July 1 marked my one-year anniversary as president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership. As I have been reflecting on my time in this position, I am filled with gratitude. Here are a few reasons why:

We are One Partnership

One of my high-level goals in stepping into this position was to ensure we are One Partnership — which I have defined as internally and externally working more collaboratively as one region. Collaboration is one of our superpowers as a region, and the more we can leverage this, the stronger Greater Des Moines will be. A recent visit from site selector consultants reinforced this — our ability to work together helps set us apart when businesses are considering locating and expanding in Greater Des Moines. Not many communities across the country put in the hard work to collaborate the way we do. This is special and should not be taken for granted. We at the Partnership remain committed to advancing our region together as one.

This wouldn’t be possible if not for those who came before us, laying a strong foundation. It’s up to us to keep that momentum going. We are able to do so because of the support, collaboration and leadership of our board, our 400-plus investors, our 23 affiliate chambers of commerce, our 6,500-plus regional business members and so many other stakeholders. I am grateful for each person who has played, or continues to play, a role in advancing our regional momentum. 

I am also grateful to the people who make our organization best in class — our Partnership  team. Collectively, the impact of our 40-plus-person team expands more than tenfold because of the region’s volunteer leaders who continually invest their time, talent and resources in the Partnership and Greater Des Moines.

We support each other

In response to feedback from our 11-county listening tour, we have made a concerted effort to be more intentional in having our team members have a stronger presence in communities throughout our region on a regular basis through our community liaison program. I am particularly proud that we have been able to be conveners, connectors and collaborators in communities that have faced challenges, with two recent examples being the communities of Perry and Greenfield. Amid the heartbreaking moments in these communities, I am proud of how our region has rallied around them and others. One moment that still inspires me is when attendees at the Partnership Annual Dinner gave Perry and Dallas County leaders a standing ovation. I will always remember one of the Perry leaders stopping me after the dinner with tears in his eyes, expressing his gratitude and saying that night — the support he felt from our community in that moment and prior, and the message from our speaker — was the light he needed during a dark time.

This is who we are as a region — coming together to lift one another up because we stand taller and stronger together.

We drive economic development momentum

We continue to see major projects move forward and we are playing the long game on economic development prospecting to ensure we have a strong future. With 78 economic development leads, our midyear project pipeline is at its strongest in recorded history. This is because we have listened to the feedback from our 11-county listening tour and are being even more aggressive in our economic development prospecting efforts. Our team is using tried and true efforts, and taking action in securing new leads by leveraging data, traveling across the country to connect with and meet with companies and key site selectors, and using innovative and targeted prospecting through our strategic marketing efforts. The pipeline is strong, and this will pay dividends in the future.

We focus on talent development

Our region’s future is dependent in large part on how we prepare our youths and young adults for their future, and the talent we attract and help build a life in our region. Recently, the latest cohort of the DSM Fellowship program graduated, and I was filled with joy hearing from graduates about how this program, their employers and this region have helped support them on their journey so far. We have heard similar feedback from attendees participating in the DSM Intern Connection program. Last year, 74% of participants said they would be likely to live in our region and work full time for their internship employer because of their summer intern experience. We just rolled out the Legacy Project: Career Ready Collective, a program for high school students, and I can’t wait to hear how it affects these students and their futures.

It doesn’t stop there. We have an opportunity to continue to inspire and engage the current and future workforce to get involved and give back to our community and the causes they care about, leaving their fingerprints on the future of the region. Our data shows individuals who feel more connected and engaged within their community are more likely to stay in our region.

We advocate with One Voice

DMDC was one of the most meaningful three-day stretches of my tenure as president and CEO so far. Seeing and connecting with more than 200 leaders, our highest attendance in many years, was gratifying. There were strong connections and an energy like I had not experienced before during DMDC, with a blend of veteran attendees and new attendees. One of my favorite stories from the trip is that Healthy Birth Day was able to advance legislation that will help prevent stillbirths, in large part because of connections made during DMDC 2024 and prior years.

This year, we were also invited by the governor’s office to attend two bill signings that were state policy priorities — the MEGA (Major Economic Growth Attraction) bill that will advance economic development across the state and a bill to increase work-based learning opportunities for our future workforce.

We know a strong region needs a strong downtown

The Downtown DSM: Future Forward Vision Plan and Action Plan is the most inclusive, community-driven plan our downtown has ever had. Seeing the Future Forward Plan come to life through organized Implementation teams is rewarding because we know a strong downtown supports a strong region. It is also wonderful to see a record number of people attend the Downtown Farmers Market presented by UnityPoint Health – Des Moines, and seeing some of the tens of thousands of smiling faces discover the surprise and delight of Impulse interactive seesaw activation at Cowles Commons. Our team has also been intentional to create additional placemaking experiences throughout the region, and a recent example was the Great DSM Hot Air Balloon Hunt, which included a downtown activation and was expanded across the region to provide a memorable experience in many rural, suburban and urban communities.

We support small-business success

Have you ever seen someone realize the fulfillment of a lifelong dream? That’s what we continue to witness as residents have success in growing their small businesses. We are fortunate to assist in these successes through our Spark DSM Business Incubator at large-scale Partnership events including the Downtown Farmers Market and World Food & Music Festival. This incubator has 21 small businesses participating this year, along with 23 past participants becoming full-time market vendors. Thanks to the support of sponsors and community support, these new vendors get to showcase their business to tens of thousands of potential customers at the market each week. 

Our Scale DSM Business Accelerator just welcomed its largest cohort yet with 14 companies. In the first two years, the program graduated 20 businesses, all of which are now experiencing financial success. One leader that comes to mind is Perlla Deluca, owner of Southeast Constructors Inc., who has seen strong growth after attending this program. Now every time I see her, she is in action, mentoring other small-business owners. This is the kind of “pay-it-forward” example that inspires others to do the same.

Thank you

As I think about this past year, I’m filled with immense pride and gratitude for what we have achieved together. I’m grateful for a strong team and all who have continued to support our organization, our region and me personally. It’s been a year of success and momentum for our region and that’s thanks to so many community leaders.

It is an honor to be in this position and to build on the legacy that has been shaped by countless leaders before me. Here in Greater Des Moines, we stand on the shoulders of giants who made it their life’s work to invest in our community.

As I look ahead, I am excited about the future and am confident in our ability to achieve even greater success together as one region with leaders throughout our 11 counties. We are stronger together.