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Of the many things that have changed since the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce was first formed, one that has not is the spirit of collaboration the organization encourages.
That was very apparent when the chamber held its 115th-annual meeting and awards dinner Wednesday night.
John Brown, for example, the keynote speaker, said that being able to assemble a group of people who were willing to work toward a common goal made it possible for him to help move the region forward while he served as executive director of the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission.
Included in those efforts were participating in the Stand Up For Steel Rally in Washington, D.C., in 1998, working to help bring to fruition plans for the turning lane on Sunset Boulevard between Brady Circle and Linduff Avenue and facilitating plans for the construction of the Wellsburg-Brilliant bridge, which was the site of a ribbon-cutting on Sept. 20 and began carrying traffic across the Ohio River on Sept. 21.
Brown, who retired from the post in December 2014, reminded those in attendance at the St. Florian Event Center in Wintersville that the bridge project took about 25 years to complete. It was work that included input from a group of local residents who made up a committee that looked at many aspects of the project -- including the possibility of not building the bridge at all.
A 16-year veteran of the post, Brown also pointed to the work his successor, Mike Paprocki, and his staff are doing throughout the region.
Exploring opportunities to work together also is important to Megan Presley and James Lash of the Jefferson County Young Professionals.
While the organization traced its beginning to 2011 under Billy Petrella, Sara Lane and Amelia Taggart, it went dormant in 2014. Earlier this year, though, local businessman and Wintersville Mayor Mike Petrella, Billy's brother, looked to revive it.
"If you want your younger employees to be out networking with other young professionals in the area, this is an awesome, awesome opportunity," explained Presley, the group's president.
She said the group meets the last Thursday of each month at a rotating location. Attendance, she said, has been averaging between 40 and 50 each month.
"It's a great thing for young professionals in this area to be able to get together," Presley added. "People can relax, and we give everybody an opportunity to highlight their business and to introduce themselves."
Providing an additional outlet for work in the community is important, she added.
"I speak for all of us when I say that if younger people don't see us out working in this area, they are not going to come back here," Presley added. "So, to have members of this young professionals group out and about and doing things is a big deal."
Chamber President Kate Sedgmer said the collaboration among members of the chamber and the young professionals is important for the area.
"One of the most exciting things we have done this year is to have partnered with the Jefferson County Young Professionals," Sedgmer said. "They have more than 100 dynamic young people who meet on a monthly basis to get together and talk about business and how they are starting their careers and starting businesses. They have done some wonderful things."
Working together to demonstrate to young people that it is possible to remain in this area and have a successful career is critical, Sedgmer added.
"We have to look at the workforce and labor shortage we are experiencing not just in our region but across the United States," Sedgmer explained. "So, what does that look like from a chamber perspective? Obviously, I would love to be able to send 15 new people to a construction site for you, if that is what you need, or to send nurses to the hospital, if that is what you need.
"Unfortunately, I can't just pull those people, those bodies, that you need from thin air. So, what we are doing is working with people from our community, and partnering with people like the young professionals is an important part of that."
An example she pointed to was the career fair held Sept. 20 at the St. Florian Event Center, an event that attracted high school students from around the region.
"The whole purpose is to have people show the wonderful jobs that are available in our county," Sedgmer explained.
"They told the students that you don't have to move away to have a good-paying job. You can go to college and get a degree in a high-demand field right here in Jefferson County."
Finding new ways to work together to keep the area strong always will be a challenge, but, as members of the chamber reminded us Wednesday and have demonstrated for more than a century, those efforts will prove to be rewarding and can help set a foundation for growth well into the future.
(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times. He is a former board member of the chamber and served as first vice chairman.)