Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance Turns Spotlight on Four New Members

In 2023, there’s a lot of excitement around new businesses opening in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance is pleased to spotlight four of its newest members: Remington Leather, Little Paw by The Paw Print Pad LLC, Dodge Graphix, and Sunmed Your CBD Store Fort Dodge.

Through membership in the Growth Alliance, area businesses can catalyze success. Members received discounts and opportunities for advertising and promotion and access to community and economic data vital to decision-making. Other benefits include bulk mailing rates, insurance discounts, complimentary meeting space, networking, volunteer opportunities, and more.

Remington Leather

With the opening of Remington Leather in Fort Dodge, Thomas Remington expanded his 15 years of craftsman experience into a new retail business. Located at 23 S. First Street, it is the only leather shop within a 150-mile radius. “I joined the Growth Alliance for it to act as my advertising and to be a part of the community.” The Growth Alliance held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Remington Leather on February 28, 2023.

Remington focuses on creating quality customized leather pieces. For example, his belts have a 25-year warranty. Currently, most orders are handled locally and in person, but Remington is working on expanding his e-commerce inventory on his website. The shop also has a modest selection, but made-to-order is the basis of his business. “I offer full design services. I love for a customer to walk through my door with an idea and focus my full creative abilities on the project, asking questions to get to the heart of what they want. Everything is done by hand, one at a time. Some orders take part of a day, and some take a week or more. I generally need an average lead time of five to eight weeks if there is a deadline.”

Remington works with other materials too. “I offer full customization of almost any object with full laser engraving of wood, acrylic, and leather — any material except for bare metal. The laser cutter can be used on stone and mirrors, too. For example, I engrave signs for interior decor and monogram slate coasters.”

Leather repairs, some upholstering, and knife sharpening are within his scope of work. Remington described rewrapping the pockets of a 1915 snooker table with leather to refurbish the piece and replacing the leather portions of a Guatemalan chair.

When asked what his favorite types of projects were, Remington replied, “They are all my favorite. I put the same amount of care and love into any project I take on, and I am picky. I can do custom holsters, knife sheaths, belts, purses, hats, and bags, almost anything that is not weight-bearing. I will soon be partnering with another company to perform laser work on a piece that will be featured in Sydney, Australia, that will require 100,000 inches of cuts.”

Follow Remington Leather’s Facebook Page.

Little Paw by The Paw Print Pad LLC 

Justis Burgin, the owner of The Paw Print Pad in Webster City, opened The Little Paw by The Paw Print Pad LLC in Fort Dodge as a freestyle boarding experience for dogs up to 35 pounds. “I opened Little Paw because I have a lot of older dogs that board in Webster City, and I wanted to open up an environment where little and old dogs could play and have a peaceful place.” Daycare and grooming services are also available. 

Burgin joined the Growth Alliance to have better reach within the Fort Dodge community. “Little Paw is a living room atmosphere to give dogs the perfect place to play and relax,” said Burgin. Little Paw’s clean and bright space features a couch, an electric fireplace, and a TV, along with agility ramps and toys. 

Dodge Graphix

At Dodge Graphix, they can take any image and stick it to almost anything. They print on just about any material from stickers, signs, and decals to banners, window perf, and vehicle wraps. They can take a product from design and printing to installation. 

“Dodge Graphix, previously Creative Signs & Graphics, was established in 1999 by Pam Neubaum,” said current owner Maddie Lind. “I took ownership in 2017 after working there for five years. We decided to change the name after moving into our new location, 429 1st Avenue South, to better represent us as a team and as a company. We chose Dodge Graphix because we are proud to be from this town and serve this community. We joined the Growth Alliance because it is a great network of local companies just like us working to better our community and promote growth where it counts.”

“Our tagline, ‘Grow Your Graphix,’ represents what we do,” continued Lind. “We help our customers grow their company identity and brand reach. If they are just starting out, we can help them develop a logo and brand identity that fits who they are and what they do. Watching our clients grow along with us and being a part of it from the start is pretty incredible.”

“We moved to this new location because we had outgrown our previous space. We went from 1,500 square feet to almost 9,000. It was important for us to make this move to better serve our customers.” With the increased production and print space, Lind said, “We can knock out larger projects faster.” 

“Also, we can now accommodate multiple large commercial vehicles at once instead of having to schedule them out a week or two because we just didn’t have the space,” said Lind. “This is a game changer, not just for us but for our customers, because we can get them out on the road advertising that much quicker.”

“People choose Dodge Graphix because, instead of working with a robot online, they can pick up the phone or stop by and talk to us about their project,” said Lind. “We have samples in store and provide free artwork proofs.” 

“We recently released some budget-friendly office and home improvement options for DIYers. This includes countertop wraps and ‘peel & stick’ wallpaper, which can also be applied to smooth surfaces such as bookcases, backsplashes, shelves, drawers, tables, and more. We have samples in-store and are working on tutorials online to help with step-by-step installation. These are great options to freshen up your storefront space or home.” 

Check out what’s new on Dodge Graphix’s Facebook Page.

Sunmed Your CBD Store

Keenan Schuur and his business partner, Jack Hanson, celebrated the Growth Alliance ribbon cutting for Sunmed Your CBD Store in March 2023. Sunmed is a national CBD franchise specializing in hemp-based products and supplements, but the Fort Dodge store at 1026 Central Avenue is locally owned by Schuur and Hanson. 

“All of our products are hemp-derived and are legal on the state and federal levels,” said Schuur. “Our products are curated by an in-house chemist with the franchise, as well as third-party lab tested. All of the lab tests are readily available by a QR code on the labels of the products and are USDA-certified organic. We have CBD products ranging from tinctures, water solubles, and gummies, as well as products for weight loss, and a delta line geared more toward the recreational side of things.” 

When asked what is beneficial about doing business in Fort Dodge, Schuur replied, “The community support. Every time a new business opens or moves to town, the community is always fully behind it, and ours is no different.”

“Our area has been lacking in the health and wellness front, especially pertaining to mental health,” said Schuur. “We got into CBD for our own health and wellness journeys. While keeping tabs on our own mental health, we saw a void in our area that our store could fill, especially since the products helped us so much. We are excited to help people better their lives and provide the education to equip them to do so.”

Follow Sunmed Your CBD Store in Fort Dodge on Facebook, Instagram, and @yourcbdstorefortdodge on TikTok.

Contact Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance Today

Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance is proud of our membership and the strength of our community. Check out our current members already investing in our region and benefiting from our many perks.

Ready for more information? Call 515-955-5500.

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