From the President

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Progress amid challenge and change

By John R. Rathgeber

CBIA President and CEO

Every fall, CBIA staff prepares our annual report letting members know what we have accomplished during the past year. I’m pleased to report that this year we made progress on three key fronts:

Our public policy priorities — persuading the state to address the issues of competitive business costs, dependable infrastructure and a skilled workforce;

Enhancing the value of your membership — by providing cost-effective products and services that help you compete in the global economy; and

Internal operations — by adopting a new three-year business plan to guide CBIA’s future growth.

We succeeded in urging the governor and legislators to make Connecticut’s economic competitiveness their top priority. They agreed to eliminate the corporate tax surcharge in 2007, phase out the property tax on production machinery and equipment, and support transportation and education improvements.

Connecticut businesses, however, still face significant challenges that the 2007 General Assembly will need to address. We’re now putting together our list of recommended actions. Please let us know if you have any suggestions by calling our Government Affairs staff at 860-244-1900.

CBIA, meanwhile, remains committed to providing you with excellent service, timely information and competitive products that help you manage your business. This year we:

Expanded the services you receive as a part of your basic membership;

Enhanced our Web site, cbia.com; and

Introduced lower-cost employee health benefit options for our small-business members.

Under our new three-year business plan, we will focus on creating still more membership value and even better customer service.

Thank you for your support over the past year. Your involvement has been — and will continue to be — a key factor in our efforts to make Connecticut competitive for businesses and jobs.