Opportunity Squared: Teaming up to bring in area businesses

By MARK NEWMAN Courier staff writer

April 25, 2008 10:20 am

— OTTUMWA — When a company wants to build a new facility, they should think of Ottumwa. Or Bloomfield. Or Albia, Centerville, Oskaloosa, Sigourney, Fairfield or Pella.
A new team of economic development organizations, Opportunity Squared, just wants potential businesses to consider coming to southern Iowa.
“This is the pooling of all these resources to promote our entire region,” said Ellen Foudree, director of Area XV Regional Planning.
Foudree, who is facilitating for the group, said the key to success will be marketing our strengths to the right target industry through a new Web site, promotional materials, even visits to corporate headquarters touting the benefits of southeast Iowa.
“There’s strength in numbers,” acknowledged Ottumwa City Administrator Joe Helfenberger.
He attended a kickoff of the new group and its Web site at Bridge View Center in Ottumwa on Thursday.
“You’re more likely to attract business by having a larger area. That gives them choice,” he said.
So hypothetically, industry executives invited to southern Iowa see one town is a little smaller than they want, another is too far from rail transportation and a third fits their needs perfectly.
“They may not have come at all if they didn’t have [those] choices,” Helfenberger said.
Eight counties and several utility companies have grouped together.
“A single county or town has a small voice,” said Roger Jones, executive director of Ottumwa Economic Development Corporation. “The overwhelming trend is regionalism.”
Besides, agreed Helgerson, for the money Ottumwa would spend to take out an ad in a magazine or trade journal with small circulation, pitching in with a larger coalition means a promotional ad in a national magazine wouldn’t cost them more.
Foudree agreed that a region like the new Opportunity Squared eight-county coalition, which has more than 100,000 residents, will have more clout than a single community fighting for opportunities. That means even at the House in Des Moines, when fighting for their share of infrastructure money, a rural area can have a voice more on par with a large city.
So not only does Opportunity Squared want to bring in new business, they want to encourage local business to stay, and, if they are going to expand, to do so locally.
In fact, the presentation Thursday by the group mentioned how different business has become over the years; a local business can close down a plant and move its manufacturing operation to Asia.
Jones said in his 25 years in the economic development trade he has seen rival cities that would compete for every little — or big — thing; he worked in one situation just like that. Then things changed.
“After we [entered] a coalition, the [development director] from the other town called me,” he remembered.
The former rival had just met with a business developer and told them that while his own town wasn’t quite right for the company’s needs, Jones’ city would be perfect.
“It really happens,” Jones said. “You never want to lose an opportunity. But if it’s clear ‘This isn’t going to happen’, then it might as well go next door, rather than 150 miles away.”
During their presentation, coalition members said that while rural regions may face challenges, they have many strengths, too. There’s nothing wrong with touting the resources available to businesses who can have great success in southeast Iowa and bring opportunities, too.
“We’ve been invisible too long,” said Foudree, “and quiet too long.”
For more information, visit www.op2iowa.com.
Mark Newman can be reached at 683-5358 or by e-mail at mgnewman@mchsi.com.

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