 The Ames Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2022 Inter-City Visit from August 17-19, where city and community leaders from Ames, Boone, and Nevada toured Marion, Cedar Falls, and Dubuque and met with their community leaders.
“The purpose of the trip is to bring business, civic, and community leaders together to look at places that are often aspirational markets,” said Dan Culhane, President & CEO of the Ames Chamber of Commerce. “There are many communities that have done wonderful things to make their community better and we can draw on their vision and leadership and apply those concepts in Ames.” The first stop on the 2022 Inter-City trip was Marion, Iowa. The group toured the newly constructed YMCA, new fire station, and the beautiful Lowe Park, a $1.7 million project that was funded with local, county, and state level support. Our team then toured the Marion Uptown, a Main Street Iowa community. Uptown is a vibrant placemaking project full of art, a streetscape project, and new commercial and residential construction. The next day, the Inter-City trip brought our delegation to Cedar Falls where our team visited with Cedar Falls Community Main Street and gained insights about their downtown redevelopment including their River Place Project. Cedar Falls has spent over a decade making improvements to their downtown area that now includes robust commercial offerings, a community plaza, and residential living. The final stop was the amazing river city of Dubuque. Greater Dubuque Development Corporation led our tour and talked about how both public and private investments led to the revitalization of the Mississippi Riverwalk, Port of Dubuque, and the Historic Millwork District. One of the major themes that was reinforced for our delegation was the importance of public and private partnerships related to investment. Other observations and aspirational ideas surrounded the concept of placemaking; transforming public spaces to strengthen the connections between people and our community. These spaces are often used socially and their vision is shared across the community. This is the fifth Inter-City trip that the Ames Chamber of Commerce has hosted. Previously visited communities include Manhattan, KS, Bloomington, IN, Columbia, MO, and Fort Collins, CO. Thank you to Sarah Dvorsky, Ames Chamber Executive Director of Ames Main Street and Affiliate Programming, for organizing this event. And a special thank you to the Marion Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO), Uptown Marion District, City of Marion, Cedar Falls Downtown District, Grow Cedar Valley, City of Cedar Falls, Great Dubuque Development, City of Dubuque, Dubuque Main Street, and the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce. It was an amazing 3 days for our entire delegation. A special thank you to our sponsors who helped make this trip a reality: 10Fold Architecture + Engineering, Keen Project Solutions, Discover Ames, Hunziker Companies, and City of Boone.
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 The Ames Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Commission is excited to welcome Eric Smidt to the team as Vice President of Marketing & Communications.
“I am excited that Eric decided to join our team here at the Ames Chamber of Commerce," said Dan Culhane, President and CEO of the Ames Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Commission. "He is creative and highly skilled in communications and I believe will serve us well in this role while also providing valuable leadership and insight into our programming and the work we do throughout the Ames MSA.” As the Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Smidt will oversee the overall marketing and communications strategies and implementation for the organization. "I am incredibly excited to be able to continue to serve our community through communications, now focusing on business and economic development through the Ames Chamber of Commerce," said Smidt. "I’ve built my career on telling the amazing stories that are all around us. Ames is a Smart Choice and I’m excited to continue the vision that the Chamber has developed and share those stories across our community." Smidt has spent the past five years as the Director of Communications for the Ames Community School District. During that time, he coordinated the communication campaign that led to the successful approval of the $110 million bond referendum for the new Ames High School. He also launched several new communication channels including the Amazing magazine that has a quarterly distribution of 12,000 copies across the Ames community, and the district’s award-winning Amazing Education Podcast. Smidt began his position on August 15 and can be reached at eric@ameschamber.com |
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Ames, Iowa 50010 Phone: (515) 232-2310 |
About the Ames Chamber
Centrally and conveniently located in the heart of the Midwest and Iowa, Ames is known for its healthy, stable economy, flourishing cultural environment, and the world-renowned Iowa State University. With over 700 members, the Ames Chamber of Commerce strives to make Ames a better place to live, work, and do business by strengthening the economic vitality and the quality of life in the Ames community. |
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