A rising tide lifts all boats

This phrase is a favorite of a local businessperson. He believes that if an individual business does well (raises the tide), then all of our businesses will do well.

This concept has been the mission of economic and community development professionals across the nation. But there is only so much we can do. A strong local economy is also the responsibility of fellow business owners. I hear it all the time.

Local business owners do not get the support they need from other local business owners.

In fact, this is one reason businesses drop their chamber membership--they had hoped for a sense of...