Author Archives | Tama County, Iowa
Dysart Business Builders (Russ Grimm), Traer Chamber (Wendy Barnes)

2011 EDIES Story 15 of 24: Dysart and Traer Chambers of Commerce Both Draw in New Outside Markets

This is the first time that two groups that should theoretically be competing against each other were nominated together because both are deploying very proactive marketing strategies to communicate the assets of Tama County outside the county with the goal of growing the economy by bringing dollars into our communities. Traer’s marketing portfolio includes programs like [...]

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Meskwaki Museum - Johnathan Buffalo, Stephanie Snow

2011 EDIES Story 14 of 24: Meskwaki Tribe Opens the Door to Sharing Their Culture with the Outside World

For decades the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa (Meskwaki) have kept their culture private. You could catch glimpses at the annual Pow Wow festival or a few panels on display in the lobby at the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel. But in 2011 the Meskwaki Museum formally opened at the Tribal Headquarters campus under the [...]

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edie-trophy-2010

Tama County’s American Idols: which 2011 stories inspire you?

Share with us which of our 24 EDIE nominees’ stories from 2011 are your favorites. Every 2-3 days in January and February we unveil the details behind another one of the 2011 nominees. And now that we have reached the way mark the lines are open to start voting. Partners who are financially invested in Tama County [...]

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Tama County Pork Producers

2011 EDIES Story 13 of 24: Tama County’s “The Other White Meat” spreads their marketing wings

It’s not really a party until the Tama County Pork Producers roll in with their pimped out trailer and crew of about 25 to grill for thousands of people. And if you have not seen them, it’s probably because you are not getting out enough. Apart from smaller hometown festivals they also appear at some big [...]

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Hwy 30 Ribbon Cutting, 2011

2011 EDIES Story 11 of 24: Four-Laning US Highway 30 into the heart of Tama County, Iowa

US Highway 30 is the second most traveled east-west corridor in the state, yet a significant amount of it is 2-lane making it dangerous and inefficient. Every year we hear about the fatalities and prematurely deteriorating pavement getting beat up by 2.7+ million cars, trucks and farm equipment in Tama-Toledo.  And the numbers kept increasing. [...]

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TCCF

Foundation Update: Up to $93K available in county grants. Grant writing workshop, Jan. 28. Grant deadline, March15

Over the past five years the Tama County Community Foundation has invested over half a million dollars into betterment of our community, and leveraged those dollars to bring in millions more. In 2012 our Foundation will once again invest between $86,532.88 and $92,619 into nonprofits, governments and schools serving Tama County with a plan of strengthening our [...]

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

2011 EDIES Story 10 of 24: H&R Block breathes life into white elephant building in Toledo

The old Pizza Hut building in Toledo was a white elephant. It stood empty for six years before Elaine and Mark Linser recognized a new vision for it. In 2010 H&R Block experienced a 42.8% increase in new clients so they bought the building for a fraction of its listed price and transformed the building [...]

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Dysart Ag Museum - Cathy Wieck (3)

2011 EDIES Story 9 of 24: Dysart Ag Museum & Interpretive Center shows us how dough is made

When the Dysart Historical Society set out to raise $125,000+ in just a few months they did not just knock on one door. They pieced it together from 7+ foundations and organizations each contributing a couple thousand dollars in addition to donations from local businesses, nonprofits and individuals. But just as important was the in-kind [...]

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Pat Steif, turbine in the background

2011 EDIES Story 8 of 24: Traer Municipal Utilities reveals the answer that was blowing in the wind

The dozens of meteorological wind towers erected all over Tama County, Iowa to measure wind speeds, should have tipped you off by now that we have above average wind speeds and transmission lines compared to the rest of the U.S. But it was even before these appeared that Traer Municipal Utilities started investigating the possibilities of locally produced energy from wind. [...]

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