When people start to talk about "we" instead of "me", things start to happen. And things are starting to happen in Bonaparte, Dubuque, Fort Madison, and Keokuk. Bonaparte, Dubuque, and Keokuk all received awards for their Main Street programs this year. These programs provide a structure to channel thousands of hours of volunteer time and millions of dollars of investment into community main streets across Iowa. People working together to move their communities forward.

Fort Madison and Keokuk recently joined Lee County to form a Port Authority. The Port Authority will provide a structure to promote and develop Southeast Iowa's position as an intermodal transportation hub utilitizing barge, rail, and trucking to move goods throughout the Midwest: Communities working together to move their region forward.

I am sure we will be hearing more on the development of the Port over the next year. When everyone pulls together to get things done, everyone wins...Maybe not in the same amount, maybe not at the same time, but everyone becomes part of something that is building and developing for the future. In my mind, that's a winner!