Tag Archives: Northeast Iowa

ALLIANCE & CHAMBER TO HOST BUSINESS AFTER HOURS

WATERLOO, IA – The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber will be hosting Business After Hours at the Hampton Inn by Hilton, 2034 LaPorte Rd., Waterloo. The event will be hend on Thursday, August 30 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Business After Hours is a unique opportunity for Alliance & Chamber 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.

There is no cost for Alliance & Chamber members to attend. Deadline to register is Thursday, August 23. For more information or to register for this event contact Bette Wubbena at bwubbena@cedarvalleralliance.com or call 319.232.1156.

###

ALLIANCE & CHAMBER ANNUAL GOLF CLASSIC

WATERLOO, IOWA – The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is hosting its Annual Golf Classic, a networking event for investors/members, on Tuesday, September 11. The event will be held at Fox Ridge Golf Course, 355 Country Ln., Dike. The outing will kick off with lunch at 11:30 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at 1:00 p.m.

The Golf Classic, which attracts up to 120 golfers, is an excellent opportunity for golfers to network in a relaxed atmosphere with Alliance & Chamber investors, community leaders, and potential clients. This Alliance & Chamber event is open to all investors along with their employees and guest. Cost is $400 per foursome which includes green fees, cart, lunch and social.

Premier Sponsor for the event is Covenant Medical Center. A complete list of sponsors can be found on the Business Events Calendar at www.cedarvalleyalliance.com.

RSVP by September 9, 2018, by emailing Bette Wubbena at bwubbena@cedarvalleyalliance.com or Click Here to register.

###

Alliance & Chamber to Welcome New Teachers at Breakfast

CEDAR VALLEY OF IOWA (July 17, 2018) –New teachers will be welcomed by Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber investors at the 2018 New Teacher Breakfast from 7:30-9:00 a.m. on Friday, August 17 at Courtyard by Marriott, 250 Westfield Ave., Waterloo.

The annual event is attended by more than 200 teachers, school administrators, and business leaders. The breakfast will celebrate new teachers from Cedar Falls Community School District, Cedar Valley Catholic Schools, St. Patrick Catholic School, Valley Lutheran and Waterloo Community School District.

The program, facilitated by the Leader Valley team and student leaders, includes an introduction to the whole-school leadership and life skills initiative The Leader in Me©. Speakers also include leaders from business and higher education.

The University of Northern Iowa College of Education is the premier sponsor for the breakfast. Gold sponsors include Cedar Valley Catholic Schools System, and Hawkeye Community College. The Decoration Sponsor is Sam’s Club, and Silver Sponsors are Purdue University Global, and UnityPoint Health – Allen Hospital.

Alliance & Chamber investors are exclusively invited to attend the breakfast. Event ticket price of $40 pays for breakfast for one representative of the investor’s company and a complimentary breakfast for one new teacher.

The Alliance & Chamber investor registration deadline is August 7. Click here to register or contact Bette Wubbena at bwubbena@cedarvalleyalliance.com.

METRO AREA MAKES LIST OF SUCCESSFUL MANUFACTURING COMMUNITIES

CEDAR FALLS/ WATERLOO, Iowa – Waterloo/Cedar Falls positioned among the top 22 successful manufacturing intensive communities according to the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

In May 2018, Timothy J. Bartik of the W.E. Upjohn Institute released a study identifying manufacturing intensive communities in the United States that were performing well from 2000 – 2015, when most of these types of communities were suffering.

Bartik identified three strategies that were utilized in the successful communities.

“Expand customized services to small and medium-sized manufacturers.”
“Invest in infrastructure and services that make the community’s land better for business development.”
“Increase public spending on services that increase local workers’ job skills.”

The greater Cedar Falls/ Waterloo manufacturing hub attributes this success to the partnering of private organizations with public entities to develop programs that create and carry out all three of the strategies mentioned. The Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber has seen this to be true; reporting that 75% of manufacturers interviewed since 2010 have reported that they are growing. There are a large number of programs and initiatives working to promote manufacturing growth in the Cedar Valley.

Starting in area high schools, the Waterloo Career Center and Cedar Falls CAPS (Center for Advanced Professional Studies) are offering manufacturing programs to expose students to the industry as well as connect them with area organizations. Higher education institutions have developed technical training programs designed to provide college students with the skills to be successful and the connections to build great careers here in the Cedar Valley.

Hawkeye Community College (HCC) uses the 260E and 260F training programs. 260E is a program for training of new employees and 260F is a training program to upskill current employees. Furthermore, HCC and the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) partnered to create the UNI Metal Casting Additive Manufacturing Center. This center is housed within TechWorks, the first technology park of its kind in Iowa to combine world-class business amenities within a Brownfield industrial redevelopment project.

The study notes that from 2000 – 2015, the United States saw an 8.5% increase in the overall job growth while manufacturing intensive communities saw a 2.7% decrease. Waterloo and Cedar Falls governments and the Alliance & Chamber continuously recognize the importance of providing resources to existing business, to encourage and support their growth.

To attract new manufacturers to the area and encourage the growth of current manufacturers, the cities are proactive about developing land and allotting land to be used by manufacturing operations. Additionally, businesses can receive tax credits when developing and building on brownfields through Iowa Economic Development Authority.

The Alliance & Chamber assists with this application process. This has allowed the area to use the Cedar Valley’s city space efficiently.

For small to mid-sized manufacturers, CIRAS (Center for Industrial Research and Service) has been a phenomenal asset to organizations here in the Cedar Valley; providing high quality consulting at a more affordable rate.

All these efforts by the city governments, educational institutions, the Alliance & Chamber and the hard work of Cedar Valley manufacturers contributed to the growth of the region, earning its spot in Upjohn’s top 22 successful manufacturing intensive communities.

Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber Report: Four Years of Economic Development Will Spur $1.8 Billion in Economic Output

Study Finds Every Dollar Invested Generates $64 in Output

Dorothy de Souza Guedes, Independent Writer

Waterloo, Iowa, May 7, 2018: Regional businesses will benefit from more than $1.8 billion in economic output generated over 10 years due to investments in economic development projects supported by the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber from 2013-2017.

That is the conclusion drawn from analyzing data gathered by the Alliance & Chamber and reported in “The Economic Impact of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber from 2013-2017,” a report prepared by Impact DataSource, an Austin, Texas consulting, research, and analysis firm.

The Cedar Valley of Iowa is in northeast Iowa and is within a day’s drive of all major Midwest markets only 180 miles south of the Minneapolis/St. Paul and 265 miles west of Chicago and 315 miles southwest of Kansas City with a regional population of 236,038.

The Alliance & Chamber assisted 23 existing business expansions and new locations in the Cedar Valley of Iowa creating $260.3 million in new capital investment. Together, creating 558 jobs and retaining an additional 30 direct jobs and anticipated creation of 400 indirect jobs.

The report noted that for every $1 in new capital investment generated by these project, the businesses supported and generated:

$13.62 in additional worker earnings
$9.63 in additional local taxable sales
$2.01 in additional net benefits for cities
$5.61 in net benefits for all local taxing districts

During that five-year period, the Alliance & Chamber supported new or expanding existing businesses in economic development projects that created employment opportunities and spent money on supplies, services and other inputs. Direct expenditures include both those by the expanding businesses and earnings paid to new workers. This created a positive ripple effect on regional businesses as workers spend money in area businesses such as restaurants, banks, grocery stores, apartment complexes, convenience stores, and service companies.

“The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber’s one-stop center for economic development services is critical to a community’s economic growth and many of these investments may not have occurred without the efforts of the Alliance & Chamber,” the report’s authors concluded.

“We act as a catalyst for economic and community development through strategies for growth, which prove to increase the economic vitality of this region like no other place in the state of Iowa. We are the Cedar Valley’s One-Voice for business and development interests. We believe in strong community development that feeds a strong economic development goal.,” said Cary Darrah, Acting CEO, Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber.

Local and state governments committed $24.9 million for incentives. After accounting for costs associated with increased demand for city services from new or expanding businesses and new households, the cities are expected to receive approximately $49.9 million in net benefits over the 10-year period.

The Alliance & Chamber plans to have the economic impact analysis done annually to review the impact of economic development projects on businesses and works in the Greater Cedar Valley of Iowa.

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber’s mission is to increase economic vitality and wealth by leading Collaborative economic and community development in Northeast Iowa.

###

Amanda Goodman Joins KWWL Family

Amanda Goodman will join Ron Steele next month as co-anchor of the KWWL News at Five, Six and Ten.

A native of Pennsylvania, Goodman has worked as a reporter and anchor for more than 10 years at stations in Texas and North Carolina. She also served as a journalism instructor at West Texas A&M University.

As an anchor and mother, Amanda is very much in tune with issues facing both parents and children. Her AnchorMOM blog, along with numerous stories she has produced over the past few years, focused on important matters for both groups. Goodman’s most significant effort has been “The Bully Project,” a social media- fueled initiative that gave voice to the victims, and held accountable those responsible. “Giving kids who are bullied a voice is the number one priority for me. No child should ever be afraid to ride a school bus, go to school or go out on the playground.”

Goodman looks forward to bringing her passion for news to the Midwest. “I’m incredibly excited to come to Eastern Iowa and be a part of a station and region with such rich history,” said Goodman. “I have been nothing but impressed by the quality and caliber of the people in this organization.”

“It’s not an easy position to fill,” said Dan Schillinger, KWWL News Director. “But Amanda has the skills and the qualities we look for in a lead anchor. Her style and stories fit well with what we do here.”

A mother of two, Amanda and her husband enjoy spending their free time playing sports in the backyard and coming together on Sunday for special family meals. An avid football fan, Goodman closely follows Notre Dame and the Philadelphia Eagles. “Both of my children were baptized wearing Fighting Irish booties. I look forward to having debates with Mark Schnackenberg about his Steelers.”

“Amanda is an excellent fit for our viewers.” Said Jim McKernan, V.P. and General Manager at KWWL. “She has a solid journalistic background and a level of dedication to causes that matter to so many in our viewing area.”

“As a mom, I have a “vision” of the ideal place my children would grow up in.” Goodman added. “I never truly thought it existed until coming to Eastern Iowa. The moment I stepped off the plane, it felt like home.”

Goodman begins at KWWL on July 8, and will take her place on the anchor desk on July 31.

QNI is a privately held family owned company with roots in the newspaper business dating back to 1835. Quincy Newspapers, Inc. was formed in 1926 with the merger of The Quincy Herald and The Quincy Whig-Journal.

The company owns and operates NBC affiliates in Quincy and Rockford Illinois, Waterloo and Sioux City, Iowa, Rochester, Minnesota and Bluefield, West Virginia. QNI also operates ABC affiliates in Madison, La Crosse, Eau Claire, Wausau and Eagle River, Wisconsin and a FOX affiliate in South Bend, Indiana. QNI operates another FOX affiliate in Rochester, Minnesota under a shared services agreement. QNI also owns and operates an AM-FM radio combination in Quincy and daily/Sunday newspapers in Quincy, Illinois and Newton, New Jersey.

Grow Cedar Valley