100,000+ local business leaders to brief presidential candidates on ways to grow the U.S. economy and expand economic opportunity.

CONTACT

Jana Plat, jplat@businessfwd.org, (805) 207-5741

Tony Baker, tbaker@businessfwd.org, (310) 593-3680

Washington, D.C. (February 14, 2019) – Business Forward today launched its Solutions 2020 program, an ambitious effort to help local business leaders brief presidential candidates, their campaign staff, and policymakers likely to shape the 2020 race.

Solutions 2020 will feature briefings as well as issue-specific working groups that match leading policy experts with small business owners, entrepreneurs, executives from larger companies, mayors, and other local officials. Ed Meier, who ran Hillary Clinton’s policy outreach efforts in 2016, will manage Business Forward’s policy groups.

“It’s difficult for business leaders to find the time to meet a candidate, let alone brief her on ways to fix health care,” explained Jim Doyle, Business Forward president. “By working together, we can help local business leaders brief dozens of candidates, follow-up with their policy teams, and contribute real-world recommendations that Washington needs. We can also help them share their ideas with local media and Congress.”

Congressman John Delaney, the first major candidate to declare for 2020, will kick off the program today. Senators Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar, and investor, philanthropist, and activist Tom Steyer will follow.

“More than half of the men and women likely to run in 2020 have worked with us before,” explained Doyle. “We’ve built a program of conference calls, local events, and training webinars that works for policymakers and local business leaders alike – and we promote the recommendations made at those briefings through research reports, hearing testimony, social and earned media.”

“Solutions 2020 will improve and expand the traditional policy working group approach” said Meier. “We’re going to start earlier, brief more candidates, and recruit more local business leaders to help the next generation of policy experts test and promote their ideas and deliver practical recommendations that nominees can use on day one.”

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ABOUT BUSINESS FORWARD

With the help of more than 60 of America’s most respected companies, Business Forward is making it easier for more than 100,000 business leaders from across America to advise Washington on how to grow our economy and expand economic opportunity. Business Forward is active in more than 125 cities and has worked with more than 650 mayors, governors, members of Congress, and senior Administration officials.