Sometimes, the things that don’t happen are worth celebrating. That certainly is the case with the announcement Tuesday that the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America had decided not to move its headquarters out of Lawrence.

The association had been discussing the possibility of finding a new home for more than a year. In the end, officials decided not to fix something that wasn’t broken. They are in Lawrence, and business is good. Why move?

GCSAA decided to consider other locations after asking itself whether it would be better off in a more “golf-centric” spot. Would it make more sense to move to Florida, California, Arizona or someplace where the climate is more conducive to year-round golf or where it would be closer to other major golf associations and events?

Kansas isn’t the most obvious home base for a golf-related industry group, but largely due to the efforts of the late Bob Billings, the association came to Lawrence in 1972 and established its offices near the Alvamar golf course. In 1991, the association moved to a new 80,000-square-foot office building just west of 15th Street and Wakarusa Drive.

In April 2003, Steve Mona, GCSAA chief executive, spoke to the Journal-World and outlined the bottom line of the association’s choice. “Lawrence has one big disadvantage and one big advantage,” he said. “The disadvantage is Lawrence is not a golf mecca. You can’t argue that it is. The one huge advantage is that we’re already here. We’re going to have to be wowed by a deal to leave here.”

And in the final analysis, GCSAA decided there’s no place like home or — a sentiment with which many homeowners can identify — at least no place enough better to be worth making a move.

Any economic development professional will tell you how important it is for a community to appreciate and support its existing businesses. It’s always a mistake to be complacent about a business just because it’s been around for a while. It’s far easier, in the current economic climate, to hang on to an existing business than to recruit a new one.

The reality is that GCSAA is exactly the kind of business Lawrence would be beating the bushes for. The association provides 120 jobs with an average salary of $43,000 a year. Those are what we call “good” jobs. It’s a nonpolluting business that serves a nationwide clientele.

Any community would be glad to have GCSAA. Lawrence is fortunate to be the community it has decided to call home, and we shouldn’t take that for granted. Thanks to GCSAA for choosing Lawrence. The association is a valued asset for our community, and Tuesday’s announcement is a reminder that Lawrence must continue to make every effort to be a good host city for GCSAA and all other local businesses and industries.