The Leader - May/June 2008 - (Page 57)

executive p r o F il e by megan mccann Michael rossman Bridging the Gaps pennsYlvania’s MicHael rossMan In Pennsylvania, the Governor’s Action Team serves as a single point of contact for companies interested in locating or expanding in the state. And, as Director of the Governor’s Action Team, Michael Rossman leads a team of more than two dozen economic development professionals working on the front line of Pennsylvania’s business attraction and retention activities. According to Rossman, the primary mission of the Governor’s Action Team is to foster economic growth throughout the Commonwealth by attracting new businesses, helping existing Pennsylvania companies expand, and working to retain the Commonwealth’s existing businesses. “We provide whatever information those companies require to allow them to make an informed, factbased assessment of Pennsylvania and its communities as a new business location,” he explains. “This can include information on available sites and buildings, work force demographics, transportation analysis, tax climate comparisons and any other information they require.” Further, the Governor’s Action Team coordinates the involvement of all other state agencies in the business development process. “We have formal working relationships with all relevant agencies, typically at the executive level of those agencies,” Rossman says. “Through these relationships, we are able to provide priority consideration of the company’s needs for such things as environmental permitting, transportation improvements and business tax rulings.” The Governor’s Action Team also serves as the access point for all the various economic development incentives offered by the State. “We work directly with company executives and local communities to craft an incentives package that responds to the greatest needs of the company to make the project happen,” Rossman explains. “These can include discretionary cash grants, tax credits, job training grants, infrastructure grants, and low-interest financing for land and buildings and machinery and equipment.” Being the agency in the middle of Pennsylvania’s network of economic development and government agencies and the State’s business community puts the Team in a position to really make a difference for its clients, he says. “I believe what makes the Governor’s Action Team unique is our ability to bring to the table the myriad of stakeholders, both at the state and local level, from the public and private sector, to address all the needs of a company,” Rossman explains. “We understand that the company is engaged in a very important and, in most cases, expensive facility decision.” The Team does its best to remove the confusion and mystery of dealing with a large, disjointed group of state and local agencies by coordinating the process. “Our ultimate objective is to provide companies with the information they need, walk them through whatever regulatory processes might be involved and provide them the most aggressive incentives package possible so that they can remain focused on running their business,” he says. Rossman has been an economic development professional with the Commonwealth for more than two decades, serving under five Pennsylvania governors. He previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Governor’s Action Team. Prior to joining the Commonwealth’s economic development team, he was an accountant with Pullman Power Products, an international construction firm based in Kansas City, Missouri. Rossman lives in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania with his wife, Eleanor. tH e le aDe r 57 MaY / j u n e 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Leader - May/June 2008

The Leader - May/June 2008 Leadership Contents Message from the CEO Real Estate in the News Green Real Estate Work Without Boundries Building Flexibility Into the Business Strategy Multi-Generational Work-Force Design Work Force Longevity Analysis Wells Fargo's David Nelson Pennsylvania's Michael Rossman Globalization 2.0 Site Selection Consultant Directory The New York Report: A Core of Traditional and State-of-the-Art Opportunities Discovery Forum Findings Industry Tracker Young Leader Career Development Effective Leadership Economic Development in the News A Look Ahead In Our Next Issue Calendar of Seminars Index of Advertisers Executive Development Spotlight

The Leader - May/June 2008

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