When most people talk about consolidation or regional cooperation, they mean government. But, as Indianapolis Star John Ketzenberger points out, there is a business component, too.
When you think of Columbus, Ohio, do you make a distinction for Marysville?Probably not. And when people outside of Indianapolis think of our city, they don't make a distinction for Carmel or Plainfield. It's all Indianapolis to them, just as Marysville, the wealthy suburban home of a Honda manufacturing plant, is part of Columbus.
People outside Indiana who want to do business here aren't concerned about our parochial distinctions. A group of business people here understand that. They have worked behind the scenes for months to foster cooperation on major issues.
The Chambers of Commerce in the Louisville area realized this a long time before the governments finally consolidated a couple of years ago, and cooperation in the private sector has probably had more to do with the area's growth than that in the public sector. Some people here also see the wisdom of such collaboration, which is why we have efforts such as the Fort Wayne/Allen County Economic Development Alliance and the Northeast Indiana Corporate Council.
