By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostSt. Joseph Chamber of Commerce President Patt Lilly sees a bright future for St. Joseph as he prepares to retire; a bright future as long as the city unites to move forward.Lilly says St. Joseph can be its own worst enemy."I think at times St. Joseph can't get out of its own way as odd as that may be," Lilly tells St. Joseph Post. "I think that we still have a ways to go in terms of our ability to collaborate as a community. I think we have a lot of well-meaning people and a lot of well-meaning leaders in the community, but we still have work to do to make sure we're all moving down the same path."Lilly considers creating Imagine St. Joseph 2040 as one of the highlights during his tenure as Chamber president, saying it has focused the community on its potential over the next 20 years."We have challenges in the community with the school district. I think the people who work for the school district are very dedicated and do a very good job, but it's one of many things that we just have to focus on and get better at," according to Lilly. "We've got to redevelop our older neighborhoods. I guess the underlying theme of Imagine St. Joseph 2040 is we've just got to get better."Lilly says the Chamber saw some great economic growth during his tenure, attracting many businesses to the community, including Triumph Foods, the meat-packing plant located in south St. Joseph. St. Joseph also had to absorb the losses of Quarter Oats and Mead.Lilly says St. Joseph leaders need to unite behind a common vision."St. Joseph has a lot going for it. I think there's a lot of potential here and, frankly, that's why I'm staying," Lilly says. "I don't plan to move or go back to Texas. This is our home. And so, this is where we'll stay and I look forward to being involved perhaps in the future, however that might look."Lilly first became Chamber president in 1996 after serving as St. Joseph City Manager, from 1990 to 1996. He left the Chamber to work for Triumph Foods, returning to lead the Chamber in 2013. Lilly recently announced he plans to retire at the end of the year.