The Southbury we enjoy today is a result of the foresight and hard work of many citizens from every generation, denomination, color and creed. Some are elected, some are appointed, some are employed while the majority have been dedicated volunteers. Southbury has been very fortunate to have so many qualified residents willing to lend their time, talents, and expertise to the town and with their fellow board/commission members. Because of their willingness to serve with dedication to Southbury's tradition of good government and fiscally responsible policies, Southbury has a record of accomplishment seldom equaled in any other town.

But we can not rest and count on our past success to carry us into our future. Southbury continues to grow in part because of our success in making our town one of the best small towns in Connecticut in which to live and work. As a community we continue to strive for the democratic ideal; an informed public, engaged in discussion, better able to use rational judgment to consider the community interest. This community engagement is important as we consider initiatives to broaden the Town of Southbury's non-residential tax base.

To this end the town has been developing a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) to help us identify and define how our community fits into the global market and what kind of economic development Southbury would like to see, particularly on the Southbury Corporate Park site. These efforts are needed if we are to retain our current non-residential tax base and attract new world class companies to Southbury in a world increasingly defined by global commerce realities.

From common historical beginnings to our development as unique communities, Middlebury, Southbury, and Woodbury have found it in our common interest to work together on many issues. The Tribury Chamber of Commerce shares this objective by working to enhance the economic growth in our towns. The Chamber can serve as the voice of local business as our communities develop our long term economic development goals and work to implement them.