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Greensboro and High Point city council members, Guilford County commissioners, state legislators, college administrators, business leaders and economic development officials who sometimes compete against each other all shared in a mutual triumph. Honda Aircraft Co., its world headquarters, research and development and sales and marketing operations already established at Piedmont Triad International Airport, announced it also will manufacture its innovative, eye-catching light jet here.

That's a big deal. Honda will create high-quality jobs and give the Triad greater visibility in the aviation industry, which is watching HondaJet closely, and in the corporate world generally, which is always on the lookout for good business locations.

Michimasa Fujino, president and CEO of Honda Aircraft, could not have provided a better testimonial:

"In a sense, I am very fortunate that we found in Greensboro and North Carolina a place and a people who share in our vision and our values," he said Friday. "This is a place with a long-term vision for economic growth and prosperity."

He went on, citing "a good business and living environment," resources for worker training, investments in basic education and higher learning and "good shipping logistics such as an overnight air freight hub location."

These are community assets, and the people assembled in the Honda hangar Friday pulled them together in a way that made PTI the best place for this powerhouse international company to create an exciting new product.

Imagine that: vision and values. If Honda hadn't said it, who around here would believe it? After all, the Triad is better known for beating itself up. Greensboro and High Point snipe at each other, Guilford and Forsyth counties communicate too little, comparisons to the state's two larger metro areas inevitably find this area lacking.

Well, it's time to get past all that. The Triad can't afford to sell itself short. Instead, it should see the potential represented by all the people captured in that magical photograph Friday. Honda does.

Amazingly, Honda forced Triad governments to work together.

Reportedly, it insisted they all contribute to a local incentives package worth $1.4 million. Some of the amounts weren't enough to matter from a financial standpoint, but symbolically they were critical.

This was the first time High Point offered a grant for a project located outside its city limits. What a statement for regional progress.

The Triad has been working toward this achievement for some time. Area governments teamed up to recruit Dell to the area but ended up competing for the final location. They weren't quite ready to surrender their individual interests.

More recently, however, High Point and Greensboro jointly offered a deal that would have located a company in High Point with the two cities sharing the incentives costs and tax revenues. It didn't pan out, but it provided a model for future collaboration. Finally, Honda made it happen.

This united approach is necessary to ensure that one government doesn't bid against others, driving up costs and fueling rivalries. Finally, leaders understand that what benefits one really helps all.

The people smiling for the cameras Friday looked like partners, not adversaries. If they hold that pose, there will be more photo ops to come.

Doug Clark can be contacted at dgclark@news-record.com and 373-7039.