York, PA - About 100 people came together in Springfield Township Thursday night to discuss the economic and community ties that bind York and Baltimore counties.

Ralph Serpe knows all about the connections between the two counties.

Serpe lives in York and commutes each day to his job with the Baltimore Community Foundation. He said he would like to see the two counties come together to create a stronger region.

"We need to think like a much larger community," he said. "Opportunities don't start and stop on county lines or state lines."

Creating a better understanding of what groups on each side of the state line are doing is part of the reason Deb Klinedinst, executive director of the YMCA of York and York County, was glad to see the
event take place.

"We need to be raising awareness of what all these various groups are doing and make sure we're not duplicating efforts," she said.

The event was hosted by Penn-Mar Human Services and featured members of the York County and Baltimore County chambers of commerce. Bringing these organizations together to develop a better understanding and form important relationships has
been a goal for quite some time, said Richard Robinson, the director of development for Penn- Mar."If we get both chambers looking toward each other, we feel that there is the potential for
partnerships and collaboration to present themselves," he said.The York County chamber is open to working with the Baltimore chamber to develop a strong Interstate 83 corridor, said Bob Jensenius, executive vice president of the York chamber.

"There's a lot of commerce happening back and forth, but we haven't necessarily been talking about it," he said. "Hopefully, after events like this, we can put one and one together."

Keith Scott, president of the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce, also stressed the importance of "breaking the ice" between the two counties and"finding ways to compare and come together."

With the recession, Jensenius stressed the importance of developing new and innovative ways to grow.

"If the events of the past two years have taught us anything, it's that we must think and act anew," he said.

York County is in a great position to attract and develop growth, despite the rough economy, Jensenius added.

"We're fortunate to be smack in the middle of Interstate 83 and Route 30," he said. "We present the opportunity to live near some huge metropolitan areas without the expense of living in a major
market. Coming out of this recession, we're really going to see York County blossom because of our talented workforce and great location."