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Regional cooperation can be difficult.
Chambers of Commerce from Hannibal and Quincy, Ill., got together Thursday to showcase the benefits.
The Before Hours program was developed by the Quincy chamber a year ago as an outgrowth of its popular After Hours meetings.
Hannibal-LaGrange College, which is a member of both chambers, stepped up and offered to bring the two groups together.
“We’re close enough geographically and connected enough that it’s important we work close together,” said Hannibal Chamber Executive Director Terry Sampson. “We compliment each other.”
“This is a regional economy,” said Quincy Area Chamber Executive Director Amy Looten. “It’s good to know your counterparts 15, 20, 30 minutes away.”
Organizers hope the meetings can produce ideas both groups can use to help market a region where people drive from town to town for jobs or leisure.
“It’s not about competition,” Sampson said. “We have common issues we need to work on collectively.”
“We each have our own individual strengths,” Looten said. “Collectively, I think we’re much more a destination place to shop or visit or tour.”
The outreach isn’t just limited to Hannibal and Quincy.
Each quarter, Sampson and Looten get together with their counterparts from Troy, Keokuk, Iowa, and Macomb and Jacksonville, Ill., to discuss issues each is facing.
Regional cooperation can be difficult.
Chambers of Commerce from Hannibal and Quincy, Ill., got together Thursday to showcase the benefits.
The Before Hours program was developed by the Quincy chamber a year ago as an outgrowth of its popular After Hours meetings.
Hannibal-LaGrange College, which is a member of both chambers, stepped up and offered to bring the two groups together.
“We’re close enough geographically and connected enough that it’s important we work close together,” said Hannibal Chamber Executive Director Terry Sampson. “We compliment each other.”
“This is a regional economy,” said Quincy Area Chamber Executive Director Amy Looten. “It’s good to know your counterparts 15, 20, 30 minutes away.”
Organizers hope the meetings can produce ideas both groups can use to help market a region where people drive from town to town for jobs or leisure.
“It’s not about competition,” Sampson said. “We have common issues we need to work on collectively.”
“We each have our own individual strengths,” Looten said. “Collectively, I think we’re much more a destination place to shop or visit or tour.”
The outreach isn’t just limited to Hannibal and Quincy.
Each quarter, Sampson and Looten get together with their counterparts from Troy, Keokuk, Iowa, and Macomb and Jacksonville, Ill., to discuss issues each is facing.
