REPORTING ON THE PARTNERING FOR THE …...The Quarterly Partnering for the Future II Report pg.1 It’s official, GE will be expanding its workforce in West Burlington. The expansion,

GE ANNOUNCES WEST BURLINGTON EXPANSION

The Quarterly Partnering for the Future II Report pg.1

It’s official, GE will be expanding its workforce in West Burlington. The expansion, announced during GE Industrial Solutions division CEO Stephanie Mains’ first tour of the plant with Governor Branstad, promises to invest over $7 million into the facility and create 128 new jobs.

This is the second expansion in less than two years, following last July’s announced $1.3 million investment and creation of 61 new jobs.

“We’re excited that GE is growing in West Burlington,” said David Toyer, Economic Development Director for the Partnership. “This new line will be responsible for manufacturing the most sophisticated medium voltage switchgear ever designed.”

The Partnership’s economic development team actively worked with the Iowa Economic Development Authority and GE over the past 15 months to attract this investment, taking charge of securing local forgivable loans from the City of West Burlington ($186,000) and Des Moines County ($62,000).

The Partnership has also brought Burlington and West Burlington together to apply for a Revise Iowa’s Sound Economy (RISE) transportation grant which, if approved by the Iowa Department of Transportation,

will support $2.5 million in improvements to Agency Road.

“This community rallied around GE, and it worked,” stated Jason Hutcheson, President and CEO of the Partnership, referring to the 2010 incentive package that retained GE’s facility in West Burlington. “GE not only maintained 190 employees as part of that original agreement, they’ve grown it to 322 employees and will now add another 128.”

“Iowa is proud to welcome GE’s expansion and investment in West Burlington,” commented Governor Branstad at the announcement.

DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS

OPENS

Annually, Grow Greater Burlington (GGB) elects four directors to serve three year terms on its board of directors. The board’s nominating committee has put forth the following nominations for the four open director positions: Dr. Steve Titus,Iowa Wesleyan University Jon Manley, Winegard Company Ron Massner,SG Construction Jim Leiting,Big River Resources

The organization’s bylaws require that a notice be sent to the qualified members (Partnering for the Future investors) to allow subsequent nominations to be made from the general membership. Nominations from the general membership must be accompanied by a petition with at least 20 signatures of qualified members within 10 days of this notice. Ballots to approve the director’s slate will be mailed by December 1 and must be received by December 10. The next scheduled board meeting is on December 15.

QuarterlyREPORTING ON THE PARTNERING FOR THE FUTURE II CAMPAIGN

The Fall 2015

www.greaterburlington.com

BRE is economic developer speak for Business Retention and Expansion. It’s the piece of our trade that focuses not on bringing the next big project to town, but on making sure we keep what we have and do our best to grow from within. While BRE is as important as it sounds, many economic developers focus too much on the big projects that generate the big headlines.

I’m very proud that our organization has a balanced approach to economic development. BRE is a key element of our annual work plan. Just think of all of the expansions we’ve helped in recent years, including CNH, Federal Mogul, Cobo and GE.

What’s happened at GE is the perfect example of BRE. As an economic development organization, we played a role in keeping GE here during its darkest hour. And, we’ve doggedly pursued opportunity after opportunity to grow their local footprint. As a result, GE has gone from promising to keep 190 employees to employing 322 workers today, with another 128 to be hired. BRE works.

David ToyerDirector of Economic Development

BRE WORKS

The Quarterly Partnering for the Future II Report pg.2

PARTNERSHIP TO PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL TRADE

On December 10, the Greater Burlington Partnership will host the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s (IEDA) International Office and representatives from China, Japan and Taiwan at an event to promote Iowa exports and encourage new Foreign Direct Investment in the Greater Burlington area.

Area businesses will have the opportunity to attend a luncheon featuring a presentation on overseas markets, as well as the opportunity to network with representatives from Asian countries and discuss how IEDA can assist their business in exporting to Asia.

Businesses that have thought about exporting their products to Asia but have been uncertain what steps to take are encouraged to attend this event. Please RSVP to [email protected].

The IEDA International Office markets Iowa products and services, educates Iowa businesses on exporting and assists global companies wishing to establish or expand operations in Iowa. IEDA collaborates with partners across business, government, educational and non-profit sectors. IEDA has offices and representatives covering all regions of the world. For more information, visit www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/Programs/Intl

STRATEGIC GOAL: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR

On October 2, more than 260 Chamber of Commerce members gathered in the PZAZZ! Entertainment Complex to congratulate Flint Cliffs Manufacturing on winning the prestigious award of the luncheon. Flint Cliffs was founded in 1908 by Art Klein as Klein Manufacturing. The focus of their manufacturing has shifted from one customer – the farmer – to multiple customers, and has moved from agriculture to metal fabrication and powdercoat painting.

Flint Cliffs is a one-stop shop that enables cost savings and quality control, with most jobs being fully completed in-house. Multiple products produced include but are not limited to a mainframe for the CNH corn head, pallet assemblies, mine clearing containers, mobile maintenance trailers, military ambulance parts and Fuego fireplaces.

STRATEGIC GOAL: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Original employment of the company was 16 employees. Many of the 53 current employees have more than 10 years of service. Join us in congratulating Flint Cliffs Manufacturing as the 2015 Manufacturer of the Year.

JOHN SCHULZ

The Quarterly Partnering for the Future II Report pg.3

DOWNTOWN FACADE PROJECTS WRAP UP STRATEGIC GOAL: DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT

WAYFINDING PLAN NEARS COMPLETIONSTRATEGIC GOAL: VISITOR ATTRACTION

In 2012, the City of Burlington applied for and received a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant for the rehabilitation of facades in the 300 – 500 blocks of Jefferson. At long last, this downtown revitalization project is coming to a conclusion, with fifteen buildings receiving upgrades. The response from building owners, business owners, and visitors has been tremendous. “Nothing excites public interest and confidence like exterior improvements,” said Downtown Partners Executive Director Steve Frevert. “They signal new investment and revitalization. It’s a great way to increase the visual appeal of our historic buildings while also bringing attention to the businesses within.”

Work on the façade projects will be completed this month. To highlight the progress that has been made, representatives of Klingner & Associates and Downtown Partners recently led a walking tour of the buildings. Project architect Mark Fisher was on hand to talk about previous conditions, work undertaken, and surprises uncovered during the yearlong construction. “With the positive results we’ve seen, the City and DPI are already discussing the possibility of applying for another Community Development Block Grant to do additional façade projects,” said Frevert.

The Greater Burlington wayfinding plan is almost complete. Consultants with AXIA Creative has been working to create fabrication specifications for each sign type, the location plan, and the message schedule. Six different sign types have been developed for approximately 125 locations throughout Greater Burlington. New logos have also been developed for Burlington and West Burlington. These logos will appear on the new signs. The signs that have been developed include:

• Community gateway signs to replace the current Burlington/West Burlington gateways • Downtown Burlington gateway signs to highlight the district • Kiosks to be placed in high pedestrian traffic areas containing a map of the area and lockable display case • Parking lot identity and directional signs • Pedestrian directional signs for walkers through high pedestrian traffic areas • Regulatory signs for community parks • Snake Alley identity signs for the entrance and exit • Vehicular directional signs for main community routes

Once the plan is set, AXIA Creative will share the material with vendors to begin determining a price for the entire system. Once a cost estimate has been determined, the next step for the Convention & Visitors Bureau is to determine funding methods to implement the plan.

400 block of Jefferson looking West

The Quarterly Partnering for the Future II Report pg.4

FACTS AND FIGURESGRAPH 1

GRAPH 2

During the current campaign, the top two industries for leads have been Manufacturing (41) and Warehousing/Distribution (13).

In the current campaign the Partnership has averaged four new leads per month. Leads represent both prospective expansion and attraction projects.

The Quarterly Partnering for the Future II Report pg.4

FACTS AND FIGURESGRAPH 3

GRAPH 4

The economic impact of the 663 jobs announced (88% of the five-year goal) in the current campaign will result in another 97 indirect jobs and 311 induced jobs. Source: JobEQ®, a proprietary software program by Chmura Economics & Analytics

During the current campaign, the Partnership has worked on 88 leads, resulting in 13 projects announced. The top two sources for leads have been the Iowa Economic Development Authority (23) and Direct Contact (32) with businesses.