Governor Elect Dr. Bentley, BBA, and the North Jefferson Area

Governor-Elect Robert Bentley is already working for the North Jefferson area.  If you lodged your vote for a pro-business agenda, you would have been encouraged if you attended the Birmingham Business Alliance Annual luncheon this week at the Sheraton to hear Dr. Bentley, I mean Governor-Elect Dr. Robert Bentley, discuss his commitment to our area.  An intricately woven quote by Lynard Skynard that “Birmingham Loves the Governor,” was an bright attempt to win hearts and minds.  Bentley’s follow up that “You may not always love me, but we will have a good four years full of opportunity,” set the stage for anticipation of good ideas to come.  Even this conservative skeptic is willing to give him a chance. 

 “I commit to you to make Birmingham a better place,” said Bentley.  Well, so goes the North, so goes Birmingham.  Bentley expressed support for the Northern Beltline and promised to make its construction a priority.    In allegiance with our Senators Shelby and Sessions, he remains committed to work quickly and diligently to make our road access a reality.  A quick turn down I65 South and you can see the fruits of all of our labors, that of our Legislators and that of our hard earned tax dollars.  Sharing the luncheon table with me were Mayors McCondichie and Phillips from Brookside and Gardendale respectively, and we were all ears.

Not fading from the issues, Bentley stated that “the role of government is to create a fertile field for jobs to grow, not to create the actual jobs.”  I like the sound of that.  Bentley was humble to recognize that the strength of a leader will be measured by history by the minds that he surrounds himself with in the leadership challenge.  To that end, University of Alabama at Birmingham President, Dr. Carol Garrison, was selected to introduce Bentley.  Per Dr. Garrison, UAB has a lot to gain by a pro business minded leader at the helm.  UAB alone has a half million dollar economic impact on Alabama, and lest you be stymied by that number, please realize that this occurred just in the time that the one hour luncheon was served at this event.  That is a half million dollar impact EVERY HOUR.  Garrison shared that for every $1 invested in UAB, a full $16 impact is realized for the Alabama.  UAB is the Economic Engine for Alabama.  Yes, we need efforts in Huntsville, Mobile and beyond, but UAB is alive and well and doing the job needed to keep Alabama competitive.

Bentley stands out front as one of the first to ask the question, “Did you create a job?”  This is simple, poignant, and clearly significant thinking here.  In an environment with 20% underemployed, and 9% real unemployment, we look to strong leadership on several fronts to include right to work legislation, improvements in our 2 year and 4 year colleges, decisions on tax requirements for business, and please oh please let us not overlook infrastructure improvements to attract business and industry to our area.  Bentley will be well supported if he is a leader that makes strategic decisions, and does not “study the problem to death.” 

Well, how do you do that, and can he?  Echoing his training as a physician, his message was true in its simplicity.  Dr. Tinsley Harrison was his professor in medical school, and a storied and respected physician indeed was Dr. Harrison.  Dr. Harrison, ever the servant leader, would encourage his student to “listen to the patient.”  The patient will tell you what is wrong if you are keen to listening.  Your job then will be to not just examine, but to diagnose and MAKE A DECISION.  When you make your decision, then your treatment will lead the way to strength and improvement. 

It has been my experience that everyone has an opinion after someone makes a decision.  I assess that we are mercifully entering into a time of great decisions and change here in our fair state.  Now is the time to educate yourself, leverage your opinions and become involved in the diagnosis and ultimate treatment choice for healthy growth.

Pick your Ally to Change the Change: BCA, US Chamber, NAM

            Change.  Not just a buzzword during the Presidential elections, but a word that rose to a frenzied mantra.  Now that the smoke is clearing from our  recent mid-term elections, we are beginning to get the clear picture that something really has changed in the collective conscience of the country, and it may not be what some in Washington had hoped for or envisioned.  It would seem that previous to the 2008 elections, it was enough to ask the civic minded person to engage and vote.  Now that is just not enough.  Gone are the days of passive involvement, and trust in leadership whether it would be corporate leadership (with a now 20% approval rating) or political leadership (with a now 11% approval.)  Enter the Watchdog.  Welcome the Self-Advocate.  All Hail the civic minded, highly engaged voter who not only shows up on Election Day, but is highly informed and ready to get involved.  

I want to share this thought with you on the heels of my participation in the recent Committee Days for the Business Council of Alabama (BCA).  Committee days are key to driving the Pro-Business Agenda that BCA supports for our state.  In their commitment to our legislative process, BCA looks to the business volunteer leadership who has led BCA for over a quarter of a century with vision, courage, integrity and commitment.  This weeks Committee days were filled with heavy hitter leadership participation from all business sectors for Alabama.  If your company supports BCA, your organization has taken a serious step toward not only civic engagement, but having personal ownership in driving the drivers of legislation and leadership. 

            Two key speakers supported the Committee days this week, and their messages were on target with the mission of BCA.  In attendance to support this event were Jay Timmons, Executive Vice President of the National Manufacturers Association (NAM) and Katie Hays, Executive Director of Congressional and Public Affairs for the US Chamber of Commerce. 

Timmons spoke to the need for “clearing the bureaucratic brush”.  According to Timmons, American companies want to compete and win in the aggressive war of competition, and do not need to be encumbered by taxes and legislation that is a functional anvil on the backs of manufacturing.  The United States is second now to Japan, but soon to be the highest in corporate tax rate with a cost to do business in the US at 17% higher than other countries.  NAM supports better policies to create jobs and bring us out of the recession, and it advocates for the Free Market System.  Timmons expressed concern that voters are less and less educated on benefits of a free market.  “We will not survive as a service economy alone, and a manufacturing economy born in innovation, advancement and competition is crucial to building tangible wealth and strength for us,” said Timmons.

Hayes gave an election recap with recognition that there is certainly a lot of new blood in office with 13 new senators and 30 new governors.  “The role of the new governors is clearly significant as they work to interpret for the state what is happening at the national level and as well they should,” said Hayes.  As we exit this week from our Lame Duck Session with only one more session this year, there is a lot to accomplish in a very short period of time.  According to Hayes and the US Chamber of Commerce, President Obama must signal openness to compromise.  If the 2001/2003 Bush tax cuts expire, we will experience one of the largest tax hikes in America’s history.  $3.8 Trillion will be placed in the government’s hands only 45 days from now unless action is taken.   There is a lot of legislation in limbo in addition to the expiring tax cuts.  Other business tax provisions that are a priority for businesses are card check legislation, climate change legislation, transportation funding (SAFETEA-LU) reauthorization, discussion of the Debt Commission's budget report suggestions, immigration legislation (the DREAM Act), cyber security bill, trade legislation, and Medicare insurance legislation. 

The list is daunting, but chins up; Washington is listening now and now is our time to change the change.  We are the small-business bloc which is code for the “hardworking voter” or the “everyman.”  It is rare to find a small business person that does not complain about competition against the Big Box Company so here is your word of caution.  Politics is now truly big business.  More money from outside groups has been spent on the 2010 midterms than was spent in 2004, which was a presidential election year.  Don’t think about this as money spent buying votes, but think instead of the broadcasters, publications, campaign ads, event companies, restaurants, and the political consultants that help to bring it all together.  It may continue to be a tough fight for the small business bloc to compete with big politics in this type of financial arena, so square up with some good allies.  BCA may be that great lineman to your business big or small when it comes to the pro-business grid iron.

Governor Riley, State of the State, a Perspective

I had the pleasure of attending the last State of the State Address by Governor Bob Riley this week in Montgomery, Alabama. What a privilege to be able to sit (or stand as it was standing room only) to hear how his leadership plans to continue into 2010. His platforms have remained consistent with a commitment to Charter Schools, Ethics Reform, Work Force Development and a removal of slot machines from Alabama. He remains committed to the Alabama prepaid tuition program as well. We have been discussing trends in the past few articles here for 2010 and beyond for Alabama, and it would seem that many of his ideas remain consistent in supporting the quiet undercurrent of change that will continue to take hold of our State. Our challenge is to seek out information about these opportunities and make informed decisions based on rational thinking and understanding. As State Senator Scott Beason has reminded us, Alabama is a legislatively driven state, and to that end, we should remain fiercely open to debate and discussion as we work to move some of these initiatives, and ultimately Alabama, forward.

One undercurrent of change is the growing presence of women in the work place and a trend toward more women working in general. According to The Economist (1/2/2010) it is truly a woman’s world, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. It seems that three of the four people who lost jobs during the recession were men; female unemployment runs at 8.6% which is measurably less than the 11.6% for men. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up more than two-thirds of the employment in ten of the 15 job categories likely to grow fastest in the next few years. Consider this fact: by 2011, there will be 2.6 million more women than men studying in American Universities. It seems that much of this opportunity is born in accepting the challenge of finding ways to blend work and parenthood. Countries in other parts of the world manage this trend by placing a focus on preschool education. For example Norway places an emphasis on women returning to work and children getting started into kindergarten. Other countries such as Germany, Japan, Switzerland, and the Netherlands support mothers working part-time. It has been suggested that women who work will be the beneficiaries of the growing “war for talent”. An ageing workforce in a skill dependent economy will need to make better use of their female populations, especially since they seem to be the greater number pursuing higher education.

Here is another fact of interest for you: the number of privately held companies started by women has increased twice as fast as the number started by men. Women owned companies employ more people than the largest 500 companies combined. If these women are like many that we know, a proper education opportunity for their children is a high priority and they will be watching the Charter School debate.

It seems that women have a growing presence in the work force, are working more, and becoming increasingly more politically active. Consider what this means for schools, and the debate that we will see this legislative session with regard to Charter Schools. Millions of families in Alabama struggle with insufficient child care facilities and a school day that bears no resemblance of their working lives. Governor Riley suggests that there is merit in an open discussion about the Charter School option for Alabama. He reminded the audience during his State of the State this week that Charter Schools ARE public schools and that Charter Schools would not re-segregate schools because discrimination is prohibited. In addition, approving Charter School legislation would help to secure up to $200 Million in federal grant money for education as well. Take a moment to seek out information on Charter Schools as this will be a very significant discussion for the legislature, and has high impact potential on the education of our children and their ability to grow prepared future workers. The best distinction between Charter and Public schools that I can find as yet indicates that there is simply less bureaucracy and that has to be a good thing. Again, according to The Economist, governments are trying to adjust to the new world of work, and the working parent, specifically the female working parent. Charter schools for Alabama may hold some measure of promise as it has for other areas of the country. Some of the most popular American charter schools offer longer days, and shorter summer holidays which does match up more neatly with the lifestyle of working parents.

As we move into our work week, take some time to catch the headlines, or read a quick update of what Montgomery is doing for you. I am confident that if you are informed about the debates taking place on work force development, ethics reform and school initiatives, not to mention gambling, you will be better prepared to place a vote for leadership that will make pro-business decisions.

And remember, take care of your customers, or someone else will. You can find additional readings on my blog at http://businessadvise4u.blogspot.com