Often when there is a knock on the Economic Development Office door, (prospective) business owners are checking in to see if there is (new) free or cheap money on the market to address a goal they have identified. And often we do have info on unique financing resources beyond traditional lending. But sometimes an even more important question may be: “How can a business be more effective in its strategic approach?”
Because business development in Tama County comes from so many different types of owners, and many different types of industries, one type of strategic resource may not fit all. Here are ten of our market’s most popular free and/or low-cost general resources to help business owners put together/revamp their business plan as the market evolves:
- Small Business Association (SBA): is a federal program. In addition to loan guarantee programs, SBA provides free online training, business plan templates. Consulting is specialized for veterans, women and minorities. This program is especially good for self-directed learners comfortable with technology, and special population groups.
- Service Corps of Retired Executive Consultations (SCORE): is connected to the Small Business Association and provides personalized counseling and training. This program is especially good for business owners interested in focusing in-depth on a specific issue with one-on-one attention from an expert. Comfort with technology will often be necessary.
- Iowa Small Business Development Centers (SBDC): is a State program to provide services such as development of business plans, manufacturing assistance, financial packaging assistance, contracting assistance, and international trade assistance. Special emphasis areas include e-commerce, technology transfer, regulatory compliance, research and development, Defense Economic Transition Assistance, disaster recovery assistance, and market research. This resource is ideal for business owners who prefer to work in-person with consultants. Service offering includes one-on-one consulting as well as classroom style workshops, events and seminars. There are five SBDC’s within a 1 hour drive of Tama County.
- Business License Information Center (BLIC): is a State program providing a comprehensive clearinghouse of Iowa licences. The online search engine enables you to search by licenses, key words, business fact sheets, forms, and wizard. Depending on where you are at in the business life cycle, if it’s planning your business, registering, keeping up to date on compliance requirements or finding resources and seeking to grow your business, assistance is tailored to your needs.
- Renew Rural Iowa: is an Iowa Farm Bureau program to help business leaders gain access to critical mentoring, a network of local providers, and funding possibilities that can help grow or expand a business. This program is ideal for (new) business owners who prefer to dedicate one day and get information from a wide variety of experts in a lecture setup. A longer-term mentoring program is also available.
- Entrepreneurial Development Center, Inc.: is a state program designed to propel Iowa’s entrepreneurial efforts into successful businesses with the support of seasoned entrepreneurs.
- Iowa Valley Community College District & Hawkeye Community College District: offer training resources customized to local market needs.
- Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS): is the industrial extension arm of Iowa State University, offering amongst other resources government procurement support as well as efficiency development in manufacturing.
- Target Industry Specific Resources: Various industries furthermore have specialized resources. Please touch base if we can help connect you.
Tama County Economic Development Commission does not duplicate support services that are already available, but rather continually researches and matches evolving external resources to evolving internal needs through strategic partnerships and custom designed programs like the Tama County Entrepreneur Kit. The Commission also relies on a robust networks of leaders like the Tama County Entrepreneur Trust to find solutions for barriers preventing our entrepreneurship culture from being the strongest it could be.
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Expansion, Financing, Marketing, Partnerships, Real Estate, Workforce | Tagged grants, planning, strategy, business | Leave a Comment »
Its official. When a panel of twelve independent statewide leaders and the State Governor single your county out as an authentic and unique cultural asset of Iowa, your greatness is not a subjective opinion anymore. But with this great honor of being named an Iowa Great Place, comes great responsibility: We need to market and enjoy our Great Place and share what makes it fun with visitors and friends.
To this end, the Tama County Convention and Visitors Bureau is making it cheap and easy to showcase our 300+ points of interest. This group of industry leaders has been working hard on identifying what industry standards could realistically be attained based on regional resources, and have been fund-raising and grant writing to bring the cost of advertising down to only $75 to be featured in the Tama County Travel Pocket Guide 2011-2012. An additional $25 also gets an attraction set up with an online billboard ad for 2 years. Non-tourist attractions can be included in this publication by demonstrating their commitment to quality of life initiatives as the sponsor of a nonprofit attraction of their choice. Click here for an order form.
At the August 2010 Tama County Convention and Visitors Bureau meeting at the new Fox Ridge Winery, the leadership group finalized the details for the groups bi-annual central communication piece offering. They also discussed progress and best strategies for: 1) Murder Mystery Dinner plans, 2) Point of Sales displays campaign, 3) Travel Iowa Market Place, and 4) Launching a multimedia showcase of Tama County’s fun side.
NEXT TAMA COUNTY CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU MEETING
Mon. Aug 30, 2010 6 p.m.
Tama County Museum
200 N. Broadway, Toledo
No cost. Public welcome.
BANK CLUB MARKETPLACE
Market our destination to Bank Club tours. Hosted by Iowa Tourism Department.
Wed. Sept. 29, 2010
Des Moines, Iowa
Whiskey Bottom Estate Sale, 1929
MURDER MYSTERY DINNER
Sat. Oct. 30, 2010 6-9 p.m.
Pilgrim Heights Camp & Retreat Center
3005 E Ave.
Montour, Iowa
$25 Dinner and Character tickets now available. Contact joanne@tamacountyiowa.org or
(641) 484-3108
www.tamacountyiowa.org/mystery2010
Posted in Community, Entrepreneurship, Expansion, Financing, Marketing, Partnerships, Real Estate | Tagged Iowa, murder mystery dinner, tama county, Convention and Visitor Bureau, Pocket Travel Guide, video | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday we got a phone call from a manufacturing plant in Tama County. Cletus Rowan, President of Rowan Equipment & Fabrication, explained that they have new contracts and opportunities, but the area workforce are not applying: “We need a Welder, Draft Person, a Chip and Grinding Person. Where are the unemployed workers looking for jobs?”
.

And they are not alone. Various trucking companies in Tama County confirmed earlier this week and last week that they have available positions. “We need certified truck drivers, and come November when legislative changes take effect, the demand for truck drivers with demonstrated superior safety skills is expected to be even higher,” explained Jim Ocheltree, President of Elliott Brothers Truck Line, Inc. in Dysart, Iowa. Yet another trucking company President Randy Zimmerman of Z Line LTD in Toledo, Iowa confirms this and adds “If I can find a quality driver, I can find work for him or her.”
.
Top demand in Tama County Iowa is in Hospitality & Tourism, Manufacturing and Education. But this dwarfs in comparison to the need for Healthcare workers. The demand for skilled Healthcare workers are three times higher than other industries. ”We see a general need in the area for nurses and lab technicians. Right now, we specifically have a need to fill a position for a psychologist. This position has been on the market for over three months now”, says Deb Hanus, Superintendent of the Iowa Juvenile Home/State Training School for Girls.
.
If you are a job seeker, a list of these and other Tama County based jobs are posted on the Tama County Economic Development website:
www.tamacountyiowa.org/employment. The northern part of Tama County is 20 minutes south of Waterloo/Cedar Falls, and the southern part of Tama County is less than one hour from major metro markets like Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Ames and Iowa City.
Photo Contributed by Pamela Thiele, Dysart Iowa.
Posted in Expansion, Workforce | Tagged employment, healthcare, manufacturing, Tourism & Hospitality, Trucking, unemployment | Leave a Comment »
Question: How is it possible for US industry to be growing by the billions, while the number of US manufacturing workers have been decreasing by millions over the past three decades?

ANSWER: In a nutshell: innovation. Over the past 30 years technology improved, workforce skills and training improved, and operational management improved. That meant industry was able to gradually decrease their workforce while increasing wages for workers who adapted best to a plant’s new money saving technology and processes.
The good news is that this change in the economy is increasing the value and (theoretical) wage of the skilled worker at the local manufacturing plant. The bad news is that a worker is less likely to secure that coveted, stable manufacturing job today than 30 years ago because the number of manufacturing jobs have been steadily decreasing. The decrease we are talking about here is thus not due to an anomaly like a recession, nor to offshore outsourcing. Its because of the good old fashioned American ability to recognize and optimize new efficiency resources in the marketplace.
This is but one of the reasons old business models embracing paradigms of bigger is better, the superiority of top-down bureaucratic organizational structures, and the strong focus on products, are being replaced. An ever-changing marketplace requires new focus on building organizations, which are more agile, decentralized, interactive and adaptive with a strong emphasis on attracting and retaining intellectual and human capital. New perspectives and innovative approaches are required—by businesses and by communities—hoping to attract and retain the best and brightest in business and industry.
That means the old school smokestack focused economic development approach has also been replaced by dynamic partnerships that often includes both the public and private sector.
Today Tama County Economic Development Commission defines our mission as a pioneering, evolving process, which engages the entire county in building the context and products necessary to attract and retain businesses and the labor force needed to ensure an economic foundation that will sustain the desired quality of life for all community members.
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Expansion, Partnerships, Real Estate, Workforce | Leave a Comment »