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February 2012
West Central Iowa Development Bulletin |
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Midwest Partnership 2012
By: Chad Schreck
One of the keys to any organization's success is having a strong plan in place to provide the framework for who you are and what you do. This February the Midwest Partnership Board of Directors will be holding its annual Strategic Planning Meeting to determine our goals and the steps we need to take to make them a reality.
The element that will always be of the most importance to our organization is our existing businesses. It has been found that 80% of all new jobs on average are created by your existing businesses. Obviously it is essential that we foster the growth and sustainability of our local industry, so one of our early objectives is a Business Connections Program. The goal of this program is to build strong relationships with businesses through regular contact. We also want to connect businesses within sectors through roundtable events to work together to solve common issues and find new ways they can work together. Finally, these relationships will allow MWP to work more effectively with our local governments to better serve the needs of our business community.
Business Recruitment is often at the top of most people's minds when they think of economic development, and its importance in a community's growth cannot be underestimated. We are blessed with great quality of life, infrastructure and people, but if don't get that message out to the right people; we won't even be considered when a business is looking to expand. In order to improve our chances we are looking to develop a more targeted recruiting approach that identifies the key industries that fit our area, produce materials that address the key attractions for those specific businesses and focus our marketing/recruiting calls on those industries and site selectors.
Midwest Partnership will be working diligently to develop our plan to address these items and many more in the coming weeks. MWP is uniquely positioned to bring leaders from the private and public sectors together to promote development and we are excited about the opportunities available in our communities. With the proper plan in place, we will be more efficient and effective in that mission. We will focus our plans around the core development areas of Existing Business and Business Recruitment. |
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| Connect and Follow! | |
Connect to Midwest Partnership EDC on social networks.
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| Become a Member |
Support area economic development by becoming an investor-member of Midwest Partnership! Email info@midwestpartnership.com for more information. |
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| Upcoming Events |
February 25, Annual Womens Conference, Lake Panorama Convention Center (Panora)
February 18, Legislative Coffee (Audubon)
February 17, Daddy Daughter Dance (Jefferson)
February 14, Heart Health Lunch and Learn, Adair Co. Memorial Hospital (Greenfield)
February 11, Jefferson Elks Valentine Dinner (Jefferson)
February 9, Free breast cancer screening, Greenfield Adair County Medical Clinic (Greenfield)
See the full list of events. |
| List Your Event! | |
To have your event listed on our website and in this monthly newsletter, email: info@midwestpartnership.com |
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Midwest Partnership EDC Staff | |
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| Board of Directors |
Executive Committee:
Mike Underwood, President, Guthrie County
Sid Jones, Vice-President, Greene County
Brett Irlmeier, Secretary, Audubon County
Warren Varley, Treasurer, Adair County
Mike Carey, Immediate Past President, Guthrie County
Scott Homan, Adair County
Troy Wessel, Audubon County
Norm Fandel, Greene County
Eric Tiernan, Guthrie County
Adair County:
Duane Armstead
Merlyn Brown
Marty Fisher
Ryan Frederick
Renee Schwartz
Matt Wedemeyer
Audubon County:
Lyle Hansen, Jr.
Jason Hocker
Kristin Foran
Sam Kauffman
Todd Nelsen
Tom Nielsen
Greene County:
Amy Milligan
John Clark
Mary Jane Fields
Michael Cooley
Rick Morain
Teresa Mobley Guthrie County:
Everett Grasty
John Rutledge
Forrest Schnobrich |
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| MWP Annual Dinner
150+ Attendees enjoyed dinner and guest speaker- Keith Kerkhoff
Nearly 150 community and local leaders from the region recognized regional economic development successes at the Midwest Partnership Economic Devleopment Annual Dinner meeting on January 26th at the Lake Panorama National Conference Center. Guest Speaker, Keith Kerkhoff and Andrew Tomes with Tempeton Rye were the highlight of the evening. With their joking banter made the presentation fun and interactive. They showed a short film about the company's history, shared stories about their experiences as the popularity of Templeton Rye has grown. Thank you to everybody who helped make this event a big success!
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| Gail Steward Honored with Guy Powell Award
Award honoring leadership and local economic development
Midwest Partnership EDC recently recognized Gail Steward, of Adair county, for his contributions to the community and organizations which he supports. Midwest Partnership's Guy Powell Award was presented at the annual dinner meeting, January 26th in Panora.
With Gail's vision for the future with his business at Adair County Mutual Insurance or with the endless hours of volunteerism in the surrounding communities and several organization Gail is a part of, it was clear that he represents excellence in leadership and economic development. Gail's leadership with the Community Development Corporation of Greenfield has played a huge role in the bringing the vision of the hotel to Greenfield to a reality.
The Guy Powell Award was established in honor of the late Guy Powell of Greenfield, who served as president of the MWP board of directors and was an active volunteer in several other community organizations. It is intended to recognize excellence in leadership and passion for economic development in the Midwest Partnership EDC region, taking into account vision, leadership, courage and impact. |
| Smith Recognized for Board Service
Guthrie County member rounds out 2 year term
Outgoing Midwest Partnership EDC board member Jack Smith, from Bayard was recognized for his service to the organization at their annual dinner meeting in January. Smith was one of eight representatives for Guthrie County who serve on the board.
Midwest Partnership EDC board directors govern the affairs of the organization. Directors lead the quarterly meetings, are responsible for creating a strategic plan, approve a budget, plan events, and provide community-level representation for the organization.
Smith, long time Bayard resident, completed a two-year term on the board. |
| Unique Restaurant Opportunity
Tenant-ready restaurant/lounge space available
 Warren Cultural Center- Greenfield, Iowa has space available, tenant-ready restaurant/lounge all with new HVAC/electrical, grease interceptor, built-in clientele and 3600 sp. feet.
Greenfield, Iowa is a progressive destination community, and home to the newely renovated Warren Cultural Center, a center of culture in the heart of the Midwest. Contact MWP office for more information. To see all the buildings and spaces available in the Midwest Partnership EDC region, click here. |
Audubon Entreprenuer, Award Winner
Tim Greene, President of Quality Machine of Iowa, Inc., Audubon
Timothy Greene, President of Quality Machine of Iowa, Inc., Audubon, is the 2011 Neal Smith Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner. The Neal Smith Entrepreneur of the Year Award honors an Iowa entrepreneur who has been in business a minimum of three years and has been significantly assisted by an Iowa Small Business Development Center. The award was established with a dual purpose- to honor long-time Iowa Congressman Neal Smith for his years of service to Iowa's small businesses, and to recognize Iowa's entrepreneurs, who are the driving force behind Iowa's economic growth.
Lisa Shimkat, director of the North Central Iowa Small Business Development Center, Fort Dodge, nominated Greene for the Neal Smith Award, stating that this very successful entrepreneur has built o company with a positive work culture and a strong commitment to excellence. Shimkat has worked extensively with Greene, helping him restructure the company's debt, purchase additional equipment, and expand services, all in order to maintain the company's strength and ability to stay open in a tough industry during harsh economic times. Through continuous improvement, Greene and his employees have made Quality Machine of Iowa, Inc. one of the top companies in the industry and a thriving Iowa business.
Greene will be presented the award on February 21st in a special ceremony at the Iowa Capitol.
To view full article click here. |
| Investor Highlight: Health Care Providers
Quality health care helps attract new and improves quality of life
This month, we recognize our investors who provide health care to the region, one of the key factors that drives quality of life. Health care is the largest industry in the United States and is likely to grow even more. In almost every rural community, health care will play some role in economic development. Health care is an important factor in the region providing adequate and dependable health care service. This quality is among the top criteria for companies in the area looking to expand and for the attraction of new companies to the region. The following heath care providers support economic development by investing in Midwest Partnership EDC.
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| Resource of the Month |
Tax Increment Financing
A tax increment financing area (TIF Area) is usually created by a city or county for use as an economic development tool. City councils or county boards of supervisors may use the property taxes resulting from the increase in taxable valuation caused by the construction of new industrial or commercial facilities to provide economic development incentives to a business or industry. Tax Increment Financing may be used to offset the cost of public improvements and utilities that will serve the new private development, to finance direct grants or loans to a company, or to provide the local match for federal or state economic development assistance programs. | |
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About Us
Midwest Partnership EDC is the non-profit, collaborative economic development organization formed to strengthen the economic vitality of the communities of Adair, Audubon, Greene and Guthrie counties of west central Iowa. |
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