CEO Note: Collective Action and Impact

CEO Note: Collective Action and Impact

September 13, 2024

Dear Partner and Friend,

Our best work is crafted through collective action. We’ve set an aggressive agenda for this year with many important opportunities for engagement.

In short: we need you to lean-in.

This update on our multi-year agenda outlines our progress this year and how your organization can help us advance our work and the Baltimore Region.

Setting the foundation for economic opportunity

This year, we released All In | 2035, GBC’s 10-year economic opportunity plan, launched the regional economic brand initiative with Resonance, and established the first-ever economic scorecard quantifying the full landscape of area investment activity. In support of our broader effort to attract investment and business, we also hosted the first-ever Investment Summit and continue to advance our federal Tech Hub initiatives.

As a GBC Partner, you can:

Inform strategies for strengthening our regional economic growth sectors (life sciences, manufacturing, creativity & culture).
Shape the region’s economic brand.
Secure funding to implement our Tech Hub initiatives and vet new ideas.
Establish the region’s business retention and attraction strategy.

Shaping our region’s transportation and infrastructure

We’ve worked closely with the Greater Washington Partnership to establish the Baltimore’s Transit Future (BTF) Coalition. We’ve also partnered with the Baltimore Community Foundation to create the Maryland Tough, Baltimore Strong Alliance’s $5 million Small Business Support Grant Program to support small businesses impacted by the collapse of the Key Bridge. Join an upcoming informational session.

As a Partner, you can join the BTF Coalition and:

Engage with policy leaders and transportation officials.
Invite GBC Staff to brief your organization about critical investments.
Collaborate with us to help increase awareness of our region’s needs.

Leveraging our collective impact

Public Safety

We’re working with public safety officials to reduce gun violence and address police officer retention and recruitment. We’ve asked partners to engage by:

Participating in active conversations and briefings we host on data trends and strategies to improve the quality of life in our communities.
Leveraging your human resource expertise to support improving hiring and retention systems.
Financial support for public service announcements to deter violence.

Vacant Housing

The GBC is taking an active role in tackling Baltimore City’s long-standing vacant housing crisis. Moving forward, we will call on our Partners and other stakeholders to help secure additional public and private funding commitments in support of this effort. We've asked partners to engage by:

Informing GBC’s strategy to address vacant housing in Baltimore City.
Inviting GBC Staff to brief your organization’s leadership.
Joining upcoming Partner-only vacant housing conversations and briefings.

Engaging fully by joining GBC!

The Baltimore Region’s success is based on the shared commitment of current and future GBC Partners to engage in our multi-year agenda.

Stay informed by joining our All Partner Meeting on October 1st.
Register for our Prospective Partner Briefing on October 15th to learn about additional opportunities for engagement.

Please reach out to our Partnerships Team at partner@gbc.org to join in the effort to transform our region.

Sincerely,

Mark Anthony Thomas

President & CEO