Public funds (taxpayer dollars) are often routed to GSI for "economic studies" which inevitably recommend policies favoring their largest donors.
They shape the "Workforce Pipeline." Their education initiatives are designed to produce employees that fit the specific needs of major local corporations.
They control the "Business Calendar." If you want to network in this town, you have to play on their field, at their events, on their timeline.
Pro-Growth at all costs. GSI historically lobbies against strict environmental regulations if they are perceived as hurdles to industrial expansion.
The Verdict: The "Representative" Conflict. They claim to represent "Business," but their policy agenda is almost exclusively aligned with the top 1% of revenue generators.
Pay-to-Play. You can join for a small fee, but real influence—the kind that gets a senator on the phone—is reserved for the "Trustee" level investors.