The Alliance for Regional Development was formed in the summer of 2012 for a very finite purpose: to convene stakeholders from the region around the OECD Territorial Review of Chicago’s Tri-State Region and, if possible, implement its recommendations. The founders of the Alliance did not want the OECD Review to be another study that no one read and that collected dust on a shelf. Now, just two years later, not only does it continue to be a useful and familiar document, but our efforts are being recognized on the world stage.
In August, I joined an OECD delegation in Bangkok, Thailand, for the launch of the Green Growth in Dynamic Asia Programme. (Please see the column in this newsletter for more information on this effort.) While there, I had the privilege of meeting leaders from government and academia in Bangkok as well as leaders from other countries in the region including China, Singapore, Vietnam, and Japan. The common denominator expressed over and over was the challenge of getting people from different jurisdictions to work together. The story of how the Alliance was formed and how it manages to be successful was met with great interest.
Having the private sector lead the way was universally accepted as our winning ingredient. The Alliance is very fortunate to have the continued support of our Chairmen: Paul Jones; Mike Mullen; and Jim Stanley. Their leadership and the commitment of so many across the region are making a difference here and soon will be replicated nationally–and beyond–in places no one would have ever imagined. That’s a testament to the fact that when you do the right thing, good things happen.