It is the 15th year since the creation of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership (GSDP). This year the annual banquet will honor that milestone. I was asked to help with a promotional video marking the occasion and answering the question why it’s important for a Starkville business to be part of The Partnership.
My on-camera answer was insufficient and besides, a sound bite isn’t adequate. It is a complex organization and it deserves a fuller response to the question of why we should support it.
The Partnership grew from a desire to improve on what Starkville was doing. Jack Wallace recounts a conversation he had with then president of MSU, Malcolm Portera, about how to achieve our best with limited resources. From that discussion, and others that followed, there developed a consensus about the benefits of pooling assets and efforts.
It was a creative approach to managing resources, coordinating efforts and effectuating “singing from the same songbook” as it were. The Visitors and Convention Council, the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority and the Chamber became three legs of a partnership stool that brought innovation and coordinated responses to community needs. It was an achievement to be proud of then and now.
The compelling argument for membership to The Partnership is simple, not easy, but simple. A union of business leaders becomes a greater and stronger whole than the sum of its parts. That organization becomes even more powerful when its coordinated efforts include the influence of the economic development arm and the convention bureau. That is the power of The Partnership.
The ability to speak with a unified voice on matters inherently important to the business community is a benefit to any community. There are tangible examples of successes coming from speaking clearly and collectively. One such example is the past and future approval of the sales-tax legislation. Another is the potential for the new consolidated partnership middle school. Those issues are critical to our future. We have to advocate as a group or the issues get lost in the legislative frenzy.
If The Partnership is going to ask the business community to contribute time and money, then it is reasonable to expect a return on the investment. That return will take many forms depending on your business. Though it may not be an immediate and quantifiable benefit, it is tangible and it matters.
There are organizations to which we contribute solely because we support the community as a whole. I don’t have any children, and I don’t really believe that my advertisement in the SHS basketball or football game program is going to fill even one of my apartments. I do, however, believe that supporting various aspects of Starkville encourages future success. It is an avenue for investment in our city.
Do I believe that supporting the community theater is going to directly account for a substantial increase in my business? No, but I fervently believe the arts make Starkville a more livable community, and in the long run that matters to people when they are deciding where to call home.
The Partnership has been the driving force behind the creation and support for events that have made Starkville a destination throughout the state. Without that we would not see the sales-tax and food-and-beverage-tax increases undergirding our local budgets. Those events took time to develop a following and recognition and they are reaping rewards in economic activity that can piggyback on MSU’s athletic successes.
The Partnership has likewise been a driver for the continuation of the community market, the regional leadership program and the affiliation with the regional economic development LINK efforts. These programs depend on a collective effort, vision and support from the business community through the Partnership.
Even if you don’t agree with everything an organization is doing, you don’t take your toys and go home. You commit to your community by working toward the changes you believe in. Fair-weather support doesn’t build the future.
This isn’t about altruism, it is about enlightened self-interest and committed people building a successful community. Our stars are aligned to make something special happen, but maximizing our potential isn’t a spectator sport.
Lynn Spruill, a former commercial airline pilot, elected official and city administrator owns and manages Spruill Property Management in Starkville. Her email address is [email protected].
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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