ADVOCACY :: Issues

Advocacy Agenda

MAGNET monitors and promotes positions to support manufacturers in Northeast Ohio. It is understood that with input from the Advocacy Council and the MAGNET Board the policy agenda will be dynamic and evolve on an as needed basis.

Immediate Action Items

• Take a substantial role in working to create a realistic plan for manufacturers to comply with new EPA Attainment Regulations in NEO.
• On a continuous basis analyze the impact of public policy initiatives on NEO manufacturing. Take a position and publicly promote it.
• Create an accurate understanding of the manufacturing sector in NEO and its ongoing economic impact among our region’s public sector officials.
• Design effective communications infrastructure to reach NEO’s 13,000 manufacturers.

Important issues where MAGNET should lead in developing public policy

• FIn cooperation with the Competitivene3ss Council, focus more public economic development incentives toward innovation, R & D, and competitiveness to assist manufacturing.
• Work with Education Council to find ways that state and federal governments can better support NEO’s manufacturing workforce.

Actions Moving Forward

• Conduct regional public officials conferences to engage local elected officials in the challenges facing manufacturing
• Continue dialogue with regional manufacturers to ensure government is being responsive to their needs
• Identify research partners to assist in providing necessary analysis on issues.

Advocacy Agenda Process

Six issues sessions have been held across NE Ohio with a total of 115 attendees.  Fifty four directly represented manufacturing companies. Fifteen additional manufacturers submitted issues through the MAGNET website. Sessions were held in Aurora, Canton, Cleveland, Medina and Youngstown, Ashtabula during June-October 2006.             

At the end of each issue session, participants were asked to weight the issues that were discussed. In all, 125 unique issues were identified; they were organized in eight categories:

The next steps in evolving the MAGNET Advocacy agenda are:

1. Discussion with active policy players such as Ohio Manufacturers Association and Greater Cleveland Partnership will take place among staff to gain insight into current initiatives and priorities as they relate to these current issues and concepts.
   
2. A focus group of Advocacy Council Members met to review current issues and concepts. Recommendations for priorities, further research, and new issues was then forwarded to the full Advocacy Council for comment.
   
3. Discussions with legislative staff will uncover upcoming legislation and public sector actions that may impact issues.
   

Advocacy Initiative Milestones & Metrics

Northeast Ohio Energy Management Conference

A cornerstone of MAGNET’s Advocacy Initiative is to be a voice of change and improvement to regional manufactures. While many issues are long term and strategic, many require reacting quickly to an often changing environment that often shuffles priorities. The recent volatility in the area of energy required that we bring to NEO an event that would provide assistance to our manufacturers. 

Because of the rapid rise in energy costs during 2006 and the uncertainty of the long-term trends and impacts on the region’s manufacturing sector, MAGNET worked diligently with the Cleveland Engineering Society to deliver a major regional conference on energy.  This conference, held in Akron on October 3-4, 2006, drew a broad cross-section of interested parties. With over 250 interested parties gathered it was an excellent forum for the exchange of ideas, strategies, and solutions.

The opening speaker, John Engler, President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers and former Governor of Michigan, addressed the conference and shared NAM’s passion for a stronger national energy policy. Tony Alexander, President and CEO of FirstEnergy, shared his view of what will happen with Ohio’s Electric Utilities after the end of rate stabilization. Day two was highlighted by a presentation on energy efficiency by Peter Dreyfuss, Director, Midwest Regional Office, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Thirty sessions held over the two-day conference provided NEO manufacturers with diverse perspectives and great examples in managing this volatile component of manufacturing.

MAGNET and The Advocacy Initiative will continue to use It’s convening power to help regional manufacturers gain understanding of complex and important policy and technology issues.  By bringing the highest quality of expertise to NEO MAGNET can use forums like the Energy Management Conference to have a major impact on our companies’ ability to compete.

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