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Harnessing the power of CEOS to help cities thrive

Today's metro cities are diverse environments facing complex political, social and economic issues that often fall into political gridlock. To solve this, some cities have tapped into the experience of their leading business executives to play a unique role in coalition-building for these tipping point challenges. These are the Urban Statesmen, corporate leaders who apply their business skills to societal issues like healthcare, water, quality of life and transportation.

Sam A. Williams has been the strategist to work with many Urban Statesmen in Atlanta, Georgia, on more than 15 major urban issues. He has now refined this innovative city leadership model and offers the same strategy and expertise at his company, Business City Partnerships and in his book, The CEO as Urban Statesman.

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CITY FUNDING

TIPPING POINT CASE #1: What do you do with a river that is so dry it is mowed three times a year and your city is declining? Dam up the river and dig a canal through downtown for university rowing teams, creating an innovation district and tourist attraction. (Learn more)

CRITICAL HEALTHCARE

TIPPING POINT CASE #2: What does a city do when their charity hospital, one of the nation’s largest, is on the brink of closure? Pull together CEOs and city leaders to pull them out of the red. (Learn more)

QUALITY OF LIFE

TIPPING POINT CASE #3: How do you make a mill town attractive to young professionals? Create the longest urban whitewater course in the world—on the river that was there all along. (Learn more)

CRISIS INTERVENTION

TIPPING POINT CASE #4: How do you avoid mistakes made during a Category 4 hurricane that tore your city apart? Create a task force to examine better ways of responding to natural disasters in the future. Then use them. (Learn more)

TRANSPORTATION

TIPPING POINT CASE #5: What happens when your city is in dire need of a better metro transit and highway system—but it’s not on the city’s agenda? Lead a successful sales tax referendum to fund the implementation. (Learn more)