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Young people looking for a great place to live and work will find Iowa has more to offer them than the rest of the nation. Iowa’s great economic and lifestyle factors rank the state 3rd is third in the nations for favorable conditions for young people according to MoneyRates.com. Among the 10 factors in the report where Iowa shines are employment, cost of education, auto insurance, affordable and available housing, nightlife, and healthfulness. Read the entire report.
The well documented but still emerging bankruptcy of PFGBEST placed the Cedar Valley of Iowa in the national headlines. In the wake, nearly 200 people were left out of work, financial obligations to global investors, suppliers, and a variety of other interests, including the GCVAC remain unmet. Though this event and its fallout present challenges, it also opens doors of opportunity for Cedar Valley businesses and GCVAC to respond with practical and creative solutions.
A state of the art building filled with advanced information technology infrastructure is now available for growth of a Cedar Valley business, or a new corporate citizen. Further, the availability of former PFG and MyVerona employees provides an opportunity for local companies to hire well trained and highly skilled talent in a wide range of jobs.
To facilitate this, the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber established Cedar Valley Talent Connect. In cooperation with our local economic development partners, workforce agencies and the GCVAC investor base, Talent Connect facilitates the match of PFG’s displaced job seekers with businesses looking to hire through job fairs, and web-based tools for sharing resumes and job postings. Beyond the immediate circumstances, Cedar Valley Talent Connect will be further developed and deployed to respond to ongoing demand for skilled, talented people in the Cedar Valley.
The national and regional media attention is providing opportunities to accentuate our talented people and expanding businesses. By concentrating on helping you, our investors, to match your open job opportunities with available PFG talent, and seeking future uses for the extraordinary, available headquarters building, we’re working to keep the demise of PFG from overshadowing the great things that are happening all over the Cedar Valley economic area. We will continue to use the attention drawn by this unfortunate event to present the stories of success of our businesses and talented people of the Cedar Valley. Our – your – resilience and determination to succeed is the correct, lasting storyline.
Tuesday, July 17th, The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber hosted a Campaign Kick-off event to launch their Fulfilling the Vision2 campaign and to unveil their five-year Plan for Regional Growth . The event, held at the Waterloo Center for the Arts, was hosted by Campaign Chairman Thad Nevitt of Deere & Company. A broad-based program celebrated recent accomplishments and Alliance economic development activities presented by Alliance & Chamber CEO, Steve Dust. A presentation of The Plan for Regional Economic Growth was given by Alliance & Chamber Board Chair -elect Kris Hansen. Outgoing Alliance & Chamber Board Chair Hugh Field also made comments.
Among those in attendance were regional businesses and institutions who have already made commitments to the current campaign, those who have participated in the past as well as potential investors in the campaign. The Fulfilling the Vision 2 campaign funds the ongoing efforts of the Alliance & Chamber to support existing local business, attract new business, and aid in the retention, development and attraction of talent to the greater Cedar Valley Region of Iowa.
FtV2 is the follow-up campaign to the successful Fulfilling the Vision initiative of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber. With this new campaign, the Alliance & Chamber will be raising the Cedar Valley to a greater power.
Goals of the campaign are as follows; to develop and strengthen a technology and innovation based regional economy, to act as a catalyst and focal point of effective regional action on economic issues of importance to businesses and institutions throughout the Cedar Valley economic area, and to increase the effectiveness of Alliance organizations.
These goals will be reached through focused efforts in six areas: Workforce and Talent, Business Growth, Advocacy for the Cedar Valley, Increasing Cedar Valley Regional Collaboration, Cedar Valley Business Intelligence and Economic Performance Data, and Reporting Our Success.
The FtV2 Campaign Goal
The goal to raise $4.25 million through the FtV2 campaign will be invested over the next five years in our work to attain the business development goals.
FtV2 ROI Estimates
Most importantly, The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber estimates that their efforts will generate 100 opportunities for business expansion, retention and recruitment, at an average of $5 million in value. They are also projecting new jobs with a target floor rate of $19 an hour. These jobs should influence produce $66,975,00 in annual total earnings adding $37,021,302 in annual area consumer expenditures and up to $5,787,220 in annual deposits for area banks.
A website and video have been produced for the campaign and can be viewed at www.FtV2.org.
The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber (GCVA&C) is a private, not-for-profit corporation whose investors and members include businesses, institutions, governments and professionals dedicated to continuously improving the economic environment and quality of life in the Cedar Valley.
The Cedar Valley-generally encompassing a 30-mile radius around the Waterloo/Cedar Falls metro-is one economy comprised of thriving corporations, enterprise-level institutions and locally owned businesses, as well as talented, skilled people pursuing careers and enjoying life.
The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber, along with other agencies is hosting an information meeting for PFG & MyVerona employees at Hawkey Community College, Tama Hall on Wednesday, July 18th, 2012, from 1:00 -3:00pm. The meeting will be lead by Iowa Workfoce Development and about a dozen other agencies. Read more here.
The Courier reports that the CBE Group announced Friday that it will re-occupy its building located at 4140 Kimball Ave. in Waterloo allowing the company the ability to bring more jobs to the Cedar Valley
Economic strength of Cedar Valley of Iowa shows in unemployment stats-but must re-skill/attract talent to fill demand. Here are some highlights from the Courier’s recent article.
DES MOINES — Unemployment in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metropolitan area nudged downward one-tenth of a point from April to May, to 4.7 percent, according to Iowa Workforce Development.
Statewide, Iowa had the seventh-lowest unemployment rate in the nation in May, at 5.1 percent. That was unchanged from the April figure but down 15 percent from the 6 percent in May 2011.
Joblessness in the city of Waterloo was 5.8 percent in May, compared to 6.1 percent in April.
Across Black Hawk County, the May unemployment rate was 4.9 percent, compared to 5.1 in April and 5.7 in May 2011.
By JIM OFFNER, jim.offner@wcfcourier.comwcfcourier.com | Posted: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 9:00 pm
Read More: http://wcfcourier.com/business/local/area-jobless-rate-percent-in-may/article_0a5f7f75-9be5-5201-9728-272de8164091.html#ixzz1yuLLgJVE
Five years ago today, the election results were tallied and we found well in excess of 90% of our members had approved the merger of the two Chambers! This was, and still is acknowledged as a significant step for the businesses of our region to achieve this level of unity, recognizing that our economic interests are mutual, regardless of where we’re located. Good job! To our business and civic leaders who led – and still lead – the efforts to act in unity in matters relating to the economy and overall civic progress.
(06/14/2012, Waterloo, IA) – The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber announced today the debut of their new business-focused website. The Alliance & Chamber brought the features and related information from multiple economic development and chamber of commerce sites, into one integrated web presence (www.cedarvalleyalliance.com).
The Alliance & Chamber’s website serves as a resource for new and growing businesses, important economic and community data including economic profiles, demographics, major employers, cost of living and more. In addition, it will highlight tools and resources for members including legislative advocacy efforts, quality of life amenities, education and workforce resources, as well as business education and networking events and promotional opportunities for member/ investors.
To increase traffic, this media-rich website has maximized search engine optimization, social media integration, and value-added features such as a events calendar and enhanced membership directory. The directory now includes links to investor websites, video, introduction, and social media. These features, along with tools to promote events and products will provide greater exposure and drive more traffic to member/investor websites and locations.
Fresh content, relevant to the business community will be posted frequently including the latest press releases, community and economic news, TechWorks and legislative advocacy updates, and timely postings from the CEO. The new media center allows visitors to access links to online versions of print publications and newsletters with Courier Communications and other Cedar Valley media partners. The video and photo galleries give viewers a more complete picture of the Cedar Valley communities and resources.
The flexibility of the new site allows information about the entire Cedar Valley economic area to be added.
To further enhance the sites value proposition to investors and users, a mobile application will be launched later this summer. The application, will allow smart phone users to access the fully searchable investor business directory, find businesses closest to them, access information about current promotions, provide single click mapping and dialing to businesses, plus news and event reminders.
“The new website is an advanced tool for providing resources and information to our investors, the Cedar Valley and businesses considering locating to our region,” explains Steven J. Dust Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber CEO, “It helps us achieve our primary goal; to provide information instantly that accommodates both today’s product selection and buying decisions as well as business location decisions.”
The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber brings together nearly 900 businesses, local governments, healthcare and educational institutions to make the Cedar Valley of Iowa one of the nation’s best places to do business and enjoy life. With the support and efforts of the investors and member volunteers, the Alliance & Chamber serves as a conduit for information about the region, its businesses and the issues that affect them and provides opportunities for significant professional networking, business education and promotion. The Alliance & Chamber supports workforce & talent development, and aggressively works to improve our positive climate for business expansion and growth.
The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber encourages interested parties to Be Part of Something Greater by visiting www.cedarvalleyalliance.com.
Just what does $50 million buy these days?
We’re about to find out, as work on the long-talked-about TechWorks project appears finally ready to start this year.
TechWorks, in theory, always has been a great concept as a salve for downtown Waterloo, which, like other central urban business districts across the country, started a long downward slide when stores and other businesses moved out and buildings fell into disrepair. The farm crisis of the late 1980s certainly didn’t help.
Talk of downtown redevelopment is nothing new. What’s new is action, which appears to be starting.
Davenport-based developer Rodney Blackwell ventured into town with an eye on building new housing in downtown Waterloo and left with TechWorks on his mind.
“The bones of that building are incredible,” he said.
Whatever vision crept into Blackwell’s mind started to grow. Plans were drawn and revised. Consultants were brought in and high-level meetings held over the last couple of years.
And last week, that vision was unveiled to a roomful of civic and business leaders in the form of The Green @ TechWorks. When the project is completed sometime in the late summer or early fall of 2013, the campus will immediately have enough solar and wind power to provide as much as 60 percent of its energy needs. The “Tech 2” building will include “world-class” showroom and office space, as well as an upscale 100-room hotel/restaurant complex tailored to the needs of business and leisure travelers.
Next door will be a 24,000-square-foot John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum that planners say will attract tourists from all over the world. Deere also will have a thoroughly updated training facility on the premises. Planners say they are on the cusp of signing at least one new tenant for Tech 1.
And, that’s just part of a downtown renaissance planned for downtown. Blackwell says work will begin in the summer on revitalizing a downtown corridor dubbed “Main & Main,” along Commercial Street around the convention center.
Add to that, new housing along the riverfront, the riverfront plaza and amphitheater project and all of its amenities, rehab projects either on the drawing board, under way or already completed, plus the new SportsPlex, and it’s hard to doubt the rebirth of downtown Waterloo is finally taking shape with full force.
There have been hints that the promise of downtown was beginning to be realized, with ongoing individual projects too numerous to list here.
In other words, there already is visible evidence that the presence of TechWorks is setting off redevelopment in a long-moribund area of downtown.
Now, with Blackwell’s participation, a fuller-scale transformation of downtown is set to begin, as soon as next summer.
TechWorks is in the center of the action, but it is only the beginning.
That always has been the plan. Soon, we will be seeing concrete evidence of that long-held vision.
Read More: http://wcfcourier.com/business/local/column-techworks-finally-appears-to-be-moving-downtown-forward/article_6157d500-4daa-11e1-988b-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1mHNkalMV
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