This weekend I participated in two events that are very special in the US Navy: the retirement ceremony for a two-star Admiral and the change of command ceremony for the Commanding Officer of the second-largest reserve center in the Midwest. (Side note, special thank you to the KEDCo Board of Directors for their support of my service as a Supply Corps officer in the Navy Reserve. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and fortunate that my role at KEDCo allows me to do so.)
Emcees at both events described how the ceremonies are barely discussed in official Navy policies, but instead are based on traditions that have been maintained over the Navy’s 240+ year history. The honorees can customize the events to their interests, as I saw with Rear Admiral Haven foregoing much of the formality that would have been due to her, and Commander Prouty turning the ceremony into a celebration of the people and organizations in the Columbus, OH area that support the Navy Reserve community.
I’m starting this week mindful of examples set by those leaders and curious about the traditions we can create at KEDCo as we work to convene, build, and show our community’s economic growth resources. Other local economic development organizations recognize companies that add jobs or make investments, plan annual meetings, and provide awards to longtime business and community leaders. What could we do to represent Kosciusko County?
Something that I believe will soon become a tradition is the Small Cities, Big Futures Summit talking place next week. The event will bring together leaders from five Midwestern communities to share best practices and discuss issues of common concern. It’s our first-time organizing the summit, which is an outcome of the peer cities benchmarking project we completed this spring. As always, drop me a line if you would like to learn more about the summit – and if you have suggestions on other traditions we can begin at KEDCo!
– Alan Tio
