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The City Council this week voted to hold a "business community summit" that would allow local business leaders to discuss their concerns.

The concept was floated by Councilwoman Trudy Wade and eagerly embraced by her compatriots.

Good move. Businesses employ people and drive the economy. They pay taxes. Their willingness to invest in the community has had lasting effects beyond mere dollars and cents.

Consider, for instance, the significant impact of small businesses in sparking and sustaining growth in downtown Greensboro.

Small businesses, in particular, could benefit from such a session. They produce the lion's share of the new jobs, though they are often an afterthought in discussions of incentives and other perks typically aimed at bigger companies.

The council voted unanimously to convene the summit, presumably in September.

But any such meeting needs clear parameters and expectations.

What will be the format?

What will be the focus?

What will be the desired outcome?

What happens next?

How will the council follow up on what it hears?

There should be some tangible results from such a gathering beyond merely saying you met.

One other quibble: Wade seemed to imply that the city needs to look beyond "foundations and nonprofits" to provide business leadership.

Absolutely. But those organizations played a critical role when the local economy began to sour in the late 1990s and the area bled thousands of tobacco, furniture and textile jobs.

They formed Action Greensboro, which continues to operate under the umbrella of the Greensboro Partnership. They also filled a void in vision and leadership that, frankly, previous councils did not embrace.

It's good to see this council attempting to change that.

By all means meet. But make it a working session, not a ceremony.

And make it a beginning, not an end unto itself.