CORPORATE PARTNERS
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
2012 YEAR IN REVIEW
The National League of Cities Corporate Partners Program promotes the exchange of ideas between corporate leaders and
the leaders of America's cities in order to strengthen local government, encourage economic competitiveness and promote
corporate civic engagement. NLC's Corporate Partners provide valuable insight on issues facing cities and towns and
offer resources to address those challenges and opportunities. Capstone Corporate Partners are NLC's premier partners,
providing the highest level of financial and in-kind resources to support the organization's mission.
CAPSTONE CORPORATE PARTNERS
CORPORATE PARTNERS
About the Corporate Partners Leadership Council
The Corporate Partners Leadership Council services as an advisory body to the NLC Board of Directors. The Council
shares the perspectives of the corporate and not-for-profit sectors and makes recommendations for activities that promote
the exchange of ideas between corporate and city leaders. All Corporate Partner organizations are invited to participate in
the Corporate Partners Leadership Council.
A chair and vice chair for the Corporate Partners Leadership Council are appointed by NLC’s president each year. In
2012, Fred Wacker of the Home Depot Foundation served as Chair and Tom Phillips of Siemens Corporation served as
Vice Chair.
Chair
Fred Wacker
Director and Chief Operating Officer
The Home Depot Foundation
Vice Chair
Tom Phillips
Senior Director, Government Affairs
Siemens Corporation
In 2012, the Corporate Partners Leadership Council met two times:
•
March 11, in conjunction with the Congressional City Conference in
Washington, DC
•
November 29, in conjunction with the Congress of Cities &
Exposition in Boston, MA
NLC welcomed America’s Natural Gas Alliance, Citi Community
Development, Enterprise Holdings, Hyland Software, Local Search
Association, National Restaurant Association, Pioneer Credit Recovery,
Target, United Healthcare and United Water as Corporate Partners and
the National Association of Home Builders as a returning Corporate
Partner.
ENGAGING WITH NLC
In 2012, the Corporate Partners Program has provided NLC and its members with:
Expertise and Thought Leadership
At the Congressional City Conference (March 10-14) in Washington, DC:
•
Representatives from the American Institute of Architects,
CH2MHILL, Cigna, Hyland Software, IBM, ICMA-RC, Institute for
Building Technology and Safety, National Association of Home Builders,
Progress Energy, Safeguard Properties, Siemens, UR Vehicle
Management Solutions, VISA, and Wells Fargo offered their expertise as
part of A.S.K. a Corporate Partner: Answers, Solutions, and Knowledge
program. The program generated 50 appointment requests from NLC members in attendance at the event.
•
Corporate Partners from Black & Veatch, ICMA-RC, International Council of Shopping Centers, and Wells
Fargo acted as Corporate Partner representatives to one of the seven policy committees (an idea first presented at the
Corporate Partners Leadership Council Meeting at the 2010 Congressional City Conference).
•
The National Restaurant Association shared expertise on the workshop panel: Economic Development that Works
in an Economic Downturn.
•
At the Board of Directors summer meeting in Fort Wayne/Bluffton, IN, July 12-14, Capstone Corporate Partners
participated in a discussion about why their organizations engage with NLC. Participating in the discussion were
representatives from ESRI, ICMA-RC, International Council of Shopping Centers, The Home Depot
Foundation, VISA and Wells Fargo.
At the Congress of Cities in Boston, November 28 – December 1:
•
Experts from 15 Corporate Partner organizations continued the A.S.K. a Corporate Partner consultation sessions.
The participating organizations were: AIA, ANGA, CH2MHILL, Cigna, Darden, Hyland Software, Microsoft,
National Restaurant Association, Pioneer, Progress Energy, Safeguard Properties, Siemens, U-Haul, UR
Vehicle Management Solutions and Wells Fargo.
•
Corporate Partners from ANGA, Black & Veatch, Comcast, Enterprise, Hyland Software, ICSC, Progress
Energy, United Water, VISA and Wells Fargo acted as representatives to one of the seven policy committee
meetings.
•
Darden Restaurants, presented the workshop “Making Your City More Business Friendly” which focused on
strategic efforts to retail local businesses and support their expansion and growth.
•
CH2MHIll, Hyland Software, National Restaurant Association, and Weston Solutions presented in Solution
Theaters on Thursday, November 29.
Resources, Solutions and Case Studies
In Nation’s Cities Weekly (NCW), Corporate Partners shared resources, events and expertise with more than 30,000
newspaper readers. Partner articles included:
• NCW, February 27, Cigna, “Cigna Offers Educational Health Care Webinar Series”
• NCW, March 26, Black and Veatch, “Speaker Series Focuses on Water and Waste Water Treatment”
• NCW, April 16, Citi, IBM, “Cities to Receive $25 Million For Smart Parking Adoption”
• NCW, April 9, Home Depot Foundation, “Partners Help Cities Serve Veterans, Military Families”
• NCW, May 14, Home Depot Foundation, “Connecticut Town Unites in Support of
Injured Afghanistan Veteran”
• NCW, June 18, Microsoft, “Innovations in Public-Private Collaboration: The Edge
for Business and Health of the Public”
• NCW, July 2, Darden, “First Lady Michelle Obama Praises Darden Restaurants’
Plans to Reduced Calorie, Sodium Footprint”
• NCW, July 23, IBM, “IBM to Award Grants to Innovative Cities”
• NCW, August 6, Wells Fargo, “ Cities Get Help with Monitor Abandoned Homes”
• NCW, August 20, Southwest Airlines, “NLC Cities Celebrate Arrival of New
Nashville-Boston Nonstop Flight”
In September 2012, NLC introduced The Weekly as the main member communications
vehicle. This weekly email provides commentary and analysis, resources for cities, and
organizational news.
• The Weekly, September 4, National Restaurant Association, “Ellis Leads NLC
Delegation to Republication Convention”
• The Weekly, October 10, ICMA-RC, “National Save for Retirement Week: A Time
to Focus on Saving”
•
•
•
The Weekly, November 2, Local Search Association, “Yellow Pages Drive Local Economies and Sustainability”
The Weekly, November 12, The Home Depot Foundation, “Helping Communities Rebuild in the Wake of Hurricane
Sandy”
The Weekly, November 21, multiple partners (see http://www.nlc.org/corporate-engagement/corporate-partnersprogram/corporate-partners-leadership-council/superstorm-sandy-relief-efforts), “NLC Corporate Partners Mobilize in
the Wake of Hurricane Sandy”
Corporate Partners share resources on organization profile pages on the NLC website, as well as under the new
“Corporate Partner Resources” section of the site. These resources include case studies, calculators, video content,
articles, press releases and other valuable resources for cities. The new resource section allows NLC members to search
Corporate Partner resources by company (through profiles) or by topic/issue/solution. The organizations currently
providing resources include: American Institute of Architects, Cigna, Esri, IBM, ICMA-RC, International Bottled
Water Association, International Council of Shopping Centers, Siemens and U.S. Green Building Council.
At the 2012 Congressional City Conference, Capstone Corporate Partners ICSC, Wells Fargo and VISA taped segments
with NLC-TV. At the 2012 Congress of Cities, Capstone Corporate Partners The Home Depot Foundation, Visa and
Wells Fargo also taped segments to appear on the new NLC You Tube site.
Financial Support of NLC Programs, Conferences and Events
•
In support of the Congressional City Conference in Washington, DC, March 10-14, The Home Depot Foundation
($25,000), a Capstone Partner sponsored events as well as Corporate Partner IBM ($10,000).
•
AT&T ($5,000), a Corporate Partner, served as a sponsor of the NLC Summer Policy Forum held in Nashville,
Tennessee.
•
In support of the 2012 Congress of Cities held in Boston, MA, November 28-December 1, ICMA-RC ($50,000), The
Home Depot Foundation ($40,000), Siemens ($15,000) and IBM ($10,000) sponsored events.
•
Southwest Airlines, the Official Airline of the 2012 NLC City Showcase, has sponsored NLC through an in-kind
contribution of airline tickets.
•
Receptions and presentations held by the Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials (APAMO) & the Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgender Local Officials (GLBTLO) Constituency groups have been sponsored by Capstone Partners
ICMA-RC and Wells Fargo and by Corporate Partner Comcast.
•
Capstone Partners ICMA-RC and Wells Fargo along with Corporate Partner Comcast supported joint reception
activities for the Hispanic Elected Local Officials (HELO) Constituency group at both the 2012 Congressional City
Conference and Congress of Cities Conference. Along with Corporate Partner Waste Management, they all helped to
provide support for HELO’s summer Board of Directors Retreat in San Diego, CA where each partner offered specific
presentations about their programs.
•
At the Congressional City Conference and the Conference of Cities Conference, constituency group National Black
Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) had receptions supported by Capstone Partners ICMA-RC and Wells
Fargo along with Corporate Partner Comcast. These partners along with Black & Veatch and Verizon also
supported the NBC-LEO New Orleans Summer Conference. Corporate Partner Cigna also helped to co-sponsor the
Phoenix Annual Membership Luncheon.
•
Women in Municipal Government (WIMG) Constituency group had year round activities supported by Capstone
Partners ICMA-RC and Wells Fargo along with Corporate Partner Comcast. Additionally, partners Cigna and
AT&T also supported the WIMG Summer Conference held in Charleston, South Carolina.
•
With support ($75,000) from Citi Community Development, an NLC Corporate Partner, NLC worked with The
Reinvestment Fund (TRF) and its development of a city index, a data-driven analytical tool that will assist municipal
leaders and their community development staffs in making more effective community development investment
decisions in low- and moderate-income areas.
Exclusive Opportunities with NLC
•
On February 8th, Carolyn Coleman, NLC Center Director, Federal
Relations, and Lars Etzkorn, Program Director – Finance & Economic
Development, Federal Relations, met with Cynthia Stewart, Director,
Community Relations, ICSC and additional ICSC staff to discuss
streamline tax.
•
On February 6, Laura Bonavita, Federal Relations, invited Walter White
& Tremel Alexander, Verizon, Ron Orlando & Ellen Berenhold, Comcast, Howard Peak & Debra Beerbound,
AT&T, participated in an ITC/ FAIR Working Group Call in regard to Telecom Tax Guiding Principles.
.
•
On March 23, Carolyn Coleman, Center Director, Federal Relations, NLC served as an ICMA-RC Client Advisory
Guest Speaker and met with Human Resources professionals from the public sector. A second presentation was held
on May 4th with city managers.
•
At the 2012 Congressional City Conference, Carolyn Coleman, Center Director, Federal Relations, NLC invited
Gregory Dyson, Senior Vice President, ICMA-RC to participate in a meeting of State Municipal League Directors
and their staff to discuss & develop strategy in response to the IRS rulemaking regarding governmental retirement
plans.
•
On June 21, Neil Bomberg, Program Director, Federal Relations, participated in the Washington, DC, forum
“Innovations in Public-Private Collaboration: The Edge for Business and Health of the Public” hosted by Microsoft,
an NLC Corporate Partner. The forum included approximately 10-12 senior city staff including educational advisors,
directors of departments of health, human resources etc. and invited cities including Philadelphia, San Francisco,
Nashville, Hartford, Providence, Richmond, Boston and Chicago.
•
On August 9, Jim Brooks, Program Director, NLC, hosted a webinar “Managing Foreclosures and Vacant Properties”.
The presenters were Tyler N. Smith, Vice President, REO Community Development, Wells Fargo and Robert Klein,
Chairman of the Board and Founder, Safeguard Properties. The webinar addressed how City leaders play a key role
in working with national, state, and local partners to help residents keep their homes and help communities cope with
the ongoing effects of the challenges in housing and mortgage foreclosures.
•
Natalie Cohen, Managing Director and Head of Municipal Research for Wells Fargo, offered her views of the state
economy, the forces that are shaping it, and the fiscal outlook for cities over the next year at the NLC Summer Policy
Forum held in Nashville, TN, in July.
•
NLC Corporate Partners participated in the Summer Policy Forum in Nashville, TN, July 18-20, including: AT&T,
Comcast, Darden Restaurants, Hyland Software, Southern California Edison, United Water, Wells Fargo and
Weston Solutions.
•
AT&T and Comcast were provided the opportunity to comment on the joint ITC/FAIR Steering Committee meeting
to adopt the destination principle for taxing communications services/ products on August 13.
•
Cigna and Wells Fargo both offered special workshops at the WIMG Summer Conference on women’s health (Cigna)
and hands-on banking (Wells Fargo).
•
NLC leadership connected with NLC Corporate Partners at both the Republican National Convention (RNC) and the
Democratic National Convention (DNC).
o NLC Leadership in attendance at the RNC: Ted Ellis, NLC President and Mayor of Bluffton, IN; Don
Borut, NLC Executive Director; Carolyn Coleman, NLC Director of Federal Relations; and Mitch
Herckis , NLC Principal Associate, Human Development and Public safety (Federal Relations)
o
NLC Leadership in attendance at the DNC: Ted Ellis, NLC President and Mayor of Bluffton, IN; Marie
Lopez Rogers, NLC First Vice President and Mayor of Avondale, AZ; Don Borut, NLC Executive
Director; Carolyn Coleman, NLC Director of Federal Relations; Leslie Wollack, NLC Program Director,
Infrastructure & Sustainability (Federal Relations); and Greg Minchak, NLC Manager of Media Relations
At the RNC, NLC attended and connected with Corporate Partners:
o National Journal event with Graham Richard (consultant for Verizon)
o Real Estate and the Economy Policy Forum and Reception “A Strong Real Estate Market is Vital for a
Robust Economic Recovery” (National Association of Home Builders)
o Tampa Bay Visitors Bureau event (National Restaurant Association and International Council of
Shopping Centers).
At the DNC, NLC attended and connected with Corporate Partners:
o Luncheon with America’s Natural Gas Alliance where we discussed natural gas vehicles provided for
the Charlotte convention.
o A CNN/International Association of Shopping Centers event at which Senators Mark Begich (D-AK)
and Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Representative Joe Crowley (D-NY) shared insights on the impact of federal
legislative proposals on the real estate market and local tax bases.
o Luncheon with Mike Rizer (Wells Fargo)
•
On September 21, NLC co-host with the Institute for Market Transformation “Streamlining Code Compliance”
featuring Greg Blount from the Institute for Building Technology and Safety. Blout presented strategies cities can
use to streamline and in turn increase code compliance.
•
Microsoft hosted NLC events including: NLC senior management retreat and NLC Institute for Youth Education
and Families EPAN meeting at its policy offices in Washington, DC.
COMING IN 2013
In addition to continuing to provide resources like those outlined above, in 2013, the NLC Corporate Partners Program
will:
• Expand A.S.K. a Corporate Partner- increasing connections between Corporate Partners and NLC members to
promote public-private dialogue and build relationships. Partners will answer questions, provide solutions and share
knowledge on a wide range of issues.
• Offer a Competitive Submission Process for Sponsored Corporate Partner Sessions at the Congressional City
Conference – Corporate Partners will be able to submit proposals for sponsored educational sessions at the March
2013 conference.
• Participate in My NLC- an online portal to engage through NLC.org
• Continue to engage with NLC Committees and Councils- the Corporate Partners will continue their commitment
to serving as a resource to the NLC committees and council and formalize a liaison relationship with the various
NLC groups.
NLC STAFF CONTACTS
Amy Elsbree
Cynthia Shultz Cusick
Marc Shapiro
Center Director
Public Affairs and Member Relations
202-626-3126
elsbree@nlc.org
Director
Corporate Programs
202-626-3182
cusick@nlc.org
Program Director
Corporate Programs
202-626-3019
shapiro@nlc.org
Wendy Lu
Stephanie Long
Nerissa Taylor
Senior Associate
Corporate Programs
202-626-3174
lu@nlc.org
Senior Associate
Corporate Programs
202-626-3058
long@nlc.org
Assistant
Corporate Programs
202-626-3051
taylor@nlc.org