On Wednesday, November 20, the Portage Economic Development Corporation (EDC) celebrated the positive change that was made in the City of Portage over the past year. Integral changemakers of the community gathered to reflect on the year’s achievements and look forward towards another successful year.
A variety of different businesses in the City of Portage were present, from construction to trade unions and banking to real estate. Attendees had the opportunity to mingle, whether with old friends or new acquaintances, for the majority of the event. This is what Andy Maletta, the executive director of Portage EDC, hoped for. When the event was moved from a luncheon to an evening of celebration for the first time last year, it became more of a networking event than an event full of presentations.
“I love it because this is an opportunity where I can get face to face,” Maletta said. “We spend a lot of time on the phone with people, but this is an opportunity to converse with them and then help them meet other folks that are here. You never know when some people can collaborate on things.”
Austin Bonta, the mayor of the City of Portage, believes the city is the middle of everywhere, not the middle of nowhere. There’s a long way to go, but Mayor Bonta believes it’s an exciting time to be a part of. He emphasized embracing the manufacturing heritage of the area while also being welcoming to tourism. The considerable changes made in Mayor Bonta’s first year in office wouldn’t have been possible without leaders in the community.
“When people tell you nobody cares about local government, that's not true,” Mayor Bonta said. “People care. You have to trust them that they can be important, and that is what we have done. It takes a coalition to build a city. It takes a council that's brave enough to work with the mayor to make real change. I've seen the coalition that is building this city — a city of sand, steel, fire, and smoke.”
There wouldn’t be this season of change without the residents of the City of Portage electing a young man with the spirit to take the city to places it hasn’t been in a long time, Maletta believes. He commended Mayor Bonta for being the spark the city needed when the future seemed uncertain a year ago. There’s a new, exciting energy electrifying the City of Portage.
“We moved past that message of doom and gloom and financial goals of the city, and now we have this new spirit and energy,” Maletta said. “It's called 'Portage energy!' It's an energy that grows every day. It's an energy you can feel in the air. It's been building throughout the spring, into the summer, into the fall, into the energy all around us. It's an energy built on time, accomplishments, partnerships, communication, and a vision for our future. Can you feel it? I can feel it, and I'm so excited about it.”
To learn more about Portage EDC, visit https://www.portagein.org/.
