The other night, at the annual meeting of Ellsworth County Economic Development, we started thinking about the definition of economic development as Lt. Gov. and Secretary of Commerce David Toland presented his keynote address to the 100 or so who attended.

In the old days, the term would spark images of a towering silo with black smoke billowing out the top and into the atmosphere.

So much has changed since those times.

For one thing, environmental laws prohibit the release of too many pollutants into the air. For another, we’re a lot smarter than we were 50 years ago. We know now that economic development involves more than jobs. In order to attract new industry, your community must offer a good quality of life — and that also is part of the role organizations such as Ellsworth County Economic Development play in a community.

David Toland said it best. Day care. Health services. Schools. Housing. Are they available? Are they affordable? Do they maintain a high level of quality? These are all questions the secretary has heard — and continues to hear — from perspective employers.

Ellsworth County is fortunate. It can answer yes to many of these questions. But no community is perfect. As residents, we must keep working to move Ellsworth and Ellsworth County forward — to make it better for those who live here now and those who will come in the future.

Again from Toland, “The future has not been this bright in a long time and it’s up to us to make sure we keep it.”

That’s not always an easy thing to do. But it is necessary in order to maintain a vibrant community.