Greater Rochester Chamber Hosts 2025 Advocacy Day in Albany
On Tuesday, February 11th, Greater Rochester Chamber leadership and representatives from member organizations traveled to Albany to meet with elected officials for a Member Advocacy Day. Our member representatives spanned industries and sizes but shared a collective voice to represent Upstate interests in critical conversations in Albany. From the region’s largest employers to small businesses - our voices are strong together and we were proud to convene a group of members to share their key priorities with important decision-makers.
Members were able to meet with eight elected leaders and their teams, from both the NYS Senate and Assembly and representing both sides of the aisle. These meetings allowed members to share the key priorities they have to make the Finger Lakes Region a better place to run and grow a business, including access to childcare, investments in healthcare, economic development, and more. These candid, and intimate conversations result in meaningful connections to form between business representatives and legislators. These connections will have a lasting impact on the businesses and our region, impacting policies that will shape the future of New York State.
Being in Albany during budget negotiations is exciting and impactful, as our efforts can meaningfully affect real-time decisions. Members could connect directly with leaders of the committees and groups most relevant to their concerns, including the Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce, and Industry, Senate Select Majority Task Force on MWBEs, and more. Thank you to Senators Samra Brouk, Jeremy Cooney, Pam Helming, and Rob Ortt, and Assemblymembers Sarah Clark, Josh Jensen, Jen Lunsford, and Al Stirpe, and their staff for their time.
We appreciate the ways our elected officials show up and take time out of their busy schedules while the NYS Budget is being formed to discuss ways that we can make our community stronger and a better place to conduct business. Our voice is stronger together, and face-to-face time to connect is critical to our continued success.Greater Rochester Chamber is an advocacy partner for our 1,300 members in the Greater Rochester region. Our advocacy work is a collaborative process with our members and your concerns inform our work. Advocacy can come in many forms, from the direct advocacy with lawmakers we had in Albany, to utilizing our network to help make connections that will help your business. To see Greater Rochester Chamber’s top priorities, please see our 2025 Advocacy Agenda. For more information or to get involved in our continued advocacy efforts, please contact Director of Advocacy, Intergovernmental Relations, and Public Policy Joe Leathersich at Joe.Leathersich@GreaterRochesterChamber.com.