Press Release: 5/20/2025

The Power of Collaboration

 



Posted on May 19, 2025



AIM President and CEO Brooke Thomson with Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll at the AIM Annual Meeting on May 8.



By Brooke Thomson

President and CEO



Editor’s note – The following remarks were prepared for delivery at the 2025 AIM Annual Meeting.



Congratulations to all our 2025 AIM honorees – Julie Kim of Takeda, Senate President Karen Spilka, House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Keith Fairey of Way Finders. Your hard work, commitment and success provide inspiration to all of us and hope for the future of our commonwealth.



You may have noticed a constant theme running through the stories of these leaders from the private and public sectors – that theme is collaboration. More specifically it is a determination to work through the most difficult issues facing Massachusetts, to discuss differences in a forthright and civil manner and to find solutions that create a more prosperous state for everyone.



We at AIM share that determination to collaborate.



We are determined to work with legislative leaders and the Healey-Driscoll Administration to get results that keep the Massachusetts economy vibrant at a very uncertain time in our history.



We are determined to maintain our commitment to economic inclusion. It’s an essential component of the economic prosperity we collectively strive for as citizens of Massachusetts, ensuring that every individual and community has the opportunity to succeed.



And we are determined to make Massachusetts livable for workers, affordable for employers, attractive to entrepreneurs, supportive of innovators, open to immigrants, encouraging to manufacturers and home to the people, businesses and industries that are shaping the future.



The good news is that the business community is unified in this endeavor.



There’s a narrative out there that the business community is divided and that elected officials no longer listen to employers. Nothing could be further from the truth.



The four pre-eminent business associations in Massachusetts – AIM, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable – recently sent a joint letter to the Speaker, Senate President and Governor urging elected officials to act on four major priorities –




  • growing and maximizing the state’s labor force

  • supporting core economic sectors

  • viewing policy through the prism of cost, and

  • maintaining strong public finances.



A united business community – thousands of companies who together employ more than a million people – believes that it is better to work with elected officials than against them. Our member employers benefit when we get results, not when we talk in TV sound bites.



It is this commitment to collaboration that brought about one of the most successful legislative sessions in recent memory for the Massachusetts economy in 2023-2024.  And it is the same collaboration we believe will lead to more progress in the current legislature toward preserving and enhancing the status of Massachusetts as an economic powerhouse.



AIM goes about this important work with one of the most talented and dedicated staffs you could hope for to represent the interests of Massachusetts employers. As a graduate of the same college that educated Frances Perkins, I am at once humbled and thrilled by the opportunity to lead this great association.



It is deeply gratifying to hear virtually everyone involved in the legislative or business life of Massachusetts praise the professionalism that AIM shows on behalf of employers and the jobs they create. Whether it’s following a bill at midnight on Beacon Hill or spending time with an employer trying to understand a complex new law or regulation, the staff of AIM, AIM HR Solutions and A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Company epitomize excellence, accountability, urgency, respect and trust.



Finally, let me express my profound gratitude to you, the members of AIM, who place your trust in us every day – even as you go about the challenge of running successful enterprises.



AIM is truly a community of employers, and we deeply appreciate the support of companies who share our belief in the power of business to help fuel a better tomorrow, and create a more prosperous, and thriving Massachusetts for all.



The AIM Annual Meeting is a reminder of the enduring value of this common enterprise that remains as vibrant and important as it was at its founding 110 years ago.



In today’s rapidly changing and often unpredictable economic landscape, no business is an island. Whether you’re running a startup, a family-owned store, or a large enterprise, the challenges we face—rising costs, changing regulations, market disruptions, and technological advancements—are often too big for any one company to tackle alone.



AIM in 2025 has become more than just a network—it has become a lifeline for 3,500 hard-working member employers.



We give businesses a collective voice. We amplify your concerns to government, push for fair regulations, provide education and training, and create opportunities for collaboration. We take what would be a whisper from an individual business and turn it into a message that cannot be ignored.



But beyond advocacy, there’s something equally vital: community. AIM fosters relationships. We help members learn from one other, innovate together, and create a sense of solidarity that strengthens the entire economic system.



We’re not just competitors—we’re contributors to a larger mission: economic growth, job creation, and societal well-being. So, on behalf of AIM, its board of directors, its sponsors, allies and members, thank you for your willingness to be involved in the hard work of creating economic opportunity.