Neighbors can make or break a community, and the relationships they form ripple out to strengthen local businesses, civic life and even the economy. That was the central message delivered during the recent Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) Conference session “Building Better Neighborhoods, Building Better Business” held at the Elms Hotel.Building stronger neighborhoods is not just a matter of kindness but an essential strategy for healthy communities and thriving businesses, said presenters David Burton of the University of Missouri Extension and Excelsior Springs Neighborhood Specialist Laura Mize.Burton opened by sharing the differences in the concept of being a neighbor over the years. In the 1950s, nearly half of Americans socialized with a neighbor weekly. By contrast, Missouri Extension’s more recent neighborhood surveys asked whether people had socialized with a neighbor once during the year. Many respondents an...