Regional Economic Development
Your Cooperative is participating in an important initiative to develop a regional marketing plan for southeast
Iowa. The Southeast Iowa Regional Economic Development Consortium, made up of economic development groups in Lee, Henry, Louisa, and Des Moines Counties, along with the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission, Southeastern Community College, and Iowa Wesleyan College, have teamed up to develop a plan to revitalize our regional economy.
Our goal is to develop an Economic Recovery Plan that establishes a cooperative regional economic development effort for southeast
Iowa. The Southeast Iowa Regional Economic Development Consortium has hired AngelouEconomics of Austin Texas to assist us in the project.
AngelouEconomics is a nationally recognized firm that specializes in helping communities prepare for and market to high technology companies. The firm has developed economic development plans all across the nation, including places such as,
Illinois
Quad
Cities, Lincoln, Nebraska, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and
Orlando, Florida.
As part of this project, AngelouEconomics will assess the region’s economy, identify target businesses the region should recruit, identify the area’s opportunities and threats it needs to recognize, recommend improvements to the region’s business climate, its workforce, its quality of life, its sites and infrastructure, and the economic development and marketing efforts used to promote the region.
I would like to encourage you to help in this effort by participating in an on-line survey of the region being conducted by AngelouEconomics. Your input will be of great value in helping identify our region’s opportunities for the future. We want your opinions and perceptions on such topics as our schools, taxes, our quality of life, and what new business are needed in our area. To participate in the survey, click here. If you do not have internet service at your home, I would recommend accessing the survey at your local public library. Your librarian should be happy to assist you in accessing and completing the survey.