Tag Archives: Cary Darrah

GREATER CEDAR VALLEY ALLIANCE & CHAMBER NOW ACCCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR ANNUAL DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AWARDS

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber announces nominations will be accepted now through the end of Oct. 31, 2014 for Diversity & Inclusion Business Awards to be presented during the 2015 Annual Celebration on Thursday, March 26th at the Park Place Event Centre.

This recognition is given for outstanding contribution by a business or organization for leadership in creating and strengthening an environment of diversity and inclusion in the workplace culture, business practices and in the community.

Nominations can be made through the nomination form on the Alliance & Chamber website, www.cedarvalleyalliance.com/diversity through the end of October. Nominees will be invited to complete an application and interview process to determine winners.

Past award winners from the 2014 event include Allen College Unity Point and Veridian Credit Union. Past award winners from the 2013 event include Em’s Coffee of Independence, Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, Iowa, Inc., and Wartburg College.

The Cedar Valley Diversity and Inclusion initiative is designed to strengthen the Cedar Valley through promoting diversity, full inclusion, and cultural competencies in business, and to focus on the importance, impact and benefits to business of effective diversity and inclusion practices. The partnership also hosts an annual educational summit in the fall and two multicultural receptions throughout the year. The next reception will be Oct. 28^th at Hawkeye Community College from 4:30-6:30pm.

Descriptions of the awards, nomination forms, and application form are available at the Alliance & Chamber offices or online at www. cedarvalleyalliance.com/diversity . For additional information, please contact Alliance & Chamber Vice President of Community Development, Cary Darrah at cdarrah@cedarvalleyalliance.com or 232-1156.

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Three Reinvestment District Projects receive provisional funding approvals

The Iowa Reinvestment District Program is designed to assist communities in developing transformative projects that will improve the quality of life, create and enhance unique opportunities and substantially benefit the community, region and state. The program provides for up to $100 million in new state hotel/motel and sales tax revenues to be “reinvested” within approved districts. Districts cannot exceed 25 acres in size and must be in an Enterprise Zone or Urban Renewal Area.

Iowa Reinvestment District plans must include tax revenues generated by “new retail establishments” and “new lessors”. New retail establishments cannot exceed 50 percent of the total proposed capital investment. At least one of the new proposed projects within the district must reach a total capital investment of $10 million. And, the total amount of new tax revenues to be remitted to the municipality cannot exceed 35 percent of the total cost of all proposed projects in the district plan.

Three of the 10 applicants received a score in excess of 70 points (out of 100) and presented their projects to the Due Diligence Committee in May. The IEDA board today, upon the recommendation of the Due Diligence Committee, decided on provisional funding for the projects in the city of Des Moines, the city of Muscatine and the city of Waterloo.

The provisional funding decisions are designed to provide practical feedback for municipalities interested in creating a reinvestment district but are not final or binding. Following the provisional approval, final application materials fully meeting all of the program’s requirements are due prior to March 1, 2015. Applicants may amend any part of the pre-application to represent any change to the proposed projects within the district. The final application will be re-scored in the same manner as the pre-application, if changes are made. The board’s final funding decision may be different from the provisional funding decision based on the final application.

The city of Des Moines was provisionally approved for a maximum of $36,487,400 in funding for its proposed district in the city’s downtown. The Des Moines plan proposes a total capital investment of $178.5 million and includes building a convention headquarters hotel, investing in infrastructure and amenities to support new visitors, redeveloping important downtown sites, preserving significant architecture, improving walk-ability throughout downtown, and connecting important amenities such as the Iowa Events Center, Principal Riverwalk, the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines and Cowles Commons, the East Village, Court Avenue and Western Gateway Park.

The Muscatine Reinvestment District received provisional funding approval of $10 million maximum for its $41.1 million capital investment. This district includes one major project, the Riverview Suites Development, consisting of three elements: the construction of a new hotel, the remodel of a vacant building into a conference and events center, and the construction of a parking ramp.

The city of Waterloo was provisionally approved for $12 million maximum for the TechWorks district, located at the west end of downtown and made up of land donated by Deere & Company. The district has a capital investment of $74.1 million and includes three projects. The first is a mixed-use development including a business-class hotel, industrial incubator, private sector lab and manufacturing maker-space and John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum. The second project area includes commercial out-lots such as a restaurants and retailers that complement other project areas. The third project area includes a marina for boat storage, boat sales, fuel sales and a riverfront restaurant.

Full application materials for these three projects will be available within 10 days for public viewing at www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/CommunityDevelopment/ReinvestmentDistrict. Applications for subsequent Reinvestment Districts will be accepted from March 1-15, 2015.

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Download a spreadsheet of today’s awards:
http://iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/UserDocs/documents/IEDA/june14awards.pdf

Young Professional Graduate from Cedar Valley Leadership Institute with Stronger Ties to the Community

Cedar Valley of Iowa (June 10, 2014) – The 2013/2014 Cedar Valley Leadership Institute (CVLI) of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber concluded it sessions with a graduation reception at Park Place Event Center on May 28th. Employers, family and Alliance & Chamber staff and board members were on hand to congratulate the 27 graduates.

Cary Darrah, Vice President Community Development of the Alliance & Chamber reflected on the highlights of the year by saying, “This is a dynamic class of emerging leaders for the Cedar Valley. Their leadership qualities go beyond their professional commitments and will be a huge asset to our community.”

“The CVLI program is designed to produce leaders for the advancement of the Cedar Valley. The graduates are making the Cedar Valley a better place to do business and build a career by engaging in volunteer community projects or organization opportunities, and by encouraging others through their experience,” noted Steve Dust, CEO of the Alliance & Chamber. “I would also like to thank the employers/sponsors of this year’s class for investing in the leadership development of their team, as well as the future of the Cedar Valley.”

“CVLI provided an avenue un-like any other that I have traveled down before,” says Patrick Smith a graduate of the institute and Vice President, Institutional Sales at First National Bank, Cedar Falls, “It was more than just an opportunity to network with other professionals; by the end of the class we all built relationships that will extend well beyond the last nine months in the CVLI program. I personally look forward to working along-side these talented, highly-thought of leaders, as we all grow with the Cedar Valley.”

Members of the class included:

Joshua Anderson John Deere Engine Works

Bethany Benner Next Generation Wireless/Jiva Salonspa

Randy Bennett City of Cedar Falls

David Betz John Deere

Sarah Bey UNI Regional Business Center

Nate Clapham UNI Foundation

David Hansen Advanced Systems

Dale Hartz UNI Career Services

Drew Hektoen John Deere Waterloo Works

Tina Hummel MidWest One Bank

Lisa Johnson John Deere Waterloo Works

Amy Kay City of Cedar Falls Engineering

Heidi Kenkel John Deere Waterloo Works

Kaara Latusick VGM Group

Kelly Mangrich Veridian Credit Union

Kristina Mehmen Invision Architecture

Joshua Moon Dutton, Braun, Staack, & Hellman

Tara Sagers PDCM Insurance

Adam Schaefer US Bank

Patrick Smith First National Bank

Steve Skram Beecher, Field, Walker, Morris, Hoffman & Johnson

Nathan Vandegrift John Deere Engine Works

Matt Waller VGM Homelink

Cindy Wiles Western Home Communities

Amy Williams Lincoln Savings Bank

Harley Wilson CBE Companies, Inc.

Megan Zuniga John Deere Waterloo Operations

Registration for the 2014/2015 CVLI will begin July 1. Cost of the institute is $795.00 and is limited to Alliance & Chamber investor companies and organizations.

More information can be found at www.cedarvalley alliance.com or by contacting Cary Darrah by calling (319)232-1156 or email cdarrah@cedarvalleyalliance.com.

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Construction Begins on Cedar Valley TechWorks Campus

Cedar Valley of Iowa, (May 19, 2014) Construction is underway at the Cedar Valley TechWorks Campus. Modifications to the existing Tech I structure started on April 14, 2014 as part of the $2M construction project. This project focuses on basic interior renovations and preparation for additional projects on the first two floors. The project will bring both spaces to a ready state for future tenant improvements. The current project includes insulation, windows, basic utilities, lighting, and HVAC. Tenants for the first and second floors have been identified, with negotiations ongoing. The project is scheduled for completion fall 2014. The Cedar Valley’s Cardinal Construction is the design-build general contractor. INVISION is their design partner.

“This project is significant in that it lays the groundwork for all future tenant spaces,” says Steve Dust, President/CEO of the Alliance & Chamber and President, TechWorks Campus. “It represents the diligent behind the scene efforts of the TechWorks board and staff, and is a visual sign of progress to the community.”

Cedar Valley TechWorks is a 30-acre advanced manufacturing and biotechnology research, development and education center, creating business and manufacturing cluster. The campus is located in downtown Waterloo, Iowa adjacent to the John Deere Westfield manufacturing operations. The campus includes two historic former Deere manufacturing buildings; Tech I and Tech II. The Tech I building includes: the University of Northern Iowa Metal Casting Center featuring the ExOne 3D printer – the largest in North America; industrial manufacturing space; tech shop or ‘tinkers’ space; incubator; and classrooms. Tech II is the starting point of the larger Green@TechWorks development project which includes: the John Deere Regional Training Center; an internationally recognized business class hotel; fine dining establishment; office and conference space. The John Deere Waterloo & Tractor Museum is also located on the campus and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2014. The campus includes parcels suitable for larger scale manufacturing facilities. TechWorks is the first technology park of its kind in the Iowa to combine world class business amenities within a Brownfield industrial redevelopment project. TechWorks has been designated as the site of the Iowa Advanced Manufacturing Center (IAMC) by the Iowa Innovation Corporation.

“The Cedar Valley has a rich history of value-added manufacturing and industrial innovation which makes TechWorks an ideal location for the statewide IAMC resource center,” says Cary Darrah, Vice President of Community Development and General Manager of Cedar Valley TechWorks Campus.

Cedar Valley TechWorks is a subsidiary of by the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber.

For more information on the Cedar Valley TechWorks, contact Cary Darrah, General Manager of Cedar Valley TechWorks Campus by calling (319)232-1156 or email cdarrah@cedarvalleyalliance.com, or Wes James, at wjames@cedarvalleyalliance.com.

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Cedar Valley Investor Report

The Cedar Valley Investor Report gives a snap shot of the activities of the Alliance & Chamber, news from our investors, and informative articles selected for their relevance to economic growth in the Cedar Valley.

Cedar Valley Investor Report

Sue Beach Joins Alliance & Chamber as Director of Investor Relations

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is pleased to announce that Sue Beach has joined the Alliance & Chamber as Director of Investor Relations.

The Director of Investor Relations is responsible for investor recruitment and retention. Beach will work collaboratively with Bette Wubbena, Director of Investor Services.

“Sue has served as a volunteer on Alliance & Chamber committees and as an Ambassador for both the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber and the Waverly Chamber,” says Cary Darrah, Vice President of Community Development, “Her knowledge of our services and the return on investment available to investors will be a major benefit to our existing investors and to other businesses and institutions in the Cedar Valley economic area looking to give their operations a competitive advantage through the Alliance & Chamber.”

Beach has over 20 years of sales, marketing, fundraising, and management experience. Most recently, Beach led the Cedar Valley through the adoption and implementation of the Blue Zones Project of Waterloo and Cedar Falls as the Program Manager.

Beach is a graduate of North Iowa Area Community College and Hamilton College.

“Sue is a respected leader in the community with extensive expertise in building relationships and generating revenue, volunteer support and action,” says Alliance & Chamber CEO Steven Dust, “Her business and non-profit experience is a good match for this new role in the Alliance & Chamber. Our investors can expect the same kind of enthusiasm and energy to ensure they’re receiving maximum return on their Alliance & Chamber investments.”

Beach resides in Cedar Falls with her husband Sean and has an adult daughter Cheyenne. She will begin her duties with the Alliance & Chamber on May 12,2014.

The mission of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is to increase economic vitality and wealth by leading collaborative economic and community development. Details about the many programs and initiatives of the Alliance & Chamber can be found at www.cedarvalleyalliance.com.

Kittrell announces the IAMC proposed location at the Cedar Valley TechWorks in Waterloo

Cedar Valley of Iowa – On February 5, the Iowa Innovation Corporation will unveil the vision for the Iowa Advanced Manufacturing Center (IAMC). Two announcement / presentations will be made by Mark Kittrell, President, Iowa Innovation Corporation (IIC) on that day. The first will be at 9:00am during the 2014 Cedar Valley Manufacturing Conference held in Tama Hall on the Hawkeye Community College campus. Later, Kittrell will make an official presentation in Des Moines as a part of the IIC Legislative reception at 5:00pm at the World Food Prize building.

Kittrell’s announcement is expected to include: the IAMC proposed location at the Cedar Valley TechWorks in Waterloo; the role and composition of the newly formed Advanced Manufacturing Workgroup ; a schedule of Advanced Manufacturing Focus Groups to be held in various locations; the resources to be offered to Iowa small & medium size manufacturers such as an industrial business incubator, acceleration services, modeling and simulation, industrial laboratories, state of the art production equipment, access to Iowa’s top industrial innovation work and talent from our universities and community colleges, and process improvement.

Kittrell will also discuss capital and operational funding necessary to continue development of the Iowa Advanced Manufacturing Center.

Advanced Manufacturing Workgroup

Co-chaired by Sarah McDonald Hasken, Vice President, A.Y. McDonald MFG. Co., and Glenn Baker, Director Global Manufacturing and Enterprise Services, John Deere, this core group of Iowa’s manufacturing sector, has been formed to set the direction for the IAMC.

The workgroup comprises leaders from all types of advanced manufacturing in the state of Iowa and also includes representatives of the regent universities, community colleges, state government, engineering, business associations and economic development leaders. David Takes, President of Doerfer; Mark Hanawalt, President/CEO of United Business Equipment; and Marvin Schumacher, President of Schumacher Elevator; Metal Casting Center Director Jerry Thiel; Linda Allen, President of Hawkeye Community College; and TechWorks representatives Cary Darrah, Wes James, and Steve Dust participate in the Workgroup from the Cedar Valley.

Advanced Manufacturing Focus Groups

The Advanced Manufacturing Workgroup will hold a series of industry focus group sessions around the state to discuss the issues faced and needs of small & medium size manufacturers. The focus group sessions will be held March through mid -April. Advanced Manufacturing Focus Group Sessions will be held in: Council Bluffs, Mason City, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, Dubuque, Iowa Quad Cities, and Holstein. Earlier, a session was held in the Cedar Valley.

TechWorks Campus

TechWorks is a 30-acre campus containing 20 acres of development sites and 300,000 square feet of space in two existing buildings undergoing renovation. In 2007, Deere & Company donated land and buildings to start this innovation-driven economic development project. This historic plant was the site of manufacturing and assembly of the earliest John Deere tractors. TechWorks Campus is a subsidiary of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber.

TechWorks will partner with the Iowa Innovation Corporation to establish and house the Iowa Advanced Manufacturing Center (IAMC) in the Tech I building on the TechWorks Campus.

For more information on the Iowa Innovation Council, the Iowa Innovation Corporation, the Iowa Advanced Manufacturing Center, or the Iowa Innovation Council Legislative Reception on Feb. 5th, contact:

Tonja Richards

Director of Marketing and Communications
Iowa Innovation Corporation
tonja.richards@iowainnovationcoporation.com
(515)421-4038

For more information on the Cedar Valley Manufacturing Conference contact:

Pamela Wright, Business Development Manager

Hawkeye Community College

Pamela.wright@hawkeyecollege.edu
(319)296-2329 ext.3012

For information on the TechWorks Campus contact:

Steve Dust, CEO
Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber
sdust@cedarvalleyalliance.com
(319)232-1156

TechWorks proponents forge ahead

September 30, 2013 12:00 pm Editorial – Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier

That’s why proponents of the Cedar Valley TechWorks should not lose heart.

TechWorks, the agri-industrial research complex being developed on portions of John Deere’s former Westfield Avenue facilities, is now 10 years in the making. It was jointly proposed in 2003 by then-University of Northern Iowa president Robert Koob and Barry Shaffter, then general manager of Deere’s Waterloo operations.

Part of the project appears to have hit what proponents call a financial “speed bump.” An application for historic designation through the U.S. National Parks Service has been turned down. At stake is some $10 million in historic preservation tax credits toward the $50 million project.

Proponents are forging ahead.

Bryce Henderson, chief financial officer and chief operating officer with Davenport-based Financial District Properties, the project’s developer, said, “This decision was largely subjective, and we’re going back next week to present our case again,” he said last week.

Darn right. With all due respect to the Park Service, we don’t understand how preserving and enhancing a complex that was the industrial heart of Waterloo for most of the 20th century cannot have historic significance. We areapproaching the 100th anniversary of John Deere’s entry into Waterloo with the purchase of the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. in 1918, which was located on that very spot.

Henderson said the project will continue, and that there are backup financing plans. “You never go into a redevelopment project like this without a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C and Plan D,” he said.

Developers have not given up on securing the historic designation for the Tech 2 building, which is scheduled to open in the winter of 2014 with a Radisson business-class hotel with a ground-floor restaurant, John Deere training facility, showroom and office space and a location for education programs of Hawkeye Community College.

“Part of our discussion was how to get started on the west end of the campus around the museum (Deere Tractor and Engine Museum, now under construction) and Tech 1 while we’re still putting all the pieces together for the Green project,” said Steve Dust, president and CEO of TechWorks. “It was important to understand that we continue to move ahead, even though this is a very important part of the project.”

We appreciate and applaud that undaunted approach. We would ask Park Service officials to consider the alternative. Longtime Cedar Valley residents have seen many industrial buildings fall victim to the wrecking ball, which subsequently resulted in aesthetic eyesores and environmental cleanup headaches.

The TechWorks project is a responsible, systematic re-use of a major industrial site in this city, preserving the site’s heritage with a look to future technologies. That’s a plan worth pursuing, and fighting for.

Iowa Advanced Manufacturing Center Takes Shape:

During the 2013 session, the Iowa Legislature stepped up with bipartisan support to approve funding for the creation of the Iowa Advanced Manufacturing Center (IAMC).

The IAMC is being established in partnership with the Iowa Innovation Corporation and Iowa Economic Development Authority. It will be a center of collaboration among those organizations listed above and many other “partners” and “users” such as many programs and centers within UNI and Hawkeye Community College, Wartburg’s manufacturing engineering program, ISU’s CIRAS/MEP, and others. It will be available to you and other Iowa manufacturers and product innovators to increase competitiveness and commercialization of new products.

“The realization of the IAMC moves the TechWorks Campus plan ahead, said TechWorks board Chair Tim Hurley. “ IAMC creates the center of thinking and action, physical and virtual, that has always been a part of our vision, he said. “ We could not have accomplished this without the leadership of Waterloo’s Sen. Bill Dotzler and enthusiastic bipartisan leadership of our Cedar Valley delegation and support throughout the legislature, IIC and IEDA for manufacturing’s leading role in Iowa’s economy. That it’s happening in TechWorks is our dream coming true,” Hurley concluded.

The IAMC is programmed to include such uses as these examples:

Owned and operated by UNI’s Metal Casting Center, a large format 3D printer will be installed in the existing industrial lab space of the Tech 1 building on the TechWorks Campus. The large scale equipment, using polymer media, will be among the only of its kind in North America. The Metal Casting Center will provide access to this highly sophisticated equipment to manufacturing firms on a contract basis.
The Alliance & Chamber and TechWorks are collaborating with UNI to make existing lab facilities available to Iowa firms on a fee-for-time or project basis.
It is expected to install one and perhaps two 4 and 5 wall Computer Aided Virtual Reality Environment structures in the lab floor.
Improve the Tech 1 building:
- Docks and overhead doors will be installed, along with required mechanical and electrical improvements.
- Space will be available for advanced manufacturing operations to lease, and
- Hawkeye Community College is establishing its green/sustainable construction methods program

Planning is underway for improvements, which will be underway later in 2013. Contact Steve Dust or Cary Darrah regarding IAMC programming.

Grow Cedar Valley