Dear Members,

It has been a busy summer filled with legislative activity on our key public policy priorities, as well as meetings with individual members that are helping to shape the Roundtable's agenda for 2013.

We will devote significant time during our Board of Directors meeting on September 6, 2012 to discuss what we are hearing from members and to get your input on the next set of public policy issues the Roundtable will address.

Best, 
JD

MBR joined colleagues from the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) and the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF), as well as Jack Connors, for an event in Washington, D.C. hosted by Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business entitled, "The Impact of Health Reform on Business in Massachusetts: Lessons from Six Years of Experience." The event was sponsored by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Community Catalyst, with the purpose of educating the policy and academic community in Washington about how business helped to drive and now implement health care reform in Massachusetts.

The event featured the release of report, issued jointly by MBR, AIM, MTF and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, entitled "Business Community Participation in Health Reform: The Massachusetts Experience," which describes the 2006 reform law, the impact it has had, employers' perspectives, and lessons learned. 

READ Report. | READ CQ HealthBeat.

About 100 faculty, students, media and thought leaders attended the session, which was moderated by David Thomas, Dean of Georgetown's McDonough School of Business. Massachusetts was represented on the panel by Rick Lord, President and CEO of AIM, Michael Widmer, President of MTF, and Jack Connors, Chair Emeritus of both Hill Holliday and Partners Health Care. They provided an overview of the Massachusetts reform and highlighted various indicators of success, such as the high rates of insured people in Massachusetts, the continued levels of public support, and the business community's continued commitment to providing health insurance coverage to its employees. They highlighted key lessons learned, such as the mutual respect and trust involved in working with the public sector, which helped lead to a successful outcome, an increased level of accountability demanded by the business community during negotiations, the importance of representing interests while operating in good faith, and the principle of shared responsibility as a key element of collaboration.

National members of the panel, including Linda Blumberg from the Urban Institute and Mary Ella Payne from Ascension Health, tied the Massachusetts experience to the current federal debate while supporting much of the Massachusetts data that supported the claims of the reform's success.  A question and answer period included discussion of issues such as prevention and wellness, electronic health records, cost containment and corporate responsibility.

As national health care reform is implemented around the country, the Massachusetts experience, and particularly the involvement of the business community, provides valuable information for other states. MBR will continue to be part of the effort to share our experiences with business leaders from across the country.

America's Promise Alliance, led by by Colin and Alma Powell, convened a series of meetings in Boston to forge increased collaboration between business and education leaders to address alarming dropout rates, achievement gaps and competitiveness issues facing the nation. Leaders from around the country joined the discussions at the Ritz-Carlton on September 13-14, sponsored in part by Roundtable member Fidelity Investments.

MBR Executive Director JD Chesloff moderated a panel discussion featuring National Grid's Massachusetts President Marcy Reed, General Electric's Director for US Programs Kelli Wells and Associate Commissioner for Economic and Workforce Development David Cedrone. The panel focused on scaling up successful programs that businesses are supporting in communities across the country.

It was clear from the discussion that investing in education and STEM, in particular, is a business imperative. Panelists spoke about the importance of honesty, respect and trust in building relationships between business leaders and educators. This includes the need for frank discussions about what is working and what is not working. There was discussion about getting "buy-in" from teachers and helping to make the connections between school district officials and business leaders.

The panelists also highlighted the need to leverage assets including the time, energy and expertise of their employees who are volunteering at companies such as National Grid and General Electric. Panelists also talked about the need to start early with students in pre-school to provide the foundation they need to be successful.

The 2012 Summit will be the ninth, and thus far the largest, Massachusetts STEM Summit, with more than 750 attendees expected. Plenary presentations and break-out sessions will address numerous issues related to STEM education and workforce development. Leaders from the state's education, business, non-profit and government sectors will come together to share information and ideas on topics including early to higher education, formal and informal education, workforce and economic development, as well as policy issues faced by the Commonwealth.

Business Roundtable @BizRoundtable Honeywell CEO Says U.S. Risks Recession With Fiscal Cliff buswk.co/QILjgn via @BW

BBJ Newsroom @BBJNewsroom New Report: Mass. officials look to bridge skills gap for manufacturing sector  http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2012/09/13/mass-officials-boost-manufacturing.html?ana=tw

On September 1, 2002, global law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP opened its Boston office to serve clients in the area doing complex deals, often, international in scope, that required world-class expertise.  Starting with 17 attorneys, Weil's Boston office quickly established itself as the go-to firm for private equity deals, M&A transactions and complex commercial litigation. Today Weil's Boston office is nearly triple in size and can lay claim to having among Boston's most robust corporate, litigation and tax practices.

MBR member Joe Basile, an M&A lawyer who is the office's Managing Partner, says Weil's Boston office is thriving and will continue to grow in a deliberate, thoughtful way. "I expect this office will continue to expand in size and in the depth of its practice offerings.  Not only will we be able to do more in this office for our New England-area clients, but the Boston office will also continue to serve as the portal to Weil's 1,200-lawyer international platform across the United States, Europe and Asia.  At the same time, we are also committed to expanding our already-deep engagement with the Boston community through serving in leadership positions in community and charitable organizations and providing pro bono legal service."