Q&A with Garrett Sheehan, president of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce

Garrett Sheehan has served as president of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce (GNHCC) since March. Formed in 1794, the GNHCC is one of the oldest business groups in the United States, representing businesses and organizations in 15 cities and towns in south-central Connecticut. Before taking the post at the chamber, Sheehan worked as a broadcast journalist, in economic development and at United Illuminating (UI). A longer version of this interview previously appeared in the inaugural issue of New Haven Biz magazine.

How did you learn of the position at GNHCC?

I think some friends told me about the position. From my time at UI I was aware of [previous GNHCC president] Tony [Rescigno] and the great work he had done. I knew it was a great platform [for regional economic development] so I decided to apply in [July 2017]. 

Chambers of commerce are far more diverse than the old boys’ clubs of yore. Have the reasons business people join chambers changed, too?

The most interesting thing I’ve heard from people about joining the chamber is that they have a sense that they’re building something and that they’re part of a community — the business community. A sense of belonging. 

I always tell our staff that we have different value propositions for different types of companies. Some companies come just for the networking and business referrals — to grow their own business. Others come for the opportunities to learn through the programming opportunities we offer. But then other companies are really focused on the advocacy [role] — the fact that we provide a business voice for the region overall. For still others it’s about economic development and how we grow the region [economically].

One reason people join groups like chambers of commerce is the opportunity to physically interact with other business people — to be in the same room and speak face-to-face.

That is part of the unique selling proposition we offer. In a world of technology where there are so many ways to interact with other business people, we still are the place for face-to-face networking. But getting that message across is a challenge that we face every day.

How do you make a value proposition to millennials about chamber membership? 

We see the different ways people work now. But if you have a business you still need to get your name out, get your brand out, make connections with other people in the community. Even if you’re not directly selling in the New Haven region — say, you have an Internet-based company that’s selling globally — it still matters that you have connections here. New Haven is very relationship-driven. People value a good business climate, and having a voice making the case for what businesses need here in Connecticut is still key. Anther important benefit that is important is forging relationships with other kinds of businesses your company needs to work with — banks, law firms, accountants. So even if you’re not selling right here, those connections still matter.

How can you as head of a large business group work productively with elected officials and lawmakers who are indifferent at best, and hostile at worst, to private enterprise?

A lot of it comes down to communicating to our legislators the issues that matter most to businesses, or how an issue being considered may impact businesses. In just my brief time here, during this past legislative session I made it a point to have conversations with legislators to let them know what’s important to the business community, and when we think something will negatively impact it.

But if you said to at least half the lawmakers in Hartford, ‘If all workers were worth $15 an hour [the proposed minimum wage], we’d already be paying that,’ those legislators will most likely say, ‘We don’t care — we’re going to shove it down your throat anyway.’

But just because we may be up against the odds in terms of anti-business legislation, we can’t just throw our hands up in the air and say, ‘Okay, we give up.’ We have to continue, even until we’re blue in the face — speaking about the issues, talking about how they impact jobs and how we want to have [economic] growth in the region. I do feel that sometimes in Connecticut we tend to say, ‘Oh — we’re just a high-cost state.’ I don’t believe we can accept that as a business community. We have to continue to talk.

Talking is fine. But how do you effect change when the odds are stacked against you?

There have been concrete events that are changing the conversation in Connecticut. We’ve had so many companies [General Electric, Aetna] decide to relocate to other places, move jobs…I think the facts themselves are starting to resonate — and that’s when you start to see the things that we’re talking about [about improving the climate for businesses] start to come to fruition. 

In this job you succeeded two chamber presidents who were here for about a quarter-century combined: Tony Rescigno and before him Matthew Nemerson. Do you feel the weight of their accomplishments?

No. I appreciate their success, and I wouldn’t be able to sit in this chair had they not accomplished what they were able to do with the chamber. And I speak to both of them regularly. But I’m a different person. I don’t feel as though I have to live up to what they’ve done; I just have to continue to move the chamber forward. That’s the pressure I feel. We have a long history at the chamber — 225 years. But the future is what I am focused on.

One drum the chamber beats very loudly is Tweed-New Haven Airport. How do you promote Tweed to those who say it’s faster to drive to Bradley and we don’t need an airport in New Haven?

That would be a great argument if we didn’t already have an airport here. But we do have the asset. It’s right here, and it can benefit the city and give us a competitive advantage over other cities that don’t have an airport close to the downtown. It’s there, and it doesn’t take that much more to improve it and create better opportunities for the business community. 

But the airport neighbors have political juice, and they’ve made it plain over 20 years that they’re going to stand and die to oppose expansion of the runways.

 We’re not talking about creating a large metro airport here. A great solution would be a few more flights to a few more destinations — not a huge increase in [traffic] volume for the people who live nearby. And most of those flights would be during [daylight hours]. So I’m hopeful. When I talk to legislators, many of them think [Tweed expansion] would be a great opportunity. When I talk to businesses, they see all positives in having that airport be more functional. But we still have more work to do.

In a time of political polarization and a rise in support for socialism, tell us why capitalism is superior to socialism as an organizing principle for a society. 

[Laughs] I believe in free markets. Capitalism helps drive innovation. When we allow market forces [to operate] and give businesses the freedom and flexibility to grow, we get better outcomes.