Join us for our installment of the Pacesetters Doing Business series featuring Boston Planning and Development Agency on December 7, 2023.
12/07/2023
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Virtual
Jenny Holaday will share her journey into leadership as President of Encore Boston Harbor and first woman to run a casino in Massachusetts.
12/13/2023
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Encore Boston Harbor
Step into Winter Wonderland at our BIMA Holiday Gala. Gather your digital media and marketing peers for a night of networking and entertainment.
12/14/2023
6:30pm - 9:30pm
InterContinental Boston
Designed for mid-level managers and supervisors, this new certificate program addresses workplace well-being through unique, innovative, and actionable methods.
Join our Transformational DEI Certificate! Our comprehensive learning & development offerings are designed to connect and grow strong leaders who lead both inside and out of the office.
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.
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.
City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.
We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).
The Fierce Urgency of Now Festival brings Boston’s diverse young professionals together with business leaders, organizations and their peers to build connection, advance careers and ignite positive change.
09/12/2023 -
09/16/2023
Greater Boston
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.
For nearly 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.
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.
We support small business through public policy initiatives, events designed to connect small businesses in Greater Boston to their peers and established business leaders, professional development offerings, and free small business advising.
Explore our mission and values to better understand how we are leading the business community forward.
Our member directory is your resource to discover, connect, and engage with Boston’s businesses from every industry and sector.
April 21, 2023
The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce supports the efforts in developing the FY24 budget (H.3700). As the House proceeds to debate, below are the priorities of the Chamber.
Transportation
SUPPORT: MBTA Board Seat for the City of Boston (Section 27) The Chamber supports creating a seat on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Board of Directors (MBTA Board) appointed by the Mayor of Boston. Given the significant portion of the T that runs through the City of Boston, in addition to the city’s large financial contribution to the system, Boston should have a designated seat on the MBTA board. The Chamber appreciates the House’s continued support on this issue.
SUPPORT: MBTA Capital Investments (Item 1596-2404 – $250M) and Workforce and Safety Reserve (Item 1596-2427 – $65M) The House budget includes necessary investments into the MBTA system by dedicating $250M to capital improvements to bridge repair, rehabilitation, and replacement, station and accessibility improvements, and signal work through 2025. While significant organizational and culture changes at the MBTA must occur in wake of poor service and historic safety problems, this appropriate use of income surtax funds will help the MBTA begin to address critical infrastructure issues and encourage increased ridership.
In addition, the transfer of $65 million in funding for MBTA Workforce and Safety reserve will help address the specific safety and workforce shortfalls identified by the Federal Transit Administration in 2022. The MBTA must address these significant failures immediately by diligently deploying these funds for staffing and other important needs to increase confidence in the system. The Chamber strongly supports these spending priorities in the FY24 budget.
Business Climate
SUPPORT: Early Education and Care Stabilization Grants (Item 3000-1045 – $250M) Access to affordable, high quality early education and care programs is a vital component to attracting and retaining talent in Massachusetts. Stabilization grants are essential to these programs as they face continuing challenges resulting from the pandemic and a tight labor market in 2023. Combined with the House’s support for rate increases for early education providers, these resources will not only support this workforce, but also the workforce of all employers with continued access to childcare options.
SUPPORT: High Demand Scholarship Program (Section 7) The Chamber supports the creation of a high demand targeted scholarship program to address the challenging labor market, ensure equitable opportunities to access in-demand careers, and increase regional competitiveness for the Commonwealth. Developing an access point to long-term careers while removing the barriers that deter or exclude diverse talent creates a sustainable talent pipeline backed by economic research to ensure business needs are met. It also creates an opportunity to attract new businesses to the area by promoting a responsive labor force that is both high-quality and adaptable for on-going business needs. Additionally, including wrap-around support services in the scholarship funds facilitates further entry points for diverse and underrepresented populations to gain the education and skillset they need to successfully join the workforce and contribute to their local economies.
SUPPORT: Early College – Dual Enrollment (Item 7066-0019 – $12M) and Early Colleges Programs (Item 7009-6600 – $15M) The House’s proposed funding will expand access for thousands of students to early college programming in high school. Early college is a proven strategy that increases overall college attainment and helps close equity gaps in college outcomes. This increased funding will meet the growing demand for high-quality early college programs and help colleges invest in wrap-around services to support students.
SUPPORT: Amendments #1308 (Finn) and #1274 (Jones) – Brownfields Tax Credit Extension Set to expire on August 5, 2023, the brownfields tax credit allows taxpayers that pursue and complete environmental remediation of contaminated sites in economically distressed areas to recover 25% of costs. Brownfields often face significant hurdles to clean-up and redevelopment, inhibiting new uses and negatively impacting the surrounding community. The brownfields tax credit is an important tool that facilitates environmental remediation and returns properties to their highest and best use, contributing to local economies and tax bases. This is particularly important to needed affordable housing developments in these areas that rely on this credit for financing feasibility.
Housing
SUPPORT: Amendment #804 (Cabral) – Housing Development Incentive Program Expansion Amendment #804 would increase the statewide cap on the Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP) from $10 million to $57 million on a one-time basis, and thereafter to $30 million annually, similar to language filed by Governor Healey in her tax relief proposal, H.42. HDIP is a critical tool in combating high housing costs in Massachusetts by incentivizing market rate housing production in Gateway Cities and other municipalities. As housing costs continue to soar, increasing all types of housing supply is more important than ever, and this valuable tool will help spur more production that may otherwise face prohibitive financial barriers.
Climate & Energy
SUPPORT: Clean Energy Investment Fund (Item 1595-6232 – $25M) and Amendment #951 (Roy) The Chamber supports additional investments in the clean energy workforce as the Commonwealth adopts new sources of renewable energy and strives to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Massachusetts is at the forefront of clean energy policy and the development of offshore wind, solar, and other clean energy technologies will create new jobs. These new industries will need access to a talented and trained workforce as the state moves from planning to implementing clean energy projects and necessary infrastructure improvements ahead of 2025 and 2030 emissions reductions requirements.
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