VIDALIA — The Miss-Lou’s future growth may first require one giant leap of trust into the Mississippi River.

Adams County, Natchez, Vidalia, Ferriday and Concordia Parish must forget about the city and county lines and ultimately the river to create a regional marketing approach to attract business and industry, said Ronnie Bryant, president and CEO of Charlotte (N.C.) Regional Partnership.

Bryant spoke to approximately 100 local business, government and Chamber of Commerce officials Tuesday at a joint chamber luncheon.

His message was clear — success will take trust, unity and change. And the work must begin in the private sector.

“The private sector has a substantial interest in what is going on,” he said. “If you aren’t able to recruit new business into the community, it will continue to shrink.”

Bryant suggested first unifying the area’s three chambers of commerce — Ferriday, Vidalia and Natchez-Adams — into one.

From there the community should explore a unified economic development agency that recruits for the entire area, not just one town, he said.

The Charlotte Regional Partnership serves 16 counties in North Carolina and South Carolina. It is a public/private partnership recruiting business and industry to an area of 2.5 million people.

“Charlotte used to be where you are,” Bryant said.

“I don’t market a county. I don’t market a city. I market a region. It’s together we stand, divided we fall.”

But the No. 1 challenge to a regional marketing strategy is ego, Bryant said.

“You’ve got to give up something,” he said. “By giving it up you do more for the region. It should be about serving this community not to stroke your own personal domain.”

Other challenges Bryant mentioned included, leveling the playing field so smaller towns look the same as the bigger towns; working with partisan politics and developing cooperation.

“Start with those who want to participate,” he said. “You don’t have to start with everyone.”

But something must start, he said.

“This hill you are trying to get over is something, from my perspective, that is a no-brainer,” Bryant said. “It’s the same as taking your medicine or not taking your medicine. What happens if you don’t take your medicine? You die.”