The Bridgeport Regional Business Council has been the premier business membership association serving the Bridgeport region for over 135 years. Our member businesses continue to invest generously in our work because they believe in our mission of jobs and tax base growth and they buy into our long-term view of economic growth. For the continued investment and support of over 1,000 member companies, we remain very grateful. In addition, we continue to believe that our members appreciate the value of our
service offerings and understand how those offerings provide continued opportunities and support for the growth of their business.
Our member businesses range from the largest companies in our region – like GE, People’s United Bank, Pitney Bowes, RBS, Aquarion, St. Vincent’s Medical Center and Sikorsky Aircraft – to the smallest sole proprietors and not-for-profit organizations, all of which represent the diverse interests and diverse population that makes up the richness of the Bridgeport region, our fourteen town One Coast region and the State of Connecticut.
Our traditional roles as community booster and network provider enable us to build, foster and create relationships with and for our member companies. In addition, our advocacy on behalf of our members’ business interests in the halls of government at the local, state and even national levels enables us to solidify those connections and add value to our members’ investment by serving to protect their interests and keeping a vigilant eye on the actions of government which too often seems to act
to the detriment of business interests, the very engine that fuels economic growth.
We remain very proud of the leadership role that we play to raise the level of cooperation throughout our region and are prouder still now that our “One Coast” initiative is beginning to successfully redefine the geography of our region in recognition of our new economic realities. We now have, for example, for the first time ever, a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for our region that more clearly defines and recognizes the reality of our connectivity. We also continue to be proud of our work
as facilitator, initiator and driving force of regional economic development efforts and our pro-business political agenda.
In 2006, our Board of Directors completed a strategic plan process that will set the course for our work in the years ahead. Although we will continue to concentrate some time and effort in support of building consensus for economic development and marketing in our central city, the decision has been made that the Business Council will begin to refocus its work toward wider issues of public policy within a wider regional screen both of which have an impact upon the quality and growth of our business
environment.
So, in the next three years we will continue to concentrate much of our effort in the areas of improving the quality of public education and closing the achievement gap, health care availability, quality, and affordability, property tax reform, as well as our work in economic development and the “One Coast” initiative. In addition, we will concentrate more of our efforts in the area of improved service to our small business constituency.
Without the investment of our members in time as well as money, we would not be able to accomplish this work on their behalf. The Bridgeport Regional Business Council web site will be one additional vehicle which recognizes and thanks all of our member companies for staying the course in partnership with us and making the investment that enables us to become an active leader in improving the economic well-being of the greater Bridgeport region and our State. Each of our communities – Bridgeport,
Stratford and Trumbull as well as our wider community -each of our members – those listed in this web site– as well as the wider region in which we now work, will be better off as a result of that work.
Paul S. Timpanelli
President & CEO