Agenda
| 7:00 a.m. |
Registration Opens / Breakfast
Street Level |
| 7:30 a.m. |
Breakfast Buffet
Street Level, Room 134 Booths Open Street Level |
| 8:30 a.m. |
Welcome
Skywalk Level, Room 204
Tracy Peterson, Vice President
Iowa Gas Operations Black Hills Energy
Mike Tramontina, Director
Iowa Department of Economic Development |
| 8:50 a.m. |
Trends Risks and Opportunities in Tomorrow’s Economy
Donovan Rypkema is principal of PlaceEconomics and one of the nation’s best-known historic preservation and economic development consultants. Mr. Rypkema discusses the trends, risks and opportunities as we face tomorrow’s economy, while touching on important economic development topics ranging from building community, the move back to historic districts, and truly historic preservation and sustainability.
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| 9:45 a.m. | Break |
| 10:00 a.m. |
Economic Development Strategies for the New Economy
Robert Atkinson, Ph.D., with the Kauffman Foundation and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, speaks about the newly released The 2008 State New Economy Index: Benchmarking Economic Transformation in the States. The report uses 29 indicators and five categories to best capture the sense of the New Economy
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| 11:00 a.m. |
Breakout Sessions Session 1 TIF and Other Economic Development Financing Street Level, Room 134
Bob Josten is one of those rare experts in economic development who can make the intricacies of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) both a highly engaging and a highly valuable hour for economic developers and community leaders.
Session 2 Showcasing Iowa’s Sustainable Communities: West Union and Dubuque Street Level, Room 138
Robin Bostrom of West Union, Iowa, presents the process her community has used to become entirely sustainable and demonstrates the redesign of almost every aspect — from streetscapes to storm water retention. Sheila Samuelson and Cindy Steinhauser from Dubuque discuss how their efforts to become a more sustainable community were a key driver for bringing 1,300 additional jobs with a new blue chip employer to town.
Session 3 Economic Stimulus and the Workforce Street Level, Room 142
Elisabeth Buck, Director of the Iowa Department of Workforce Development, addresses the current status of the workforce and outlines how federal economic stimulus incentives are likely to impact Iowa’s workforce and businesses.
Session 4 The Changing Nature of Site Selection Street Level, Room 146
Eric Engh, Division Vice President at Ryan Companies, addresses the changes in the very nature of site selection and the resulting impact on the economic development world. Mr. Engh outlines the strategic steps a community must take to become more competitive in today’s site selection landscape and explains those unchanging factors so critical in building the economic strength of your community.
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| Noon: |
Luncheon
Skywalk Level, Room 204 Annual Small Business Awards:
Joe Folsom, District Director
Luncheon Keynoter Speaker
U.S. Small Business Administration
Marci Rossell electrifies audiences nationwide, speaking on the nexus of economics, politics, culture and the media. Her animated style was honed when she served as the lively chief economist for CNBC in the months immediately following September 11th. Bringing a world of experience — from Main Street to Wall Street — when discussing the U.S. economy, international events and movements in capital markets, Ms. Rossell takes complex economic issues and makes them relevant to people’s lives, families and careers.
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| 1:30 p.m. |
Breakout Sessions Session 1 TIF and Other Economic Development Financing Street Level, Room 134
Bob Josten is one of those rare experts in economic development who can make the intricacies of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) both a highly engaging and a highly valuable hour for economic developers and community leaders.
Session 2 Showcasing Successful Existing Industry Programs Street Level, Room 140
Liberty, Missouri, and Iowa City, Iowa, are two cities highlighted for their outstanding existing industry programs. Alicia Stephens, Executive Director with Partnership for Community Growth and Development, demonstrates how a one-person economic development office with a limited budget serving a relatively small population exceeds expectations by placing existing industry and conducting surveys first on the list of priorities. Joe Raso, President of the Iowa City Area Development Group, focuses on the importance of not just doing the existing industry surveys, but strategically using the data to solve business and industry problems.
Session 3 Now That I’m on a Local Economic Development Board, What Did I Just Commit to? Street Level, Room 140
Thom Guzman has presented this topic across the nation to help local economic development and other volunteer board members do their volunteer jobs better. Local economic development board members will better understand what their role and responsibilities are relative to serving on community economic development boards, the level of commitment necessary to serve well, and how their role and responsibilities supports the entire board and organization’s mission.
Session 4 Economic Development 101: How to Work with Your Utilities Street Level, Room 144
Utilities are an essential factor in the location and expansion of industries and businesses in your community. Speakers from Alliant Energy, Black Hills Energy and MidAmerican Energy will help you gain a basic understanding of how the gas and electric systems work in your community. Brush up on some of the terminology. Most importantly, learn why it is so critical to bring your utility representatives in very early on expansion or new development discussions to avoid confusion, misinterpretation and frustration on the project.
Session 5 The Changing Nature of Site Selection Street Level, Room 146
Eric Engh, Division Vice President at Ryan Companies, addresses the changes in the very nature of site selection and the resulting impact on the economic development world. Mr. Engh outlines the strategic steps a community must take to become more competitive in today’s site selection landscape and explains those unchanging factors so critical in building the economic strength of your community.
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| 2:30 p.m. |
Ice Cream Networking Reception with Exhibitors
Skywalk Level
Adjourn
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| 2:45 p.m. |
Community Bonus Session
Federal Economic Stimulus Package Street Level, Room 140 |