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The Corridor
November 2010
In This Issue
Attention Inventors
Business Recognition Awards
Internship Grant Program
Kudos
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Attention Inventors!

Concept to Reality
A Launch Pad to Successful Inventing
If you have an idea or a product that you have invented, come learn how to turn that idea or product into a successful business. This seminar will help you understand the process of making your concept a reality.

Join other inventors on Saturday, December 4, at the Clay County Regional Events Center in Spencer. Topics presented will include taking your idea or product to a commercial level, how to protect your idea with a patent or trademark, how to market your product, and how to find the money to make the whole process a reality.


The course will be held 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 4 at the Clay County Regional Events Center in Spencer. Cost of the course is $35.

To register, contact Iowa Lakes Community College at 712-362-7231. The registration form can be found here.

Polaris has a great third quarter

The Iowa Lakes Corridor is fortunate to have a company like Polaris in its backyard. The Spirit Lake Polaris facility is the only one in the world to manufacture Victory Motorcycles..

Sales of Victory Motorcycles increased 116 percent during the third quarter of 2010 when compared to the same period in 2009.

 

This came even as experts acknowledged the North American heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle industry remained weak during the quarter, with worldwide sales numbers down 14.6 percent for the year.


Apparently, no one told Victory or would-be motorcycle buyers that news. Victory sales were increased more than 50 percent in North America compared to the third quarter of 2009, resulting in market share gains and retail sales growth for the fourth consecutive quarter.


Polaris to provide National Guard
Utility Vehicles

Product to be made at Spirit Lake Facility


Polaris Defense
, a division of Polaris Industries, has been notified by the National Guard Bureau, Washington D.C., that is has been selected for a contract awarded to provide Ultra-Light Utility Vehicles to the Army National Guard.

"We are excited to have our Polaris Ranger utility vehicles selected by the National Guard to help with their homeland security and disaster relief missions," said Polaris CEO Scott Wine. "We are proud that Polaris can provide a cost-effective and highly capable, all-terrain vehicle that can handle the critical missions faced by the National Guard."

The five-year contract includes the Polaris Ranger Crew 800 and Polaris Ranger 6x6 800 side-by-side vehicles, as well as accessories and training. The competitively awarded contract has a ceiling value of $67 million over the contract period. Polaris intends to build the Ultra-Light Utility Vehicles for this contract at its Spirit Lake, Iowa, facility, which has recently added more than 270 full-time and seasonal jobs to meet the increase in consumer demand.

Greetings!

The week of November 14th was recently celebrated as Business Recognition week throughout the Iowa Lakes Corridor region. Thank you to all four counties and all of the city councils for their proclamations.

As part of our existing industry efforts, we regularly visit with those company headquarters located outside of the region. In November, our staff held great meetings with corporate executives of Klaussner Furniture and Pure Fishing. Staff of the Iowa Department of Economic Development also met with corporate executives of Polaris Industries and National Spencer. We appreciate the opportunity to exchange information and updates about their companies and about all that's happening in the Corridor region.

At this time of Thanksgiving, we extend our appreciation to all existing business and industry in the Iowa Lakes Corridor region. We congratulate Thinix, Ranco Fertiservice and Pat McGill Speaking and Training Resources for being recognized this month with our first annual Small Business Excellence, Large Business Excellence and Entrepreneur of the Year awards. More about these award winners is included in this issue of The Corridor. And thank you to the 150 individuals who joined us for the first annual business recognition luncheon on November 17. We enjoyed having all of you join us for lunch and look forward to repeating this event and awards ceremony in 2011.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation.

Awards given at Business Recognition Luncheon

In showing appreciation for local business and industry, the Iowa Lakes Corridor held its first annual Business Recognition Luncheon on November 17 at the Clay County Regional Events Center in Spencer. Part of the luncheon was to award three businesses in the following categories: Small Business Excellence (30 employees or fewer), Large Business Excellence (more than 30 employees, and Entrepreneur of the Year.

 

The Corridor requested nominations for the awards, and gave the nominations to a judging committee comprised of business and community leaders throughout the Corridor. The winners were announced at the luncheon. Businesses were nominated for various reasons: contribution to local economy, recent expansion, new product or service, customer service, management practices, and community involvement.

 

"It is important to recognize the contributions and economic impact our existing businesses have on our communities and region. Research shows that in an average sized community, approximately 75 percent of new jobs and capital investments are created by existing business and industry," said Kathy Evert, president and CEO of the Iowa Lakes Corridor. "We have seen the truth in that with local companies hiring hundreds of employees over the past year."

 

Small Business Excellence was awarded to Thinix, a division of R&D Industries in Milford. Thinix is an exciting growth company focused on computer software technology. Some of the most exciting Thinix products consist of Thinix Touch, a touch-enabled user interface for Windows that is being preinstalled by manufacturers of tablet computers. Thinix is proud to report that Thinix Touch was installed on computers that shipped to over 25 countries this month alone. Another exciting product from Thinix is Thinix One-to-One™ is a comprehensive platform for deploying and managing student computers. A school near Fort Dodge was the first to purchase this product and everyday kids in grades 5-12 use and take home a computer running Thinix software. Thinix is focusing future development efforts on continuing to make computers more touch-friendly, reliable and manageable while building relationships with key partners.

 

The Large Business Excellence award was given to Ranco Fertiservice of Sioux Rapids. Ranco Fertiservice manufactures fertilizer handling and spreading equipment. Ever since they perfected the continuous-flow blender in 1961, they have continued to incorporate the latest technology into their products to meet their customers changing needs. Designing and building the first declining weigh blender in 2002 is a shining example of their commitment to excellence. Covering 73,000 square feet and eight buildings, Ranco Fertiservice is one of the area's largest manufacturing firms. Ranco remains committed to its customers, employees, and community. Ranco equipment has been installed in 46 states, all the providences in Canada, nine European countries, three countries in Africa, South America, Australia, and Mexico.

 

Entrepreneur of the Year award was given to Pat McGill. She works with organizations that want to create a more productive workplace where every employee is valued. A former middle-school teacher and adjunct professor of human relations, McGill holds a master's degree in education from St. Mary's University in Minnesota.

 

As a member of the National Speakers Association, McGill presents professional development keynotes and workshops on such topics as change, leadership, and relationship building. Her "Pat-tested, Boomer-approved" material is entertaining and informative, and helps her to engage those of varying backgrounds, and in different life stages, professions and industries. A certified Psycho-Geometrics� trainer, McGill is further positioned to facilitate effective communication strategies that appeal to a variety of learning styles. She gives 12 apostle scholarships a year and pays it forward to non-profits and organizations in the region.
IDED Internship Grant Program

The Iowa Department of Economic Development is accepting applications for the Targeted Industries Student Internship Program. The Internship Program provides grants to small and medium sized Iowa companies in advanced manufacturing, bioscience and information technology. 

The application period is open until April 30, 2011 or until the program's funds are exhausted.

Employers are to select the total number of interns desired for the entire fiscal year on one application. The intern selections can be made up of both summer and semester if desired. Summer internships should be complete within the August/September timeframe.

A maximum of three interns per fiscal year can be granted. Awards are available up to $3,100 for any single internship. The award ismanaged on a reimbursement basis. The employer shall provide matching funds of at least two dollars for every one dollar received from the Department.

Program Eligibility

The program is available to Iowa companies that do the following:

  • Are engaged in one of the targeted industries of biosciences, advanced manufacturing or information technology.
  • Employ 500 or fewer, with a significant portion employed within the state of Iowa.
  • Pay the intern at least twice the minimum wage ($14.50).
  • Offer the internship to students of Iowa community colleges, private colleges, regent universities or to students who graduated from an Iowa high school and attend a college or university outside of the state.

         An eligible student must be within two years of graduation Summer internships will last a minimum of eight weeks (averaging no less than 30 hours per week).

         Semester internships will last a minimum of 14 weeks (averaging no less than 10 hours per week).

 

Application forms and additional information about the program can be found at the Iowa Department of Economic Development's Web site.

 

If you are interested in having an intern during Fiscal Year 2011, you may not want to wait too long to apply as funds are limited.

Kudos!!
Boating Industry magazine's sixth annual Top 100 Dealers list has recently been released. The Top 100 is not merely a ranking of the largest, volume-driven dealers. Rather, it recognizes those marine dealers that are unsurpassed in overall business operations, customer service, marketing and professionalism. Collectively, the 2010 Boating Industry Top 100 employ nearly 3,900 people and operate 244 retail locations across North America. The Iowa Lakes Corridor is proud to have two businesses included in the Top 100 list. Parks Marina is ranked number 7 overall, and won The Best in Class Award for Best Marketing Strategy. Oak Hill Marina of Arnolds Park also made the Top 100 list, coming in at number 80.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation Staff
Kathy Evert  Shaun Arneson  Brian Dalziel
Holly Pearson  Samantha Heerdt  Joanne Follon