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February 2006 — Vol. 84, No. 1
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Restoring confidence not hard,
but necessary to nurture economic growth
By John R. Rathgeber
CBIA President and CEO
As you may have heard, I recently took over the reins here at CBIA now
that Ken Decko is retiring. I am very grateful for Ken’s leadership
over the past 26 years and for the fact that he has built the association
into the state’s largest, most respected business organization.
One of our strengths has been the participation of so many of our members.
I know we can count on your continued involvement this year. It will certainly
be needed, especially during the legislative session, which starts Feb.
8 and runs through May 3.
Connecticut’s economy is basically sound. But, as we note in our
cover story this month, state legislators have to address several problems
that are undermining our companies’ competitiveness in the global
market.
For starters, they need to accept that the world is increasingly becoming
“flatter,” and that our economy has to be competitive on a
global basis. We can’t put up barriers to the global economy. Instead,
we should look at what we need to do to make sure Connecticut businesses
and citizens are able to enjoy the opportunities presented by growing
markets around the world.
To make our economy globally competitive, legislators need to address
the crisis of confidence within the business community that resulted from
last year’s session. It’s not that hard to turn it around.
Legislators can restore confidence by addressing three main issues: competitive
business costs, dependable transportation and energy infrastructures,
and workforce skills.
We have reason to be optimistic about our economy’s future, because
we’re starting from a position of strength: We have a diverse economy,
with many businesses in financial services, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals,
bioscience and other industries. That is an incredible advantage. We need
to nurture the state’s industries so they can invest in their businesses
and create more good jobs for the people of Connecticut.
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