progress: BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
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CHARLES CITY PRESS | WWW.CHARLESCITYPRESS.COM | FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2025
Community pride flourishes through Main Street Charles City volunteers For The Press Volunteers continue to
Competitive wages, housing development boost local area appeal
drive Main Street Charles City, working to preserve, beautify and revitalize the downtown district. “Charles City is my home and a place I love. Grow- ing up here I was positively in fl uenced by the amount of volunteer engagement of community members. It made Charles City a great place to live,” said MSCC Board Chair Krista Noah. “Now that I have returned to my home(town), I want to follow in the footsteps of the people I looked up to,” she said. “Volunteering gives me a sense of pride and ful- fi llment. It has given me a connection to this town that I love and it has been really enjoyable!” Established in 1994 as Community Revitalization, Main Street Charles City (MSCC) of fi cially joined Main Street Iowa in 1996 and is one of 55 communi- ties in Iowa designated un- der this program. The organization oper- ates as a volunteer-driven nonpro fi t, independently led by an all-volunteer board, four volunteer-led commit- tees and a small professional staff. Since becoming a Main Street Iowa community, Charles City volunteers have recorded more than 187,857 hours – ranking second statewide, just be- hind Dubuque, said Mark Wicks, Charles City commu- nity development director and executive director for both MSCC and the Charles City Area Chamber of Com- merce. In fi scal year 2023-24 alone, 238 volunteers con- tributed 1,162 hours to vari- ous projects and community events, he said. “Our volunteers are the ones that make this work and make things happen,” Wicks said. “A lot of people think Main Street Charles City is part of the city of Charles City or the Cham- ber, but we are a sepa- rate non-pro fi t program. We work with the city and Chamber, as well as a lot of other groups, but are a stand-alone organization.” MSCC is fueled by volun-
Tim Fox CEO, Charles City Area Development Corp. MPP, CED, EDFP, PCED, EDP
The latest data from Iowa Workforce Development Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages [IWD QCEW] fi nds that Floyd County manufacturing wages are 20% above the non-weighted average in the north central Iowa region. That is, Floyd’s average wage eclipses the aggregate of Cerro Gordo, Franklin, Hancock, Mitchell, Winnebago and Worth by 19.72 percent. This suggests that the Floyd County worker making on average of $75,036 garners $12,363 per annum more than in the average of the other counties. This equates to $5.94 per hour that labor is worth more here. Ideally, we can tout this circumstance in recruiting labor to Floyd County – assuming we can fi nd them a place to live. Our manufacturers are to be commended for paying such competitive wages. Typically, our manufacturers have outstanding bene fi ts packages, adding even greater value in their compensation offer. Late 2024 witnessed Curbtender Inc. purchasing the Winnebago Assembly facility and commencing manufacturing refuse collection vehicles. Headquartered in Cedar Falls, its trade names include AutoCat, Cargomaster, Fury, Fuzion and HammerPak. CEO Kevin Watje estimates there shall be 50 employees at 36 months. We term Curbtender a “preferred” employer – as all positions at the company start with a wage higher than the existent average Charles City Laborshed wage. We welcome Curbtender to the Floyd County manufacturing community and expect it to be highly successful. 2024 also witnessed publication of Charles City Laborshed fi ndings. Charles City has a very large Laborshed geographically, undoubtedly due to presence of the Avenue of the Saints thoroughfare. We have employee import and export data by ZIP Code, and this information may help employers in targeting recruitment communities. Thirty- fi ve percent of employees work here but live outside the 50616 ZIP Code. Our challenge is to identify means whereby those people reside in the town in which they work. DEVELOPMENT , turn to page B7
Submitted photo Main Street Charles City volunteers help keep the community cleaned up, including by adopting parking lots to keep clean and helping out on curb and sidewalk cleanup days.
teers and and funded by pro- gram investors, with some fi nancial backing as well from the city and county, Wicks said. “It is all voluntary. There are no paid memberships or dues. People and businesses support Main Street Charles City, our activities and efforts, because they want to, not because they have to,” he said. Volunteering through MSCC not only bene fi ts downtown but also provides personal satisfaction and community connections, according to those who take part. “I didn’t realize the joy I fi nd in giving back to our community through volun- teer work,” said Anne Ben- ning, an MSCC board mem- ber and volunteer. “Creating new friend- ships and building existing relationships with friends and neighbors is an amazing feeling of belonging,” she said. “I moved here in 2011, so learning more about our community, the history and challenges of locally-owned businesses is an eye-opening experience. “Volunteer work has not only strengthened my pride in Charles City, but high- lighted how critical it is we
support, grow and attract Main Street businesses for our future,” Benning said. “I love including my family in volunteering as well and look forward to engaging in more opportunities soon!” MSCC Past Chair Ryan Venz said, “I fi nd volunteer- ing is a way to not only give back, but also to meet new people and be a part of the positive changes within our community to continue to move forward.” Main Street Charles City encourages community in- volvement through multiple opportunities. Residents can join one of four core committees – De- sign, Business Improvement, Outreach, or Promotion – or volunteer at special events and task forces throughout the year. Annual community events managed by MSCC include the popular Party in the Park series, SpookWalk, Rides With Santa, the Firecracker 5K race and the recently re- vived Great Chili Cook-Off. MSCC also co-hosts the Community Volunteer Rec- ognition Event each April alongside the Chamber, spotlighting outstanding lo- cal volunteers such as Barry Levey, named Volunteer of the Year in 2024.
Submitted photo Main Street Charles City co-hosts the Community Volunteer Recognition Awards each spring, presenting such honors as the Volunteer of the Year, given in 2024 to Barry Levey (right), presented by Community Development Director Mark Wicks.
Additionally, volunteers support ongoing commu- nity beauti fi cation through programs like the Adopt-A- Lot parking lot cleanups and seasonal plantings. Local high school FFA students assist by main- taining downtown fl ower- pots and community groups adopt additional planters, showcasing seasonal decor throughout the year. Beyond downtown beauti-
fi cation, MSCC assists with broader community pro- grams, including support- ing the Farmers Market and organizing the July 4th fi re- works display. “A dedicated volunteer committee raises funds each year, partially through redeemable bottle and can collections near North Main Car Wash,” Wicks said. MSCC , turn to page B5
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