Iowa Lakes Corridor News & Events

News & Events

Friday, September 25, 2020

We’ve all heard it said, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and I’m sure most of you who are parents would agree. Replace the second half with “…to build a community,” and you have a different statement that holds true and economic developers agree with! Looking back at my high school years I remember driving through the small town downtowns where I grew up in rural Southwest Iowa, dreaming of a job where I could help play even a small part in revitalizing the communities. Yet, I didn’t plan to go into economic development when I started at Buena Vist...

The Measurement is People

Friday, September 11, 2020

The conversation was with a senior executive. Her topic was obstacles to hiring. Her summary was compact and incisive: “Housing, childcare, and air travel, those are the reasons I lose people.” Here at the Corridor, we hear about these issues regularly, but this was the first time someone had tumbled them into a single sentence for me and stated so emphatically their importance. It was jarring, and it made clear the challenge. No, not to provide housing, childcare, and air travel, but to shift attention and effort from jobs, jobs, jobs to continuous community improvement. New technologies and a connected global econom...

A shoe, a sheepadoodle, and getting our message across

Friday, August 14, 2020

There’s a new pooch at the Miller pad. He’s a mini-sheepadoodle—an English Sheepdog and poodle cross. We call him El Mago (the Magician) after Cubs shortstop Javier Baez and, curiously enough, a sickly magnolia tree that grew in front of our family’s first home. He’s cute in a ridiculous way, with a white and black face, forlorn eyes and fluffy polar bear paws. He looks like a stuffed animal sewn together by an overly emotional Japanese anime seamstress. He's also a pain in the … thumbs, nostrils, earlobes. Wherever his tiny teeth happen to nip. Any parent of a toddler understands th...

Defining the problem in economic development

Thursday, July 30, 2020

In The Best and the Brightest, his magisterial account of the American run-up to the Vietnam War, journalist David Halberstam cogently assesses the ???????mistaken assumption that led the Kennedy Administration to escalate US involvement in the region: “The problem was political, the response was military.” Fearing that North and South Vietnam would unite as a communist country, and, in turn, other Southeast Asian nations would raise their own red banners, the so-called Domino Theory, the United States threw support behind the western-leaning government in the south. Someone obviously had to stop the North Vietnamese hordes from streaming south across the borde...

Four Corridor housing projects to receive tax credits

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Four Corridor housing projects to receive tax credits Awards totaling more than $2.55 million were announced today for four housing development projects in the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) Region through the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s (IEDA) Workforce Housing Tax Credit program. In total, the state awarded nearly $10 million in tax breaks for 19 projects across the state. The four projects in the Corridor region were: Emerald Woods Townhomes, a 10-unit single-family development in Storm Lake An unnamed 25-unit housing development in Spirit Lake Deer Creek Apartments & Townhomes, an 84-unit development in Estherville IGL West Beltway Residential Home Development, a 10-unit development in Spencer Kile...

Corridor announces Board of Director election Results

Friday, July 17, 2020

Corridor Announces Board of Director Election Results The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) recently welcomed two new board members for Fiscal Year 2021: Michael McKim, Plant Manager at Safco Products in Milford, and Edwin Waleh, President and CEO of Heartland Team Solutions in Estherville. The new members will add their leadership experience and guidance to the Board of Directors as the Corridor continues to help the region’s businesses thrive and to ensure its residents enjoy an active and rewarding quality of life. Voted by members to return for a second three-year term were Doug Benjamin, Northwest Bank in Spencer, who serves a...

A financial lesson from a 19-year-old

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Over the past 12 years, I've had two jobs. My daughter, Carson, has four this summer. That's right, four jobs. Quatro trabajos. She works full-time at a resort, holds a pair of online gigs for her university and a local ag company, and once a week cares for a high-octane 4-year-old. In business terms, we would say that Carson has multiple revenue streams. She's diversified. Should the college deal dry up or the toddler toddle off with another nanny, she'll still be able to pay the note on her new set of wheels. The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation is trying to follo...

Principled Financial Management

Thursday, July 09, 2020

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation’s new 5-year plan, Partnership, Progress, Prosperity: FY 2021-2025, could best be described with a bro-culture cliché: “Go big or go home.” Through aggressive, results-driven business development, entrepreneurship, and workforce and housing programs, the Corridor expects to support the following: 900 direct and 593 indirect jobs $59 million in annual payroll $500 million in capital investment 50 start-ups creating up to 250 jobs Net population growth 300+ new housing units. The first and most important element in the success of Partnership, Progress, Prosperity lies outside the Corridor office. It is the ingenuity, passion, and persistence of local business leaders. An economic development organizatio...

Tornado sirens and social distancing

Thursday, July 02, 2020

My family is not known for moving fast. With the possible exception of my older son, a pretty decent cross country runner, we lack significant straight-line speed. We’re even slower in collective action. Faced with a joint decision, my daughter crafts a plan, I and that same middle son argue against said plan, my wife offers an intelligent compromise against which I also argue, and my youngest son thumbs through Instagram. But set off a tornado siren when we’re sleeping in tents and, by gosh, we can get up and move. I know this because it happened last week at a campground i...

The forgotten war and the value of history

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Today is an anniversary that history ignores. Seventy years ago, the North Korean army under Kim Il-Sung crossed the 38th Parallel and began a surge south that would nearly push South Korea’s defenders off the peninsula. Those defenders included more than 20 countries fighting under the United Nations Command, led by the United States, which would supply more than 90 percent of UN troops. The Korean War is a middle child, living between the war we all believe in, World War II, and the one that ripped out and reordered the pages of our national narrative, Vietnam. Few school children, and too fe...

Wood, Wine & Blues postponed until 2021

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Contact: Lee Dutfield FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Phone: 712.732.3780 Email: lee@stormlakeunited.com Storm Lake, Iowa – Wood, Wine & Blues Postponed Until 2021 This year’s Wood, Wine & Blues, scheduled for August 14th -16th, will be postponed due to concerns and uncertainty attributed to COVID-19. We will focus our efforts and budget on next year’s event, which we expect to return bigger and better than ever before. Our top priority is the well-being of our attendees, volunteers, wood carvers, vendors, wineries, and musicians. We have been closely monitoring the situations with COVID-19 , and with input from Buena Vista County Public Health, the City of Stor...

Corridor welcomes Mia Simpson as Summer Office & Events Assistant

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation is excited to welcome Summer Office and Events Assistant Mia Simpson to the team.??????? Simpson is going to be a senior at Spencer High School this fall. She is involved in cross country, National Honor Society, student council, Key Club, and volunteers with the Spencer Community School Foundation. She is also a participant in No Boundaries, a project-based learning program bringing businesses and students together to complete passion-based, real-world projects. After graduating, Simpson plans to attend Des Moines Area Community College and study marketing. ?“I am excited to work with the Iowa Lakes Corridor because I hope t...

Corridor Business & Industry Update

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

During these last several months everyone has felt the direct impact of COVID-19. ???????The ??????????????challenges have been great for business/industries in the Iowa Lakes Corridor region. Many employers are deemed "essential" and are implementing important measures to protect the safety and well-being of their employees. In my role as Business Retention and Workforce Partnership Coordinator for the Corridor, I have been reaching out to employers to assess their needs and offer assistance. This has shown me yet again the power of the Corridor network and the willingness of businesses here in Northwest Iowa to help one another. Our team ha...

Gov. Reynolds signs new proclamation continuing the State Public Health Emergency Declaration

Monday, April 27, 2020

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR Governor Kim Reynolds ? Lt. Governor Adam Gregg FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday Apr. 27, 2020 CONTACT: Pat Garrett, (515) 802-0986, Pat.Garrett@iowa.gov Amy Mccoy (IDPH) (515) 240-0530, Amy.Mccoy@idph.iowa.gov Gov. Reynolds signs new proclamation continuing the State Public Health Emergency Declaration DES MOINES - Today, Gov. Reynolds signed a new proclamation continuing the State Public Health Emergency Declaration until May 27, 2020. The proclamation loosens social distancing measures in 77 Iowa counties effective Friday, May 1 and continues other restrictions until 11:50 p.m. on Friday, May 15, 2020. Watch the governor’s news conference here. In the 77 counties, the proclamation permits restaurants, fitness centers, malls...

A major opportunity to invest in our people and our businesses

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Most of us involved in business leadership agree that our people are our greatest asset. We also recognize that investing in our people with meaningful professional development often gets lost in the busy-busy-busy nature of daily operations. We spend so much time working IN our businesses that we fail to work ON them often enough to build on what we are doing right and to correct what we are doing wrong. As we practice social distancing and face broad economic restrictions on business activities due to COVID-19, we have a opportunity to invest in our people and our businesses. In particular...

Small Business Owner's Guide to the CARES Act

Monday, March 30, 2020

The Small Business Owner's GUide to the CARES Act The programs and initiatives in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was just passed by Congress are intended to assist business owners with whatever needs they have right now. When implemented, there will be many new resources available for small businesses, as well as certain nonprofits and other employers. This guide provides information about the major programs and initiatives that will soon be available from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to address these needs, as well as some additional tax provisions that are outside the scope of SBA...

IEDA announces Targeted Small Business Sole Operator Fund

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Iowa Economic Development Authority announces Targeted Small Business Sole Operator Fund The Targeted Small Business (TSB) program is designed to help women, individuals with minority status, service-connected disabled veterans and individuals with disabilities overcome some of the hurdles to start or grow a small business in Iowa. A fund has been created to support TSBs with zero employees that have been economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program offers eligible small businesses grants ranging from $5,000-$10,000 to businesses that are sole proprietors or single-member LLCs that are also TSB certified, or have an application submitted to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA...

Gov. Reynolds issues a State of Public Health Disaster Emergency

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR Governor Kim Reynolds ? Lt. Governor Adam Gregg FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2020 CONTACT: Pat Garrett, (515) 802-0986 Amy McCoy (IDPH) (515) 240-0530 Gov. Reynolds issues a State of Public Health Disaster Emergency DES MOINES - Gov. Reynolds issued a State of Public Health Disaster Emergency activating the public health response and recovery aspects of the State Disaster Emergency Plan effective at noon today. It takes significant steps to require social distancing and limit community spread of the virus by implementing temporary measures including moving restaurants to drive-through, carry-out, and delivery only and closures of certain entities suc...

Corridor receives Entrepreneurial Investment Award from IEDA

Thursday, February 27, 2020

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 MEDIA CONTACT Alyssa Petersen Coordinator of Administration & Communication Iowa Lakes Corridor Phone: 712-264-3474 Email: apetersen@lakescorridor.com Corridor receives Entrepreneurial Investment Award from IEDA SPENCER, IOWA – The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation has been awarded a $150,000 grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) as a part of the Entrepreneurial Investment Awards program. The grant will support the Corridor in launching additional entrepreneurial development programming through videos, outreach and networking events. Corridor Senior Vice President Brian Dalziel envisioned the initiative, wrote the grant application and led the presentation to the review panel. In the past decade, the Corridor has assisted 228 early-stage ventures, 9...

Iowa Manufacturing Plan 4.0

Thursday, February 20, 2020

↵ Iowa Manufacturing Plan 4.0 The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) has launched a year-long study of Iowa’s Manufacturing sector, with support from Teconomy Partners, to identify the challenges facing Iowa’s Manufacturing industry as it transitions to Industry 4.0. The result of this study will be Iowa Manufacturing 4.0 Plan which will be an action plan with recommended strategies and tactics to help facilitate the use of digital technologies by providing a path to address trends, technology challenges, customer demands and talent issues that Iowa manufacturers are facing with digital transformation. Throughout April, May and late summer, Teconomy will be convening working group...

A thank you to our Cities & Counties

Thursday, February 13, 2020

A humming downtown. New houses. Smooth streets. Safe neighborhoods. Jobs, jobs, jobs. Folks in rural Iowa demand a lot of our cities and counties, and we rarely say thank you. As we near the end of our series on vital economic development partners, let’s correct that offense. Thank you for investing in the infrastructure to support growth. When spring finally gets here the backhoes, dump trucks and pavers will come out of hibernation across the Corridor. Businesses and residents alike will benefit from the results—improved water, sewer and roads. Without these projects, friction would cause our economy to seize. Thank you for development-friendl...

Corridor participates in BEST of Iowa interviews

Monday, February 10, 2020

Corridor participates in BEST of Iowa interviews Goal to provide a state-wide existing business strategy SPENCER – The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation announces the beginning of the 2020 Business Expansion & Strategic Trends (BEST) of Iowa interviews. BEST of Iowa is a strategic partnership between economic development organizations and utility companies throughout Iowa that provides a state-wide existing business strategy. The Corridor has conducted these interviews for 14 years. BEST of Iowa, formerly known as the Existing Industry Call Program, is used to identify opportunities for growth, potential threats to retain jobs and any impediments that discourage local expansion. Economic development organization...

Energy utilities keep the lights on and the jobs coming

Thursday, February 06, 2020

On the edge of many small Iowa towns is an industrial park with a cluster of manufacturing companies. How did they get there? You can thank in part your local energy utilities, essential partners in economic development. The same folks who keep the lights on also keep the economy growing. That’s particularly true here in the Lakes of Northwest Iowa where we are blessed to have energy utilities that are innovative, aggressive and generous. Dare we say they are energetic? The Corridor is proud to include seven energy providers among our membership: Spencer Municipal Utilities, Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative, Corn Belt Power Cooperative...

Kiley Miller awarded recertification in economic development

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Kiley Miller awarded recertification in economic development SPENCER, IOWA – Kiley Miller, President & CEO of the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation, has been awarded recertification by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) through April 2021. Miller first achieved the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation in 2015. Recertification required that he fulfill demanding standards for continuing education and service to the profession. Miller has served as President & CEO of the Iowa Lakes Corridor since 2014. He previously was Executive Vice President of the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Over his 11-year career, he has facilitated projects yieldin...

USDA makes spec buildings, revolving loan funds to rural communities

Friday, January 24, 2020

In our look at the partners that make economic development successful in the Corridor, we next turn to the US Department of Agriculture, specifically USDA Rural Development. That’s right, the federal government. The USDA web site describes rural development as a “mission area.” That somewhat uncertain description is made more specific with this passage: “We offer loans, grants and loan guarantees to help create jobs and support economic development and essential services such as housing; health care; first responder services and equipment; and water, electric and communications infrastructure.” An essential piece of the USDA’s broad portfolio is the Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant program. Throug...

Professional Developers of Iowa a strong partner at the Statehouse and at home

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Professional associations are only as good as the people who make them up, but that’s hardly a limitation for the Professional Developers of Iowa. More than 300 leaders across the state are members of PDI. They range from local economic developers to city administrators, workforce pros and engineers. There are even a couple of mayors thrown in. That breadth of expertise makes PDI, like the Iowa Area Development Group that we wrote about in last week’s newsletter, a valued partner of the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation. When our team is looking for creative ideas to benefit our communities and businesses, hel...

Iowa Area Development Group: A partner powering growth

Thursday, January 09, 2020

The same statewide community development organization that recently helped a local business secure $2 million in low-interest financing from the federal government and captured several hundred thousand dollars to support construction of a spec building in Spirit Lake, also routinely brings industrial development prospects to the region, offers expert guidance on ag business, advertises vacant properties in our area, and even assists our tiniest towns in filling critical service gaps such as dental health care. Given all of that, how is it that the Iowa Area Development Group sometimes goes unnoticed? Based in Des Moines, IADG is sponsored by more than 22...

2020 Healthiest State Annual Awards finalists announced

Tuesday, January 07, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Kollauf Healthiest State Initiative lauren@iowahealthieststate.com 563-495-0357 2020 Healthiest State Annual Awards finalists announced Lyndsey Fennelly will give keynote speech at Feb. 6 ceremony DES MOINES, IA (Jan. 6, 2020) — The Healthiest State Initiative has announced the finalists for the 2020 Healthiest State Annual Awards. Individuals, communities, K-12 schools, early care providers, out-of-school programs and workplaces will be recognized for their efforts to improve the physical, social and emotional well-being of Iowans in their respective sectors at an awards ceremony on Feb. 6 in West Des Moines. The finalists in the eight categories include: Healthy HometownSM Powered by Wellmark Community Award Creston Dallas Center Dickinson County Manning Washington Waverly West Union K-12 School Irvin...

TAI announces 2020 Iowa Technology Roadshow

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

TAI Announces 2020 Iowa Technology Roadshow Des Moines, Iowa (December 18, 2019) — The Technology Association of Iowa (TAI) is proud to announce the first-ever Iowa Technology (IT) Roadshow that will travel to ten rural communities across the state of Iowa in 2020. “The Iowa Technology Roadshow will influence and elevate Iowa’s technology industry, professionals, and businesses all across Iowa. TAI believes that all companies are technology companies and that’s why we are proud to bring Iowa technology industry experts to ten Iowa communities,” stated Brian Waller, President of TAI. The IT Roadshow will have a spring and fall tour. IT Roadshow Spring Schedul...

M&C Anderson Pullets, Inc. honored with Iowa Venture Award

Thursday, December 05, 2019

Des Moines, IA - The Iowa Area Development Group (IADG), on behalf of Iowa’s rural electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, and independent telecommunication companies, honored eight distinguished Iowa companies with the Iowa Venture Award at a luncheon held in conjunction with the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives’ annual meeting. M & C Anderson Pullets of Sioux Rapids is acclaimed for their farming practices, including tree planting, water retention, and other conservation methods. This 1,753-acre farm is home to ten specialized bio-security facilities that rear nearly 5 million pullets annually. Owner Colleen “Coke” Anderson has been recognized as a leader in the poultr...

Iowa Prison Industry and Prison Industry Enhancement program visits

Wednesday, December 04, 2019

Last week Corridor Business Retention & Workforce Partnership Coordinator Joanne Follon and Bob Becker, Spencer IowaWORKS, traveled to the North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell City. They had the opportunity to meet with Daniel Clark, Director of the Iowa Prisons Industry (IPI) Program and see the IPI training programs available for inmates to gain the education, soft and hard skills needed to be successful citizens upon their release. There are three private-sector work partnerships available through the Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program: 1) employers transport offenders to/from the workplace 2) employers subcontract with IPI 3) employers set an operation inside a prison. The Stat...

This Thanksgiving, we're thankful for our communities

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

In a matter of days, friends and family will gather around kitchen and dining room tables to celebrate Thanksgiving. There will be food - lots of food - and maybe some football, too. But we hope that you and yours will pause and take time to consider and share with each other what you are all thankful for. Here in the Lakes Region of Northwest Iowa, we truly have so much to be thankful for. We thought we would share with you some of the countless blessings the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation and Get A Lakes Life teams are thankful fo...

Iowa Lakes Corridor featured on Develop This! Podcast

Monday, November 25, 2019

Develop This! podcast is published multiple times a week to explore topics related to transformational community leadership including economic development, non-profit engagement, organizational management and policy development. It's a candid conversation with professionals in the economic development realm and inspiring interviews with today's thought leaders. Co-hosts Dennis Fraise and Jason Hutcheson visited Spencer last month to keynote the Corridor's Business Recognition Luncheon on November 13th. While visiting the Corridor Region, they recorded podcasts about some of the great things happening in the Iowa Lakes Corridor. Spencer City Manager Amanda Mack spoke with Hutcheson on the importance of Community Placemaking and how she i...

Iowa Lakes Corridor receives Dakota BUSINESS Finance grant

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) received a $1,000 grant from Dakota BUSINESS Finance thanks to the hard work of a local lender Brett Johnson of Central Bank in Spirit Lake earned the award on behalf of the Corridor through Dakota BUSINESS Finance’s inaugural community lending awards. Dakota BUSINESS Finance is a Certified Development Company that provides Small Business Association (SBA) 504 loans to businesses in South Dakota and parts of Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. In 2019, Dakota BUSINESS Finance established new community lending awards to give back to the communities in which they provide loans. The prizes awarded are base...

Hiring & Honoring Veterans

Monday, November 18, 2019

Two local entities have recently been recognized: one business for their commitment to hiring and retaining veterans, and one business owner who has served in the military and is now committed to serving his local community. Iowa Lakes Regional Water awarded Platinum Medallion Award Iowa Lakes Regional Water was one of five Iowa businesses that received a Medallion award, and one of three that were awarded the Platinum Medallion Award from the HIRE Vets Medallion program. The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans (HIRE Vets) Act was signed into law in May 2017. The Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment an...

Iowa Lakes Corridor announces 2019 Business Recognition Award winners

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) once again recognized great achievements by local businesses Wednesday at the organization’s 10th Annual Meeting and Business Recognition Luncheon at the Clay County Regional Events Center in Spencer. Winners of this year’s Business Recognition awards are: · Young Professional of the Year – Candace Daniels, Spencer Hospital, Spencer · Entrepreneur of the Year – Jay Butterfield, Stickers and Posters, Storm Lake · Small Business Excellence – Oleson Chiropractic, Armstrong · Large Business Excellence – Janitor’s Closet, Spencer · Chairman’s Award – Buena Vista University, Storm Lake Barry Sackett of Sackett Law Firm and Rick Olesen, President of Iowa Lakes Electri...

We should celebrate manufacturing for more than a month

Thursday, October 24, 2019

As manufacturing month chugs toward completion, it’s worth a few minutes to consider how important the sector is to our region. We are sometimes tempted to undervalue the making of things in our service age. The news is dominated by apps and quants and financial instruments. Meanwhile, the number of US manufacturing jobs has declined 4.3 million since the peak year of 1979. That’s the state of Iowa, with Rhode Island thrown in for good measure. But folks with oil under their nails know that manufacturing output continues to point north. In fact, our neighbors to the north offer a nice comparison...

October is Manufacturing Month

Friday, October 18, 2019

October is Manufacturing Month! Created to show the reality of modern manufacturing, Manufacturing Month and Manufacturing Day help employers show their communities what manufacturing is really about. FUN FACT: Manufacturing accounts for 87.9% of Iowa’s exports. The first Friday of October is Manufacturing Day, a day focused on showcasing what manufacturing is and dispelling myths of what it isn’t. Many companies throughout the nation hosted events to give students and community members a chance to step into the manufacturing realm and learn more about the industry. The goal of Manufacturing Day is to affect the public perception of manufacturing, to allow th...

Hosts of America's #1 economic development podcast to keynote Corridor Business Recognition Luncheon

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) is happy to announce Dennis Fraise and Jason Hutcheson, hosts of the #1 iTunes economic development podcast Develop This!, as this year’s Business Recognition Luncheon keynote speakers. The Develop This! podcast explores topics related to transformational community leadership in candid conversations with veterans of the economic development profession and inspiring interviews with other thought leaders. Co-host Dennis Fraise – As President and CEO of the Lee County Economic Development Group, Dennis benefits from an eclectic professional background that includes owning a small business that generated more than $3 million in sales. He is a nationa...

Corridor joins forces with Buena Vista University in winning Google grant

Friday, August 23, 2019

Vote for People's Choice now through August 30th! Storm Lake, Iowa (Aug. 23, 2019) – The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) in partnership with Buena Vista University (BVU) has won a prestigious Google grant to advance programming aimed at facilitating business transitions across Iowa. The Corridor joined with BVU’s Center for Rural Entrepreneurship in the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business to embark on a “Match, Learn, Launch” initiative. This project pairs retiring business owners with up-and-coming business operators throughout Iowa and provides mentoring and educational support to new entrepreneurs from succession match to new launch. The partnership won a $175,000 competitive gran...

Press Release: Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative Installs Public Electric Vehicle Charging Station

Thursday, August 15, 2019

For Immediate Release: August 14, 2019 Press Contact: Tresa Hussong tresah@ilec.coop 800-225-4532 Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative Installs Public Electric Vehicle Charging Station Estherville - Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative is doing its part to alleviate range anxiety in northwest Iowa by installing a charging station in the parking lot of their headquarters’ facility in Estherville, Iowa, adjacent to the 140-kW solar array the Cooperative energized in October 2016. The Cooperative’s first chargin...

Intern Spotlight: Kailye Hromatko

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

By: Laura Nielsen Kailye Hromatko is the Wealth Management Intern at Bank Midwest for the summer. After applying for a general internship at Bank Midwest, they decided to place her in the wealth management position, likely due to the Applied Math and Business Management degrees she is earning at Grand View University in Des Moines. Hromatko is originally from Milford and graduated from Okoboji High School in 2016, so the internship at Bank Midwest’s Okoboji branch was a perfect fit. In her role, Hromatko is helping the bank transition into its new system, saying “I do a lot of updating and uploadin...

Intern Spotlight: Lauren Laven

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

By: Laura Nielsen Lauren Laven first attended the University of Iowa planning to major in music. However, like many first-year college students, she decided that wasn’t for her and found herself enrolling in business classes. Now majoring in Marketing with a minor in Music, the 2017 graduate of Spirit Lake High School is the Marketing Intern at Bank Midwest of Spirit Lake. Last summer, Laven worked as a teller at Bank Midwest’s Okoboji branch where she thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere as well as the people who work there. She reached out again this summer with hopes of equally enjoying an internship position...

Intern Spotlight: Cassy Olesen

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

By: Laura Nielsen Cassy Olesen is currently the summer intern for Spencer Radio Group. She is majoring in Journalism and Mass Communications at Iowa State University with a minor in Entrepreneurship. Olesen is originally from Graettinger, Iowa, where she graduated from the Graettinger-Terril school district in 2016. Olesen secured this position after calling the radio station to see if they had interest in a summer intern. “I grew up listening to this station and always thought they did a good job covering the area, so I knew I’d like to work here.” She also stated that she had an internship at ...

Intern Spotlight: Brock Jungjohan

Tuesday, July 09, 2019

By: Laura Nielsen Brock Jungjohan, a 2018 graduate from Spirit Lake High School, is the Marketing Intern at annLeo. Located in Milford, annLeo helps healthcare facilities get the staff they need by being a single point of contact between healthcare locations and multiple medical staffing agencies. Jungjohan is a rising sophomore at the University of Iowa, where he studies Psychology and Enterprise Leadership. When asked what types of classes an Enterprise Leadership major entails he responded, “It’s mostly entrepreneurial classes with some general business, too.” Jungjohan knows Steve Heeg, CEO of GrapeTree Medical Staffing, through his parents, so he used that connectio...

OEI 2019: Meet the Class

Tuesday, July 09, 2019

Buena Vista University Joseph Lind - Belton, MO Junior, Business: Finance, Financial Decision Making & Sport Business Lincoln Rock - Mahtomedi, MN Junior, Business: Corporate Finance & Wellness Management Tyler Tennyson - Truman, MN Senior, Accounting & Business Hannah Wuebker - Grimes, IA Junior, Accounting and Business Iowa Lakes Community College Lexus Gorospe - Baltic, SD Sophomore, Accounting Aaron Kintzle – Estherville, IA Sophomore, Accounting Jacob Pearcy - Laurens, IA Sophomore, Business Iowa State University Geert Boelen - Brooklyn, IA Senior, Agricultural Business w/ Entrepreneurship Minor Logan Borchardt – Mason City, IA Junior, Entrepreneurship Ahmed Ismail – Iowa City, IA Senior, Data Science Cameron Lynch – Iowa City, IA Junior, Industrial Engineering Delaney Quance – Spirit Lake, IA Junior, Entrepreneurship & International Business w/ Spanish Minor Marissa Sanke...

Intern Spotlight: Luke Thompson

Tuesday, July 02, 2019

By: Laura Nielsen Luke Thompson, a 2018 graduate of Okoboji High School, is a mechanical engineer intern for the summer at 966 Industries, located in Milford. He just finished up his first year at South Dakota State University where he studies mechanical engineering. 966 Industries is a new and quickly growing manufacturing and automation company, and they were originally not looking for an intern when Thompson approached the owner, Kevin Frodermann. “I asked a family friend of ours who works there if they were looking for any interns, and he referred me to Kevin and said I should just ask and se...

Intern Spotlight: Rachel Harmon

Friday, June 28, 2019

By: Laura Nielsen Rachel Harmon is the Marketing Solutions Intern at Blink Marketing this summer. She is studying Graphic Design at South Dakota State University. Having graduated from Okoboji High School in 2017, Harmon said she landed this position because she reached out to local marketing agencies: “When I was thinking about coming home for the summer, I researched agencies in the area and then sent them all an email asking if they’d be interested in having an intern for the summer.” She also stated that finding an internship in your major can be difficult in this area, so she wa...

University of Iowa Hydrology Report - Flooding in the Iowa Great Lakes

Friday, June 14, 2019

June 4, 2019 Jen Johnson-Ross Community Development Manager Iowa Great Lakes Association 712-330-1178 jennypattyjohnson@yahoo.com University of Iowa Hydrology Report – Flooding in the Iowa Great Lakes High water levels in 2018 promoted the Iowa Great Lakes Association (IGLA) to engage the University of Iowa’s Institute on Hydroscience & Engineering Department to evaluate and present options to prevent further devastation to the environment, personal property and the recreation/tourism industry that drives the economy of Dickinson County. On Wednesday, June 26th at 1:30 pm the public is invited to the Sami Bedell Center for Performing Arts in Spirit Lake as world-renowned research engineer and professor of civil and environmental engineerin...

Creating an Inclusive Corridor

Thursday, June 13, 2019

This was a busy week in the Iowa Lakes Corridor! On the evening of Tuesday, June 11, the community came together for a screening of "Do We Belong?" at the Spencer Community Theater. A panel and community discussion followed the short documentary about a tragic hate crime against an Indian immigrant in Olathe, Kansas. On the panel were Jay Dahlhauser, a Youth Advocate & Operations Director at The Bridge of Storm Lake; Sunayana Dumala, a Database Developer at Intouch B2D, founder of Forever Welcome and subject of the documentary "Do We Belong?"; Tina Shaw, an Executive Officer in the Iowa Department o...

Miller named Consultant Connect Top 50 Economic Developers of 2019

Monday, May 13, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Carla Sones Consultant Connect PO Box 50664 Kalamazoo, MI 49005 269.207.4982 carla@consultantconnect.org Consultant Connect Announces North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers of 2019 KALAMAZOO, Michigan – Consultant Connect, a consulting agency designed to bridge the gap between economic developers and site consultants, announces its 2019 list of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers. The economic development professionals selected for this list were nominated by their colleagues in both the economic development industry and the site consultant community for excellent practices, innovation and success in building the communities they serve. Each top 50 economic developer will be featured individually starting May 20 through the selected socia...

Workforce Resources 101: Federal Bonding Program

Thursday, March 28, 2019

What is it? The Federal Bonding Program provides a business insurance policy to protect employers who hire "at-risk" individuals that can be hard-to-place in the workforce. This fidelity bond covers loss of money or property that is due to employee dishonesty such as theft, larceny, forgery or embezzlement. Who does it cover? The program covers individuals involved in the justice system, those in recovery from substance abuse, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients, those with poor credit, economically disadvantaged individuals without work history, and dishonorably discharged military. What doesn't it cover? Poor workmanship liability, job injuries, work accidents, bail bond, contract bond, performance o...

Spirit Lake ranks #41 for Most Dynamic Micropolitan

Friday, March 08, 2019

The Walton Family Foundation recently released the Most Dynamic Micropolitans Index ranking 531 micropolitan areas throughout the United States. Ranking at #41, Spirit Lake was the lone Iowa micropolitan to make it into the top 100. A micropolitan is defined to be a geographical area consisting of a city with a population of 10,000 to 50,000. The Most Dynamic Micropolitans Index collects metrics on both short- and long-term growth. These metrics include job growth, wage and income gains and the proportion of total jobs at young firms. The sources of the data used include the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau o...

February 2019 Quarterly Meeting

Friday, March 01, 2019

Thank you to everyone who attended Wednesday's Quarterly Investor Meeting at the beautiful new Majestic Pavilion in Arnolds Park! Turnout was great and the audience learned a lot from the No Boundaries team from GTRA, Okoboji, and Spencer schools. No Boundaries is a project-based learning initiative that motivates students by empowering them to form teams and tackle real-world business and community problems. Businesses pitch projects to the students, who in turn choose the opportunities that best match their interests. Facilitators from all three school districts presented on the program and the value of project-based learning at the Quarterly Investor Meeting. Three middle school students from Okoboji Middle School also discussed their experiences a...

Laborshed Employment Study

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Laborshed employment study to be conducted in the Iowa Lakes Corridor Region The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) is partnering with Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) and Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) to complete a Laborshed employment study for the Corridor region. The study gathers information for the major employment center in each county across the state. This study will geographically define which communities contribute to the workforce in Estherville, Spencer, Spirit Lake and Storm Lake, regardless of political boundaries. This defined area is called a Laborshed area and is based upon commuting patterns. The purpose of this Laborshed study is t...

Get A Lakes Life Stories

Thursday, January 10, 2019

The Dailey Family: Jenni Daily and her family moved to the lakes of northwest Iowa region from western Nebraska.With countless opportunities for fun and entertainment, Jenni, a program manager at Rembrandt Foods in Spirit Lake, says her family loves their lakes life. “Being here in the lakes area has really given us a lot of opportunities to do different things that we wouldn’t have had in western Nebraska,” she says. “To be outside, and we love the walking trails. We love Arnolds Park. I think we spent every weekend last year at Arnolds Park.” "If you haven't experienced life in the lakes are...

PDU Cables™ Announces production expansion to Estherville

Thursday, January 10, 2019

Contact: Troy Peterson, President, PDU Cables (612) 819-1927, tpeterson@pducables.com PDU Cables™ Announces production expansion to Estherville, Iowa. MINNETONKA – December 27, 2018 - Recent growth in PDU Cables business has led EPCO to seek manufacturing capacity beyond its current facility in Minnetonka. PDU Cables President, Troy Peterson’s familiarity with Estherville, has resulted in EPCO’s acquiring and plan to outfit the building at 108 S 18th Street to accommodate the assembly of select PDU Cables and EPCO products. Overseeing the buildout, staffing and management of the new facility for EPCO and PDU Cables will be Josh Howard. Josh grew up on his family’s far...

Happy New Year!

Friday, December 28, 2018

A new year means a fresh start and an opportunity to look forward to your goals and make resolutions for the coming year. Maybe you're looking to lose some of that weight, especially after the recent holiday season and all of the goodies that comes with it. You could be making a resolution to find a local organization to volunteer for. Or you want to make more time for your family or a hobby you love. Here at the Corridor, a New Year's resolution we have is to recruit more people into the lakes region of Northwest Iowa, but that ca...

A "Dash" of Leadership

Friday, December 21, 2018

Let’s talk reindeer. Can we all agree Rudolph got a bit lucky. A foggy night, a nose so bright, and, HO HO HO, you’re the most famous reindeer of all. Talent, meet timing. But another flyer deserves some extra hay tucked away in his manger: Dasher. Dasher was the big buck at the North Pole. Why do we say that? For one thing, Santa always calls him out first: “On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer, etc.” And his name, Dasher, just fits the leading man role. It’s—dare we say it—dashing. Comet is as unreliable as a shooting star. Cupid is small and flighty. An...

Young Professionals Spotlight: Brandon Rohrig

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Brandon Rohrig was recognized as the Young Professional of the Year at the our annual Business Recognition Luncheon on November 14th. We thought we'd talk with him about himself, the Lakes Area Young Professionals, and why he loves living here! Name: Brandon Rohrig College/University Attended: Undergraduate: Bachelor of Science with honors in dietetics from the University of Wisconsin Stout Graduate: Master of Science in exercise physiology from Minnesota State University, Mankato Graduate thesis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5360372/ Year of Graduation: High school: 2006 Undergraduate: 2013 Graduate: 2015 Current Position: Director of Population and Public Health Company: Lakes Regional Healthcare in the Public Health Department Which YP Group are you a part of? Lakes Area Young Professionals – if yo...

Winter Fun Photo Contest

Friday, December 07, 2018

We know that there are always activities available when you live in the Lakes Region of Northwest Iowa, but we need your help to show others too! Through our GetALakesLife campaign, we want to show those who live far far away why they should move here. So we are asking you to submit your photos of winter fun so we can help show these movers how much fun they can have if they live here! Not only that, but if you are a Community Champion (or would like to become one!), you can receive recognition and rewards for submitting your photos! You ca...

Local Christmas Shopping

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

The Holidays are upon us! Christmas music can be heard everywhere you go, shopping is very much underway. Those who are really on top of things may already have all of their gifts purchased, but if you're like a majority of the population, you still have a long ways to go. Black Friday, Shop Small Saturday, Cyber Monday, sale after sale, gift after gift, last minute shopping, and still trying to find that perfect present. Anymore, so much shopping gets done online, but that pulls money away from our local economies. Without spending time (and money) at our hometown shops, they ma...

Turkey Day

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

The Thanksgiving meal is all about variety: Turkey on a platter, bread in a basket, bowls of potatoes, stuffing (Perhaps you say dressing?), green beans, and cranberry salad. But what holds it all together? The unsung hero, gravy. Gravy gooses the turkey, gravy leavens the bread. And as for those mashed potatoes, without gravy, they’re just clumpy spoonfuls of disappointment. At the Corridor, we’re proud to be gravy. In the great banquet that is the four-county region, we’re everywhere touching on nearly everything. Retail development? Industrial expansion? Housing? A dollop of Corridor makes them all better. Now, the Corridor—like gravy—is not a main dish...

2018 Business Recognition Award Winners

Thursday, November 15, 2018

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation once again recognized great achievement by local businesses Wednesday at the organization’s annual Business Recognition Luncheon at the Clay County Regional Events Center in Spencer. Winners of this year’s Business Recognition awards are: Young Professional of the Year – Brandon Rohrig, Lakes Regional Healthcare Entrepreneur of the Year – Jill Harms, Blink Marketing Small Business Excellence – Steffes Companies Large Business Excellence – Rembrandt Foods Chairman’s Award (for outstanding support of economic development) – Lyle Hevern, Estherville Area Partnership for Growth Valerie Newhouse, President of Iowa Lakes Community College, and Dr. Carl Turner, retired Superintendent of Storm Lake School District, wer...

OEI Spotlight: Steven Brockshus

Wednesday, November 07, 2018

Steven Brockshus was a part of the 12th Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute in 2017. At the time, he pitched his company, then called Terva, to his fellow students and a panel of judges. Now, just over a year later, we checked in with him to see how things were going for his business. Name and Title: Steven Brockshus, Founder & CEO University attended, degree and year of graduation: Iowa State University, Agricultural Education, 2018 Year attended Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute: 2017 Company name: FarmlandFinder Year Founded: 2016 Location: Des Moines, IA Tell us about your company: FarmlandFinder is an online search engine for land real estate... essentially, it's Zillow fo...

City of Spencer receives APA award

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA – APA-Iowa announces recipients of 2018 Iowa Planning Awards Each year, the Iowa Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-Iowa) asks its members to nominate plans, projects, and individuals deserving recognition by the professional organization. Award nominees can be recognized in nineteen categories ranging from public outreach to distinguished leadership. Based on an independent review by a jury of professional planners from the Wisconsin Chapter of the APA, eleven nominees have been selected to receive APA-Iowa Awards in 2018. Descriptions of these awards, taken from their applications, can be found below. Economic Development Planning City of Spencer / RDG Planning &...

Intern spotlight: Landon Louscher, Farmers Bank

Thursday, June 07, 2018

Landon Louscher is the Marketing Associate Intern at Farmers Bank in Spencer, an opportunity supported by the Spencer Area Jobs Trust program. Louscher is from Paullina, Iowa, where he has lived his whole life. He attends Iowa State University and will be a senior in the fall. After taking a marketing class last year, Louscher decided to add a marketing major to his management major. A desire to stay in Northwest Iowa and his newfound passion for marketing inspired him to apply for this position which he saw posted on the Iowa State online job board, CyHire. The process went ver...

Corridor welcomes Katie Simpson as summer assistant

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation has added Summer Office and Events Assistant, Katie Simpson, to their team. The daughter of Scott and Alison Simpson, and a 2017 graduate of Spencer High School, Simpson recently completed her first year at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she is pursuing degrees in marketing and public relations. Throughout her time with the Iowa Lakes Corridor, Simpson will create profiles of area interns, complete marketing and administrative tasks and will assist with the Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute. “Working with the Iowa Lakes Corridor is such an incredible opportunity,” Simpson said. “I am excited t...

Iowa Lakes Corridor receives award for business retention and expansion effort

Thursday, May 03, 2018

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Professional Developers of Iowa (PDI) honored economic development organizations from Ames, Ottumwa, Iowa Lakes Corridor, and West Central Iowa during the SMART Economic Development Conference held in Des Moines on May 2. Sponsored by Blane, Canada Ltd and Smart Solutions Group, the PDI Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Awards Program recognizes the outstanding efforts of local and regional economic development initiatives in supporting growth and expansion of existing Iowa companies. Receiving an award for Single Project Success - Single/Smaller Community - Iowa Lakes Development Corporation and the GrapeTree Medical Staffing Company in Milford. What’s a “grapetree”? ...

List your properties on the LOIS lane

Friday, November 03, 2017

By Kiley Miller Iowa Lakes Corridor CEO As the designated regional partner for the Iowa Economic Development Authority and our state’s electric utilities, the Corridor has a seldom-discussed obligation. We are required to list available industrial properties through the Location One Information Service, an online real estate platform. This represents opportunity for property owners in our region. For folks in the know, LOIS, as the site is commonly called, is similar to CoStar/Loopnet. Head to http://lakescorridor.com/ilcdc/site-location/available-sites-and-buildings and you’ll see what I mean. You’ll get the goods on buildings from Estherville to Storm Lake. Greenfield sites are included, too. Why is this important? When ...

Get A Lakes Life: Find opportunity, fun in the lakes of northwest Iowa

Thursday, July 20, 2017

You can find opportunities in many places, but you have to look harder to find the right combination of opportunity and fun. The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation is telling folks to look no further and get a lakes life. Visit getalakeslife.com, the Corridor's new website dedicated to spreading the word about what our region has to offer, to either find opportunities for yourself or for people you know. In the Lakes of Northwest Iowa region, you can land a job that launches you into a career. You can raise a family in safe, welcoming communities with spectacular schools. You can also live right next t...

Fast Facts About Iowa Lakes

Highway improvements...

Safe and efficient highways are throughout the region for commercial, resident and tourist traffic. Recently improved roads include Iowa 86 and 9, and US 20 and 71.

Highway 86-new

Low cost of living and affordable housing...

The cost of living and housing prices in the Iowa Lakes Corridor are below the US averages.

Affordability-new

After 5 p.m. you are on vacation!

The Iowa Lakes Corridor offers balance in life. Spend time with loved ones, meet career objectives, and enjoy scenic commutes, excellent schools, safe communities and endless recreational opportunities.

Life-new

Trails, trails and trails. . .

There are more than 200 miles of trails throughout the Iowa Lakes Corridor region for the cyclists, runners, walkers, cross country skiers and snowmobilers.

Trails-new

Employment Opportunity

The Corridor offers career opportunities in the key industries of agriculture, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, and health services.

Employment-new

Healthy Income

Median household incomes in Dickinson Country are greater than the Iowa and nation median incomes. Clay, Buena Vista and Emmet Counties have median household incomes ranging from $44,556 to $50,289.

Household Income-new

News & Events

News & Events

Fast Facts About Iowa Lakes

Highway improvements...

Low cost of living and affordable housing...

After 5 p.m. you are on vacation!

Trails, trails and trails. . .

Employment Opportunity

Healthy Income

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