News and Events

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Hans Madsen Michelle De La Riva, executive director of Community & Family Resources, said she isn’t too unhappy about leaving the organization’s old, crowded facilities behind. Moving into their new building? That she’s very happy about. She shared some of those thoughts Friday afternoon during a ribbon cutting and open house at the organization’s new facility at 211 Avenue M West. “When we were designing this,” she said. “They asked what I wanted it to look like. I told them I want it to be as good as my staff.” The new facility is larger, better lit, much more welcoming and has facilities such a...

Home on the ranch

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Chad Thompson There appears to be no shortage of recreation opportunities at Lizard Creek Ranch. Weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, conferences, team building exercises, or a place for construction workers to lay their heads, are some of the uses for the expansive property west of Fort Dodge. “It’s a multi-purpose recreation venue,” Jason Kahler, of Fort Dodge, said. “There’s so many different things.” A grand opening for the ranch, located at 1762 Johnson Ave., was held last night. Kahler along with Fred Weers and Jake Hilton, both of Badger, are the owners of Lizard Creek Ranch. Kahler, a retired Fort Dodge police officer, is the owner...

Intermodal hub would offer transportation options downtown

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Bill Shea A parking ramp with additional transportation features called an intermodal hub may someday link a rejuvenated Warden Plaza and a new cultural and wellness center in downtown Fort Dodge. City officials will learn this summer if a $5.9 million federal grant will be awarded to help pay for its construction along First Avenue South. Once completed, the presence of the intermodal hub would make it possible for someone to drive to downtown Fort Dodge, park in a covered space and get on a bus to either go to work or start the first leg of a crosscountry trip. People could also walk...

Modern safe trucking

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Hans Madsen The trucking business can be a very competitive world, not only for loads to haul but also for experienced, safe drivers to haul them. Decker Truck Line Inc., headquartered in Fort Dodge, is doing everything it can to hire and retain drivers and give them a safe, comfortable place to work. Brad Baaed, chief operating officer, stressed the importance of the approximately 800 drivers working on the road. “Drivers are key here,” he said. “We have a lot of long term drivers. It takes one big team to move the freight.” Keeping drivers happy, comfortable and safe when they’re out on the road...

Baker Electric is building to relocate

Tuesday, May 07, 2019

Chad Thompson When Todd Baker started his electric company more than 10 years ago, he was the only employee. In the years since, that number has grown to about 30. And the company is continuing to display growth by building its new headquarters northwest of the four-way stop by the Best Western Starlite Village Inn & Suites. “We just outgrew the current facility and we wanted to expand,” Baker said. “We thought it would be an excellent location for us.” He added, “With the speculation of more growth at Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation, we thought it was a win-win.” Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation...

Learning Curve

Friday, May 03, 2019

Hans Madsen There’s a learning curve involved when it comes to bending electrical conduit into something that can actually run from a fuse box to an outlet. Middle school students from Fort Dodge and Eagle Grove found that out Thursday during the annual Careers on Wheels event on the Iowa Central Community College East Campus. They learned about a variety of careers, and the vehicles used for them. Bemrich Electric & Telephone electrician Justin Keigher looked over their bending “work,” which looked amazingly like a big piece of galvanized spaghetti. “That’s what happens to conduit when you let fifth-graders bend it,” he said, admiring...

Headed outdoors

Friday, April 12, 2019

Chad Thompson It took years of planning, collaboration, and even a piece of legislation for the Gypsum City Off-Highway Vehicle Park to become what it is today — which is the largest OHV park in the state of Iowa, according to Dennis Plautz, president of the Webster County Improvement Corp. That was the message to participants in the Leadership Fort Dodge program Thursday afternoon during a presentation about the progress of the park, southeast of Fort Dodge. The meeting was held at the maintenance shed on the property where the park is located. The 650-acre OHV park is constructed on land acquired at no...

In the home stretch

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Joe Sutter In 37 days the public will be invited to see the result of a year and a half of work at Community and Family Resources’ $6.6 million new facility. The grand opening will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. May 17 at the new building on Avenue M West, and will celebrate the completion of construction, said Marketing Manager Allison Hulshof. Hopefully, state and federal officials will be present for the celebration, Hulshof said. CFR has been providing detox services and helping anyone dealing with substance issues for more than 50 years, but in recent times it outgrew its building, the...

2018 Decker Driver Awards Ceremony

Wednesday, April 03, 2019

Decker Truck Line, Inc. 2018 Driver Awards Ceremony Fort Dodge, IA: On Wednesday, March 27, starting at 10 am Central time Decker Truck Line, Inc. held their annual 2018 Driver Awards Ceremony. The event was open to the public. Professional Drivers, Decker employees and their families; who were not able to attend at the Fort Dodge Terminal were invited to participate through DTL’S Facebook LIVE event. Pastries, fruit and beverages were served. The Awards Ceremony celebrated Grand Champion Driver of the Year, Drivers of the Year, Million Mile Drivers and Shop Safe Worker Awards. First, the ceremony started with the Shop Safe...

Fort Dodge unveils new 150th logos

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Bill Shea For governmental purposes, the year 1869 was a notable one for the community of Fort Dodge. Although the town had existed since about 1853, it was chartered in September 1869. “We officially became a city,” City Councilman Dave Flattery said. That official charter came 150 years ago, and city leaders want to mark that anniversary. The City Council took an initial step toward doing that on Monday by adopting two 150th anniversary logos. Both of them feature the iconic clock tower of the Webster County Courthouse. The logos will appear on shirts, medallions and other commemorative items. They were approved unanimously by the council without...

Tops in customer service

Sunday, March 24, 2019

Joe Sutter Home builder Eric Doyle has been providing customized, “panelized” homes with a quick turnaround for almost four years now in Fort Dodge. This year he’s been recognized for his high customer satisfaction. Doyle was presented with the “Voice of the Customer” award at the annual Wausau Homes Builder Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. He operates the Wausau Homes office in Fort Dodge. “I made that a goal this year of making sure the customers were happy, and just had that in the back of my head,” Doyle said. “The main thing is just making sure you talk to those customers.” The award is...

Harcourt gets first new home in decades

Saturday, March 23, 2019

Joe Sutter It’s been some time since a new home was built in Harcourt. When Thomas Engquist moved back to Harcourt to join the family business recently, he and his family decided it was time to get building. Fortunately, the Engquist Lumber Co., which has been in town for 129 years, had plenty of materials needed to fill a new house; and the Engquists have experience designing homes. “I ended up moving back to the area, and I decided I wanted to work at the business,” Thomas Engquist said. “As my dad says if you’re going to have a business in town you should...

CEC adds hundreds of reclining seats to its Fort 8 Theatre

Sunday, March 17, 2019

Chad Thompson There’s a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘sit back and relax’ at Fort 8 Theatre, 1417 Central Ave. All eight auditoriums at the Cinema Entertainment Corporation theatre are being remodeled with brand new Palliser leather reclining seats — 478 of them. Auditoriums No. 1 and No. 2 had its seats installed on March 7. The rest of the auditoriums will be finished in the coming weeks, according to Jay Roettger, field coordinator for CEC. Roettger, who has been involved in remodeling 17 different theaters, said it takes between seven and 10 days to redo an auditorium. The theater will sacrifice some of its...

Johnson wins award for Backpack Buddies

Sunday, March 17, 2019

Joe Sutter Mike Johnson, co-owner of Calvert & Johnson Insurance Services, has received an award for his work with Fort Dodge Noon Sertoma and its Backpack Buddies program. West Bend Mutual Insurance presented its Spirit of the Silver Lining Award to Johnson this week, and also made a $10,000 donation to Noon Sertoma. The Silver Lining award honors West Bend agents and the nonprofit organizations they support for their dedication to delivering a silver lining to those in need. “I’ve tried to get this award through Backpack Buddies for a long time,” said Johnson, who has been in Sertoma for 19 years and was...

Kolacia wins Greehey contract with $8.5M bid

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Joe Sutter Construction on the Greehey Family Student Success Center, which will become a key site on the Iowa Central Community College campus, will begin in the spring when weather permits. The drawing shows what the building will look like. It’s a green light for the Greehey center. A contractor has now been chosen for Iowa Central Community College’s planned Greehey Family Student Success Center, the largest new project made possible by a $25.5 million general obligation bond issue approved in February 2018. The contract was awarded to Kolacia Construction, of Fort Dodge, for $8.5 million, the lowest of five bids which fulfilled all...

Be the driver of your own life, Tasler urges

Friday, March 01, 2019

Hans Madsen Rosa Parks’ story is instructive, according to Nick Tasler, not because she was a passenger on a bus, but because she was the driver of her own life. Tasler’s message to the more than 460 diners at the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance annual dinner was a call for everyone to realize the potential of decision making on the path to their most important destinies. Parks essentially launched the civil rights movement when she was arrested on Dec. 1, 1955, for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white man. Tasler began by talking about the...

Steve Mattke is volunteer of the year

Friday, March 01, 2019

Hans Madsen A city employee who works largely behind the scenes was honored Thursday night by the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance as its Volunteer of the Year. Steve Mattke, the city electrician, received the award during the alliance’s annual dinner at the Best Western Starlite Village Inn & Suites, 1518 Third Ave. N.W. ”He is known as someone who works his hardest to accommodate every request and works collaboratively to not only ensure that Growth Alliance events are a success, but all other community events are a success as well,” said Dennis Plautz, CEO of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance. ”He is...

The drive to success

Friday, March 01, 2019

Hans Madsen Bob Singer, a former Webster County supervisor who worked for nearly two decades to ensure the completion of U.S. Highway 20 as a four-lane route all across Iowa, received the highest honor of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance Thursday evening. He was presented with the Catalyst Award during the alliance’s annual dinner at the Best Western Starlite Village Inn & Suites, 1518 Third Ave. N.W. Singer was all smiles as he went to the podium to accept his award with his well known dry wit. “My comments will be regretably short,” he said. As he looked over the room, he noted the...

Join Us for an Evening of Inspiration and Celebration

Saturday, February 09, 2019

The Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance Annual Dinner will be held on February 28th, 2019 at the Best Western Starlite Village Inn and Suites, with a social hour starting at 5 p.m. and dinner served at 6 p.m. We are excited to announce that Nick Tasler will be our keynote speaker this year. He is the author of four best-selling books, an internationally acclaimed thought leader and an organizational psychologist. Nick is passionate about the science behind human behavior and identifying ways that individuals can become better leaders, teams can succeed together, and businesses can thrive. His research on the...

Thank You for an Incredible 2018!

Friday, January 04, 2019

2018 has been a productive year – a year of growth and progress in the Fort Dodge region. We want to thank our members/investors for their continued commitment to our organization’s mission and to the initiatives aimed at growing our local economy and improving the quality of life for all our residents. The staff at the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance acknowledges that we could not do what we do without your continued support. 2018 Highlights New businesses have opened or broke ground in Fort Dodge, including Kwik Star, Brookstone Lodge and Suites, The Big Picture and Taste of Something Different –...

There are Many Reasons to be a Member of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance

Friday, November 30, 2018

The Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance is working for the betterment of our entire community. By focusing efforts around the economic growth of our region, we are actively taking steps to grow local businesses, recruit new ones, create jobs and enhance the quality of life for our residents. Your membership makes this possible. Why Local Businesses Support the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance Business owners, executives, civic leaders, non-profit agencies, and community members support the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance because of its daily focus on growing our regional economy. “Being a member of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance is an investment...

Governor Kim Reynolds Visits Spin Markket On Condition Of The State Tour

Sunday, February 03, 2019

Iowa Workforce Development recommended Spin Markket as a business that the Governor should visit. The discussion focused on how Spin Markket works with businesses around the state to tell their story about their business for customers and use that same strategy for recruiting new employees. https://www.prweb.com/releases/governor_kim_reynolds_visits_spin_markket_on_condition_of_the_state_tour/prweb16077253.htm

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