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Bostonchamber
Boston Chamber
  • Events
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          • Overview
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          • New Chamber Event Series
        • ...
          Women's Network
          A Fireside Chat with Dr. Melissa Gilliam, Boston University

          This Women's Network event will offer an insightful conversation with Dr. Melissa Gilliam, the 11th President of Boston University and both the first woman and the first Black woman to lead the institution since its founding in 1869.

          06/18/2025

          11:30am - 1:00pm

          Fairmont Copley Plaza

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Special Event
          Talent and Competitiveness in 2025: Finding Opportunity in Uncertain Times

          Join the Chamber and Massachusetts Business Roundtable for a deep dive into employer insights, featuring analysis from McKinsey and a panel of experts.

          06/26/2025

          11:00am - 12:00pm

          Virtual

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Pacesetters
          Doing Business with Mass General Brigham

          Join us for our installment of the Pacesetters Doing Business series featuring Mass General Brigham on June 26, 2025.

          06/26/2025

          1:00pm - 2:00pm

          Virtual

          arrow-go
          Read More
  • Learning & Development
        • Learning & Development

          • Overview
          • Call for Nominations
          • Insights
        • Transformational DEI Certificate

          This program is in redevelopment. Click this page for DEI resources.

          Read More
          Women’s Leadership Program

          Our Women’s Leadership Program enables you to take your leadership to the next level by arming you with the most in-demand leadership toolkit.

          Read More
          Boston’s Future Leaders

          Our Boston’s Future Leaders (BFL) program provides emerging leaders with a socially conscious and civically engaged leadership toolkit, as well as the opportunity to apply their knowledge through experiential assignments.

          Read More
          Authentic Professionalism for Early Career Professionals

          Join us on June 12 for a highly interactive virtual workshop with Strategic Career & Leadership Coach Carole-Ann Penney.

          Read More
  • Economic Inclusion
        • Economic Inclusion

          • Overview
          • Pacesetters
          • Resources
        • ...
          Economic Inclusion
          City Awake

          City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Economic Inclusion
          Pacesetters

          We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Small Business
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          Small businesses are the backbone of the Boston economy. Learn more about the resources available through the Chamber.

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          Small businesses are the backbone of the Boston economy. Learn more about the resources available through the Chamber.

          Read More
          City Awake

          City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.

          Read More
          BIMA

          BIMA (the Boston Interactive Media Association) serves a vibrant community of like-minded professionals from agencies, brands, publishers, and ad-tech companies with business interests in the New England market.

          Read More
          Women’s Network

          For over 30 years, the Chamber’s Women’s Network has connected female professionals of all background and career levels. Today, our Women’s Network is the largest in New England, strengthening the professional networks of women each year.

          Read More
          Massachusetts Apprentice Network

          The Massachusetts Apprentice Network convenes employers, training providers, and talent sources interested in developing and implementing apprenticeship programs in occupations across industries and statewide in fields such as tech, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and more.

          Read More
          Pacesetters

          We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).

          Read More
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CommonWealth – Boston Chamber Calls for Road, Transit Revenues

March 23, 2018

Warning that congestion in and around Boston is bringing the city to a standstill, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday called on state policymakers to come up with a long-term, reliable revenue source for building road and public transit infrastructure.

“Rather than ad-hoc fare and gas tax increases, the state should develop a long-range plan to fund investments in transportation infrastructure,” the chamber said in a policy brief. The brief said it would be a mistake to rely on the proposed millionaire tax, which, even if it passes, would be subject to volatility. Instead, the chamber backed unspecified user fees with the revenue dedicated exclusively for transportation.

The policy brief portrayed the region’s congestion problem in stark terms. “The demand exceeds the capacity of the current road system, and that problem is exacerbated by an unreliable and underdeveloped public transportation system that forces people into cars. The result: gridlock on area roads and a threat to the region’s continued and future economic success.”

The chamber said metro Boston added more than 500,000 car commuters over the last 35 years, even as the region’s population grew by only 29 percent. As a result, the average number of hours drivers spend in congestion annually has grown from 31 to 60. The problem is likely to worsen, as the size of the Greater Boston labor force is expected to increase by 175,000 by 2040.

The report noted that 13 percent of Greater Boston residents use public transit, a much higher percentage than the national average of 5 percent. But at the same time three-quarters of the region’s workers rely on a car for their daily commute, and 90 percent drive alone.

Jim Rooney, the chamber’s president, said use of public transit needs to go up. “The most effective way to relieve congestion is through more public transit ridership,” he said in a statement. “To do that we need a reliable transit system that maximizes existing capacity, strategic expansion, and a long-range comprehensive plan for the region’s entire transportation infrastructure.”

The chamber’s policy brief follows on the heels of other studies warning about rising congestion in and around Boston and the need for more revenues for transportation infrastructure. Senate President Harriette Chandler called for additional revenue earlier this week. And Joseph Aiello, the chairman of the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board, said the panel’s members may begin discussing revenue options later this year.

Gov. Charlie Baker has not embraced the need for new revenues, suggesting the T can manage existing resources more efficiently and effectively. He has also noted that major improvements at the T – new Red and Orange Line cars, for example – are just a few years away. The governor in February appointed a commission to study the future of transportation, but officials say the group won’t be looking at how to pay for the infrastructure needed to make that future possible.

Read this article on CommonWealthMagazine.org.

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