe & Trenton, said it is extremely important for the chamber to stay in contact with elected officials to lobby for a pro-business legislation.

“We feel we can have a positive impact on our elected officials by presenting a united message to some of the issues facing business,” Pearce said. “For instance, many, if not all, our businesses receive some products via a truck that crosses the Brent Spence Bridge every day, so what role can the chambers of commerce of southwest Ohio play in the process of the development of a new bridge?”

Dan Bates, president and CEO of the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, said transportation is the issue he’s most hoping to have addressed at the statehouse.

The attitude toward non-car transportation needs to change,” Bates told this media outlet. “Many jobs remain unfilled in the area and skill sets and training are not the only issue, it’s access to jobs via transportation. All these large employers are being encouraged to come to the area but then can’t find the workforce they need because the workforce may be outside the community where the jobs are located.”

Joe Hinson, president and CEO of the West Chester-Liberty Chamber Alliance, said he also hopes to see transportation addressed by lawmakers.

“Connecting people to jobs and goods to consumers is a crucial investment and a lifeline for our regional business climate,” Hinson said. “As an example, 75,000 of health care and manufacturing jobs are not connected by transit, and the Brent Spence Bridge is the fifth worst congested section of highway in the U.S.

He said investment in local and mass transit opportunities will be key in retaining and attracting a vibrant, talented and diverse workforce to our region. Investment in infrastructure of major bridges, roadways/highways, and general arteries are as critical, he said.

Hinson said he hopes lawmakers Also of importance to be addressed by lawmakers is skilled, educated and diverse workforce, Hinson said, labeling it “one of the largest concerns of our business community in Southwestern Ohio.”

“Gov. Kasich’s attention to workforce in the budget is a positive step to a solution along with policies that support an inclusive environment for all, existing and future, to allow employers to draw from an expanded diverse talent pool,” he said.

Jason Kershner, vice president of government affairs for the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, said “to our knowledge, 2017 marks the first time that 15 local chambers of commerce from Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren Counties have partnered together to carry the voice of the region and its businesses to Columbus.”

“We attribute this partnership to the respect that the partnering chambers of commerce have for collaboration and recognizing its importance in moving the region forward,” he said. “None of us are as strong as all of us.”

Kershner said the event took six months to organize and “speaks to the collaboration of the local chambers in southwest Ohio, southeastern Indiana and northern Kentucky over the past year-and-a-half in advancing the critical issues impacting the entire region.”