Businesspeople from La Porte and Michigan City gathered together to support La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership (LEAP) and Economic Development Corporation of Michigan City (EDCMC)'s Community Investor Campaign at Shady Creek Winery. These economic development organizations partner every three years to collaborate on a campaign to raise funding for their operations.
“We call this our campaign kickoff event,” said Bert Cook, executive director of LEAP. “The economic development efforts in both La Porte and Michigan City work cooperatively. We raise money together to fund those efforts. This event kicks off the private fundraising aspect of that.”
This is the kickoff event for their new campaign and allows them to share the work that was done over the last campaign. Cook explained these three-year campaigns generally have 100 companies that support the efforts.
“I think it's a great event because I think people think Michigan City and La Porte compete against each other, but it's important for both of them to be successful,” LEAP Board of Directors Member Nick Otis said. “Somebody in La Porte can work in Michigan City or vice versa. If you live in La Porte, there are a lot of great restaurants or things to do in Michigan City, so we want to see them succeed and vice versa.”
The financial support that is gained from these campaigns goes toward supporting the cities of La Porte and Michigan City. Cook explained the funds support new business attraction, existing business retention and expansion, workforce development initiatives, and general marketing of the areas.
“I've worked with many of the people in the room over the last 16 years, and to see them continue to choose to support our efforts speaks very positively of what we're doing,” Cook said. “We’re most proud that the money is split between La Porte and Michigan City to support both efforts.”
City of La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody emphasized the importance of having businesses that are supportive of this campaign financially. He explained this is important because they recognize how special La Porte and Michigan City are and are willing to fund the growth and support of these cities.
“It's wonderful to have businesses that have bought into our community,” Dermody said. “Without them, what partnership would we have, and where would the workforce go? We're fortunate to have that and we're going to continue with our momentum moving forward.”
This event is just the beginning of this three-year campaign to better these cities. The support of local businesses is what makes continued growth possible.
“We've got a lot of great people in both communities that are doing their best to make both cities better,” Otis said. “Both organizations are very passionate about making both cities better, and that's fun to be a part of.”
For more information regarding the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership, please visit laportepartnership.com.
