CEOs Call for Coordinated Action to Strengthen Regional Competitiveness in New “Region Rising” Economic Roadmap

Analysis outlines coordinated steps to align business, government, institutions to remove barriers for growth, accelerate regional investment

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 26, 2026 — The Greater Washington Partnership today released Region Rising: Shaping Greater Washington’s Economy for the Future, a new economic analysis outlining actions required to strengthen the region’s long-term competitiveness and accelerate private-sector growth through greater coordination across business, government and regional institutions.

Created by the Greater Washington Partnership, with analytical support from McKinsey & Company, the CEO-led report comes at a pivotal moment for the Baltimore–Washington–Richmond corridor, as shifts in federal workforce patterns and spending models reshape the region’s economic landscape. 

It calls out five priority areas where coordinated action, including stronger alignment across jurisdictions and closer collaboration between public and private leaders, could help remove barriers to investment, support innovation and position the region to compete more effectively. The report reflects a shared view among the region’s leading employers that sustaining growth will require greater predictability and faster execution in the years ahead.

Region Rising finds that accelerating diversification will be critical to sustaining growth, noting that without action, the region risks a 12% decline in GDP and the loss of 300,000 jobs. By contrast, if the region grows on par with peer metros like Seattle and the Bay Area, it could generate $160 billion in new economic output and 645,000 jobs by 2040.

“This corridor has extraordinary assets from research leadership and deep talent to strategic industries that matter nationally,” said Kathy Hollinger, CEO of the Greater Washington Partnership. “Region Rising speaks to the commitment of our CEOs to step forward with one voice to help shape the conditions needed for growth working alongside public-sector partners to support both enterprise success and shared prosperity.”

Region Rising 5 Areas of Focus
Regional CEOs are aligning around priority areas of focus to strengthen long-term competitiveness: 

• Reinforcing the region’s foundational industries, like education, healthcare and the federal sectors;
• Accelerate private-sector diversification;
• Advancing high-growth industries like technology, life sciences and advanced manufacturing;
• Strengthening talent pipelines aligned with emerging industries; and 
• Improving the region’s ability to convert world-class research into homegrown companies and jobs.

A key finding of the report is a gap between research leadership and commercial outcomes. While the region leads the nation in academic research and development investment, it lags peer markets in startup formation, patent activity and early-stage job creation. The report recommends strengthening connections among research institutions, capital investment and industry partners to help innovation scale locally.

“The most competitive regions today are those that align research, investment and talent to turn big ideas into real economic opportunity,” said Nora Gardner, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company. “This report shows that Greater Washington’s economy faces real challenges that must be addressed, but that by doubling down on our strengths and investing in high‑growth sectors, our region can continue to thrive in a fast‑changing world.”

Examples of successful CEO-led efforts can be found in other metros that have accelerated growth through coordinated action. Detroit’s CEO leadership from Ford, GM and DTE Energy created sector councils that attracted $3.3 billion and engaged 90+ companies. Boston built Lab Central, representing 60+ public companies worth $70 billion, employing 100,000 people. Cornell Tech launched 115 startups, created 500 jobs and $700 million in value. 

This report shows that the pattern in each case began with CEO-led coordination, followed by another critical action such as strategic infrastructure, university partnerships that commercialized research and a unified regional narrative.

Members of the Partnership Board are now identifying concrete actions to leverage various industry expertise, relationships and networks to identify investment attraction opportunities, how to support priority sectors and better align talent, innovation and growth strategies.

“As a business community, we have a responsibility to step into regional leadership roles because we understand the region’s economic health is inseparable from the competitiveness of our companies,” said Ann Ramakumaran, Founder and CEO of Ampcus, Inc. “This effort goes beyond policy advocacy. By highlighting the unique aspects of the region and mobilizing networks, we can attract other companies and investments here and expand opportunities that help us all grow, thrive and succeed in the region, nationally and globally.” 

The Partnership will convene regional leaders throughout 2026 to advance implementation of the Region Rising framework and align regional strategies around shared economic priorities.

For more information and to download Region Rising: Shaping Greater Washington’s Economy for the Future, visit greaterwashingtonpartnership.com.

About Greater Washington Partnership
Greater Washington Partnership is the first-of-its-kind nonprofit alliance of the region’s most influential and leading employers across industry sectors in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Together, we leverage our collective experiences, resources and assets to identify shared challenges and offer real solutions to the region’s most critical issues including skills and talent, regional mobility, infrastructure and economic growth. Our goal is to ensure the entire region, from Baltimore to Richmond, remains vibrant, economically competitive, prosperous for all and the best place to live, work and build a business. Learn more about the Partnership at greaterwashingtonpartnership.com.  

The Greater Washington Partnership Board brings together top executives from many of the region’s largest employers and leading institutions from across the Baltimore–Washington–Richmond corridor, representing a variety of sectors from healthcare and higher education to  advanced manufacturing and nonprofit and civic leadership.

Board partner organizations include: