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Thanks to many great businesses and organizations who help make our work possible.
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March 2012
West Central Iowa Development Bulletin
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Midwest Partnership Announces New President, Board Members
 At the March 8, 2012 meeting of the Board of Directors, Sid Jones of Jefferson, assumed the title of President of the Board of Directors. Mr. Jones will replace Mike Underwood of Guthrie Center who will remain on the Executive Committee.
In addition to a new President, Midwest Partnership also welcomes two new members to the Board of Directors, Cheryl Marks, Stuart, and Gary Haverman, City of Bayard, both representing Guthrie County.
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.
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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 |
March 21, Downtown Revitalization Meeting (Guthrie Center)
March 23, Trinkets and Treasures (Adair)
March 23, Book and Bake Sale (Menlo)
March 24, Pheasants Forever Banquet (Panora)
March 25, Audubon County Historical Society Soup Supper (Audubon)
March 31, Welcome Home, Baby! (Jefferson)
See the full list of events.
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| 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:
Sid Jones, President, Greene County
Warren Varley, Vice-President, AdairCounty
John Rutledge, Secretary, Guthrie County
Brett Irlmeier, Treasurer, Audubon County
Mike Underwood, 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:
Cheryl Marks
Everett Grasty
Forrest Schnobrich
Gary Haverman
John Rutledge |
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Audubon Business Man Chosen as 2012 Iowa Small Business Person of the Year
 The Iowa Small Business Development Center (SBDC) recently announced that Timothy Greene, President, Quality Machine of Iowa, Inc., Audubon, was chosen as the SBA's 2012 Iowa Small Business Person of the Year.
Tim will be presented with his award at the SMART Economic Development Conferenceon May 3rd in Des Moines. Tim will also represent Iowa at National Small Business Week ceremonies in Washington, D.C. on May 20-26, 2012 where he will compete for the national award. Tim was nominated for this award by Lisa Shimkat, regional director of the North Central Iowa Small Business Development Center in Fort Dodge.
To see full article, please click here.
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Iowa Transportation Commission Approves Grant for the City of Stuart
 The Iowa Transportation Commission has approved a Revitalize Iowa's Sound Economy (RISE) Local Development grant application submitted by the city of Stuart. Up to $303,750 will be made available to assist in construction of approximately 1,100 feet of South Seventh Street, approximately 500 feet of Southwest Eighth Street, and intersection improvements on South Gaines Street and South Division Street located on the southwest side of town. The project is anticipated to be completed by November 2012.
The road project is necessary to provide access to 68 acres for light industrial purposes. Funding for the grant comes from the city share of the RISE Fund. Midwest Partnership EDC managed the project and Region XII Council of Governments wrote the successful grant application.
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| 2012 SMART Economic Development Conference
Rebecca Ryan, founder of Next Generation Consulting, is the keynote speaker. Her program "Cities 3.0: Reflecting, Responding and Redesigning for the Future" will discuss how communities can succeed as the economy changes.
Additional speakers include Raj Vohra of Deloitte Consulting, as well as workshops covering numerous topics.
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Connect Iowa Program Announced
 The Iowa Association of Regional Councils (IARC) and Region XII recently announced a new partnership to launch a statewide "connected" community program with the goal of increasing broadband access. Broadband adds to the quality of life by giving people better access to online services, helps bring employment opportunities to the region, and better educational access.
Region XII Council of Governmentswill be assisting communities by completing a broadband assessment, which will include information about the communities' technological resources and how to best access and use broadband. Once the assessments are completed, communities may be awarded the designation as "certified" under Connect Iowa, which will help communities identify their technology strengths and weaknesses.
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2012 Western Iowa Advantage Annual Meeting
 Western Iowa Advantage Economic Development Partners will host their Annual Dinner and meeting on Tuesday, April 12th at the Carrollton Center, in Carroll. David Ivan, an Extension Specialist with Michigan State University, will share success stories of small communities in his program titled "Can Small Towns be Cool?"
The group will also share new logo and group slogan. Seating is very limited for this event so please contact Monica Cateron for information and tickets: mcateron@midwestpartnership.com or 515-523-1262. |
| Iowa's Wind Energy Industry: Economic Development Opportunities
Harold D. Prior, PhD.,
Executive Director,
Iowa Wind Energy Association
The Iowa Wind Energy Association offers a Pre-Conference Workshop at the April 9-11th IWEA Wind Energy Conference that will focus on what works to attract wind energy component manufacturers and wind related companies to Iowa. Iowa is a national leader in the number of wind component manufacturers and wind related businesses with an estimated 215 firms involved in the wind energy industry. These companies are located in 56 of Iowa's 99 counties!
This pre-conference workshop will feature IWEA staff, Iowa Partnership for Economic Progress (formerly IDED) staff, economic developers with successful experience attracting wind energy companies and wind energy company representatives to reflect on what attracted their company to a particular Iowa community. The workshop will feature information presentations and a roundtable discussion activity to maximize sharing of successful strategies to attract wind energy companies. This will be a unique opportunity to learn more about wind energy in Iowa and future expansion of the industry.
The workshop is scheduled for 2:00 - 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 9th at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. A special Pre-Conference Workshop fee of $50 has been established for non-members of the Iowa Wind Energy Association and IWEA members who do not plan to attend the entire conference. IWEA members who are registered to attend the entire IWEA Conference will be admitted free of charge. Registration can be completed by completing a registration form on the IWEA website. Several payment options are available and you can call us at IWEA for assistance. If registering for only the pre-conference workshop, just note that on the registration form.
IWEA membership for economic development agencies is only $300 for the entire agency and an individual can join for only $200 per year. More information about IWEA is available on our website or by calling us at 515-320-4057.
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| 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. |
| Monthly Investor Highlight: Banking
Banks are engine behind several economic development projects
This month, we recognize our investors in the banking sector. Not only are these partners investing in regional economic development by supporting Midwest Partnership EDC, they're also regular providers of capital for many business projects. Thanks to the following banking companies who have invested in Midwest Partnership:
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| Resource of the Month |
Revolving Loan Fund
Revolving loan funds are an increasingly essential tool for economic development. These funds are made available through low interest loans and grants from SBA, USDA, EDA, etc. to support creating and growing jobs. These loan programs are typically not as restrictive as bank financing since economic development is the primary reason for these loans.
MWP works with several partners in the region to ensure that our businesses have access to the various low-interest loans available through this program. We encourage you to contact us to learn about the loan programs in your local area to find the best financing options for your business.
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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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