News and Events

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Peter Kaspari The Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance is now accepting nominations for the annual Catalyst Award, which will be presented at the group’s dinner next month. The award, which will be presented Feb. 28, honors a business leader who has contributed to the growth of the Fort Dodge community. Last year’s winner was John Taets, regional bank president of Northwest Bank. According to the Growth Alliance, the Catalyst Award celebrates the “inspiration, charity, wisdom, unifier, and breath of life” of a professional in the community. There are four requirements to be nominated for the Catalyst Award: • The nominee must be a current member of...

The day care ‘crusade’

Saturday, January 12, 2019

Chad Thompson Parents in the Fort Dodge community in need of child care services now have another option available to them. Community Christian School, 2406 9 1/2 Ave S., recently announced the opening of its new day care center — Little Crusaders Daycare. The day care opened Jan. 7. It serves infants through elementary-aged children before and after school. The hours are Monday through Friday, from 5:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. “This is huge,” Angila Moffitt, CCS principal, said. According to Moffitt, the day care provides meals, outdoor time, and activities. Kathy Dencklau, who had been providing child care from her home for more than 18 years,...

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 –...

Former Phillips school apartments ready

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Peter Kaspari The former Phillips Middle School is nearly ready for people to move in as the building’s conversion into apartments nears completion. Since 2014, Foutch Brothers LLC, of Kansas City, Missouri, has been working on remodeling the property. Shawn Foutch, co-owner of Foutch Brothers LLC, which has developed and owned the property, answered some questions about the project and its upcoming completion date. Q: Talk about the ongoing project to convert Phillips Middle School into apartments. Foutch: The Phillips project is a historic renovation from the prior use as a school to its new use as a residential rental building. The building is placed...

Chris Janson to headline Downtown Country Jam

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Peter Kaspari Chris Janson, the most recent inductee into the Grand Ole Oprey and a nationally-known country singer, will be the headliner of the 2019 Downtown Country Jam. He will be taking the stage on Sept. 21, 2019. Ted Bodensteiner, Shellabration Inc. vice president, said Janson is a great performer on stage. “He’s made for live music,” Bodensteiner said. “The live music, stage presence, is unbelievable.” Bodensteiner, who has worked four Janson concerts in the past, called the singer “dynamic” and “unpredictable.” “He uses every bit of the stage and interacts with the crowd like very few artists do,” Bodensteiner said. “He’s a performer and he...

Evening Lions honor two FD car dealerships for their continuing contributions

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

CHAD THOMPSON The Fort Dodge Evening Lions Club honored two longstanding businesses in Fort Dodge Tuesday night at Ja-Mar Drive In Restaurant for their continuing support of the Lions organization. Shimkat Motor Co. and Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota were the recipients of the Warren Coleman award. Warren Coleman was a longtime treasurer of the Oskaloosa Lions Club. The award that bears his name is the highest honor the Lions Club bestows to people or organizations who sponsor the club. The first Warren Coleman Award was presented in 1988. The award used to be given to one person in each club for each $1,000...

Bemrich Named Citizen of the Year

Saturday, December 15, 2018

BILL SHEA Mayor Matt Bemrich, who has led Fort Dodge through nine years of economic growth and infrastructure improvements, was honored by the Fort Dodge Noon Lions Club. Bemrich received the club’s Citizen of the Year Award Friday evening during a dinner at the Lions Den in Armstrong Park. ”I think all of us can agree that Fort Dodge is moving ahead,” said Mike Mulroney, the chairman of the club’s committee that annually selects the Citizen of the Year honoree. ”I think Mayor Bemrich is a big part of that.” Mulroney said that ”there seems to be a new excitement, a new encouragement for...

Iowa Central to offer flat rate tuition

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Bill Shea Iowa Central Community College is now the first such school in the state to offer full-time students a flat tuition rate. The new tuition package, approved unanimously Tuesday by the college’s Board of Directors, could trim more than $1,000 from the cost of earning an associate degree. As part of the plan, students could also check out a Surface Go tablet device that would enable them to access textbooks and other materials electronically. The flat tuition rate will be in place for the 2019-2020 academic year. “We feel that the playing field can be leveled by going to the flat rate and Surface...

Schuur named communications specialist at Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Chad Thompson Lydia Schuur wants Fort Dodge to be a place her children want to call home when they grow older. That was part of her reasoning when she ran and won a seat on the City Council last year. It’s also the reason she applied for the communications director position at the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance. “I want my kids to want to live here when they get older,” Schuur said. “I want them to look at this place and say there is a reason for me to live here. To have a place like that you actually have to invest...

Kemna helps grow hope through giving

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

CHAD THOMPSON It’s the mission of the Tree of Hope to make the holidays brighter for children in need by providing them with multiple clothing items and a toy. The Tree of Hope is a Kemna for Kids Foundation, which is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Each child will receive a coat, gloves/hat, pajamas, shirt/pant set, undergarments, socks, shoes and a toy. This year about 358 children are signed up. That number, according to Tanya Elliott, an accounting employee at Kemna, has gone up. “The need is definitely great,” Elliott said Monday. “Unfortunately.” Charlotte Hippen, another accounting employee, said there’s about 100 more children on the list this year. The list...

In Washington, FD group makes case for intermodal grant

Friday, November 30, 2018

Bill Shea A small group of Fort Dodge representatives spent Thursday in Washington, D.C., making the case for a $7.63 million federal grant to help pay for a new intermodal hub that would be key to redeveloping the Warden Plaza and building a new cultural and recreation center. That hub, basically a parking ramp with additional features, would be located on First Avenue South, east of the now vacant Warden Plaza. The hoped-for grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation would pay much of the cost of the $11.5 million center. Mayor Matt Bemrich, who led the delegation to Washington, has described the Better...

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...

Investing in Fort Dodge

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Chad Thompson Nestle Purina PetCare Co., a worldwide pet food company, continues to invest in its Fort Dodge facility, located along Fifth Avenue South — the city’s Corridor of Commerce. The company is constructing a 10,000-square-foot water treatment facility, which will increase energy efficiency of the plant, according to Mark Layton, Purina factory manager. Purina produces dog and cat food at its Fort Dodge location. Layton said the multi-million-dollar water facility will optimize water use and treatment in the making of pet food. It will also minimize waste, he said. “It’s doing our part environmentally,” Layton said. “Especially in the community we are living in,...

Residents and Business Executives Can Fly Direct To and From Fort Dodge Iowa

Monday, November 12, 2018

The Fort Dodge Regional Airport has been expanding service to destinations throughout the United States. With a runway large enough to fit President Trump’s’ Boeing 757, the Fort Dodge Regional Airport is the ideal solution for companies looking to land corporate aircraft, those flying in aircraft for distribution purposes, and consumer airline Air Choice One. Businesses can benefit from utilizing the Fort Dodge Regional Airport As a rural community, Fort Dodge offers businesses a unique combination of advantages, including a lower cost of doing business and access to a regional airport with a runway that can handle the largest of corporate jets....

Downtown Fort Dodge to Host Three Shop Local Events

Monday, October 15, 2018

Fort Dodge’s downtown businesses are actively working with the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance to prepare for what will be an exciting holiday season. “We have a great group of downtown business owners who are enthusiastic about creating fun events and a welcoming holiday experience for our community” said Kris Patrick, Executive Director for Main Street Fort Dodge. There will be three main shop-local events leading up to the 2018 holiday season – Black Wednesday, Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday. During all three, shoppers will have the opportunity to win several gift baskets valued at over $150 each. Shoppers will...

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