The recommendation was delivered via PowerPoint slide immediately following an icebreaker exercise nobody enjoyed.
“Our research identified a tremendous opportunity for regional alignment,” said consultant Ted Thatcher while standing in front of a diagram featuring overlapping circles labeled Partnership Ecosystem. “Right now, there appears to be duplication of effort, communication silos, territorial behavior, and passive-aggressive email culture.”
Representatives from the city, county, Chamber of Commerce, tourism bureau, downtown association, workforce board, utility providers, neighboring municipalities, and three economic development organizations reportedly nodded in complete disagreement.
Sources confirmed the meeting atmosphere became noticeably uncomfortable when Thatcher suggested stakeholders “focus less on organizational ownership and more on collective outcomes,” a statement later described by attendees as “deeply personal.”
“We absolutely support collaboration,” said one local leader who has not spoken directly to another attendee since the parking lot incident of 2017. “We just need to make sure everyone understands our organization should probably lead it.”
The consultant’s report specifically encouraged:
More coordinated messaging
Shared strategic priorities
Joint marketing initiatives
Regional cooperation
And “building trust across stakeholder groups,” a phrase that reportedly caused several attendees to shoot the side eye to each other
According to insiders, tensions escalated after one participant used the phrase “at the end of the day,” triggering a chain reaction of defensive comments, historical grievances, and references to a failed branding initiative from 2009.
Meanwhile, attendees from neighboring communities continued insisting they are “regional partners” while actively competing for the same retail projects, grants, industrial prospects, and conference sponsorships.
To encourage unity, the consultant recommended forming a Regional Collaboration Steering Committee consisting of representatives from all organizations currently unwilling to sit near one another.
“Communities that align around a shared vision are more competitive,” Thatcher explained confidently, moments before two stakeholders argued over who should be listed first on a joint press release.
