August 13, 2003

ROMNEY ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF BUSINESS LEADER SURVEY

Findings Will Be Used to Help Guide the State’s Economic Recovery

BOSTON – As part of the Commonwealth’s economic development strategy, Governor Mitt Romney announced today the launch of a business leader survey to measure the potential for future growth and to help guide efforts to revive the economy. This detailed survey — which will be launched online Friday, August 15 in the Northeast, Southeast and Cape and the Islands — will ask CEOs and business leaders to comment on their economic outlook, their ties with other companies and government and their plans for future growth. Within two weeks, the survey will be distributed in the Berkshire, Pioneer Valley, and Central regions, as well as the Greater Boston area.

“We need to make sure we have the best available information about the state of our economy,” said Romney. “The findings from this survey will help us to identify the competitive strengths and weaknesses of each region, which will help guide our efforts to improve the economy so that we can have more jobs.”

Questions the survey will address include:

· Over the next six months, will your company expand the number of people it employs?

· How important are issues in the external environment (i.e. public policy, the business environment, etc.) to your company, and how much time do you spend engaged on them?

· Considering elements of your local business environment, which five currently have the greatest positive impact on your business’s success?

The survey will support the competitive assessment being developed by Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter for each RCC region. These assessments will also identify the key industry clusters in each RCC region.

Participants will be invited to participate via e-mail. Interested respondents will also be able to access the survey at www.massmeansbusiness.com. This approach saves time for agency staff and the respondent while eliminating costs related to postage, call centers, and date coding.

The project also reflects the dynamic partnership between state government, academia, and the private sector. The Monitor Group is providing the survey and data analysis support. Regional partner organizations, mostly Chambers of Commerce and local industry councils, will distribute an invitation to participate in the survey, via e-mail, to their members in the RCC regions.

“Input from local business leaders is critical in developing priorities to promote firm investment and job growth,” said Romney.

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