progress: BUSINESS & INDUSTRY Charles City Area Chamber navigates year of twists and triumphs
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CHARLES CITY PRESS | WWW.CHARLESCITYPRESS.COM | FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2025
For The Press It was a challenging yet rewarding year for the Charles City Area Chamber of Commerce, marked by community initiatives, signi fi cant projects, staf fi ng adjustments and new outreach programs. “If you like plot twists, then the 2023- 24 fi scal year was a riveting read,” said Community Development Director Mark Wicks. Challenges included Main Street resurfacing, sidewalk repairs, staff- ing shortages before the busy summer season, fl ooding during new events, un- expected mid-term board replacements and declining volunteer participation. Despite these hurdles, the Cham- ber successfully pursued its mission of promoting business, economic devel- opment and enhancing community life, Wicks said. It introduced new events, outreach programs and graduated its fi rst Leadership Development class. “Credit also goes to our great Cham- ber members and their continued sup- port that makes everything possible,” said Wicks. “The Chamber is all about working together, partnerships and strength in numbers. We can do so much more together than alone, for the ben- e fi t of all, and thanks to the Chamber network none of our members is ever alone.” Communication and networking are a big part of what the Chamber of- fers, along with business assistance and advocacy, tourism and marketing of Charles City and the rest of Floyd County. “The Charles City Chamber is the in- formation and resource hub for the com- munity,” said current Chamber Board President Haley Goodin. “They support businesses and provide information, ed- ucation and events for all.” Jon Vrieze, board second vice-presi- dent, highlighted the Chamber’s role in community-building, citing the Com-
munity Volunteer Recognition Event in April. “Recognizing these contributions cel- ebrates their efforts and inspires others to get involved,” he said. Jen Burton was honored as Person of the Year during the event. The Leadership Development Program, spearheaded by the Chamber with partners Floyd County Extension, NIACC, Charles City Community School District and local employers, graduated 15 participants in May. The program met monthly, providing training on leadership skills and community resources. GRADUATE MICHAEL DREWELOW de- scribed the program as “an excellent way to provide leadership skills to those trying to grow into leadership posi- tions.” Participant Jill Whitesell added that the program helped her, as someone new to working in Charles City, develop a sense of history, pride and community involvement. “It was so exciting to see how much all the different class members enjoyed the sessions, how much they say they learned and took away from it,” said Wicks. “I know a majority of them have become involved with differ- ent non-pro fi t organizations in town – which was a program goal. I would call the fi rst year very successful.” The Chamber launched new initia- tives like “Coffee & Conversation,” open forums that brought businesses, nonpro fi ts and residents together. Other successful events included a New Residents Open House and a Vol- unteer Open House at the Charles City Public Library, connecting community members to local organizations. A new family-friendly event was in- troduced by the Chamber in June. How- ever the timing didn’t work out so well
Submitted photo The Chamber launched new initiatives like “Coffee & Conversation,” open forums that brought businesses, nonpro fi ts and residents together to chat about community issues.
for the Mini Golf Family Fun Day held at Bayou Bend Mini Golf due to heavy rain and fl ooding in town that day. Annual Chamber events that contin- ued to be offered included Cabin Fever Weekend, Chamber Bingo Nights, the Charles City Challenge Whitewater Weekend, Fourth of July Celebration, Chamber Golf Outing, Candidate Meet & Greet, Chamber Photo Contest, Holi- day Cash Raf fl e, Ugly Sweater Contest and the Santa House. The Chamber also co-hosted the Community Volunteer Recognition Awards with Main Street Charles City, assisted with the Iowa Summer Games Whitewater Competition and partnered with Farm Bureau and Butler County REC to host a Legislative Update Lun- cheon for their members. New in the fall of 2024 was the Chamber’s assistance with the annual Memory Lane holiday display along the Cedar River by Sherman Park, after the organizers reached out for help. The Chamber Ambassadors made 36 business visits to commemorate mile- stones this past year, including seven ribbon-cuttings. The Chamber also worked with busi- nesses to put on Member Mingle open houses, promoted community-wide retail promotions like ChickFest, Shop Small Saturday and featured local busi- nesses in an online Shop Small series. Administration of the City’s Hotel/ Motel Tax Revenue Grant Commit- tee is another way the Chamber helps
The Tourism Of fi ce at the Chamber markets Charles City and Charles City Whitewater at Riverfront Park, as well as the other Floyd County attractions at the local, regional, state and national levels. CONSTRUCTION DOWNTOWN POSED logistical challenges this past year, and Wicks praised community fl exibili- ty and understanding during the Main Street Rehabilitation Project, particular- ly during the Fourth of July Celebration, which required multiple changes to the parade route and event access points. “Thank you to everyone for their un- derstanding and assistance with all the changes and adjustments,” said Wicks. “The end result was worth the inconve- nience, with an improved Main Street downtown.” Both the Chamber staff and Board of Directors underwent some unexpected changes as well this past year. The staff worked without an events coordinator for eight months before Cathie Hager was hired in the new- ly-changed role as project and member- ship coordinator. She will assist with Chamber and Main Street Charles City events and help increase Chamber out- reach to members. Shannon Schaeffer joined the staff in November as the of fi ce manager for the Chamber, Main Street and the Charles City Area Development Corp., replacing Brenda Schmitt. They join Director Wicks, Tourism
and Marketing Coordinator Ginger Williams, and Administrative Special- ist Christy Laube, who is employed by the Area Development Corp. but assists part-time with the Chamber’s account- ing and payables. Wicks also served on the Iowa As- sociation of Chambers of Commerce Executive Board as past president in 2024, while Williams served on the Iowa Travel Industry Partnership, where she was named 2024 iTIP Partner of the Year. The Chamber Board of Directors wel- comed new faces with Heidi Pavlovich from Birdies and Bo’s in March, and Brittany Marzen of First Citizens Bank in October to replace Board members Chris Larsen and Jason Boyd. Marissa Daniels of Daniels Auto Collison and Jared Hegtvedt of Cedar Valley Iowa Auction also stepped down before the end of their terms in 2025 and were replaced by Janae Crooks from Mike Molstead Motors and Caysie Christensen from First Security Bank & Trust. They join fellow board members Goodin, Vrieze, Stacey Salinas, Rich Tynan and Matt Howlett. To learn more about the Charles City Area Chamber of Commerce, stop in at 401 N. Main St., call 641-228-4, or email info@charlescitychamber.com. Online information is available through Facebook and the Chamber website at charlescitychamber.com. A copy of the FY2023-24 Annual Report is also available upon request.
out, with $24,260 awarded this past year for tour- ism-related proj- ects.
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