Recognizing the long list of opportunities facing Shelby County, nearly 100 public and private leaders from throughout the county have stepped forward to see that our community works to make the most of its future.

The effort, organized with the help of the Greater Shelby Chamber of Commerce, has been named The Partnership. It is just that, a partnership between business, government, and community volunteers.

Thanks to the generous investment of many, The Partnership has raised over $800,000 of the $1,250,000 needed to fully fund the initiatives.

Five initiatives have been established, with input from local citizens, to help shape the future of our county: planning and development, transportation, workforce development and education, government affairs, and strategic business development. Each initiative, while broad in its reach, includes detailed strategies for accomplishing the overriding goal of finding solutions for the business community of our county.

Finding those solutions will not only benefit business but rather the community as a whole.

The organizers of The Partnership deserve our thanks but more importantly, they need our help.

A sound process has been followed, initiatives that will benefit us all have been developed, money has been raised, and now the work begins.

Due to the leadership of the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and volunteers too numerous to list, our county took a positive step into our collective future this past Thursday.

The next step will be for the rest of us to step forward contributing our time and resources