WASHINGTON COUNTY

If you could choose the perfect blue-sky day on which to have Debi Durham, director of both the Iowa Finance (IFA) and Economic Development Authorities (IEDA), visit your county, Wednesday, March 26 would have been that day.

“This is a beautiful county, right? Just gorgeous,” she told the group of 30-some Washington County leaders midday as they enjoyed lunch at the Washington YMCA.

That blue sky had already worked its magic for a couple of hours, during which the tour, organized by Mary Audia and her team at the Washington Economic Development Group (WEDG), had visited the Riverside Casino and the City of Kalona. Following lunch, Durham and the group toured the YMCA and Washington business Brava Roof Tile.

The day-long event gave WaCo leaders an opportunity to celebrate the county and share their achievements, as well as needs, with Durham, and allowed Durham to see the impact IEDA grants and IFA financing have had on the county – as well as understand how it might attract new businesses in the future.

“Our job is to make sure that you all are successful as you can be, and I don’t believe Iowa is successful until every part of Iowa is successful,” she said over lunch.

While economic development traditionally has meant adequate space and infrastructure availability, today, she believes, community development is at least as important. For businesses to be able to attract employees, it’s important that they be based in thriving communities where there is a strong quality of life, as evidenced by things like YMCAs, parks, trails, housing, and murals – things the cities in WaCo are improving on every day.

Stop 1: Riverside

Tour day began at the Riverside Casino, where Durham, Audia, and the group gathered in a private dining room to nibble breakfast pastries, sip coffee, and make introductions. General Manager Damon John introduced the casino, WaCo’s largest employer and contributor of over $70 million to the Riverboat Foundation (WCRF), which is spread throughout the area in the form of competitive and municipal grants.

“Our efforts extend far beyond our financial approach to economic development,” John said. “We also do so with our employees through volunteerism. Our resort here in Riverside is a seven-straight award recipient for the Iowa Giveback Challenge.”

The casino’s Winning Hands employee volunteer program had 150 employees volunteering 11,655 total hours in 2024, numbers they plan to exceed in 2025. HR director Mackenzie Sperfslage presented a slideshow highlighting the long list of programs employees volunteered with, which included Big Brothers Big Sisters, Houses into Homes, Ronald McDonald House, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

Patty Koller, executive director of the WCRF, shared some of the projects the foundation has provided grant funding for in recent years, which included $1 million to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum (“Which is far away from us, but we felt like it was for all Iowans. We may never have another president who comes from Iowa,” she said) for remodeling; $2.4 million to PAWS & More for a new animal shelter; and $.5 million to Washington County Emergency Management for new sirens across the county.

Riverside Mayor Allen Schneider acknowledged the enormous impact the casino and Riverboat Foundation have had on the city of just over 1,000, then reviewed some of the downtown improvements underway that are in part funded by a Community Development Block Grant administered by Durham’s IEDA. Six buildings will be getting a facelift, and “that will definitely give a big look to our downtown, so we’re excited to get that started,” he said. Downtown parking improvements and pickleball courts are also planned for this year.

Durham’s reaction to Riverside as a community: impressed. She appreciated the improvements that will be made to downtown facades; “It’s important that we do those things,” she said, as new prospects judge a place by the state of its downtown.

She also appreciated the casino.

“Dan [Kehl] runs one of the best casino systems in the state. You are very, very fortunate to have them, because, one is, they invest in their property. It’s a showplace for you, right?” she said over lunch. “Then when you add all of the money that they’re redistributing back into the county, or all the volunteerism today, which I knew nothing about, you’re very fortunate to have that. And then again, when I look at where they’re making those donations, it really is about this sense of place, building communities in which people want to live.”

Stop 2: Kalona

City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh pulled out all the stops on the second part of the tour; Durham and the group were sweetened up with Iowa-shaped sugar cookies from Best of Iowa before they boarded a Mid-Prairie school bus driven by Julie Cole. The group departed City Park, where Schlabaugh pointed out the new ADA playground, funded in part by a WCRF grant, for a ride through town.

The route looped by Mid-Prairie East Elementary and Middle Schools, which recently received a $8.7 million renovation; the first student-built house, renovated in 2022 and sold with down payment assistance provided by ECICOG; city-owned flood mitigation land and acres that will soon be developed; Pleasantview, which recently experienced a $18 million renovation; the medical clinic recently acquired by WCHC; and JW’s Foods, which recently received a $25,000 Rural Innovation Grant from Durham’s EIDA.

The bus then took a southward turn. Schlabaugh pointed out the wastewater treatment lagoons, which will soon be upgraded to meet DNR requirements, then explained how Kalona ended up with land never a part of its comprehensive plan: that which we know today as Southtown.

“This has really been a huge asset to our community,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of people building their dream homes, selling their home in town. We’ve seen an influx of individuals that really don’t have ties to Kalona. A lot of people work from home out here. Every home in Kalona has fiber through our Kalona Cooperative Technology Company, which is a huge asset. There’s a lot more land to be developed.”

After winding through the subdivisions, the bus stopped at the new Vista Park, where the group disembarked to look over the playground and splash pad. Durham gamely took a spin on the zero-entry merry-go-round, for which she later voiced appreciation.

“And then, Mayor, we came to your community, and I have to tell you, blown away,” she said, addressing Mayor Mark Robe at lunch. “I’ve always known about your charming downtown, and your history that you have, but seeing your plan for growth in that new housing division and annexing that in, and the trail systems. And I even got on the merry-go-round. . . What I love about the playgrounds that we’re building, we’re doing it with that conscience, that moral clarity that we want it to be for all citizens, no matter their abilities.”

Stop 3: Washington

A bit before the noon hour, Durham and the group found themselves savoring green goddess salad and lemon panna cotta, provided by Lorraine Williams of Cafe Dodici, at the Washington YMCA.

Joe Gaa, Washington’s new city administrator (“I’m still maybe in the honeymoon phase a little bit”), kicked off the southern portion of the county tour with some of his observations about the city. He praised the farmers market, library, schools, businesses, and downtown, among other things.

“The best thing for me is Washington has room to grow,” he said. “We’re not landlocked. We’ve got room. If it was industry, if it was housing, we may have to start to do a little bit of infrastructure growth, but we’re not boxed in, so that’s great.”

Durham agreed that “you are the definition of thriving community,” and “you’ve got some incredible companies here,” but said a lack of housing is holding Washington back. “We do need to push the housing front, because it is an impediment to our growth,” she said, and then suggested how her agencies can help.

For all of the county, she reminded leaders to continue to promote tourism. “Tourism is a $7 billion business, and I think sometimes we forget that,” she said.

Amy Shulte, CEO of the Washington County YMCA, talked about the new Washington facility, which was funded in part by Enhance Iowa and Destination Iowa grants, which the IEDA and IFA oversee. She reviewed the high participation rates in both Washington (30%) and Kalona (40%) and mentioned that 600 people use the facilities in Wellman, Kalona and Washington every day.

“This facility wouldn’t be possible if we didn’t have opportunities through the state,” Shulte said. “It is extremely vital for small communities to have those opportunities, and I hope that you feel we’ve done well by you.”

The day concluded at Brava Roof Tile, where the group toured the manufacturing plant, observing how the company’s composite roofing products are made. At present, employees trim the roof tiles by hand, but the business is on the verge of implementing a new robotic system that will increase efficiency 40-50%. Executives shared with Durham their need to recruit high-end maintenance techs and engineers, something her agencies have had some success in helping Iowa companies do.

Removing their safety glasses and exiting the building, WaCo leaders ended the day having gained insight into the county as a whole, their role in making it a place businesses and people want to be, and how Durham’s IEDA and IFA can help them in that endeavor. Back under the blue sky, they had a new appreciation for their “beautiful county” – and for WEDG’s Mary Audia, who organized the tour.

“I don’t know if you know how fortunate you are to have Mary,” Durham said. “At the end of the day, she is a great ambassador for all you and makes a real difference.”