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Archived: Blueprint for the Next Century | A Plan for Economic Growth and Prosperity

Posted on November 13, 2014

(First of two parts. The Blueprint for the Next Century will be presented to Governor-Elect Charlie Baker tomorrow at the AIM Executive Forum.)

A visionary group of Massachusetts industrialists joined together in 1915 to promote economic growth, innovation and high-value jobs as a means of creating prosperity for the people of Massachusetts. They formed Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) with the goal of working cooperatively with government and people with differing points of view to advance the common good.

BlueprintNextCenturyThrough 100 years of boom and recession, two world wars, a moon landing, the development of the Internet and the mapping of the human genome, AIM has participated in the public debate with the goal of making the “shining city on a hill” envisioned by Massachusetts’ first governor an “economic city on a hill” for the rest of the world. AIM today represents more than 4,500 employers from every sector of the Massachusetts economy who together embody the learning, intelligence, ingenuity, work ethic and resilience that makes Massachusetts unique.

It is in that spirit that the employers of Associated Industries of Massachusetts celebrate a century of collective civic engagement by publishing the Blueprint for the Next Century, a plan for economic growth and prosperity for the next 100 years.

AIM’s work on economic and business policy issues boils down to the nexus of a person, a job and an employer. The creation of a job and a person’s ability to do it weaves together every important aspect of social and economic stability ” the desire for a better life, the ability to support a family, the confidence to start a business, and the need to support efficient government management of services such as education, health care, and public safety.

Economic growth strengthens these bonds. The employer buys new equipment; workers use pay increases to send their children to college; and communities find ways to fix broken water mains. Economic downturns, conversely, strain the bonds between employer and community members who suddenly worry about layoffs, turmoil in the markets, the value of savings and municipal budget cutbacks.

AIM, like Massachusetts itself, remains forward looking. We embrace change and eagerly anticipate the challenges of the next century. Our Blueprint for the Next Century presents a positive agenda for meeting those challenges.

Tomorrow: The recommendations.