When you really want to find out what makes a community tick, your first stop should be the Chamber of Commerce.

I followed that advice last month when I surveyed my own employees on why they feel it is "Better by the Bay." In other words, what distinguishes us, what do we feel comfortable bragging about and indeed, how have we earned the tagline that we are now employing? The answer, from 20 employees of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce is, drum roll please…PANCAKES. Well, sort of.

Actually, the three pages of responses turned up eight basic themes, which are:

Packers. I’ve always called the Packers our Eiffel Tower and there’s no reason we shouldn’t lead with them when bragging about Titletown. Virtually every conversation with an outsider starts with some version of the rich and unique tradition that the community shares with its beloved team.

Attractions. Bay Beach, Heritage Hill, The Neville Museum, National Railroad Museum, Green Bay Botanical Garden, NEW Zoo, Lambeau Field, Resch Center, Weidner Center, Oneida Casino, Meyer Theatre, Kress Center, Barkhausen and many other venues provide plenty of opportunity to be informed, entertained and inspired.

Nature. Yes, Virginia, we are on the water, which is something that few Midwestern CEOs were aware of when surveyed last year. The river and bay provide ample opportunities for fishing, boating, wakeboarding and hunting while our proximity (see "accessibility") to other natural resources make camping, biking, hiking, skiing and bird-watching very enjoyable.

Community. My apologies to those who thought the "C" stood for climate. Unfortunately, we’re not quite there yet. We do, however, have a community that most people, including the staff of the Chamber of Commerce, describe as a "small-town atmosphere with big-city amenities." Green Bay natives extol the value of being "tight-knit." Indeed, others may argue that we’re so tight-knit that we can give the appearance of being exclusive. We need to work on that.

Accessibility. Location, location, location. Staff repeatedly mentioned geography and the fact that we are so close to Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, the northwoods and Door County. What you can’t find here is only a day trip away and our quality transportation system (including Austin Straubel) makes those trips a lot easier. Staff also used the word "accessible" when referring to local government and community leaders. That’s a good thing.

Kids. Add quality education, great neighborhoods and strong values to the attractions and natural resources mentioned earlier and it’s no wonder that Kiplinger’s rated us among the top five cities in the country to which couples migrate or return when they have kids.

Economy. It’s diverse and healthy in spite of the national debacle we’ve experienced this year. Manufacturing continues to hold its own while we’ve grown in areas like health care, banking, insurance and tourism. Our influence in the trucking and food processing/packing areas is also extraordinary, and a great workforce with a typical Midwestern work ethic guarantees that we’ll be strong for decades to come.

Security. All of the above is rendered far less significant if the Green Bay area didn’t continue to enjoy a crime rate that is the envy of most communities our size along with a sizable public investment in the protection of people and property in Brown County.

There you have it. The next time someone asks why we’re so bold as to claim that it’s "Better by the Bay," tell them that the staff at the Chamber of Commerce insists it's all about the PANCAKES.

- Paul Jadin