As part of our upcoming annual Envision Iowa live event, the Business Record is announcing the inaugural group of Envision Iowa Visionary Leadership Award winners. 

These awards recognize six leaders from across the state who have shown commitment and vision toward the economic development of the state and their communities by way of innovation and collaboration in the areas of people and culture, business opportunities and infrastructure.

Our goal is to elevate and highlight the people and organizations creating the ideas and providing the vision for Iowa to grow its economy, now and into the future.

The 2024 winners will be honored during the Envision Iowa Event on Oct. 22 at Hilton Garden Inn West Des Moines. 

The Visionary Leader honorees were asked to sit on the Envision Iowa panel during the event and will focus on key takeaways from the Envision Iowa Statewide Leaders Economic Sentiment Survey, a collaboration between Business Publications Corp. and Bâton Global. Coming from their unique perspectives and areas of expertise, panelists will discuss the challenges and opportunities related to Iowa’s economic growth and development.

Here are the inaugural winners: 

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

Robert Abbott, founder and executive, director, Innovate 120

Abbott started Innovate 120 in 2021 as a coworking hub and innovation center on Main Street in Maquoketa with the vision to facilitate the “innovation mindset” that he believes is “inherent to rural communities,” Jackson County Economic Alliance Director Kelley Brown wrote in Abbott’s nomination form. Since its inception, Innovate 120 has expanded to include summer UX design internships, STEM camps, youth science camps, monthly entrepreneur programs and networking events, pitch contests, and innovation opportunities and support programs. In the last six months, the facility has played host to U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the UX Design Internship; the Wednesdays Are Possible program; Summer Science Camp, an e-commerce accelerator; the Rural Ideas Summitt; a Startup Pitch Competition in collaboration with Maquoketa High School; and a Technology Education Track youth program. Abbott is also CEO and founder of the global digital strategy and experience design consultancy Context Digital LLC. Brown said Abbott’s effect on future leaders and workforce is an investment in kids and rural Iowa. 

“Youth — without them, rural Iowa dies. Many of the high school students who attend Robert’s UX Design Internships have not ever shaken another person’s hand,” she said. “They don’t have the confidence to make eye contact with another person and say, “Hello.” They don’t know how to work as part of a team, how to systematically approach a challenge and how to formulate a response. At the end of the six-week internship, that same student, that same person who will be a part of the success or downfall of rural Iowa, has the knowledge and confidence to present solutions to Fortune 500 companies. They have dreams and are excited for their future.” 

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PEOPLE AND CULTURE

Tim Kinnetz, founder and chair, the Spirit of Okoboji

Kinnetz used his experience as an EMT and firefighter for the Milford Fire Department and registered nurse to found GrapeTree Medical Staffing in 1999. The health care company grew to more than 10,000 employees across 13 states. He remained an owner and board member after he sold a majority of GrapeTree to a private equity firm in 2017. He now owns and invests in dozens of community businesses. Together with his spouse, Joren, they have contributed over $5 million to various causes in the Iowa Great Lakes area. As a co-founder with Joren, Kinnetz serves as the chairman of the Spirit of Okoboji, overseeing several charitable initiatives that include OkoboTree, Okoboji Music Masters, Lakes Area Museum Alliance and Friends of the Abbie Gardner Cabin. Kinnetz continues to spearhead the development of an indoor sports and entertainment facility, designed for year-round use by locals and visitors alike, generating economic benefits for the entire region. He has committed a lead gift of $10 million to help build what’s been named “The Glacier” and has purchased the land to develop it.

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Ying Sa, founder, Community CPA

Sa founded the Des Moines-based Community CPA in 1998. The firm has grown a global, 10,000-member client base with locations in four U.S. states and operates in California. Her professional background includes roles as chief financial officer for the Iowa Manufacturing Extension Partnership and vice president of controllers for Wells Fargo Financial. She has received the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame award, the highest honor for volunteerism in the state. Sa also advises the IRS at a federal level through her role on the national Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. In 2008, she co-founded the Immigrant Entrepreneurs Summit, which supports immigrant business communities in Iowa and beyond. The nonprofit has supported the formation of more than 2,104 businesses. 

“After starting Community CPA, Ying Sa realized that the immigrant community needed more than just an accounting firm to guide them to succeed in business — they needed a jump-start and continuing education,” an article in the August/September 2022 WOW magazine said of Sa. One of the organization’s main goals is to “create true understanding among different ethnic groups, share business growth tips among immigrant business owners, and share the keys to success with immigrant populations in a creative, competitive and supportive environment,” the story said.

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

David Spalding, vice president of economic development and industry relations, Iowa State University

Spalding has led Iowa State University’s Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business as dean for 11 years and served as the school’s vice president of economic development and industry relations for six years. Under his guidance, the Ivy College of Business has seen a 33% increase in total enrollment over the past decade. ISU was named the Entrepreneurial University of the Year for the Americas in 2023 by the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities. During Spalding’s tenure, the Ivy College of Business has grown undergraduate and graduate enrollment to record levels, established new academic programs to address Iowa workforce demand and completed a 45,000-square-foot addition to the Gerdin Business Building. It has also recorded unprecedented success in fundraising, including a $50 million gift to name the Ivy College of Business, raising the college’s profile and record-high rankings in U.S. News & World Report. 

“More than anything, David’s leadership has added a level of professionalism to the overall organization,” ISU officials said of Spalding in a joint letter endorsing his nomination. “He has wholeheartedly celebrated each unit’s successes, and with each [Economic Development and Industry Relations] Cabinet meeting, he brings his unique knowledge and talents but also his hearty laugh and sense of humor, making it a joy to be a part of the EDIR team. In any challenging situation, we know that VP Spalding has our backs.” 

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INFRASTRUCTURE

Matt Daniels, director of operations, Origin Homes

In his role as director of operations at Origin Homes, Daniels has helped lead the company’s Rural Housing Initiative to tackle single-family home ownership struggles that exist in many rural counties/cities in the state. In 2023, Origin Homes started the initiative with a plan to build

five single-family homes in three communities, for a total of 15 homes, based on the community’s economic development plans, ISU Housing Readiness Assessments, land/housing development initiatives, intensive collaborations with city/county leaders/economic development groups and regional trade partners around Iowa. “While this was not initially what Origin, a primarily custom home builder, set to achieve as a business model, the Origin team is all from rural Iowa, and Hubbell Realty Co., Origin’s parent company, continually saw the growing need to spur interest in the rural housing market, primarily in new-construction homes,” Daniel’s nomination form said. In 2024 and 2025, Origin plans to return to Knoxville’s Veterans District to build additional homes with varying styles; Conrad in Grundy County to build five homes in the well-established Catherine Farmer community next to BCLUW’s new school; and three homes in Jefferson on city infill lots where blighted properties have been torn down. The homes are trying to hit a more attainable $250,000 to $290,000 price point. 

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INFRASTRUCTURE

Nalo Johnson, CEO, Mid-Iowa Health Foundation

Johnson has been president and CEO of the Mid-Iowa Health Foundation since the fall of 2021. She previously served at the Iowa Department of Public Health in health promotion and chronic disease prevention and as the community health division manager for Johnson County Public Health. Johnson’s career has been focused on addressing social drivers of health — “the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age,” which produce economic benefits, her nomination form said. Those drivers include a healthier workforce that leads to increased productivity; reduced health care costs freeing up resources; enhanced education and skills development; improved social cohesion and stability; attracting investment; and sustainable and resilient infrastructure. Johnson also championed the Central Iowa Basic Income Pilot Project, UpLift. This project is already providing valuable data about how providing an income stipend can help not only individual families but the overall economic well-being of the region.

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What: Envision Iowa 2024 live event 

When: 4-6 p.m. Oct. 22

Where: Hilton Garden Inn West Des Moines

Register now