Folks here in Columbus tend to realize that we are a pretty special community. Different by Design, we like to say. We’ve got a lot going for us, from the rich industrial, economic and philanthropic legacy made possible by Cummins’ presence to our architectural heritage to the quality of our schools and so much more.
It’s even nicer when others notice. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce last week named Columbus its 2022 Community of the Year.
As The Republic’s Jana Wiersema reported from an event announcing the honor, “Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop told attendees that the award is a reminder that, ‘What we call “the Columbus Way” really works. … We tell ourselves we want to be the best community of our size in the country. And that infers a community where a lot of life works well, a community that grows, a community that offers cultural and economic opportunities, a community where people want to live.”
It’s the second time in the past 30 years that the Indiana Chamber has selected Columbus for this honor, which has to do with much more than civic pride. The chamber honors “a deserving Hoosier community for significant contributions to its local business climate and overall image during the past year.”
Just last week in this space, we wrote about how our community was abuzz with development from the Propeller maker space at Columbus Municipal Airport to NexusPark at the site of the former FairOaks Mall and so much more. The chamber noticed these, too, as well as the proposed hotel and conference center downtown as markers of “robust business climate, philanthropic spirit, exceptional workforce and quality of life opportunities,” as well as our “magnificent architecture,” diversity and thriving manufacturing industry, Wiersema reported.
Chamber President Kevin Brinegar noted Columbus will be honored as the Chamber’s Community of the Year at its annual meeting in November at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.
“What makes Columbus so special is that it possesses the rural feel of a small, Midwestern community along with the talent, innovation and culture typically found in a large city,” Brinegar said in announcing Columbus’ selection. “That mix is simply dynamite. Indiana Chamber is delighted to acknowledge the employers, the individuals here in Columbus who are driving progress and positively impacting lives.”
Like every community, Columbus and our region has its challenges. Lienhoop acknowledged as much when he said in receiving the honor, “Our schools, our health care system, our habit of philanthropy, our efforts to preserve our built environment while addressing the human needs of those struggling with addiction and poverty … all point to the first step in building the best community of its size in the country.”
These challenges — and successes — are chronicled daily in this newspaper, which reflects as best we can the events in the life of our community. In doing so, we witness an abundance of caring and compassionate people and organizations rising to meet those challenges and others, tend to their neighbors’ needs, and set high expectations for ourselves and for our community.
We’re proud of this well-deserved honor, but we’re prouder still of the people who make Columbus special, year in, year out.
