GOSHEN — Diversification in communities is often talked about. But according to officials with the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Goshen is backing up those discussions with action — creating a vibrant quality of life that supports a growing small business base while maintaining the manufacturing strength that has been so important to the city’s history.
In recognition of those ongoing efforts, Indiana Chamber representatives Wednesday held a special press conference at Goshen’s Fidler Pond Park announcing that the city has been named the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s 2017 Community of the Year.
“Goshen went through some really tough times during the recession, but the community came together and we had a dramatic comeback. This is a community that does not expect government to solve all the problems, but recognizes that when we have a common goal and a common vision, great things can happen,” Goshen Mayor Jeremy Stutsman said of receiving the award Wednesday afternoon. “We truly believe in our slogan and in our brand, ‘Common good, uncommonly great’.”
Helping to announce the award Wednesday was Tom Schuman, senior vice president of communications and operations with the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.
According to Schuman, it wasn’t any one particular project or initiative that earned Goshen its new “Community of the Year” designation, but rather the confluence of partnerships, collaborative efforts, groundbreaking initiatives and place-making efforts achieved by the city over the years that propelled it into the spotlight.
“It’s the public-private partnerships that are so crucial. It’s government and the business community working together to help make projects possible. You have so many examples of that here in Goshen,” Schuman said. “It’s quality of life. We’ve all heard so many times that people today choose where they’re going to live, then decide where they’re going to work. And you have to have an outstanding community.”
Schuman pointed to things such as the city’s many parks, trails, cultural amenities and community celebrations as major reasons why the city continues to grow and thrive with each passing year.
“There’s a business climate here that certainly has the history and tradition of manufacturing and the RV industry. Those are ongoing strengths, but also the entrepreneurship, the ability for people to come in, start new businesses, grow their existing businesses and add jobs,” Schuman added. “Those are all critical.”
Speaking to those critical strengths, Stutsman outlined some of the many successful initiatives that played a part in earning the city its new “Community of the Year” designation. Those included:
• Development of the Hawks Arts and Enterprise Center at a former furniture factory built in 1870. The brownfield renovation features loft apartments serving as low-cost living/work spaces for artists and entrepreneurs
• Community events both traditional (First Fridays celebrations of food, art and culture have taken place for the last decade) and new (the River Bend Film Festival and Maple City Cultural Festival — the city population is 30 percent Latino)
• Creation of the LaunchPad Goshen co-working space and a public-private partnership that will lead to a new industrial business park
• A collaboration of business and education leaders that not only focuses on K-12 and higher education achievements, but emphasizes lifelong learning
• Improved biking/walking routes through development of more than 30 miles of designated trails that also connect Goshen to adjacent communities
“The point I’m getting at with this award is, it is being accepted today by city government, but it was only possible through all the many, many partnerships that we have built in this community,” Stutsman said of the award. “And the great part of this community is the fact that this list only scratches the surface of all of our partnerships and how we work between public and private realms. This is the type of award that does not happen without all of us coming together to better the quality of life in our community.”
Nick Kieffer, president of the Goshen Chamber of Commerce and emcee for Wednesday’s ceremony, offered a similar sentiment.
“I definitely think it’s well-deserved from the community side of things,” Kieffer said of the award. “It’s always great to have recognition for all of the hard work that everybody in our community puts forth to make Goshen what it is today.”
Also on hand to share a few words Wednesday was Goshen College Dean of Students Gilberto Perez, who spoke of the successful partnership fostered over the years between the college and the city.
“At Goshen College, we’re excited about the partnership with the city of Goshen, because the partnership shapes us in a different way, and it helps us think that we as an institution cannot be self-contained,” Perez said. “We cannot be an institution that only serves our students. We must be available to be a presence in the community, with residents of Goshen, to have a stronger community.”
Rounding out the speakers Wednesday was Goshen City Council President Jim McKee, who spoke of the many positive changes he has witnessed in the city during his time as a resident and as a council member.
“It’s always an honor to be recognized by your peers and other people for the work that is being done right here in Goshen. And yet it’s very humbling,” McKee said. “Like many here, I’m a Goshen native. I left, and I was gone 15 years, and then I came back. Goshen had changed a lot while I was gone, and it’s quite diverse. It’s a community of caring, it’s a community of quality of life. Goshen is a place where we get things done. We may not always agree, but we’re going to move forward. And if you look over the last 20 years, with the mix of people that we’ve had politically, religiously, and all of the above, we’ve moved forward. And I look to be part of that again.”
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