CRMEA Aug Sept 2018

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BUILDING OUR 2019 PUBLIC POLICY PRIORITIES Certain times of the year our public policy advocacy efforts are publicly front and center. Other times, the work is being done behind the scenes, as is usually the case over the summer months. Of course, in the public policy world, there are always exceptions, as you read about our aggressive advocacy on international trade policies that affect our local economies. This summer’s behind the scenes work includes gathering input and ideas to build consensus for our 2019 public policy priorities and is equally important to the advocacy work we do on behalf of our members. Using our guiding principles, which can be found on our website at www.cedarrapids.org/business-resources/public-policy/public-policyprinciple and unfinished work from previous years, we begin seeking input on what priorities our members want us to concentrate on in the coming year. Sometimes we have an item on our agenda for multiple years, like federal funding for flood protection. Although, you won’t find that on our agenda next year, as it was recently awarded to the City of Cedar in the form of $117 million dollars. Other times, the item is on our agenda for only a year before we see success. Feedback from member meetings, direct input from our Innovation Councils, Policy Board and other governance committees provide us with direction on policy matters our members want us to engage in. We also work in sync with our regional partners on the municipal and county levels, as well as the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce. That process sets in motion our plans and then political realities decide our tactics to achieve success. It is at this point when our association with like-minded statewide groups become the most useful. The Professional Developers of Iowa (PDI), the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) and Iowa Chamber Alliance (ICA) are among our most effective allies within the advocacy world. ICA, a non-partisan coalition of the 16 largest Chambers of Commerce and economic development organizations throughout Iowa, provides the Economic Alliance strength through numbers. Each year the group puts forth an agenda to grow the state’s economy through support of policies and programs that stimulate economic growth opportunities for the entire state and its residents. PUBLIC POLICY The ICA coalition focuses on pro-growth, pro-business policies and by working together we will continue to create significant, positive changes that will prepare Iowa for the future. For each of the 16, the first and most important voice we need is from our members. It is your stories, needs, and ideas that we seek to continue to work for aggressive, forward-thinking statewide policies that make Iowa stronger. Contact Barbra Solberg, Public Policy Strategist, at bsolberg@cedarrapids.org to share your story, ideas or thoughts on future public policy agenda opportunities. 12 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2018</strong>
BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION PROJECTS REPRESENT LARGE GROWTH OPPORTUNITY Existing businesses can represent some of the largest growth opportunities. Statistically, 80 percent of a community’s growth comes from existing business projects. To date, the Economic Alliance has assisted four expansion projects with Freund-Vector Corporation, Timberline Manufacturing, World Class Industries and Van Meter Inc. In total, these projects have represented 110 new jobs and $32 million in capital investment. BUSINESS RETENTION & EXPANSION We anticipate even more project news soon, with 17 projects in the current pipeline. These represent expansion project details we’ve received from businesses that could mean building out at an existing location, creating new jobs within a current facility or building a second location in the area. Compared to this time last year, we have more than double the number of projects in the pipeline. See a snapshot of the potential impact these projects represent, indicted by jobs created, including the average wage, and capital investment. As a result of the Economic Alliance’s renewed focus specifically on retention and expansion of existing businesses, we are updating one core function to reflect the work. Whether you’ve noticed them before or not, each article in the monthly Economic Alliance Reports are categorized by core function: IN THE PIPELINE Includes projects in the following industries; Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering & Automation, Biotechnology & Biopharma, Educational Tech. & Services, Food & Ingredients, Industrial Biotech & Bioprocessing, Insurance & Finance, Logistics & Distribution, Medical Tech. & Services BY THE NUMBERS 17 PROJECTS $28.13 AVERAGE WAGE 227 JOBS $87M+ CAPITAL INVESTMENT Business Support, Community Development, Public Policy or Business Retention and Expansion. That last core function may sound unfamiliar. Work done in our previously named core function of Economic Development will now be referred to as Business Retention and Expansion. As ICR IOWA leads regional efforts in workforce development and business recruitment, we hope this change clearly and concisely communicates the Economic Alliance’s and ICR IOWA’s respective roles in regional economic development work. If your business envisions growth or an expansion on the horizon, make us your first call. We can connect you to the resources, people, and programs to potentially save you time and money. ECONOMIC ALLIANCE REPORT 13
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Page 11: LEADERSHIP COMPONENT REIMAGINED FOR
Page 15 and 16: MEMBERSHIP MEMBERSHIP As the only n

CRMEA Aug Sept 2018

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