Business Connection • April 2023

business CONNECTION

Terry Christensen PUBLISHER tchristensen@messengernews.net

Bill Shea EDITOR bshea@messengernews.net

Leanne Darr MARKETING DIRECTOR ldarr@messengernews.net

Jody Kayser SALES MANAGER jkayser@messengernews.net

Nick Manwarren GRAPHIC DESIGNER nmanwarren@messengernews.net

Brittney Bensen SALES CONSULTANT bbensen@messengernews.net

ADDRESS: PHONE: 713 Central Ave. (515) 573-2141 Fort Dodge, IA 50501 FAX: (515) 571-4529

Fort Dodge BUSINESS CONNECTION is published monthly by The Messenger in cooperation with The Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance.

All rights reserved. Copyright 2023. Reproduction in part or in whole without the expressed written permission of Fort Dodge BUSINESS CONNECTION is strictly prohibited. Unsolicited manuscripts must be accompanied by return postage. Fort Dodge BUSINESS CONNECTION is not responsible for unsolicited photographs, artwork or manuscripts. The opinions expressed in editorial material are not necessarily the opinions of Fort Dodge Business Connection.

GOWRIE LEADERSHIP

Growth Alliance staff – Kelly Halsted, Jill Nelson, and myself – as well as County Supervisors Niki Conrad and Mark Campbell, along with other Webster County staff, attended the Gowrie Annual Spring Banquet held in the Heartland Bank Community Room on March 30th.

At the Banquet, Deb Brown with “Save Your Town” offered suggestions and insight regarding ways to make improvements within rural communities. She spoke about thinking outside of the box and being willing to try things that haven’t been tried before. Most of the points made by Deb Brown surprisingly are points already guiding Gowrie today. Leadership in Gowrie has been very progressive and innovative, which can be witnessed by the Gowrie Development Commission recently conducting a community tour for housing contractors and realtors, showcasing why Gowrie is a great place to build. This resulted in a new relationship with home developers in Iowa.

The Gowrie Development Commission has partnered with the City to renew a housing incentive program which was previously used to build 5 new homes and assisted the City with the sale of the remaining nine lots in the Wiley Addition 2. The GDC is also working with a local business that is interested in converting senior-living type apartments into a multi-family unit and are pursuing options to rehabilitate or eliminate run-down housing units.

Plans are underway for new wayfinding signs to be installed in 2023. These signs will draw attention to various destinations and the many amenities in Gowrie.

The GDC is involved in a downtown façade incentive program and hosts regular downtown markets, and other coordinated retail events. Because of their efforts, there are three downtown projects in the gestation stage.

Further, a presentation was made by Matt Cosgrove, Webster County Conservation Director, on trails around Gowrie planned for 2024 and already funded, and in design.

Dennis Plautz

At each year’s banquet the GDC accepts nominations for and announces the Go-Getter Award winner at their Spring Banquet. The Go-Getter Award celebrates the “Leadership, inspiration, generosity, and wisdom” of a professional in the Gowrie community. The Growth Alliance would like to congratulate this year’s winner, Bernadette Tucker.

Gowrie is a small community with a lot of passion and hometown pride. The Gowrie Development Commission works to strengthen the economy and community of Gowrie, Iowa, and to serve its members. Because of them, you find programs not typically found in smaller communities. Most all of this is due to the foresight and leadership in the Gowrie community.

We thank the members of the GDC for their efforts:

Chelsey Worrel, President

Kathy Carlson, Vice President

Marsha Farnham, Secretary

Seth Dolan, Treasurer

Mindy Swieter

Phil DeCastro

Meredith Van Zuiden

Bruce Towne, City Council

Troy Thomas, Utilities Representative

Kevin Black, Growth Alliance Representative

Gowrie is far ahead of most comparably sized communities in rural Iowa and the Growth Alliance truly values our partnership with them. Thank you for all you do.

WITH

Q&A VISIT FORT DODGE

CONGRATULATIONS ON RECEIVING THE OUTSTANDING WEBSITE AWARD AT THE IOWA TOURISM CONFERENCE! CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE WORK YOU’VE DONE TO YOUR WEBSITE?

Our organization needed to replace an aging website to better represent the community and improve its usefulness for potential visitors and residents. We believe that Fort Dodge and Webster County have the potential to be tourist destinations for leisure travelers, special events, and tournaments, so DodgeTheOrdinary.com works to highlight Fort Dodge as a visitor destination.

Successful tourism websites include vibrant and eye-catching imagery to represent the community and its offerings. We increased the number and quality of imagery on DodgeTheOrdinary.com by utilizing photography, videos, and content created by professionals and visitors themselves. Also including web links to Fort Dodge content from multiple travel writers, bloggers, and vloggers (video bloggers) highlights those visitors’ experiences in Fort Dodge. This creates authentic content which potential visitors are looking for.

Q&A

WITH VISIT FORT DODGE

We also added a digital calendar widget that monitors web crawlers to find special events and entertainment options within Webster County. These events are populated to a calendar on DodgeTheOrdinary.com which we are able to monitor with much less time invested and greater coverage of local events.

Visit Fort Dodge is working hard to promote our community, local businesses, and entertainment opportunities. So, on DodgeTheOrdinary.com we want our attractions, hotels, and businesses to be represented strongly. Businesses may have a website or Facebook page but there is rarely consistency between businesses. We wanted business representation to be more than a listing with a simple website link. We developed a profile to showcase each business which not only provides an online link but also contains detailed information and photos helping to promote and bring business to Fort Dodge.

We know that visitors want to connect with the communities they visit. Many want to go to locally owned and operating restaurants, stores, and attractions. They want to get the “flavor” of the community and its people. Adding a historical perspective of the community was an important aspect of building the story of Fort Dodge, and creating a base of historical knowledge about our city on the website helps people to get at least a small feeling of who we were as a community and who we are now.

Visit Fort Dodge is here for visitors and tourism, but we also try to recruit events and help travelers when things don’t go as planned. To address these goals, we added a tab with an electronic Webster County Destination Guide as well as a Meetings and Convention Guide which also covers services VFD can provide to special events being hosted here. We also added information to our pages about services travelers could need, such as electric car charging stations, hospitals, banks, veterinarians, pharmacies, and car repair locations.

Tourism marketing can also help with workforce recruitment and DodgeTheOrdinary.com was tailored to help newcomers or new residents become acclimated to the community. We have areas that showcase housing, medical services, faith groups, service clubs, sports and fitness, and volunteer opportunities. Lastly, we provide information on the hospitality workforce with tools and training that will encourage workers into these viable careers. In the end, we are also striving to be a central collection hub for Fort Dodge content and information.

YOU’VE RECENTLY REBRANDED AS VISIT FORT DODGE. WHAT GUIDED THAT DECISION AND WHAT WAS THE PROCESS LIKE?

Historically, many people (local and visitor alike) didn’t know what a convention and visitor bureau was. We had trouble gathering event information, groups did not notify us when coming to the community, and our residents didn’t know what we did. We knew educating our residents and visitors would be a longterm effort.

In March of 2022, Josh Schamberger from Think Iowa City came to town and analyzed the board, partner organizations, and resident surveys to discover the tourism themes our community felt were important to pursue. After a 5-hour session with our board, we put together a volunteer committee to meet and discuss Josh’s recommendation, and where they could see our organization moving the tourism industry forward in the region. The committee studied other strategic plans and other tourism communities’ efforts. They talked over many ideas and one of their first recommendations was to simplify our name to describe what we wanted potential visitors to do. The name Visit Fort Dodge rose to the top as an active term and was ultimately selected as our new name, as it clearly stated what we are trying to accomplish: we are working to get people outside the area to come and visit.

WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE TOURISM INDUSTRY AND HOW IT RELATES TO FORT DODGE?

Fort Dodge has the potential to bring leisure travelers to the area, especially with the quality and variety of outdoor trail systems located in the region. We focus on the niche markets of off-highway vehicle trails, water trails, mountain biking, equestrian trails, fishing, snowmobiling, and hard surface biking, along with quality parks. In addition, we have vibrant arts, cultural, historical, and entertainment options. Combine all of these and we have a great opportunity to gain market share in the visitor industry. This increase in the leisure market will help to fuel more successful bids to host meetings and conventions as organizers want to host events where their people want to visit. It also helps recruit more teams to local tournaments. In the sports tourism market, many families make trips to tournaments as a mini vacation opportunity. The stronger our leisure draw, the more success we will see in recruiting events.

artistspot

Hans Madsen

What is the most enjoyable aspect of photography for you?

On the technical side, I love the darkroom. I’ve yet to tire of seeing an image emerge from a blank sheet of paper in a tray of developer. It’s close to magic. For my ongoing Iowa Blues project, I enjoy it’s an overcast day with some sort of event going on where there’s a lot of people doing odd things for 1/500th of a second at a time that I can capture in my favorite light.

You can have dinner with one person….famous or not….alive or not….Who do you choose and

My grandmother, Anna. I’d love to be able to tell her about all the adventures I’ve had in life as a working journalist and artists. Then show her some pictures. She died when I was 8 and I’ve since heard from family members she knew a few rather raunchy jokes. I’d love to hear them.

What do you like most about the art and culture scene in our

ways?

Yes. I grew up in a home where exploring things, like art, was encouraged and given lots of time. There were always plenty of materials, books and time to create. I still have a set of water colors my mom painted. She never pursued it thought. They’re very good! When I took up photography, there was a steady supply of film and paper provided.

At what point did you become interested in photography?

The photography bug bit when I was about 14. I haven’t really sought out a cure for it since then, assuming there is one.

What challenges you as an artist?

The biggest challenge is staying active. It’s far too easy to give in to other activities that require nothing more than gluing your eyeballs to a screen.

Who inspires you?

As a photographer, my first teacher, T. Leo Lauyer still has an influence. Other photographers include Mary Ellen Mark, Robert Frank, W. Eugene Smith, David Stock, Henri Cartier Bresson and Robert Mapplethorpe.

The sheer volume of talent here. It’s not just gifted photographers. There are lots of talented individuals that paint, draw, sculpt and make some really great music. I’m also a big fan of the Blanden Art Museum. Director, Eric Anderson features many Fort Dodge area and Iowa artists.

Age: 56 • Hometown: Ord, Nebraska Profession/Artistic Medium: Photographer, Film, Traditional Photo Paper, Smelly Chemicals

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

GREATER

KOCH FERTILIZER

For more than 55 years, Koch Fertilizer Fort Dodge has produced nitrogen fertilizers for American farmers.

Built in 1966, Koch Fertilizer purchased the Fort Dodge facility in 2003. A leading fertilizer producer, Koch Fertilizer distributes more than 12 million metric tons of fertilizer products annually. The company owns or has interests in nitrogen fertilizer plants in the United States, Canada, and Trinidad and Tobago as well as a phosphate fertilizer plant in Morocco. The company covers global demand through state-of-the-art terminals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Australia.

Koch Fertilizer Fort Dodge employs a diverse team of more than 90 people in the fields of engineering, operations, and maintenance. The team produces anhydrous ammonia and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) and supplies farmers in the Corn Belt with ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) produced by Koch affiliate, Flint Hills Resources.

FORT DODGE GROWTH ALLIANCE BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

During the summer of 2022, the Fort Dodge site completed a $140 million project to revamp production processes, which increased yearly ammonia production capacity by 85,000 tons. The investment also further improved reliability as well as the site’s environmental and safety performance.

Additionally, in late 2021, Koch Fertilizer built a 2-million-gallon ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) terminal to support growing demand. The terminal offers the ability to mix ATS with UAN or water for customized fertilizer blends.

These investments ensure the longevity of the Fort Dodge plant and support the Koch Fertilizer stewardship vision to provide products and services that help people improve their lives, while using fewer resources and respecting the environment.

Last year, Koch Fertilizer Fort Dodge earned 2021 ENERGY STAR® certification from the United States Environmental Protection Agency for superior energy performance. ENERGY STAR certification recognizes plants performing in the top 25 percent of similar nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meeting strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

Koch Fertilizer’s investments go beyond its facilities. Through its business and philanthropic endeavors, the company seeks to make society better through mutual benefit. Koch Fertilizer provides opportunities for employees to build relationships, have meaningful and fulfilling experiences, and make a positive difference in their communities based on what is important to them.

The Fort Dodge team is proud to support the local community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to develop their unique talents and abilities. The company focuses on helping people improve their lives through education, mentorship, development of job skills and support of local organizations. The site supports a variety of programs from STEM and agricultural education to skilled trades and vocational technology schools. The team sponsors and participates in the Iowa Central Community College STEAMfest and partners with the Webster City FFA chapter to package meals for Meals for the Heartland. They also host on-site blood drives and support local food banks, emergency response services, and among others.

Koch Fertilizer Fort Dodge is proud to be part of the Fort Dodge community and looks forward to a long future of growth and partnership with the greater Fort Dodge area.

City Connect FORT DODGE

2023 Asphalt and Concrete Repair Projects

Spring in Iowa – wait a few minutes and the weather will change. One constant? Road work. Signs and road closures have been popping up the past few weeks with more to come. Each year, the City of Fort Dodge budgets a certain amount of money for street repair. These repairs are in addition to larger projects like the Veterans Bridge reconstruction. Here is a list of the asphalt and concrete repairs scheduled for 2023.

2023 Concrete Street Patching Project (PCC Patch Phase 1)

$605,532.00 contract awarded to Castor Construction. Work to be completed by July 14, 2023

2023 Concrete Street Patching Project (PCC Patch Phase 2)

$194,941.00 contract awarded to Castor Construction. Work to be completed by July 14, 2023

Kenyon Rd from S 8th St to S 12th St

$1,198,318.19 contract awarded to Fort Dodge Asphalt Co. Work to be completed by October 1, 2023

20 1 7N E W S 20 23

The Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance

APRIL 2023 24 North 9th Street, Suite A Fort Dodge, IA 50501 Phone 515-955-5500

Fax 515-955-3245 www.greaterfortdodge.com

STAFF

Dennis Plautz CEO dennis@greaterfortdodge.com

Kelly Halsted Economic Development Director kelly@greaterfortdodge.com

Jill Nelson Community Development Director jill@greaterfortdodge.com

Skyla Porter Organizational Administrator skyla@greaterfortdodge.com

Deena McCaulley Office Manager deena@greaterfortdodge.com

Lydia Schuur Communications Specialist lydia@greaterfortdodge.com

MISSION STATEMENT

“Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance is an efficient organization whose mission is to unify and coordinate accountable, economic and community development, to enhance the quality of life in Fort Dodge and the region.”

NewMembers

DaVita Dialysis Fort Dodge strives to impact their community as the provider, partner, and employer of choice for Dialysis. Their commitment to patient care is demonstrated through quality clinical outcomes and dedication to supporting patient goals and choices in their treatment plan

Dr Michael Lee serves as Medical Director for this tenured team of nurses and hemodialysis technicians DaVita Fort Dodge has served in-center and Peritoneal Dialysis patients both in our community and in surrounding communities since 2017 The DaVita Dialysis Fort Dodge clinic is open Monday through Saturday 5am-430pm, and they are located at 117 S 25th St You can reach the office by calling (833) 460-3127

Freedom Pointe, inside the Judy Warrick Wellness and Recovery Center, offers peer support for mental health wellness and recovery Follow their page to keep up to date on events within the community. Freedom Pointe's address is 1303 A St in Fort Dodge

There is a Drop-In location in the basement of First Baptist Church, located at 28 N 10th St, Monday - Friday, 10a-3p.

UpcomingPrograms

tRIBBON

Get Sunmed Fort Dodge

Congratulations to Get Sunmed Fort Dodge on your ribbon cutting!

Sunmed is located at 1026 Central Avenue.

They are open Monday - Saturday, 10-6. Sunmed CBD is a national franchise that sells USDA-certified organic CBD hemp products.

County Connect Webster

Gowrie Spring Banquet

Each year, Gowrie hosts a Spring Banquet to celebrate the year’s successes and acknowledge a Go-getter, someone who demonstrates “leadership, inspiration, generosity, and wisdom” of a professional in the community.

The feature speaker at the banquet on March 30th was Deb Brown with “Save Your Town”. “Save Your Town” exists to provide low or no-cost solutions for small towns to make improvements that will benefit their quality of life and economy. They believe that small towns can best be saved by their own people using their own resources. “Save Your Town” shows communities practical steps they can use to impact their future.

Deb Brown grew up outside of Geneva, Iowa. She has led a small town chamber of commerce, foreign casualty insurance underwriting, and retail management, among other jobs. Deb holds an Institute for Organizational Management certification, graduated from Leadership Iowa, and the Ag-Urban Institute in Iowa. She also completed

the Governing Officials Institute in Oklahoma and earned certificates in Facilitating for Results and Quality Leadership. What she most loves about her job is “the opportunity to work with people who really care about their communities. Sharing the success stories from other towns is always fun. Helping people get entrepreneurial ideas off the ground, finding ways to save your town and hearing the good things about a town are the things I really enjoy.”

During Brown’s presentation, she discussed filling empty buildings, using city codes that already exist, making new ones and enforcing them as ways to get started. To fill empty buildings, Deb spoke about creating art residencies and incubator projects. To fill empty lots, Deb discussed filling them with, “outdoor activities, museums, party spaces and tiny market villages.”

Brown says, “Small towns have all they need to move forward, try new ideas and save their towns. I believe small towns can be saved by their own peo-

great conversations around the small things they could do right away. One young man volunteered to bring his buddies out and use a power washer to clean some of downtown. Does that seem like much? The surprising thing is that it really helps. And more people get involved when they see how they can participate by taking smaller steps. I look forward to seeing how one of the downtown buildings is going to cover their boarded-up windows on the second floor! One lady posted on Facebook a story of how one town was hosting a puzzle night. She simply asked, ‘who likes this?’ She got lots of answers from folks who wanted to do it. Finally, Mulligans hosted a bingo night this past week. That was an idea that came out of this visit. Anytime you can support a local business is a good thing!”

Gowrie Go-getter Award

Bernadette Tucker was awarded with the Gowrie Go-getter award. Bernadette has volunteered and held many positions on committees and boards, and served on the Webster County Planning and Zoning Commission. While a board member of the Gowrie Development Commission, she served as treasurer for many years, put together Welcome bags, planned annual events, spear-headed the digital Welcome to Gowrie signs, downtown flower planters, and co-chaired the Image Committee. Tucker is an active leader with the American Legion Auxiliary Post #431, and organized a blood drive when serving as Vice President. She was involved in the Gowrie United Methodist Church for several years.

Bernadette now lives out of state but continues to support Gowrie, visiting often and continuing to work on a recent project to enhance the downtown.

Bernadette Tucker

shining

Emma Barwin

Age: 17 • Grade/School: Saint Edmond Catholic High School

Hometown: Fort Dodge, Iowa

Do you come from an artistic family?

Nobody in my family is very involved in the fine arts but I would say my mom is pretty crafty. Even though none of the members of my family are super artistic, they have always supported me.

What is the most difficult, or challenging, part for you when creating a new piece?

The most difficult or challenging part for me when creating a new piece is blank page anxiety. I feel just a little nervous right before my pencil marks the paper, I am always able to get over this though.

What is the most rewarding part of the artistic process?

The most rewarding part is stepping back to look at the final piece. I love seeing my hard work pay off.

Do you plan to use your artistic schools after high school? If so, in what ways?

Yes, I plan on going to school for art and am aiming to get my masters. I would love to freelance for people as well and have dreams of doing art shows in a gallery someday.

Artistic Interests:

Definitely scratching around in my sketchbook, and recently also watercolor landscapes! Additionally, I love drawing pencil portraits and have taken ceramics classes.

How long have you been interested in art?

I have been interested in art since I was little. I always loved doodling and I remember flipping over coloring pages to trace the on the back. Art has always just been something I do, like walking or breathing.

What do you most enjoy about creating art?

I most enjoy the focus. I can’t take my eyes off the paper when I’m painting thin lines or trying to get things just right.

Who inspires you and why?

Someone who inspires me is the artist Keith Haring. While he was alive he made political statements and battled prejudice through his art. He impacted many people’s lives and I love seeing his work.

Walk us through a typical day in the life of Emma Barwin.

A typical day in my life stars with waking up and checking my phone. I usually get up around 6 and try to do yoga before I start my day. I then pack up my stuff and drive to school. When I get to school I occasionally have to drop a project off in the art room if I took it home to work. I have my morning classes and then Independent Art Study fourth period, this is where I create a lot of my pieces. When school is over I go home and get ready for work or tennis practice. I like days where I have free time because I can draw and read. After all of my activities I eat dinner with my family and go to bed.

What are your plans after high school?

I plan on studying art in college and making money through my work as an adult.

HOW PHILANTHROPY HAS IMPACTED FORT DODGE

Giving is part of America’s character, culture, and economy. It is an engine for ingenuity in the United States, and it is part of our nation’s social contract.

In the 1830s, the French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville toured the United States and coined the concept of American “exceptionalism” in his classic book Democracy in America, in which he marveled that Americans “willingly sacrifice a portion of their time and property” to improve the welfare of their fellow citizens. Since that time, American philanthropy has witnessed many extraordinary acts of generosity.

Today, this generosity of spirit continues. In 2016 alone, Americans donated some $390 billion to charitable causes, nearly three quarters of which came not from foundations or corporations, but from individuals hailing from all walks of life. Indeed, philanthropy is the backbone of America’s nonprofit field, which is comprised of some 1.5 million organizations that account for 10 percent of all private sector employment nationwide. It is clear that government alone could not support the great array of services the nonprofit sector provides. Neither government nor philanthropy can sustain our nation’s nonprofit institutions alone—they must work together to help keep our democracy dynamic and thriving.

RANDY KUHLMAN C.E.O FORT DODGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AND UNITED WAY

Locally speaking, be it areas such as education, health, the arts, recreation, faith, and social/ human services, our community and county is a good example of how philanthropy has and continues to have a major impact in advancing quality of life and human well-being right here in north-central Iowa.

Many of the Fort Dodge’s iconic organizations were either started or have been supported by philanthropy, i.e., generous people who have provided significant financial support.

Here are just a few examples: Blanden Memorial Art Museum, Unity Point – Trinity Regional Medical Center, Fort Dodge Public Library, Fort Dodge Catholic Schools, Rogers Sports Complex, Fort Dodge Community Recreation Center (formerly the YMCA), Fort Dodge Churches,

Baber Hospice House, Trinity Cancer Center, Fort Dodge / Webster County Trail System, Patterson Baseball Field, Fort Dodge Aquatics Park, and the Almost Home Animal Shelter.

These are only a few of many examples of how charitable – philanthropic gifts have advanced the quality of life in our community in very significant ways. The purpose of the Fort Dodge

Community Foundation is to advance charitable giving to benefit our community and many charitable organizations and causes.

For more information on how you can support your favorite charitable organizations and causes and take advantage of tax saving opportunities, please contact the Fort Dodge Community Foundation at 515-573-3171, or stop into our office located at 24 North 9th Street in downtown Fort Dodge.

College Connect

Iowa Central Business & Community

barriers students face when pursuing their education. For example, the PACE program allows the Career Navigators to pay for childcare, transportation, and certification fees for the students that qualify. They also follow up on student grades and attendance and assist students develop or build on their soft skills, like crafting a resume and interview skills. Finally, they connect students to employers and Career Services.

To learn more about Career Navigators, contact Melissa Vorrie, Workforce Programs Director, by calling (515) 574-1972 or by emailing vorrie@iowacentral.edu.

CAREER SERVICES

Students and alumni can utilize the Career Services department to help discover a career path, find a job or internship, or to advance their professional skills. They also work with area businesses to provide students with current job opportunities. Other services include the online job board, career fairs, job search tips, internship opportunities, career assessments and advising, and worksite tours.

Iowa Central Business & Community serves the nine counties in Iowa Central Community College’s region. Our team offers a variety of services, from exposing K-12 students to area businesses and career opportunities to offering customized training in safety, leadership, and more to business’s employees. Check out all Iowa Central Business & Community’s services, upcoming classes, and more below!

ADULT EDUCATION & LITERACY

The Adult Education & Literacy department offers free English Language classes to adults 16 years and older in the Eagle Grove, Fort Dodge, Storm Lake, and Webster City communities along with the surrounding areas.

High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) classes, formerly known as GED, are also offered by the Adult Education & Literacy department, free to students 17 years old or older. Students study with trained instructors in Fort Dodge, Jefferson, Storm Lake, and Webster City to successfully complete the five HiSET subtest areas: Writing, Math, Literature, Science, and Social Studies.

To learn more about Adult Education & Literacy, contact Abby Underberg, Adult Education and Literacy Director, by calling (515) 574-1076 or by emailing underberg@iowacentral.edu.

CAREER NAVIGATORS

Career Navigators work with the Community Education Director to meet area workforce needs by providing relevant classes, offering financial support through grant funding, and mentorship to address

To learn more about Career Services, contact Eric Oberg, Career Services Coordinator, by calling (515) 574-1075 or by emailing oberg@ iowacentral.edu

COMMUNITY EDUCATION

The Community Education department provides noncredit classes to the nine-county region in subjects like healthcare, manufacturing, education, agriculture, and leisure. Classes offered are typically shortterm, certificate classes that helps students start or advance their career in a high-need career pipeline.

To register for a class or to learn more about Community Education, contact Michelle Filmer, Community Education Assistant Director, by calling (515) 574-1292 or by emailing filmer@iowacentral.edu.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Iowa Central Community College is committed to helping local businesses grow and compete in today’s rapidly changing business climate. Our customized technical training provides individuals with the training and education needed to succeed and provides skill development and enhancement essential to organizational productivity. Training is available in many areas and can be developed around your needs. Trainers may be Iowa Central training specialists or other experienced industry professionals.

To learn more about Economic Development, contact Julaine Bidleman, Economic and Community Education Director, by calling (515) 574-1900 or by emailing bidleman@iowacentral.edu.

IOWA SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SBDC)

Iowa Central center serves entrepreneurs and existing businesses in Audubon, Calhoun, Carroll, Greene, Guthrie, Hamilton, Humboldt, Pocahontas, Sac, Webster and Buena Vista counties. The focus of the center is helping to build rural Iowa, which is doing so through partnerships.

To learn more about the SBDC, contact Justin Faiferlick, Small Business Development Center Regional Director, by calling (515) 574-1997 or emailing faiferlick@iowacentral.edu.

Upcoming Community Education Classes

Healthcare:

Pharmacy Technician

May 1 – June 28, 2023 (Monday and Wednesday from 6:00 pm – 9:30 pm)

East Campus

You’ll complete this comprehensive course with the knowledge and skills to enter the pharmacy field and take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) exam.

Learn to read and interpret prescriptions, define generic and brand names drugs, pharmacy terminology, and much more.

Medical

Billing and Coding

May 1 – July 12, 2023 (Monday and Wednesday from 6:00pm – 9:30 pm Additional Classes Saturday May 20 and June 24 9 am – 4 pm)

East Campus

This combined 80-hour billing and coding course offers the skills needed to solve insurance billing problems, how manually file claims (using the CPT and ICD-10 manual), complete common insurance forms, trace delinquent claims, appeal denied claims, and use generic forms to streamline billing procedures.

Hybrid Emergency Medical Technician

May 5 – July 19, 2023 (Every Wednesday from 6:00pm – 10:00pm & Online Coursework)

(face-to-face class also required 7/17, 7/20, & 7/24)

Fort Dodge Main Campus

A program that prepares individuals, under the remote supervision of physicians, to recognize, assess and manage medical emergencies in prehospital settings and to supervise ambulance personnel. Includes instruction in basic, intermediate and advanced EMT procedures; emergency surgical procedures, medical triage, rescue operations, crisis scene management and personnel supervision, equipment operation and maintenance, patient stabilization, monitoring and care, drug administration, identification and preliminary diagnosis of diseases and injuries, communication and computer operations, basic anatomy, physiology, pathology and toxicology, and professional standards and regulations.

Certified Nurse Aide

Option #1

May 8 – July 7, 2023

(Monday Wednesday Friday)

12:30 pm – 4:00pm

Fort Dodge Main Campus

Option #2

June 6 – August 10, 2023

(Monday Wednesday Friday)

8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Fort Dodge Main Campus

Manufacturing:

Production Welding

Option #1

May 30– July 25, 2023

(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)

1:00 pm – 5:00pm

Storm Lake

Option #2

June 13 – August 8, 2023

(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Eagle Grove

This program will include topics covered in the credit welding program such as blueprint reading, gas metal arc welding and thermal cutting. This certificate program will prepare the student for an entry level welding position.

MSHA Training

New Miner

June 5 – June 7, 2023 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)

8:00 am – 4:00 pm

East Campus

Mine safety training for underground mine with work being done above ground, as week as underground mine with work being done underground. This training is for new miners and/or contractors.

Refresher

June 8, 2023 (Thursday)

8:00 am – 4:00 pm

East Campus

Eight-hour annual MSHA refresher. This training will cover Part 46, Part 48A and Part 48B- surface and underground.

Transportation:

Semi-Truck Driver (CDL)

July 6 – September 15, 2023

Monday – Thursday 7 am – 3:30 pm and Friday

7 am – 2:30 pm

Transportation Technology Center

Obtain a certificate and a Class A CDL while learning how to drive a tractor/trailer safely. Iowa Central is a registered training provider and offers the theory and BTW for manual and automatic trucks. Attendance is required and testing is done onsite.

Leisure:

Intro to Canva

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

6:00pm – 8:00pm

Greene County Career Academy Rm-D122 –Jefferson

Whether you are interested in improving your social media presence and presentations, creating eye-catching flyers and forms, or you just want to see what Canva is all about, this event is for you!

Advanced Canva

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

6:00pm – 8:00pm

Greene County Career Academy Rm-D122 –Jefferson

Are you wanting to learn more after you took the Introductory Canva Class? This class will help learners put everything we learned in the beginning class and tie it all together. Take your designs up a notch with this advanced class.

Online (always available):

FAA Part 107 Certification Prep (Drone)

12-week online class

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 class, which focuses on small, unmanned aircraft operations (drones). The Operations Over People rule became effective April 2021. After earning the certification, Drone pilots operating under Part 107 may fly at night, over people and moving vehicles without a waiver if they meet the requirements defined in the rule. Airspace authorizations are still required for night operations in controlled airspace under 400 feet.

Iowa Coaching Authorization

Self-paced

This course satisfies the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners requirements to apply for an Iowa Coaching Authorization license.

To register for a class or to learn more about Community Education, Michelle Filmer, Community Education Assistant Director, by calling (515) 574-1292 or by emailing filmer@iowacentral.edu.

FOUR WAYS TO USE CASH WISELY

There has been a lot of talk about a “cashless” society, but it’s not here yet. In fact, cash can still be a valuable element of your overall financial picture – if you employ it wisely. But how?

Consider these four key uses of cash:

Everyday spending – Of course, you need sufficient cash on hand to pay for your cost of living – mortgage, debt payments, utilities, groceries, etc. You’ll likely rely on your savings or checking accounts to pay for these needs.

Unexpected expenses and emergencies

– It’s never a bad idea to establish a monthly budget. But, as you know, life is unpredictable – and sometimes you may encounter “budget-busting” expenses, such as a major home repair or a large medical bill. If you haven’t planned for these costs, you might be forced to dip into your long-term investments, such as your IRA and 401(k), which can result in taxes, penalties and less money for your retirement. A better alternative is to prepare in advance by building an emergency fund containing up to six months’ worth of living expenses in cash, or at least in a highly liquid account, held separately from your regular checking or savings account so you won’t inadvertently spend the money.

Short-term savings goal – When you are investing for a long-term goal – especially retirement – you will likely need to own a reasonable percentage of growthoriented vehicles, such as stocks and stock-based mutual funds. The value of these investments will fluctuate, so, if it’s possible, you’ll want to avoid selling them when their price is down – which may make them unsuitable for short-term goals. But if you’re aiming for a goal that you want to achieve in a year or so – a wedding, a long vacation, and so on –you’ll want to be sure a specific amount of money is there for you when you need it. Consequently, you’ll want to put away cash for this type of goal, possibly in a short-term savings or investment vehicle that might pay somewhat higher interest than a regular checking/savings account.

Source of investment – In regard to your longer-term investment strategy, cash can play two important roles. First, it can serve as its own asset class, alongside other classes, such as stocks and fixedincome vehicles. Unlike these other classes – especially stocks and stock-based

mutual funds – cash won’t fluctuate in value, so it can potentially help lessen the impact of market volatility on your portfolio. And second, having the cash available in your portfolio gives you the opportunity to quickly take advantage of other investment opportunities that may occur. And you may be able to use your existing investments to help replenish the cash in your portfolio. For example, if you choose to take stock dividends in cash, these dividends can be “swept” into your brokerage account and held there until you’re ready to invest them. (However, depending on your comprehensive financial strategy, it may be a good move to simply reinvest the dividends into the same stocks or stock funds.) Keep in mind that you won’t want your investment accounts to contain too much cash, as its purchasing power can erode due to inflation.

By managing your cash efficiently, and putting it to work in different ways, you can gain some key benefits – and you’ll help yourself to keep moving toward your short- and long-term goals.