06AnnualReport_fin.qxd:Layout 1 4/30/07 2:43 PM Page 1 ANNUAL REPORT ALLEGHENY CONFERENCE ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND ITS AFFILIATES GREATER PITTSBURGH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PENNSYLVANIA ECONOMY LEAGUE OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PITTSBURGH REGIONAL ALLIANCE 06AnnualReport_fin.qxd:Layout 1 4/30/07 2:43 PM Page 2 ABOUT THE CONFERENCE Founded in 1944, the Allegheny The PENNSYLVANIA ECONOMY Conference on Community LEAGUE OF SOUTHWESTERN Development is one of the leading civic PENNSYLVANIA , established in leadership organizations in the United 1936, provides public policy research States. Combining strong private sector and analysis. leadership with public sector partners, we work to stimulate economic growth The GREATER PITTSBURGH and improve the Pittsburgh region’s CHAMBER OF COMMERCE , quality of life. Our strategic focus is on working with public and private sector creating a more competitive business partners, serves as our region’s chief climate and marketing the Pittsburgh advocate at all levels of government to region for investment and job creation. secure public sector investment and The Conference relies upon the legislative and regulatory improve - Regional Investors Council – leaders of ments to our region’s business climate. more than 300 companies and organiza - The PITTSBURGH REGIONAL tions – to provide time, talent and ALLIANCE , a 10-county regional resources to advance our agenda. economic development partnership Three affiliated organizations, each staffed by the Conference, markets staffed by the Conference, provide southwestern Pennsylvania to research and analysis, advocacy and companies across the region and marketing to realize the vision of the around the world in order to attract Conference leadership: capital investment and stimulate job creation. 06AnnualReport_fin.qxd:Layout 1 4/30/07 2:43 PM Page 3 FROM THE CHAIRMAN With near-record employment, billions of The Allegheny Conference is honored to • Workforce Quality. We need to dollars in new investments and high- have played a significant role in these attract and retain a dynamic, skilled profile events that garnered national successes through our membership – and diverse workforce to reach and attention, the Pittsburgh region made representing more than 300 of the region’s maintain our full potential. tremendous progress in 2006. Combined most dedicated private organizations – efforts across the 10-county region along with a wide range of community Thank you to the entire board and to our resulted in more than 168 new or partners. As proud as we are of the committee chairs, especially, for making expanded company operations in 2006 exceptional quality of life and assets for possible the strides we have taken and alone, leading to the creation of nearly business that those of us living and for their commitment to achieving so 9,000 new jobs. And exhaustive nation - working in the region already enjoy, there much more. wide expansion site searches by globally are complex challenges that remain, and it Building upon the success of 2006, leading companies – from Westinghouse takes time – sometimes years – to make progress in our region continues in 2007. Electric to Bayer to Sycor to US Airways great things happen. The Imagine campaign is picking up – revealed the Pittsburgh region as the steam, and an incredible array of events best location for continued growth due to To that end, the Conference and its lie on the horizon. From the region’s first- our relatively low cost of doing business, Affiliates have embarked upon a compre - ever, large-scale multicultural symposium, strategic location, infrastructure and hensive strategy to improve southwestern DiverseCity, to the U.S. Open golf cham - quality of life. Pennsylvania’s competitiveness and promote the region to the world. We are pionship, to ‘Pittsburgh Celebrates Glass’ James E. Rohr The region also launched its first pleased with the progress made recently featuring acclaimed glass artist Dale Chairman of the Board integrated regional marketing campaign toward each of our four strategic competi - Chihuly, these events and so many more in 2006 – Pittsburgh: Imagine What You tiveness priorities, which you will read coalesce in a celebration of 250 years of Can Do Here. The campaign is spreading about in the following pages. However, history, progress and innovation that set the message throughout southwestern we still have plenty left to accomplish: the stage for 250 more! Pennsylvania and around the globe that There has never been a better time to the Pittsburgh region is a changemaker to • Taxes and Regulation. We must imagine what you can do here – so let’s the world. Meanwhile, the first phases in reduce the business tax burden to do it together. a multi-year celebration of our region’s attract capital investment and 250th anniversary in 2008 have taken off promote corporate growth. James E. Rohr thanks to the collective enthusiasm, • Government Structure. We can Chairman of the Board support and dedication of our public and become more efficient and cost- Allegheny Conference on private sector leaders. Long-term effective by encouraging munici- Community Development collaborative efforts with our regional palities to seek opportunities partners resulted in a recent $25 million for cooperation. Chairman & Chief Executive Officer commitment from the Commonwealth of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Pennsylvania to accomplish a Signature • Infrastructure for Economic Project of the Pittsburgh 250 initiative – Development. We are targeting the revitalization of Point State Park, a improvements in our transportation prominent symbol that, upon completion, network, including access to and will reflect the true essence of our region from Oakland as well as in the into the future. airport area. | ALLEGHENY CONFERENCE ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT | 2006 ANNUAL REPORT | 01 06AnnualReport_fin.qxd:Layout 1 4/30/07 2:43 PM Page 4 FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER The Allegheny Conference and its September 2006 was to a very different Affiliates helped the region to reach a Pittsburgh region – with more than 2,000 number of new milestones in 2006, each acres of shovel-ready airport area business made possible by a more focused agenda. sites supported by more effectively The leadership of the Conference Board connected highway structures and the and the Regional Investors Council cohesive regional leadership of elected continue to raise the bar on southwestern officials, economic development profess- Pennsylvania’s business climate and our ionals and private sector partners working overall quality of life. together to stimulate regional growth. For instance, thanks to the help of our On the business development side of our ALLIANCE FOR many public and private sector partners, agenda, job numbers are on the rise. In REGIONAL STEWARDSHIP taxes on Pennsylvania employees are 2006, more companies than ever before almost $300 million lower today than got to know the Pittsburgh region as a In 2006, our region’s ongoing they were at the beginning of 2006; the world-class place to live, work, play collaborative efforts earned “missing ramps” are under construction and invest. recognition from the Alliance for to connect Interstate 79 to the newly Regional Stewardship (ARS), a designated Interstate 376 and the airport We also made important progress against area; and we’re witnessing historic levels our regional competitiveness goals, but national organization focused on Michael Langley of development across our region, includ - many challenges remain. Business taxes forging vibrant, globally Chief Executive Officer ing more than $3.3 billion invested in our and regulations, energy strategy, our competitive regions. The Pittsburgh public transit system, government urban core. region was honored for its fragmentation, and education and its Economic development efforts are only relationship to a prepared workforce extraordinary civic leadership as successful as the partnerships that fuel figure highly on our priorities for regional capacity through collaboration and them. The Allegheny Conference works improvement in 2007. partnership. As a key player in with a multitude of regional partners – facilitating partnership across the including corporate, foundation, As the 250th anniversary of our region in government and community leaders – to 2008 draws near, the Conference is 10-counties, the Allegheny achieve the greatest return in terms of the already making excellent progress on its Conference was proud to accept global competitiveness of southwestern 2007 agenda, ready to tackle the the award on behalf of our region. Pennsylvania. Such collaboration often challenges ahead, to continue strengthen - takes years of hard work and persistence. ing our regional competitiveness and to further enhance the superb quality of life For instance, when a 2002 visit from the we already enjoy. Urban Land Institute (ULI) reported that the Pittsburgh region was missing out on Michael Langley major economic development opportuni - Chief Executive Officer ties due to an underdeveloped airport area Allegheny Conference on and fragmented regional leadership, we Community Development heard the call. The ULI’s return in 02 06AnnualReport_fin.qxd:Layout 1 4/30/07 2:43 PM Page 5 MARKETING THE REGION REGIONAL PROMOTION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | ALLEGHENY CONFERENCE ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT | 2006 ANNUAL REPORT | 03 06AnnualReport_fin.qxd:Layout 1 4/30/07 2:43 PM Page 6 04 06AnnualReport_fin.qxd:Layout 1 4/30/07 2:43 PM Page 7 REGIONAL