Author Archives: Grow Cedar Valley

Economic Development Week: Education, Workforce Development & Inclusion

Written by Will Frost, Director of Talent Development

Workforce and talent development issues continue to be at the forefront of discussions across the state, and here in our community. At Grow Cedar Valley, we don’t see these issues as threats to our local economy but rather opportunities. The Cedar Valley is experiencing a growth of job opportunities that are outpacing our current workforce. The need for workforce serves as an invitation for conversation to connect and inform those about the great career opportunities, cost of living, quality of life and educational opportunities that are available here in the Cedar Valley.

Education and economic inclusion serve as a primary connection and barriers that we have identified is a misalignment with what is needed to grow our communities workforce. To address this, Grow Cedar Valley works with employers to develop necessary on the job training to align skills with needs.

Collaborating with investors and the Cedar Valley community to create a more inclusive business culture is what will help grow our workforce and community. One that celebrates and shapes an environment that is open and accessible to anyone who wishes to participate in the local economy no matter of race, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy, familial status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation or, gender identity. Creating an inclusive business culture will allow us to not only meet but exceed our talent and workforce goals!

If you want to learn more about Grow Cedar Valley and workforce development initiatives, please contact Will Frost, Director of Talent Development or call 319/232-1156.

How Does Economic Development Work: Business Retention/Expansion/Entrepreneurship?

Written by Lisa Rivera Skubal, VP of Economic Development

The work in economic development is about advocating for businesses and public policy that help shape the economy while building and maintaining competitive cities and regions.

Existing Business

Healthy communities have health existing businesses. Job growth over time comes from our existing businesses. Business retention programs are designed to assist existing businesses to help businesses navigate growth needs and endure difficult times within the community.

Retention programs typically involve partnerships among public and private organizations to identify industry trends and specific needs of individual companies through periodic surveys and visitations. The intent is to establish relationships between the businesses and economic developers to strengthen existing business and be proactive to individual needs or in aggregate through advocacy.

If you receive an outreach from Grow Cedar Valley staff requesting an existing business meeting, please accept our offer to meet and support you. Otherwise, please reach out to us for confidential assistance.

Entrepreneurship: The Next Big Thing?

Entrepreneurship is turning a business idea into a real business based on goods and services demand. Incubators are one of many resources available to entrepreneurs including access to mentors, network, education, potential customers and venture capital.

In the Cedar Valley, REDCEDAR, University of Northern Iowa, Wartburg College, and Cedar Valley TechWorks to name a few collaborate with other entities like Grow Cedar Valley to support the next generation of innovation.

Economic Development Business Attraction: Why Do We Need It?

Communities and regions market to achieve multiple economic development objectives including new business attraction of domestic and international companies. Attracting businesses that can contribute to existing supply chain or attracting diversified industries to balance the communities’ existing business base is the intent. This further helps create a healthy community by bringing new money into the regional economy.

If you want to learn more about Grow Cedar Valley and economic development programming, please contact Lisa Rivera Skubal, CEcD, Vice President of Economic Development at 232-1156 or lisa@growcedarvalley.com

Economic Development Week: What does advocacy mean to you?

Written by Cary Darrah, CEO

Advocacy means many things to many people and at Grow Cedar Valley we believe strongly in being the voice for our business community to remove barriers for business growth and insert opportunities to enhance the quality of life in the Cedar Valley. It is an effort that we keep our eye on at the federal, state and local level.

Having a strong and passionate voice on behalf of the Cedar Valley, and then communicating the impact and outcomes to our stakeholders, is the core of our advocacy effort. Most businesses don’t have the time to commit to interpreting, disseminating and influencing legislative decisions that affect our growth. Together with our partners we:

Present a unified voice
Listen to our investor’s needs
Promote an agenda on issues directly affecting business growth
Create awareness and participation in areas that affect future growth

In assembling the advocacy agenda, we provide opportunities for our investors to weigh-in on upcoming legislative issues and collectively provide the voice of how those issues will affect business and community growth. However being the voice comes along with also being the “ears” to those issues — it’s equally important to listen. Listening is a crucial part of advocacy because we need to understand the intent and the logic to an issue to be better able to influence or advocate for the outcome we support.

For Grow Cedar Valley, advocacy additionally helps us grow our credibility network with other like-minded organizations. We are members of the Iowa Chamber Alliance, the Iowa Association of Business & Industry, and Professional Developers of Iowa – all groups who have identified Workforce and Talent Development as a priority issue facing our businesses. These coalitions help all of us access vital connections to the resources for us to grow as a region.

What can you do?

Get involved. Be informed. Network with other businesses. Attend our legislative and advocacy events. Reach out and access us with concerns and issues we need to understand on behalf of your business or industry. Join us to become even stronger as we advocate for opportunities to “Grow Cedar Valley”!

If you want to learn more about Grow Cedar Valley and the Government Affairs program or get involved, contact Cary Darrah, CEO or Steve Firman, Director of Government Affairs.

Economic Development: What It Means and Why It Matters

Written by Lisa Rivera Skubal, CEcD, VP of Economic Development

Economic development is the intentional execution of activity that support growth in communities, region and the state’s economy. It’s about making the connection amongst people, businesses, community and education.

At Grow Cedar Valley we do our part with collaborating with public and private sector partners to support the economy. This includes the retention and expansion of existing businesses; supporting a talent pool for existing businesses; supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship; and the recruitment of new complementing businesses.

Healthy communities have a strong and diversified economy. One measurement is by having healthy businesses that contribute to economy by bringing new money into the community through sales outside the area. This trickle effect spurs the spending power of people who live here affecting all aspects of the community from housing to main street.

Grow Cedar Valley’s list of partners isn’t exhaustive but do include our investors, existing businesses, higher and lower education, state and county officials, the cities and their staff, and elected leadership to name a few.

Everyone contributes to economic development whether you are an, educator, retailer, medical professional, restaurateur, elected official or even retired….it all matters and makes our community’s economy stronger!

If you are still reading this, you are contributing to economic development in the Cedar Valley.

If you want to learn more about Grow Cedar Valley and the organization’s economic development programming, contact Lisa Rivera Skubal, CEcD, Vice President of Economic Development at 232-1156 or lisa@growcedarvalley.com

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Grow Cedar Valley Hosts National Economic Development Week Celebration May 6-11, 2019

Grow Cedar Valley joins communities nationwide to increase awareness of the positive work economic developers do to enhance local economic impact

WATERLOO,IA – Grow Cedar Valley is marking National Economic Development Week from May 6-11, 2019 to celebrate the contributions of positive economic development and explain the role of the profession in the Cedar Valley community, including stewardship of:

Programs explicitly directed at improving the business climate through specific efforts, business finance, marketing business retention and expansion, technology transfer, entrepreneurship, small business, real estate development and others
Policies that government undertakes to meet broad economic objectives. Particularly, advocacy for businesses and communities in the Cedar Valley.

“Healthy communities have a strong and diversified economy. In the Cedar Valley it’s the collaboration of public and private sector partners that supports the economy including partnerships with cities, counties, k-12 and higher education initiatives, state government, main street organizations and existing businesses to name a few.” said Lisa Rivera Skubal, CEcD, Vice President of Economic Development at Grow Cedar Valley.

“This week we celebrate them all for their contribution to helping the Cedar Valley economy grow.” Skubal added.

“With our Grow Cedar Valley’s new brand and organization name we look forward to the continued collaboration alongside our existing public and private sector partners and working with new ones to continue the work in economic development.” said Cary Darrah, CEO, Grow Cedar Valley.

Now in its fourth year, National Economic Development Week was created by the International Economic Development Council, the largest professional membership organization for economic developers, in 2016 to recognize the unique role that economic development has in creating vibrant communities with strong economies. More than 250 communities participated in the 2018 campaign across the U.S. and Canada. Cities, counties and states recognized the week in past through official proclamations, local community events, and informational campaigns online and through social media. The United States Economic Development Administration (EDA) has also issued a statement commemorating Economic Development Week in past years.

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Grow Cedar Valley Opposes FAA Recommendation

WATERLOO,IA – The Grow Cedar Valley Air Service Working Group is in agreement with the Cities of Waterloo, Cedar Falls, and the Waterloo Airport Board to oppose the recommendation of the Federal Aviation Association to realign radar services from Waterloo Regional Airport (ALO) to Des Moines International Airport (DSM). The FAA recently invested $10 million to upgrade the tower radar equipment at the Waterloo Regional Airport and has been using the Waterloo Regional Airport for flight training and training for controllers.

In addition to jobs lost, the concern with the consolidation and realignment of services is that this is the first step in the full closure of the entire FAA-owned Air Traffic Control Tower facility at Waterloo Regional Airport.

Public comment on this issue is accepted on the FAA website until May 3, 2019. Grow Cedar Valley encourages businesses and residents of the Cedar Valley to contact their legislators and the FAA via the website below:

GrowCedarValley.com/cms/405/Waterloo-Airport

“The business community realizes that viable air service is critical to the economic health of a region. We’re impressing on our investors and the greater community the importance of their voice in this matter,” explained Grow Cedar Valley CEO, Cary Darrah.

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Heartland Economic Development Course Provides Intensive Professional Development

WATERLOO,IA – Jim Schaefer, Director of Investor Relations, of Grow Cedar Valley was one of 88 economic development professionals to attend the Heartland Economic Development Course (HEDC) April 22-26, 2019 in Blue Springs, Missouri. This trip was made possible thanks to a tuition scholarship from MidAmerican Energy Company’s Local Partnership Program. Heartland attendees receive fundamental economic development training on topics ranging from business, retention and expansion, workforce development, real estate and entrepreneurship to marketing, finance, ethics and managing economic development organizations.

The 2019 HEDC Class includes representatives from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and South Dakota trained by nationally recognized faculty from within the profession of economic development. HEDC is coordinated by the institute for Decision Making at the University of Northern Iowa and is accredited by the International Economic Development Council.

“Heartland students experience a variety of presentations, best practices and networking opportunities that they can apply back in their own organizations and communities,” Says Allen Kunkle, CEcD, HEDC Board Chair. “Heartland provides a solid foundation upon which each developer can build their base knowledge and experience.”

The Heartland Economic Development Course is a partnership of the Kansas Economic Development Alliance, Professional Developers of Iowa, Missouri Economic Development Council, Nebraska Economic Developer’s Association, South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development, and the Oklahoma Professional Economic Development Association.

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A Message from the CEO: Why we decided to Rebrand

We are now two weeks into our new name and brand, and the response has been affirming and positive!

I would like to thank the Cedar Valley community, our investors and the many constructive conversations that we had to move the rebranding process forward – the Grow Cedar Valley team is grateful for your support!

For some, this rebranding may have come as a surprise. Some wondering where the rebranding came from, what was the why behind this decision. The rebranding process began last spring after several focus groups were facilitated by Randy Pilkington and Drew Conrad from UNI’s Institute for Decision Making (IDM). Through those conversations, it was clear that it was time to refresh, re-focus and renew our mission, vision and goals.

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber retained the services of Amperage Marketing & Fundraising to help implement the process. From the beginning, we were determined to listen to the Cedar Valley business community and leadership to understand the needs moving forward.

Listening included several forms of research. In addition to the focus groups with IDM, there were one-on-one interviews with stakeholders, surveys to current and former investors, and team assessment exercises with staff. Through the research we learned several key points:

We needed to strengthen our brand
Economic and Community development (Chamber) are equally important and need to be woven together to accurately represent and celebrate the Cedar Valley
GCVAC should be the convener and connector
Be the voice of the Business community and tell the Cedar Valley story

So the rebranding process began!

After listening to positive and constructive conversations on where our organization should be moving toward, numerous meetings were scheduled to create the message, brand, name and logo. Through the many discussions there was one descriptor that was repeated throughout, “Grow”. Grow is an action word, strong steady growth is a bellwether of any successful business and organization. When we look toward the future as an organization and the Cedar Valley community we are looking for growth – personal, professional and community growth; strengthening the Cedar Valley as a whole. Growth is how we’ll guide all future decisions.

Our “Grow Cedar Valley” brand is our promise to the community and you can expect that we will create and optimize resources to help grow and leverage the best outcomes. Our team is working diligently to bringing business and community together to create opportunities for the Cedar Valley to thrive. We encourage all to reach out and ask about current projects, initiatives, resources available or get involved with Grow Cedar Valley!

-Cary Darrah, CEO Grow Cedar Valley

Grow Cedar Valley Host Business After Hours at BerganKDV

WATERLOO,IA – Grow Cedar Valley will be hosting Business After Hours at BerganKDV, 100 East Park Avenue #300 in Waterloo. The event will be held on Thursday, May 2 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Business After Hours is a unique opportunity for Grow Cedar Valley investors to network and experience various business locations throughout the Cedar Valley. Attendees learn special information and insight about the sponsoring business while socializing and enjoying complimentary hors d’oeuvres.

Premier Sponsor: BerganKDV

There is no cost for Grow Cedar Valley members to attend. Deadline to register is Thursday, April 25. Premier sponsor for this event is BerganKDV, Gold sponsors include Courier Communications and Red Cedar. For more information or to register for this event contact Bette Wubbena at bette@growcedarvalley.com or call 319/232.1156.

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