Annual Report 2014 - Greater Dallas County … Report 2014.pdf · Letter from the President Annual Report 2014 Dear ... attendance of SSG Panel discussion at GDMP, ... and it was

Annual Report 2014

Letter from the President Annual Report 2014

Dear Alliance Stakeholders,

Dallas County was again the fastest growing county in the State of Iowa this year, as well as the 14th fastest growing county in the nation. This impressive growth rate only makes the Greater Dallas County region a more popular option to live, work, and play. The Alliance team is determined to continue assisting local communities and businesses to ensure continued success in the area.

The Alliance has an excellent track record in assisting the Dallas County region with landing projects, retaining and attracting business and jobs, and assisting our communities in achieving their local vision through the Community Development program. We are excited to see what the future holds for our agency as we continue to look forward and stay ahead of the curve in economic development for this region.

I strongly encourage you to continue your support to the Alliance, which will enable us to continue to provide services for economic development activities that will support the exciting growth of this Greater Dallas County region. We look forward to offering excellent service and partnering with you to create sustainable growth for this region.

Thank you for your support,

Butch Niebuhr

President

Greater Dallas County Development Alliance

Our Mission Annual Report 2014

Linda Wunsch, CEcD, EDFP, LEED AP- Executive Director Julie Einck, LEED AP- Project Manager Megan Carlson- Communications Kayla Routson- Economic Development Coordinator

GDCDA Board of Directors Annual Report 2014

Butch Niebuhr, President - City of Perry Wayne McKinney, Vice President - West Grand Business Park Mark Hanson, Vice President - Dallas County Deb Calvert, Vice President - MidAmerican Energy Brad Long, Treasurer - KW Commercial Kyle Gamble – CBRE/Hubbell Realty Clyde Evans, Past President- City of West Des Moines Alex Broderick – CBRE/Hubbell Realty Amber Battani- Samuels Group Andy Hodges- Signature Real Estate Services Antonio Paraguassu- Hy-Line International Brad Deets- City of Waukee Brad Leonard- Septagon Construction Company Caleb Smith- McClure Engineering Cannon Clark- Diligent Development Deb Lucht- Minburn Communications Gary Wheelock- Percival Scientific Kate Clark- Pioneer Hi-Bred International Rob Denson- Des Moines Area Community College Mitch Hambleton – At Large Community Representative

Marc Meyer- West Bank Jon McAvoy- City of Adel Russ Schroeder- Shive-Hattery Sid Ramsey- Iowa Health Systems Ted Brackett- Neumann Brothers Terry Lutz- McClure Engineering Terry Nielsen- Raccoon Valley Bank Tim Mallicoat- Rasmussen Group Tom Jorgenson- Hy-Line International

GDCDA Committees Annual Report 2014

MARKETING & MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEES The marketing and membership committees have created a new Membership Leave Behind. The Alliance Membership packet that was created last year, is still available upon request to give more detailed information regarding our most recent projects. The Alliance Board of Directors have begun a membership referral program to expand the membership base. GDCDA has also been heavily involved with the Site Selectors Guild (SSG). The Alliance had a booth at the SSG Conference showcasing the certified sites that were in the final stages of certification. Follow up pad-folios were sent once the sites were certified. Many other contacts have been made with SSG through attendance of SSG Panel discussion at GDMP, SSG Panel discussion in Perry, Iowa. These events have given the Alliance a great exposure to the Site Selectors. Site Selection Magazine recently requested an Interview with Executive Director, Linda Wunsch to discuss the certified sites in Dallas County. The expected release date is early fall of 2014.

FINANCE/INCENTIVES COMMITTEE The finance committee has been working through the many details to shift the management of the Dallas County RLF to The Alliance. We are excited to say that we have worked through the details to shift the fund ownership to the Alliance. Final paperwork is underway for the $400,000 RLF (Revolving Loans Fun) ownership shift. The $400,000 pool of funds should be operational by the first of the year. These fund, which originated through HUD will no longer have federal guidelines attached to the loans made, therefore allowing the funds to be put to work for very worthwhile projects in Dallas County.

EDUCATION & SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEES Presentation of sustainable initiatives: Public Policy & Planning, Renewable Energy, Neighborhoods & Housing and Streetscape & Infrastructure. was presented in partnership through a collaborative grant Perry received. The Alliance started monthly education sessions in January of 2014. These educational sessions, geared toward local elected officials, have been very well attended, and well received . These sessions have included topics such as: TIF, Local Option Sales Tax, Governance, Grant Finding and sustainability. The sessions have allowed for increased knowledge base as well as the opportunity to network and learn from other elected officials.

Existing Business Relationship Program Annual Report 2014

Rating Scale of 1-7 Public Utilities rankings in aggregate below demonstrates very high satisfaction

Rating Scale of 1-7 Workforce rankings in aggregate to the right

Overall: • During the fiscal year, 31 companies were visited • Companies visited are stable showing growth with one expanding into international markets. • 97% of the companies are in the growing phase of the product life cycle, with 3% in the emerging phase of the product life cycle. • 93% of companies are showing an increase in sales with 7% showing stability in sales. • 77% of the companies have plans to introduce new products and services in the next 2 years • 96% of the companies are investing in new product R & D • 52% have expansion plans over the next 3 years

Business Development Annual Report 2014

• The Alliance staff responded to 36 leads over the past year, with 12 of those becoming prospects/projects – some of which continue to be active • The Alliance has become very involved with RISE grants for Dallas County. We completed a RISE grant for West Des Moines to support the Microsoft project, which was awarded $3.5 Million at the IDOT commission meeting July 8th 2014. • Van Meter also successfully completed a RISE grant for a connector road off of F-90. They were awarded $489,282 for this project on October 31, 2013. This project was necessary to provide access to 250 acres for professional office purposes. • Overall, the Alliance has brought in $25,779,241 of RISE grants to the county, impacting Perry, Adel, Dallas Center, Waukee, West Des Moines, Clive, Urbandale, Granger, and Van Meter. • We are continuously updating our LOIS inventory of available sites and buildings as well as updating our Synchronist Database for existing business relationships.

• Over 200 construction jobs • 29 new jobs created • Minimum Capital Investment of $677.6 Million • Scheduled completion for 3rd expansion- end of 2015

Community Development Annual Report 2014

The Alliance began working towards certifying two sites in May 2012, with one site being in Dexter and the other in Van Meter. We were able to successfully certify both sites in May of 2014. These are 2 of the first 4 certified sites in the state of Iowa, and it was a great accomplishment for The Alliance team. We are currently working towards certifying a third site in Perry, Iowa. This site is in Stage 3 of the certification process, and we are hoping for May of 2015 for certification. Site certification is a program through the Iowa Economic Development Authority, who uses these sites to market economic growth in Iowa. The approved sites are marketed to site selectors, which keeps Iowa top-of-mind nationally. Certified sites reduce risk for site selectors and their clients, making a site more attractive for selection for new development. These certified sites show the expansive product mix that Dallas County currently possesses. We have a Data Center in Van Meter, Iowa, and a Logistics Warehouse/ Distribution site in Dexter, Iowa. The site we are currently working towards in Perry is considered an Agribusiness/Research site which seems to be best suited for target markets in those business sectors.

Thank you for your partnership and support.

We look forward to another successful year in Greater Dallas County

Thank You from the Board Annual Report 2014