Southwest Iowa Coalition

Members and guests met in Red Oak for the 2010 Rural Summit to hear from expert practitioners and have discussion on regional partnerships that can propel rural economies into new vitality. The day-long event hosted representatives from interested citizenry, local governments, community development groups/organizations, service/utility providers and state/federal agencies.

While the Coalition members continue to band together for regional advocacy work, the day presented additional options for broader regional activities and associated models in Canada and the US that can strengthen local, rural economies. There was also a review (introduction for some) of regional projects already in place throughout the SWICO membership area such as the regional marketing initiatives and the Rural Development Center programming for entrepreneurs.

menner

State Director, Bill Menner, USDA-Rural Development (L) opened the summit with remarks on the importance of identifying a regional competitive edge and then working collectively with one voice to advance the area's prosperity. Menner elaborated on the process to model which defined the who, what and why and then creation of a strategic plan mapping benchmarks and outcomes based on targeted goals.

Within the SWICO membership area, there are four sets of partnerships working on regional marketing initiatives. Each had a representative

present and formed a panel of discussants to introduce and/or update attendees about how it formed, what it targets and activities in which it is involved to promote the multi-county region it effects.

if you missed the summit, you can visit their Web sites to learn more. Greater Council Bluffs Regional Economic Development Partnership , WhySouthwestIowa.com, Western Advantage and South Central Iowa Partnership

Don Macke with the Rural Policy Research Institute's Entrepreneurial Center in Lincoln, NE spent the day with the group sharing pertinent data and information about the relevancy of using entrepreneurship as a regional focus to increase economic vitality throughout the region. He showed data revealing that 50% of young people picture returning but only 20% are actually coming back. 40% of those who want to return have business ownership aspirations and 45% want entrepreneurial education.

He compared the economies between regions that had and had not taken on a concerted effort to build the landscape with home grown businesses; those that had not were suffering a greater economic decline. He shared that 99% of job creation came from start-ups and existing businesses. And, then he asked if it was time to get serious.

Macke stated that, through experience, the most successful regions are devoting 1% of their gross domestic product revenue to the effort. An analysis of the southwest Iowa region by Macke shows that, for this region, that would be between $50M to $75M. He tempered the dramatic numbers for the group by proposing that there are opportunities to create an endowment fund to sustain the efforts through time. Don concluded the day by distributing an exit coates

poll to capture the attendees' thoughts on whether or not to continue discussion about using entrepreneurship as a regional economic driver. (downloadable above) A 71% majority responded positively to more exploration of a regional entrepreneurial venture.

Paul Coates, Department of Regional Planning, Iowa State University, facilitated a discussion about local governing issues as it regarded the regional initiative. Coates talked about the importance of public buy-in so that council members and supervisors could support shared resources and tax dollars without fear of being ousted from office. He stressed the need for identification of regional endeavors at the grassroots level because they prove more successful in the long-run. He cautioned about some overly used development tools and explained how the 28E agreements could be used to share resources/finances for projects and then fairly redistribute tax profits to partnering entities. morar

Sandra Morar, with McGrath North law firm, used time with the group to discuss how food product development could serve as an economic driver of entrepreneurial ventures. She discussed the reasons for processing to satisfy the market and targeting the needs of various customers such as schools, retial, brokers, etc. Options for processing she talked about included construction, contract namufacture, co-operative plant or toll arrangements. Legal issues on the product-side regarding quality, packaging and labeling along with those on the consumer side were addressed. Her many years of experience with food clients enabled her to brief the attendees on potential post purchase issues as well such as recalls and damage control for a regional brand. She concluded by giving some examples of case studies where she had been involved with legal lobbying to further educate Coalition members on what the process the organization could follow to support local producers.

Local foods is economic development?
If the state of Iowa expanded production of 28 fruits and vegetables using only 16,215 acres to meet seasonal demand and then direct-marketed 50% of that production via producer-owned stores:

657 farm level jobs would be created resulting in 26.3M dollars in farm labor income.
98 stores would be started creating 672 retail level jobs.
17.1M in retail level labor income would be realized.

Read more about the economic impacts calculated by Dave Swensen, ISU, Department of Economics in his Leopold Center funded study: Selected Measures of the Economic Values of Increased Fruit and Vegetable Production and Consumption in the Upper Midwest.

Board Meeting/Retreat Update: The board met for its annual year-end retreat in November and would like to share the following notes with members and supporters.

The membership survey revealed a desire by many for a couple of day meetings/events that would provide larger group opportunities for networking and gathering of information. 2010 will have two SWICO Summits; one in June and one in September. A committee will be formed to plan the event using, in part, survey data. So mark your calendars now. There will also be 4 working membership meetings hosted throughout the region. The board will meet monthly in Red Oak. Members are encouraged to attend these board meetings and actively participate in planning. Time for open discussion will be on each agenda, and a member can request additional time for an item of discussion by contacting the office.
The projected budget for 2010 to cover regular, annual activities and financial obligations was projected at $19,000. Membership dues income trend between $16 - $17,500. Additional income from the golf tournament has helped in past years offset the gap. Members are encouraged to approach local businesses, local governments and economic development leadership about joining.
The board encourages members to invite guests to attend meetings. We will be drawing from the names of guests at each meeting for a FREE one year trial membership. Only non-members will be included in the drawing.
The slate of 2010 board members was approved by the board and will be presented at the annual meeting for membership approval. Martin Olive, from Adams County, has agreed to serve if approved by the membership.
Reports on the regional, collaborative projects were submitted. The Rural Development Center is showing steady and healthy progress. Organizational functionality and service delivery mechanisms have been an emphasis for the Advisory Committee. The Committee is now advising strategic planning sessions with members to begin a focus for the Center on product development beginning with value-added ag products. Buy Iowa Online doubled its seller base and had a successful holiday shopping season.
Thank you to all the members who responded to the 2009 survey. You can browse through the results here SURVEY

Legislative Committee: Sitting Board Members: Steve Adams, Joe Blankenship, Twila Larson, Dale McAllister, Gwen Trullinger

Infrstructure Committee: Sitting Board Members: Keith Harlan, Clarence Mosier, Curt Shaha & Linda Washburn

Business & Industry Committee: Sitting Board Members: Bill Henderson, Russell Joyce, George Maher & Ken Pangburn

Regional Development Committee: Sitting Board Members: Kenner Baxter, Margaret Gregory, Ruth Smith & Adam Snodgrass

UPDATES:

Legislative Forum: Thank you to Linda Washburn and the Glenwood/Mills Chamber & ED for locally hosting the 2009 Legislative Forum. The final draft of the agenda was presented to legislators present, and the board and members will vote on the agenda at the October 15th meetings. Be present and be counted! Thank you to: Senator Grassley's and Rep. King's office for having representation and state legislators Rep. Anderson, Rep. Forristall, Rep. Drake for taking time out of their busy schedules.

Micro-enterprise Funding Packages: Thank you to everyone who submitted a letter of support for the proposal for funds to provide microenterprise services through the Rural Development Center. Unfortunately, it is unclear at this time if actual funding will be forthcoming or substituted with forms training experiences for those who are/may provide services. The RDC staff had been seeking (and will continue to seek) funds for these types of services, but at this time, IDED will not be funding any awards. More information can be provided at the October 15th meeting.

Thank you to all the players, sponsors and contributors who made our
4th Annual Golf Tournament a success!

The 2009 tournament winners who now will house the coveted traveling trophy is the McGrath North Mullin & Kratz team our newest Nebraska member. The team decided that scratching the statues head prior to heading to court might give them a little edge in that venue as well. Congratulations! Read More

Proceeds from the tournament are used to continue the Coalitions rural economic development advocacy work throughout its 16-county membership region.

The players: Jim Jansen, Kris Covi, Patrick Pepper and Rod Kestel

golf winners

The 5th Annual Tournament is now being scheduled for 2010. Interested golfers throughout southwest Iowa can contact the Coalition office to ensure that details for registration are sent to them.