Lamont Announces Plan to Create Business Advisory Council

Press Release

Ned Lamont, Democratic nominee for governor, announced his proposal during a press conference Friday to create a Business Advisory Council tasked with attracting top-tier employers and employees to the region to grow the economy and create good new jobs.

"For Connecticut to compete with neighboring states, we must convince employers and employees to believe in our state's potential and invest in our future. Connecticut has a unique opportunity to reinvent itself and spur economic growth by revitalizing our downtowns and creating new job opportunities. By convening a group of economic leaders -- that is reflective of the state's diverse demographics and makeup -- we can identify ways to attract prospective employers and boost our economy," Lamont said.

Lamont, who was joined by PepsiCo Chairwoman Indra Nooyi, said it is crucial to convene business leaders from a range of Connecticut industries -- along with leaders in the state's higher education, arts and culture, and real estate sectors -- to aggressively pursue bringing businesses and jobs to the state.

Republican opponent Bob Stefanowski's plan to eliminate more than half the state's revenue stream would stifle economic growth, end services that support work training and job growth, and cut funds for education and healthcare, which the middle class relies on.

"We can unleash the next wave of innovation right here in Connecticut with the right leadership and the right choices in Hartford. I will make Connecticut more business-friendly while also actively recruiting more businesses to our state," Lamont said. "The creation of this council will help us make the strategic investments needed to spark economic growth and attract top-tier talent to our state. We need to build an ecosystem that supports startups, sustains growth and invests in innovation hubs and growing industries in order to propel our economy into the 21st century."

Aiming to pinpoint why General Electric headquarters left Connecticut, Lamont helped organize "GE Whiz What Happened? Lessons for Connecticut's Economic Growth," in collaboration with the Yale School of Management.

Before launching his bid for governor, Lamont recruited Infosys, an information and technology company, to open a technology and innovation hub in Connecticut's capital city. To help attract the IT company to the state, Lamont convened a group of business leaders from Travelers, Hartford HealthCare and Stanley Black and Decker to show Connecticut's vast potential and the range of its economic ecosystem. Infosys is now set to create 1,000 new jobs here in Connecticut over the next four years.

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