A key message that came out of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce’s March 28 annual meeting is that geographical boundaries blur in the minds of most residents and consumers.
Keynote speaker Drew Klacik, senior policy analyst with the Indiana University Public Policy Institute, explained how communities are interconnected. As an example, he pointed out how Bartholomew County succeeds due to in-migration of thousands of people from neighboring counties to work. So if neighboring counties lose aspects of their prosperity, such as through population decline, that could adversely impact Bartholomew County as well.
Klacik’s point to the crowd of 432 attendees was that cities, counties and states must recognize that working together for the state and region trump any individual victory a single community might claim with one new economic development announcement. The concept supports the theory of “A rising tide lifts all boats.”
That’s exactly how trade-mission visits are planned and how Bartholomew and neighboring counties cooperate with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. When one entity wins, everyone wins.
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Columbus understands this concept well. Its collaboration has been a foundational element of the city’s public-private partnerships for tackling projects.
In essence, the prosperity of the south-central/southeast Indiana region is a project Bartholomew County and its neighbors must tackle together.
That’s already being done through the Community Education Coalition’s regional EcO Network, which helps align education with workplace needs in 10 southeastern Indiana counties through stakeholder involvement. John Burnett, the coalition’s president and CEO, and Jack Hess, executive director of CivicLab, have taught the stakeholder engagement process to communities across the country.
Klacik’s point, however, suggests that such collaboration must be even broader.
Considering the local experience with collaboration, history suggests that stakeholders are up for the task.
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