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Internet Business Workshops
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Last fall, the Corridor hosted two How to Start an Internet Business workshops, presented by Jason Trout and Peter Awad from Decorah.
We are bringing Jason and Peter back for three workshops on October 14 & 15.
On Friday, October 14, two workshops will be held: Internet Marketing Strategies for Business and Optimize Your Business With Google. Both workshops will be held at the Clay County Regional Event Center in Spencer.
On Saturday, October 15, Peter and Jason will be presenting the How to Start an Internet Business Workshop. This will be a hands-on workshop held at the Spencer campus of Iowa Lakes Community College.
You can find out more about the workshops on Peter and Jason's website, Stratus Web Group. |
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Spousal Employment Network
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The Iowa Lakes Corridor is in the process of establishing a Spousal Employment Network to assist area employers while they are interviewing potential employees.
This network consists of community volunteers in each of the four counties that will be the points of contact between the Corridor and area employers. The Corridor is looking forward to playing a role in assisting employers during the hiring process. Contact Shaun Arneson, vice president of the Corridor, with any questions or for more information. |
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Kudos!!
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Superior was awarded $121,000 in federal funding for a wastewater project.
Lakes Regional Healthcare bought a new wide-bore MRI machine that will cut scan time in half. It is smaller and geared toward making the patient more comfortable.
The new Jimmy John's in Arnolds Park had the most profitable opening day in the history of Jimmy John's!
Northern Iowa Die Casting in Lake Park was named to the Small Business Administration 100. Since Joanne Stockdale took over the company in 1984 through a SBA loan, the company has grown from 6 part-time employees to 120 full-time employees!
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Be Included in The Corridor!
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Do you have an event coming up? Does your business have a Kudos that should be included in The Corridor? Do you know a business or person in the Corridor region that we should feature? Contact Samantha to be included! Call her at the office at 712-264-3474 or send her an email.
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Entrepreneurial Development Endowment Fund with the
Okoboji Foundation
Family of Funds
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The Corridor has created a new Entrepreneurial Development Endowment Fund within the Okoboji Foundation Family of Funds. This fund gives us the ability to offer our donors the Endow Iowa Tax Credit available only through a qualified community foundation.
| With a contribution to this fund, taxpayers may be eligible to receive a 25% Iowa Tax Credit in addition to normal federal charitable income tax deductions for certain charitable gifts. This is an exciting program that benefits both donors and the Corridor.
Gifts to the Iowa Lakes Corridor Entrepreneurial Development Fund allow the Corridor to use your charitable contribution strategically in response to the most pressing entrepreneurial and economic development issues. Your contribution continues to support economic growth and development during and after your lifetime.
More information, as well as a contribution and pledge form, can be found here. You can also make a donation on the Okoboji Foundation's Website. Just click on the Donate Now tab. |
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Tune In!
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The Corridor does monthly interviews on four local radio stations to let everyone know what we have going on. Tune in!
KKIA 92.9/KAYL 101.7, first Wednesday of the month, at 7:30 a.m. and 7:40 a.m.
KILR 95.9, first Thursday of the month, at 10:05 a.m.
KICD 1240 AM, second Wednesday of the month, at 9:15 a.m.
KUOO 103.9, third Wednesday of the month, at 8:30 a.m.
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Greetings!
Iowa Lakes Corridor staff, along with many volunteers, wrapped up the sixth annual Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute last week. 32 of the best and brightest entrepreneurial students in Iowa participated in the program. During the week, they networked with regional business and community leaders, had a private luncheon with Governor Terry Branstad, and listened to several entrepreneurs, including Monica Nassif and Bruce Rastetter. Congratulations to the 32 students who graduated, and a big thank you to all who helped make this week happen!
 | | Governor Terry Branstad, center, had a private luncheon with the Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute students last week. |
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The Prairie Flower is 640 acres of prairies,
wetlands, and wildlife
First annual Prairie Fest set for August 20
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Dwight and Bev Rutter have owned The Prairie Flower since 2002, specializing in native plants and wetlands.
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SPENCER - Bev Rutter calls her business a "hobby gone nuts." Bev and her husband Dwight own The Prairie Flower, located west of Fostoria. The 640 acre business is a native plant and grass nursery, as well as a native plant and seed dealer. Their land contains prairies and wetlands, a bed and breakfast and five miles of mowed trails through the prairie plantings.
The Rutters had always dabbled in native plants, but waited until their farm was paid off before making it their livelihood in 2002. It takes three years for a prairie to establish, so they had no return on investment for four years.
The biggest hurdle the Rutters have had to overcome is learning how to clean the seeds that they harvest. Before they can sell the seeds, they need to be cleaned and tested. They collect the seeds from June through October, starting with wetland plants, and harvesting the grass seed last.
Every spring they burn the fields. "The fire helps with seed propagation," explained Bev. "Burning stimulates the seeds." After a burn, Bev said they will usually find plants they had never seen before.
For anyone planning on visiting The Prairie Flower, remember to pack binoculars and a camera. The prairies and wetlands are full of wildlife: ospreys, bald eagles, snowy owls and trumpeter swans, just to name a few. Tours are available for small and large groups. Their tour cart holds 25 people, or tours are available by Rangers, golf carts, or a 10 person cart. Self-guided walking tours are available as well.
While on a tour, some may notice the bee hives. The Rutters have been apiarists for nearly 10 years. "It's because of Dwight's bucket list," said Bev. They collect approximately 80 gallons of honey each year, and several customers buy it by the gallon.
Because caring for 640 acres isn't always enough, the Rutters have also helped plant native vegetation throughout the region. They have created rain gardens at city parks and private residences, small plots between the parking lot and road at the Arnolds Park Amusement Park, as well as at Terrace Park and West Okoboji City Hall. When Dordt College in Sioux Center was going to restore prairies, the Rutters were there to help.
Prairie Fest
Saturday, August 20, will be the first annual Prairie Fest at The Prairie Flower. Wine tasting, vendors, naturalists and more will be available. Exhibits and demonstrations, including Monarch tagging, will be held by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Live music will be provided by Tammy Hamlin and Kary Dean and the Machine.
Contact The Prairie Flower at 712-262-5864, visit their website, or go for a tour at 1775 280th Street, just 4.25 miles west of Fostoria.
Women in Business Club
The Iowa Lakes Corridor is proud to launch the Women in Business Club. To join, a woman must own her own business and want to meet with other women in business to share ideas, challenges, successes and grow professional relationships. Those interested in joining should contact Pat McGill at 712-332-2965, or Jean Tennant at 712-490-5165. Women from throughout the Corridor region are encouraged to attend these meetings.
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The Iowa Lakes Corridor is one of eight regions in Iowa hosting the Dream Big Grow Here competition. This is a virtual contest for entrepreneurs to win $5,000 for their business.
Business owners explain why they should win the money on www.dreambiggrowhere.com Their submission can be in the form of a video, pictures, text, or any combination of these. The submission period will be from August 1-31. From September 1-16, voters can go on to the website and vote once per day for whoever they believe deserves to win the money.
The winner will then compete against the seven other regional winners at a state competition for an additional $10,000.
Each region makes their own rules. We are not putting restrictions on industry or age. Applicants must live in Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson or Emmet county, or have their business in one of the counties. It must be a small business, from 0-30 employees.
Contact Brian or Samantha at the Corridor for more information at 712-264-3474.
Someone in the Iowa Lakes Corridor region will win! Why not you? |
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Business Recognition Luncheon set for Oct. 12
Last November the Iowa Lakes Corridor hosted its inaugural Business Recognition Luncheon in order to thank the businesses and industries for their commitment to the region. During the luncheon, three businesses were awarded: Ranco Fertiservice for Large Business Excellence, Thinix for Small Business Excellence, and Pat McGill for Entrepreneur of the Year.
Planning is well under way for this year's Business Recognition Luncheon, which will be held from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 12, at the Clay County Regional Event Center in Spencer. The three awards will be again be given, and we have hired some great entertainers to keep the event fun and light-hearted.
We are now accepting nominations for the three awards that will be given during the luncheon. You can download the nomination form here. The deadline for nominations is 4 p.m. on Monday, September 12. Return the nomination form to the Corridor office via fax (712-580-3472), email, mail or just bring it in to our office at 1900 Grand Avenue North Suite E12 in Spencer.
We thank you in advance for sending in nominations. Watch for your invitation! We hope to see you at the Business Recognition Luncheon on October 12!
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Existing Industry Call program summary
The Iowa Lakes Corridor conducted its fifth annual Existing Industry Call (EIC) program earlier this year. The EIC program consists of in-depth interviews with existing employers in the four-county region. The purpose of this business retention and expansion program is to maintain working relationships and understanding existing business and industry needs, challenges and opportunities.
The EIC program recognizes the impact existing employers have on the region's economy and identifies issues important to area employers. Using a standardized interview format, the Synchronist Information Business System, Iowa Lakes Corridor staff can easily respond to requested information regarding workforce issues, growth patterns, needs for assistance and more.
Iowa Lakes Corridor staff, along with 13 community leader volunteers, conducted 26 confidential in-depth interviews with existing employers in the manufacturing, agricultural and service-related business sectors. The final report of the 2011 calls will be made available by the end of August; the following are some of the findings.
2011 Results
- Interviews per county: Buena Vista - 6; Clay - 7; Dickinson - 7; Emmet - 6
- Business sectors interviewed: Manufacturing - 50%; Service - 35%; Agricultural - 15%
- Total employment - 3,560 jobs
- 85% own their facilities
- Type of ownership: private - 11; publicly held - 11; family-owned - 4
- 85% plan to introduce new products and/or services within the next two years
- 69% have experienced an increase in sales
- Primary market: national - 50%; local - 23%; regional - 19%; international - 8%
- 50% plan to expand their Iowa Lakes Corridor facilities in the next three years, creating up to 103 new jobs
- 69% are experiencing employee recruitment problems
- 62% have been in business for more than 26 years
The results will be presented to local government entities within the next two months.
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| Disney's Korkis to speak in Storm Lake
STORM LAKE - Jim Korkis, the Disney Historian, will be in Storm Lake on September 13 to present Disney Tools of Business Innovation to the Iowa Lakes Corridor business community. Korkis will present at Buena Vista University in Hansen 8 from 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Korkis will present on Positioning Your Company for Growth in a Competitive Marketplace. This presentation defines what innovation is and discusses three specific "tools" needed for innovation and how to use them. The presentation doesn't just talk about "thinking out of the box," but supplies concrete suggestions on how to do so. In particular, it addresses the issue of how to innovate when you don't have money, staff or supplies.
In the beginning, Disney was a small company competing for market share among more established enterprises. Disney matched and ultimately surpassed these competitors by focusing on innovation that brought value to its customers. Today, Disney's philosophy of innovation and superior customer value is helping companies around the world to enjoy new levels of success through business innovation.
Storm Lake United is dedicated to providing value for its members and the greater Lakes Corridor. In this light, Storm Lake United is bringing this highly sought after Disney Business Strategist to Storm Lake. At a significantly reduced price of $30 ($20 each if two or more from the same business) for Storm Lake United members and $50 for non-members, attendees will enjoy two hours of insight for growing their business through innovation.
The registration fee will be waived for two business students from each high school in the Iowa Lakes Corridor Region. This will allow the students to visit Buena Vista University and interact with local business people as they learn the importance of strategic business innovation.
Business people from the Iowa Lakes Corridor (Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson, and Emmet counties) are encouraged to attend.
Please register today by contacting Storm Lake United at 712-732-3780 or go to www.VisitStormLake.com for more information. Space is limited, so don't wait to register!
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Sincerely,
Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation Staff
Kathy Evert
Brian Dalziel
Shaun Arneson
Holly Pearson
Samantha Heerdt
Joanne Follon
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