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Buy something Made in the Corridor this holiday season
When buying gifts for family, friends, customers and clients this holiday season, consider buying something made locally. The Iowa Lakes Corridor region is rich with artist entrepreneurs whose products make unique gifts.
Each year, the Corridor Gift Guide highlights these entrepreneurs and their products throughout the holiday season. This year, the Gift Guide is bigger than ever; pages were added to include authors, musicians, and places to make gifts. Sculpture, pottery, paintings, photography, baby items, jewelry and more are included in the Corridor Gift Guide.
And don't forget about those with a sweet tooth. Food entrepreneurs are also plentiful in the Corridor region. From handmade candies to exotic roasted coffees, there is something for everyone in the Gift Guide.
Corridor Gift Guides can be picked up at art galleries throughout the region, Chamber of Commerce offices, and the Iowa Lakes Corridor office, located at 520 2nd Avenue East in Spencer. Digital copies are also available on the main page of the Corridor's website, www.lakescorridor.com.
Anyone who would like to be included in next year's Gift Guide can contact the Corridor office at 712-264-3474.
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Club E
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Club E, the Corridor's entrepreneur networking group, will meet from 5-7 p.m., Monday, December 3, at The Coffee Shop in Milford. Dari Fehr, the Dream Big Grow Here winner, will talk about her company Educational Surgical Instruments. All entrepreneurs in the Corridor region are welcome to attend!
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Kudos!!
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Rob and Tara Hach, owners of Anemometry Specialists in Alta, received the Keith Briscoe Alumni Award from Buena Vista University. The award recognizes graduates for past student achievements and present career success.
The Clay County Convention and Visitors Bureau were awarded $1,024 from the Western Iowa Tourism Board.
Jeff Thee was awarded the Media Friend of the Year award from Iowa Tourism.
Jeff Plagge, CEO and President of Northwest Financial Corp. in Arnolds Park, was named chairman-elect of the American Bankers Association.
Steffan Furniture in Spencer is celebrating 60 years in business.
Three local Mediacom employees earned national awards for exceptional customer service. Romeo Battazi of Superior, Chad King of Estherville, and Gary Myers of Estherville.
The Spirit Lake Football team earned their first State Championship Title!
EcoSense of Estherville was awarded a $150,000 Demonstration Fund award from the Technology Commercialization Committee of the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
Graettinger-Terril High School was one of five schools in Iowa to receive the Breaking Barriers to Teaching and Learning Award from the State Board of Education.
The City of Spirit Lake received $150,000 grant to build a new road from the Iowa Transportation Commission.
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Do you have a Kudos, Upcoming Event, feature story or other item that you would like included in The Corridor? Contact Samantha and she'll be sure to include it!
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The Corridor
November 2012
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Greetings!
The Iowa Lakes Corridor welcomes its newest investors:
DFS, Inc., of Newell, Midwestern Mechanical of Spencer, Hanson's Plumbing & Heating of Spencer, Pixler Electric Spencer, and Savings Bank of Lake Park.
This brings our total of new investors to 59. We thank all of our investors for their commitment to the economic development of the region.
We also want to congratulate the newly elected officials and those who retained their positions during the recent election. We look forward to working with you!
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Business Recognition Award Winners
Thank you to all who attended our third annual Business Recognition Luncheon last week! We had a great time, and hope you all did too!
We host this event as a thank you to business and industry for their commitment to the Corridor region. We presented three business with awards during the luncheon.
 | | Kevin Vugteveen received the Small Business Excellence Award. |
Small Business Excellence was awarded to Vugteveen Lawn Service. Vugteveen Lawn Service was nominated because of Kevin and Heather Vugteveen's strong management and their commitment to the business. They are always looking at ways to improve or expand the business, whether through establishing or acquiring a new business line, or finding more effective ways to market their existing product line to more customers.
 | | John Tatman, plant manager of Maurer Manufacturing, accepted the Large Business Excellence Award. |
Large Business Excellence was awarded to Maurer Manufacturing. Maurer Manufacturing was nominated because they manufacture quality products that benefit the agricultural community and the scrap metal business. Their efforts in advanced manufacturing support not only those industries, but the economy of Iowa, and especially Northwest Iowa. They have had multiple expansions in Spencer and are currently working on an additional expansion to move a recent acquisition of a South Dakota trailer company to Spencer. Maurer Manufacturing has a bright future and is focused on manufacturing quality products within the Corridor region.
 | | LuAnn and Bruce Tamisiea accepted the award for Entrepreneur of the Year. |
Entrepreneur of the Year award was presented to Bruce and LuAnn Tamisiea, owners of Tecton Industries in Spencer. The Tamisieas are major contributors to the local Spencer economy by offering good paying jobs at and a progressive work atmosphere at Tecton Industries. Community involvement is the key for them through many years on the SMU Board, Iowa Lakes Corridor activities, charter, supporter and continuous presenter for the Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute and numerous state economic development boards.
The Tamisiea's generosity, both monetarily and through mentoring and other programs, may not be fully noticed as they do many things anonymously and are not seekers of the spotlight. Bruce and LuAnn subtly influence the area's growth through involvement in the Corridor and as a mentor and coach to many companies and individuals in the area.
Congratulations to the winners!
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Skilled Iowa Initiative
The Iowa Lakes Corridor has a goal to become a certified Skilled Iowa region. We encourage all businesses in the Corridor region to commit to the program. There is no cost and your only requirements are to recommend the National Career Readiness Certificate in hiring and/or promotion practices for one or more positions in your organization. You must also give permission to use your organization's name in public awareness efforts to promote the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC).
NCRC assists both job seekers and employers by determining a baseline of skills and providing resources to improve skills. The testing will be readily available and will be of no cost to those looking to add the certificate to their resume and more accurately display their skills to current and potential employers.
The overall goal of the program is to implement Skilled Iowa Communities as an economic development strategy that provides a framework for validating skilled Iowa workers who are ready to fill current and future jobs. To learn more, visit www.SkilledIowa.org. A commitment form can be found here. You can mail, email, or fax the completed form to us, and we will send to Iowa Workforce Development on your behalf. Our mailing address is 520 2nd Avenue East, Suite 2, Spencer, IA 51301; you can email the form to jfollon@lakescorridor.com, or fax it to 712-580-3472. Our goal is to have over 225 businesses committed before June 30, 2013.
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Dream Big Grow Here Winner Announced
 | | Dari Fehr, left, was the winner of the Corridor's Dream Big Grow Here contest. Brian Dalziel, right, presented Fehr with the $5,000 award. |
Fifteen entrepreneurs in the Corridor region competed for $5,000 in the Dream Big Grow Here contest. The top five vote-getters competed in a pitch off to a panel of judges, who then selected the winner.
The top five were Tanya Johnson with Kabele's Trading Post and Lodge, Scott Simpson and Brian Fassbender with Fazz's Hot Sauce, Dari Fehr with Educational Surgical Instruments, Brad Smith with Cabin Fever Farm, and Megan Huntley with Epic Fashions. At the Business Recognition Luncheon, Brian Dalziel, senior vice president of the Corridor, announced that Dari Fahr was the Dream Big Grow Here Winner! Dari will compete at the state level against nine other regional winners for an additional $10,000. Dari went to school for surgical technology, and realized there was no surgical instrument kit for students. Her business creates a surgical instrument kit at a lower cost so students can learn the tools. Congratulations Dari, and good luck in the next round! |
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Recipe to Reality food entrepreneur seminar
Have you ever thought of starting a food business? Do you have a favorite family recipe you would like to bring to the marketplace? Are you a producer considering adding value to an agricultural product? Maybe you are a restaurateur or chef exploring the marketing of a house specialty. Or perhaps you've been selling your product at farmer's markets and want to get it in grocery stores. The Iowa Lakes Corridor partners with the University of Nebraska's Food Processing Center to bring the Recipe to Reality seminar to Northwest Iowa. The seminar will be held on Saturday, February 16, at the Clay County Regional Events Center in Spencer. Cost for the seminar is $200. For more information or to register, contact Holly or Brian at the Corridor office at 712-264-3474. You can register here. |
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Evaluating Your Estate Plan
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The Iowa State University Extension is offering the "Evaluating Your Estate Plan" workshop to answer transition and estate planning questions and help families prepare for the future.
Anyone who is unsure of how to build a transition plan or what options are best for their farm operation and family should attend this workshop.
The workshop will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Monday, December 3, at the Clay County Regional Events Center in Spencer.
Advance registration is required and space is limited to the first thirty registrants.
The Evaluating Your Estate Plan workshop costs $50 per person and includes lunch and materials.
To register call the Clay County Extension Office at 712-262-2264.
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The Corridor office will be closedThursday and Friday, November 22 and 23 for Thanksgiving.
Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation Staff
Kathy Evert
Brian Dalziel
Holly Pearson
Samantha Miller
Joanne Follon
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