The chamber has joined with several regional business groups to form a partnership called "Next Economy."  The Chamber's Interim President is Martha Lofgren.

Lofgren: "Everything that you read in the economic development news, every success story involves a region-wide cooperative effort." 

The partnership was unveiled at the chamber's "State of the Region" forum in Sacramento today.

The keynote speaker at the forum was Lenny Mendonca (pronounced men DOAN suh.)  He says Sacramento can start by using its hospitals, agriculture, and schools to spur the economy.

Mendonca: "Boston was a textile hub at the turn of a century.   Now it's a technology hub.  Over time, they turned it through a concerted effort to leverage their research institutions."

Next Economy plans to collect data this year, identify the best opportunities for growth in the region and then move funding towards those growth opportunities by the middle of next year.