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Thanks to many great businesses and organizations who help make our work possible.
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June 2012
West Central Iowa Development Bulletin
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Southwestern Business Conference in Creston

The staff of Midwest Partnership traveled to Creston to participate in the Southwestern Business Conference, held at Southwestern Community College in the Educational Center.
A wide range of breakout sessions were available to attendees covering marketing topics, accounting and finance, business management and internet/social media, all geared towards the small business owner. Social media was a popular topic among the participants, as well as tax information and different loan programs for small businesses.
Speakers included Deb Houghtaling with Grow Iowa, Bryan Ziegler, Debbie Franklin, Dave McLaren and Sue Pitts from the Small Business Development Centers, and Milo Alexander from Creighton University School of Law, and many others.
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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 |
June 2, Orient City-wide Garage Sale (Adair)
June 2- White Pole Road Marathon Sale (Guthrie)
June 3- Annual Flight Breakfast (Audubon)
June 8-10- Bell Tower Festival (Greene)
June 10- Beautify Bayard (Guthrie)
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
Bob Williamson
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: Mike Carey
Cheryl Marks
Everett Grasty
Gary Haverman
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Expanding Entrepreneurs launches in Jefferson, Greene County
 A group of local independent business owners and entrepreneurs in the Jefferson area have formed a new group for networking and business ideas and have selected a new name, Expanding Entrepreneurs (E2). E2 encourages members to collaborate on issues important to owners of home-based and other independent one and two-person operations and support each other to enhance business performance. Regular meetings will be held the second Monday of each month, usually at the Greene County Extension office. Members can expect to find the following areas of interest within the group: promotion and marketing; networking and relationship building; business start-up, growth and sustainability; mentoring opportunities; technical assistance, and sources of funding such as grants and loans. Lisa Jaskey, a CPA starting an accounting business in Jefferson, said "There are no dues or membership fees to join, and any business owner or entrepreneur is welcome to participate as much or as little as they like. We want this group to be open to any entrepreneur or independent business owner regardless of location. Of course, like any group, the more one puts in, the more one gets out of participating. Persons who would like more information about E2 can contact the Greene County Extension office at 515-386-2138 or email . On Facebook, find "Expanding Entrepreneurs." |
Teams are forming for the Midwest Partnership Annual Golf Outing
Several teams have claimed their spot for the 17th Annual Golf Outing at Lake Panorama National Resort and Conference Center. Golfers will hit the links on June 28th, with registration starting at 10 a.m. and Tee Time at 11 a.m. A barbeque lunch will be served during the outing, along with games and prizes.
The registration brochure is available on the website. You can also request a brochure by calling the office at 515-523-1262 or by email.
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Summer season events in full swing
The summer season in West Central Iowa is filled with fun events, interesting places to visit, and festivals in nearly every town.
Over Memorial Day weekend the towns of Elk Horn and Kimballton celebrated their Danish heritage with two days of Tivoli Fest. Two sun and fun-filled days celebrated the region's Danish and Viking history with food, crafts, music and entertainment.
The city of Jefferson hosts the Mahanay Bell Tower Festival June 8 through 10. Visitors to the Bell Tower Festival will enjoy food, lots of live music and entertainment, and a wine tasting event held on Saturday evening.
Stuart pays tribute to it's egg producers with Good Egg Days, June 15, 16 and 17. This year's theme is "Home is Where the Heart Is" and the event includes everything from Beautiful Baby contests to dunk tanks to motorcycle runs and plenty of live entertainment for the whole family.
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Synchronist visits concentrate on Greene, Audubon counties
Midwest Partnership is wrapping up Synchronist visits in Guthrie County in June and moving into Greene and Audubon counties to finish up the summer. Response has been very positive with the participating businesses in Adair and Guthrie counties. Using the Synchronist program is a great way to work through problems existing businesses in the area are experiencing, such as staffing, infrastructure, and helping them to find solutions specific to each industry. The interview process is very quick and allows us to learn about the indivudal needs of each business. As each county is completed, results will be shared with the different businesses and compared to others in the state. MWP hopes to wrap up the program by August. |
Investor Highlight: Cargill Kitchen Solutions
Cargill Kitchen Solutions, formerly Sunny Fresh Foods, is a leading marketer of high value, further-processed egg products in the United States. With processing plants in Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan, their customers include premier quick-service restaurant chains as well as food manufacturers. Locally, Cargill Kitchen Solution is based in Panora, Guthrie County.
In 1999, Cargill Kitchen Solutions became the first food company in the United States to receive the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. In 2005, Cargill received the Malcolm Baldridge award for the second time
Cargill Kitchen Solutions practices good environmental stewardship by reducing their impact on the planet through:
- Energy conservation: by adding more efficient lighting and implementing other energy-saving initiatives, reducing electrical consumption 7.42% over previous years.
- Water conservation: changing processes to reduce annual water usage by 6% and cut impurities in effluent flow.
- Waste reduction: increased recycling by 12% and reduced total waste output by 22% versus previous years; and 20-25% post consumer materials are used in corrugated packaging."
Local community involvement includes participation in the Books for Summer Reading Program and the Children's Water Festival in Panora. Nationally, Cargill Kitchen Solutions is a supporter of:
* Ronald McDonald House
* Second Harvest Food Bank
* United Way
* American Red Cross
* Earth Day
Cargill Kitchen Solution's Panora operation is located at 500 SE Third St., Panora, IA 50216. There are approximately 60 employees at this location.
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Resource of the Month
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DMACC BUSINESS RESOURCES- The best strategies, business plans, technology and marketing must be implemented by trained and motivated personnel to be successful. Make DMACC Business Resources your first choice for talent development.
Who we serve:
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- Government agencies
- Non-profit organizations
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Your DBR Consultant:
- Works with you to tailor training for your specific needs
- Has access to numerous experienced trainers to meet your specific training needs
- Works to ensure you receive maximum benefit from the time and money you invest in training
| For more information, contact Kim Didier Executive Director 515-965-7064 kmdidier@dmacc.edu |
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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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