After three months on the job the new CEO of the Windsor-Essex Economic Development Corporation is reporting 'so far, so good'.
Stephen MacKenzie made a stop in the Town of Essex earlier this week to update the council on progress since he took the job in August.
MacKenzie says he's been pushing 'regionalism' and County Warden Tom Bain and City Mayor Drew Dilkens are on the same page when it comes to economic development.
He says the city and county have been working well together since he arrived.
"It did come up that there, in the past, may have been some tension between county and city, but I meant it when I mentioned in my presentation that I believe in regionalism. It is the sweet spot for economic development."
MacKenzie says 'regionalism' needs to be a culture and not just a plan.
"There are many areas in the country, and in North America for that matter, that say, "Oh yeah, we have a regional plan. We cooperate. We work", but are you just talking the talk or are you walking the walk? And what I'm really pleased about here is people are genuinely working together."
He says every municipality plays a big part in the success of Windsor-Essex.
"When the region does well, usually the municipal units do well, but we want to make sure that they're able to engage with us and leverage the good work that they're doing."
MacKenzie adds, Essex is a hot spot for small business with 122 active WEEDC files accounting for about 15% of all county business action.