Tama County Economic Development Commission Congratulations to our
NEW VENTURES who opened their doors: Outback Campground & Resort 3320 H Avenue, Tama 641-751-3926 www.outbackcamp.com
Splash-Co. Garwin, IA 641-499-2455 splashco@yahoo.com
The Garwin Bull (formerly Rumors Bar) 603—3nd Street, Garwin
Fall 2007
TRAER MANUFACTURING: SOLUTIONS On May 30, Cosma International announced that its subsidiary, Traer Manufacturing, will be closing over the following 13 months. Behind the scenes, different local and state organizations have responded to support the impact that this decision would have on the community at large. One of the tangible public responses is the Traer Job Fair Thursday Aug 16, from 16pm at the Traer Memorial Building. Iowa Workforce Development led this effort and has been supported by Traer Manufacturing, City of Traer, Traer Community Betterment, and Tama County Economic Development.
Verocity Wireless 101 W. High Street, Toledo 641-484-2915
Simply Blooming (formerly Flower Basket) 518—2nd Street, Traer 319-478-8585
Over 30 area companies will be at this event looking to hire people with Traer Manufacturing workforce skills sets. Educational and entrepreneurship resource providers will also be available to answer questions for those interested in pursuing other routes. This event is also open to the public. Updated listing on the companies and available opportunities in the area are at www.tamacountyiowa.org/traerjobfair
Joker’s Iron Legend Saloon (formerly Geri’s Bar & Grill) 602—2nd Street, Traer 319-478-8032
Total Touch Connections Flower Shop (formerly Harrison’s Flowers) 100 E. 3rd Street, Tama 641-484-8315
Granny’s Restaurant & Lounge (formerly Sha-booms) 202 Highway 30 West, Toledo 641-484-6600
House of Chen 104 W. 3rd Street, Tama 641-484-3886
2009 IOWA TOURISM CONFERENCE IS COMING TO TAMA COUNTY June 2007 Iowa Tourism announced the location of the 2009 Tourism Conference to be Meskwaki’s new convention hall in Tama County. Iowa tourism experts predict the economic impact to be $0.8 million dollars. Additional effort is also being put forth to leverage this opportunity to refresh the Tama County Tourism brand and market Tama County as an Iowa tourism attraction at large. Fundraising initiatives are under way to secure money to produce an integrated tourism marketing vision and deliverables to benefit all Tama County businesses directly and/or indirectly.
Los Rancheros—Farmer’s Skillet 131 W. 3rd Street, Tama 641-484-4030
Sassy’s (new ownership) Corner of Clark and Main, Dysart List of turnkey business opportunities: www.tamacountyiowa.org/opportunities
How can I support Tama County Tourism? 1) Volunteer: Next Tama County Tourism meeting is Mon Aug 27 , 9am at the Nature Center at Otter Creek Lake and Park. 2) Donate: Tama County Tourism needs support from the community and businesses it serves. Call Lindi 641-484-3108. 3) Visit the Tama County Tourism booth at the Iowa State Fair Aug 9—19 and discover a sweet treat that celebrates Tama County. (Proceeds to benefit you via Tama County Tourism.)
www.tamacountyiowa.org
Tama County Economic Development, Fall 2007
FALL 07 CALENDAR AUG Farmland Leasing Workshop Gladbrook Memorial Building 421 Johnston Street, Gladbrook 7-10 p.m. $20 single, $30 couple 641-484-2703
Thu. 2
Clutier Fun Days downtown. Parade, kids games, 5k run/walk, car cruise, firemen's hog roast, street dance, fireworks 319-479-2530
Fri.-Sat. 3-4
Thu.-Sat. Meskwaki PowWow 4 miles west 9-12 of Tama on E-49. Tribal ceremonial dances, colorful native regalia, arts & crafts exhibits, performances @ 1:30 & 7:30 641-484-4678 Fri.-Sat. 10-11
Double D Rodeo 7 miles north of Toledo on Hwy 63, then 1/2 mile east on Hwy. E29 Kids wooly-bully rides, rodeo, live country music, food & beverages 641-484-4375
Fri.-Sun. 10-12
Traer Winding Stairs Festival downtown. 5k run/walk, parade, tractor cruise, kids games, food vendors, dance 319-478-2346
Thu.16
Sun. 2
Sat. 22
Sat. 6
Sat. 6
Traer Job Fair, Traer Memorial Building, 1-6pm. Over 30 companies are hiring. Resources and information on continuing education and entrepreneurship will also be available. SEPT Chelsea’s Annual Fall Festival Station Street. Chicken & ham dinner, country store, kids games, polka music 641-489-2171 Tama-Toledo Car & Cruise Show Car cruise, dance, car show, 641484-3222 OCT Buffalo Ranch Open House 1 mile south of Tama on Hwy. 63, Then 1 mile east on E64 to L Ave. Buckskinner, flintknapper, hay rides, grilled bison burgers 641-484-6725 Dysart’s 3rd Annual Wine Tasting & Fall Festival Downtown. Main Street exhibits, business specials, music, food, drawings 319-476-3600
www.tamacountyiowa.org
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A Breath of Fresh Air Highlights of Q2 2007 Foundation Awards Announced: Jun 20 Tama County Community Foundation awarded $49,353.79 amongst 19 different non-profit agencies and organizations committed to serve the greater good in Tama County. The foundation received thirty-two grant applications seeking $191,414 in funding. Find out more about the projects www.tamacountyiowa.org/foundation Tama County Tourism: Approximately 80 organizations in Tama County can be considered tourism attractions while another 90 can benefit directly when these 80 organizations are successful. If you are in one of these categories you can make use of Tama County Tourism marketing. Some programs are even free. Find out more. Click: www.tamacountyiowa.org/ RCTourismMarketing Great Tama Co. Projects: The Tama Co. Econ Dev Commission has set a vision for Tama Co’s growth to celebrate its unique sense of place in Iowa as The American Green. On Aug 14 a handful of projects will be selected for Iowa Great Places to represent the progress and vision that makes Tama County a wonderful place to live and do business. If your community project is serving the big picture of Tama Co. and can use additional resources to actualize its potential, please contact Lindi. 641-484-3108
Entrepreneurs: Fast Trac classes are now open to Tama County businesses. Starting Sept 17—Nov 5, 6-9pm Entrepreneurs meet Monday evenings in Grinnell or Marshalltown to learn tried and true methods to grow and succeed. Contact IVCCD 1-800-284-4823 ext. 430. Nominal tuition applies. South Tama Community Schools Workforce Summit: On Jul 20 — some 24 area business leaders discussed the question: What do we need in our workforce, and how can the school help us? Responses addressed traditional educational competencies, but significant discussion also surrounded soft skills, life skills, responsible citizenship and creating a culture of innovation. Regional Networking Opportunities: Watch your mail box. Iowa Connections is helping Tama Co. businesses grow by providing networking opportunities with regional businesses in Benton, Jasper, Marshall and Poweshiek Counties. The next CEO luncheon is slated to be early November in Tama County. Calendar of events for 2008: If you are organizing special events for the 2008 calendar year and would like to be included in statewide publications, please forward your event specifics to Joanne before Aug 31. joanne@tamacountyiowa.org
ECONOMIC GROWTH: Technology In addition to providing the citizens and business community of Tama Co. with resources and information to optimize their growth potential, Tama County Economic Development also seeks to understand and connect supply and demand. One of the Q2 2007 initiatives was to launch a new website that could tell us more about what type of info is in demand: During the second quarter: 2,263 pages were sent:13,522 requests were handled. To date these numbers have grown steadily as content and info have been added and fleshed out based on demand and availability. If you are a Tama County business that has not yet invested in a basic website, contact Tama County Economic Development. We can help. No technical skills necessary.
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Tama County Economic Development, Fall 2007
Industry Focus:
RESOURCES FOR BUSINESSES
Education
“
The wisest mind has something yet to learn” —George Santayana
TAMA COUNTY CONTINUING EDU To meet the needs of individuals, businesses, organizations and communities, Continuing Education offers classes, workshops and seminars. Many programs and services fall into the categories of health careers, general interest, fitness and recreation, computers, professional development and/ or relicensure, college preparatory, and home and family. Iowa Valley Continuing Education 641-484-3334 www.iavalley.cc.ia.us/ivce. Hawkeye College Continuing Education 319-296-4017 www.hawkeye.cc.ia.us/ continuingeducation/
TAMA CO. PUBLIC LIBRARIES Book sharing programs, internet access, reference services Chelsea Library 641-489-2525 Clutier Library 319-479-2171 Norma Anders Library 319-476-5210 Elberon Library 319-439-5345 Garwin Library 641-499-2024 Gladbrook Library 641-473-3236 Hink Tama Library 641-484-4484 Toledo Library 641-484-3362 Traer Library 319-478-2180
THE INTERNET In the privacy of your home, and without fees, you can research information or take online c ou rs e s . S om e r ec e ntl y launched courses from trustworthy organizations include: ISU Extension's: Personal Finances www.extentions.iastate.edu/ financial/money SBA’s: Strategies for Success www.sba.gov/training AND MUCH MUCH MORE...
TACTICAL BUSINESS CONSULTING UNI Regional Business Center Free Resource, Nominal Fee Edu. 319-236-8123 www.unirbc.org Marshalltown SCORE Chapter Free Consultants 641-753-7672 www.score.org Small Business Administration (SBA) Free Resources 515-284-4422 www.sba.gov Renew Rural Iowa Fee Edu, Mentors, Financial Support 1-800-254-9670 www.iowafarmbureau.com/ renewruraliowa Fast Trac (see page 2 for more details) Nominal Fee Education 1-800-284-4823 www.fasttrac.org Women’s Biz Center of Iowa Resources 319-298-2407 www.women-business-owners.org WORKFORCE TRAINING PRGMS. The Iowa New Jobs Training Program (260E) was developed to assist businesses that are creating new positions or new jobs. The assistance available ranges from highly specialized educational programs to basic skill training for new positions. Tax incentives are also available. www.iowalifechanging.com/ business/downloads/ employee_training.pdf Hawkeye Community College Bette Ruzek 319-277-3806 Iowa Valley Community College Deb Hawks 641-752-4645
www.tamacountyiowa.org
Tama County Economic Development Commission
2007 Economic Development Partners
Robert Tyynismaa Chair, Tama Carl Zoffka Vice-Chair, Garwin Nick Podhajsky, Director, Traer
Platinum Farmers Cooperative Telephone Co.
Gold
Tama County Abstract Company
Silver
Tama County Farm Bureau, Dysart Development Corporation, Tama County Mutual Ins. Assoc., Grundy County REC, Tama County Board of Realtors
Bronze
Sash Auction Service, Burk Law Office, Farmers Savings Bank & Trust, Bohemian Mutual Ins. Assoc., Eikamp & Associates, Joe's Gym, Deimco Finishing Equipment, Rube's Steaks, Appraisal & Real Estate Services, Gifts of Grace, Jim & Mary Roan, Rowan Equipment & Fabrication, Carl Luze Real Estate, L.L.Owens & Associates, Manatts, Sunshine Laundry, Carl's Electric Service, Deer Creek Health Center, Gladbrook Investment Company, Garwin Redevelopment, Designer Inn & Suites, Traer Municipal Utilities
Organizations with a vested interest in the growth and development of Tama County can obtain partnership forms online at: www.tamacountyiowa.org/partner2007
Tama County Economic Development PO Box 22 Toledo, Iowa 52342 Phone: 641-484-3108 www.tamacountyiowa.org
The mission of Tama County Economic Development is to coordinate the cultivation and development of Tama County’s business environment by aiding business, agriculture, industry and residents in maximizing their full economic potential within the county and beyond.
* list as of press date 08/01/2007
TIP RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Roger Ochs, Chelsea Pat Veit, Chelsea Gerry Kopriva, Clutier Arlene Vondracek, Clutier Dwayne Luze, Dysart Don Lyons, Dysart Mark Fisher, Elberon Lori Leytham, Garwin Geri Eilers, Gladbrook Mark Lowry, Gladbrook Roland Fink, Lincoln Jerry Buskohl, Lincoln Tony Smith, Montour Dale Gericke, Montour Chris Bearden, Tama Bill Christensen, Toledo Pete Zmolek, Toledo Ellen Young, Traer LeAnn Boldt, Vining John Mehlert, Farm Bureau Keith Sash, Count Supervisor Larry Vest, County Supervisor Patrick Henry, County Supervisor
Staff Lindi Roelofse, Executive Director Joanne Husak, Secretary
Standard Mail U.S. Postage Paid Toledo, IA Permit No. 22