Boston, MA. September 18, 2008 - Following up last April's National Summit on Progressive Business at the Senate in Washington, D.C., the Progressive Business Leaders Network, Inc. is hosting the Massachusetts Summit on Progressive Business at the Harvard Club in Boston, MA on October 17th.

With the ever-mounting concern over the economic crisis in the United States, over 150 of Massachusetts' most forward-thinking CEOs and top officers will meet with top policy-makers and media leaders in Boston on October 17th to initiate relationships and insights that best empower business leaders to be most effective in advancing socially and environmentally responsible economic growth. Adding particular relevance and depth to this conference include Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Eric Rosengren, and Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Daniel O'Connell.

The Progressive Business Leaders Network (PBLN), a peer-to-peer educational organization for CEOs and top officers who's mission is to promote the best practices of business leaders committed to socially and environmentally responsible economic growth and the public policies that advance it. PBLN members are leaders of for-profit companies who believe that healthy economic growth can, and should, be reinforced with greater social and environmental justice.

The Summit will begin at 8:00 am for a CEO-only Leadership Breakfast. The conference's general proceedings will begin at 9:30am and will be hosted by PBLN President Tom Dretler, CEO of Eduventures, the leading best practices research firm for the higher education market.

Five highly interactive discussion sessions will include topics on:

Energy & Environment
Mitch Tyson, CEO of Advanced Electron Beams will lead a panel discussion on new clean energy legislation in MA and the key role that business leaders played in shaping and assuring its passage through Congress.

Education
Along with the participation of Governor Deval Patrick, this presentation will include a focus on Paul Sagan, CEO of Akamai Technologies, and his participation in the Governor ’s Readiness Project.

Life Sciences/Healthcare
Joshua Boger, CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Chairman of the global Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), and James Roosevelt, CEO of Tufts Health Plan, will lead a joint Life Sciences/Healthcare discussion that looks at public and private sector initiatives to promote health and wellness programs.

Housing & Economic Development
Kirk Sykes, President of the Urban Strategies for America USA Fund and Eric Rosengren, President of the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston, will lead an interactive panel during the CEO-only Leadership Breakfast, to discuss the current housing situation and will case-study sustainable economic development initiatives in the community.

Please contact Aaron Chalek, PBLN Director of Operations at 978-337-8210 or aaron@pbln.org for more information about this Summit. Additional information can also be found on the PBLN website at www.pbln.org.

About the Progressive Business Leaders Network

Launched in 2007, the Progressive Business Leaders Network is a growing organization with more than 150 CEOs and top officers of for-profit companies. PBLN's mission is to promote the best practices of business leaders committed to socially and environmentally responsible growth and the public policies that advance it. The PBLN has Working Groups on Education, Energy & the Environment, Health Care, Housing & Economic Development, and Life Sciences. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick headlined the PBLN's first Best Practices Conference at the Kennedy Presidential Library in October 2007. PBLN has established the Eli Segal Award for Extraordinary Business Leader Contribution to Progressive Public Policy. The late Eli Segal was a businessman credited with founding AmeriCorps and the Welfare to Work Partnership to provide jobs to those coming off welfare. Phil Edmundson, Chairman and CEO of William Gallagher Associates -- a Boston-based property insurer with offices nationwide -- received the first Eli Segal Award for Extraordinary Business Leader Contribution to Progressive Policy for his contribution to Massachusetts' landmark universal health care law.

Progressive Business Leaders Network, Inc., The

Progressive Business Leaders Network, Inc., The

The Progressive Business Leaders Network ("PBLN") is a peer-to-peer educational organization for CEOs and top officers. Its mission is to promote the best practices of business leaders committed to socially and environmentally responsible economic growth and the public policies that advance it. Specifically, the PBLN highlights best practices in corporate social responsibility and the contribution from business leaders who share a commitment to practicing and sharing initiatives that promote environmentally sustainable economic development and greater social justice. Meeting twice a year for PBLN Summits on progressive business, members and policy-makers work together in industry-specific Working Groups to identify strategies and opportunities for progressive business leaders to contribute meaningfully to the development and implementation of effective public policy.

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