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IDED Quick
News
The news report for customers, partners and friends of the
Iowa
Department of Economic Development.
May 23, 2002
Contents:
- Global Iowa Conference
- Human Resource Recruitment Consortium
News
- Smart
Conference Report
- Venture Network
- Business Development News
- A Taste Of Iowa
- Downtown Resource Center News
- Iowa Tourism News
- Iowa Film Office
- Privacy Statement
- Unsubscribe
Global Iowa
Conference
- The Annual Global Iowa Conference - "Global Economy in the
21st Century" --is Thursday, May 23 at The Gateway Center hotel in Ames. This
conference is an annual event that focuses on international trade. Governor
Vilsack has been invited to speak and present the "Governor's Export Awards."
Iowa representatives from Tokyo and Frankfurt offices and consultants from
Mexico and Hong Kong will be here for the week of May 20th to visit
various companies and attend the conference. For more information: http://www.iowaexports.com/globaliowa.html
Human Resource Recruitment
Consortium News
- The Human Resource Recruitment Consortium (HRRC) discussed
ideas for retaining Iowa's students at the April 18 Advisory Board meeting.
Members shared their efforts to reach K-12 students and will work to identify
ways that the HRRC could support their current efforts or create new
opportunities to encourage grade school, middle school and high school
students to envision their futures in Iowa. Members strongly encouraged the
HRRC staff to continue marketing to college students and building strong
relationships with the career placement personnel. It was also recommended the
HRRC place a special emphasis on educating faculty about career opportunities
in Iowa and the benefits of keeping Iowa's students here. http://www.smartcareermove.com
- The HRRC partnered with the Iowa Association for Internships
and Cooperative Education (IAICE) to present the "Developing Successful
Internship/Co-op Partnerships" workshop on April 30. It is recognized that one
of the best ways to increase the number of Iowa college graduates who consider
Iowa career opportunities is by making more internships and co-op
opportunities available to them. The workshop was designed to help businesses
better understand how to develop co-ops and internships from both the business
and educational institutions' standpoints. http://www.smartcareermove.com
- HRRC staff participated in the Iowa Scholars Ceremony on May
1 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The ceremony is an annual event in which
Iowa's top graduating high school seniors are honored. The students have the
opportunity to listen, are recognized and also get their pictures taken with
Governor Vilsack. This is a great opportunity for the HRRC to educate students
and their parents about the challenging career paths available in Iowa and ask
them to consider Iowa for their future career.
Smart
Conference
- Approximately 500 persons registered for The Smart Conference
- "Ideas for the New Economy" -jointly sponsored with the Iowa Utility
Association on May 2 at the Polk County Convention Complex. Governor Vilsack
was the opening speaker. Other highlights included keynote speaker, Capt.
Scott F. O'Grady (Return with Honor author), Community Development
marketing expert Eric P. Canada, tourism development in the Heartland expert
Bill Geist, Keeping and Attracting Young Talent strategist Rebecca Ryan and
Model Community updates.
Venture
Network
- Six capital seeking companies presented May 9th at
the Venture Network of Iowa forum, originating from IDED and carried to
investors gathered at 14 statewide locations over the Iowa Communications
Network. Presenters were Visionation, West Des Moines; Soy Candle Farm, Sioux
City/St. Paul, MN; Interfuze, Dubuque; LinkUp, St. Louis Park, MN; Aeron North
America, Fairfield and Van Gorp Corporation, Pella. http://www.state.ia.us/sbro/vni.htm
Business Development
News
- Two IDED staff and 10 Iowa sponsors hosted an event at the
CoreNet Global Summit, May 7th in Salt Lake City, Utah for the
influential professionals in corporate real estate. IDED coordinated a dinner
for 20 top corporate real estate prospects as an opportunity for excellent
one-on-one marketing opportunities.
- Iowa Quality Beef Producers Network, LLC--a business entity
created by the Iowa Cattlemen's Association--is taking possession of the Tama
Beef Plant during May and negotiations are underway for a processor partner to
re-open the plant. Staff has worked with the Iowa Cattlemen for over three
years to establish an equity ownership position for Iowa cattle producers in
beef processing facilities.
- Last Fall, the first field of "pharmaceutical" corn in North
America was harvested on an Iowa farm. Production of human drugs in transgenic
plants offers potential for dramatic reduction in drug production costs.
Business Development staff have been active participants with those Iowa
farmers and others in formulating a plan for construction of a new facility to
extract and purify drug compounds from transgenic corn and other crops. Final
negotiations are underway with two prospective tenant firms selected from
among the world leaders in this revolutionary technology.
A Taste of
Iowa
- A Taste of Iowa is conducting a joint promotion
with the Iowa Lottery during June featuring lotto tickets and discount coupons
on Roberts, Cookies and Aunt Vi’s products. The Lottery has purchased an
$80,000 radio package with radio remotes. A Taste of Iowa and company
representatives will market at six locations: June 12 - Dahls, Des Moines,
June 14 - Hy-Vee – Davenport, June 18 - Hy-Vee - Sioux City, June 19 - Hy-Vee
- Council Bluffs, June 21 - Hy-Vee - Mason City, and June 24 - Hy-Vee - Cedar
Rapids. http://www.atasteofiowa.org
Downtown Resource Center
News
- Governor Tom Vilsack commended the achievements and presented the awards
to 42 exceptional downtown revitalization projects and 27 outstanding
volunteers at the 15th Annual Main
Street Iowa Awards
- Two new Main Street communities: Marshalltown and Mount
Pleasant.
- Cedar Falls was named the sixth Iowa winner of the Great
American Main Street Award, by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s
Main Street Center. Iowa's six GAMSA awards is more than any other
state.
- Housing Team
- $ 11,456,823 awarded in Housing Fund awards to 30 Iowa communities. For
more information, contact Terry
Vestal at
525.242.4850.