Monona County  Economic Development

If your small business is stressed meeting expenses during these economic times, the U.S. Small Business Administration has a new loan program designed just for you.

SBA’s America’s Recovery Capital Loan Program can provide up to $35,000 in short-term relief for viable small businesses facing immediate financial hardship to help ride out the current uncertain economic times and return to profitability.  Each small business is limited to one ARC loan.

ARC loans will be offered by some SBA lenders for as long as funding is available or until September 30, 2010, whichever comes first.  Click HERE to find out more.

California Manufacturer Locates in Monona County

Horizon Ag–Products headquartered in Modesto, California opened its first mid-west manufacturing facility in Onawa last fall. The company produces organic soil additives in five manufacturing facilities mostly along the west coast. This is the company’s first  venture into their growing Midwest markets. Company President and CEO, Michael Farmar said, “We looked at a number of buildings in Iowa before settling on the 19,000 sq. ft. property in Onawa. The proximity to I-29 and the building met our manufacturing and distribution needs. The cooperation we received from the city in getting the site ready is what sold us on Onawa. We had tremendous coordination assistance from Sara Struble with the Monona County Economic Development Partnership.” Onawa Municipal Utilities will provide power to the Horizon Ag Products project.

OHV Poker Run Benefits Mo.Co. Tourism

The OHV Poker Run welcomes dirt bikes, ORV’s (side by sides) and ATV’s to this family fun event.  Iowa's First OHV Poker Run is hosted by TriState OHV and Monona County Economic Development.  The OHV Association has designated 90 Miles of Scenic Loess Hills Roads as the legal course for the event to be held on June 26, 2010, from 10:00am - 6:00pm, rain or shine.  Registration is from 7:00am - 10:00am at the Monona County Fairgrounds in Onawa, IA.  For more information about Tri-State OHV Club or information about this First Time Ever Event visit - www.tristateohv.com.  Online preregistration includes a free T-shirt, concert, swim party and pancake feed. Camping available and vendors welcome.  This will be an event you won't want to miss.
 

Iowa Sales Network

Local Retail Data Workshop

 The Retail Trade Data Analysis Sessions will focus on data for decision-making and viable to move into self-employment or heighten a business owner’s success.

 Attendees of the Retail Trade Data Analysis Sessions will benefit from topics such as Understanding Your Trade Area – how far will customers drive?, What’s my Population Threshold Locally to Support my Business Venture?, Retail Trade Trends – how will my business fair through time? and Marketing and Pricing Strategies. These data are what companies use in their companies use as they make decisions about where to locate, whether to adopt a growth or maintenance strategy and how to compete within an industry.

A session presenting data for Harrison and Monona Counties will be held on Wednesday June 30 at 6:00 pm at the Community Center in Moorhead.  Pre-registration is suggested as seating is limited. To register, contact MCEDP at 712-433-4493 or mcedp@longlines.com.

ENTREPRENEURS WANTED

A diverse mix of information is available from MCEDP on the topics small business owners want to know about.  The information is available on PowerPoint and can be downloaded.  Pick a topic that interests you then contact MCEDP for more information.

• Can your business weather an economic downturn

• Healthcare alternatives for your business  

• Leading a branded organization

• Leaving your business without losing your shirt

• Making sense of new technology

• The power of Market Research  

• Entrepreneurial communities - Models that work  

• Making Connections-Where's the Money   

• Online resources for small business  

• Creating a High Performance Organization

• Making Your Company Memorable

• Dare to be Different

• IDED Innovation & Commercialization Division  

"Technical Training Seminars

These training seminars will provide information on topics of interest to small business owners.  Everyone is welcome to attend any session of interest.  A few of the topics that will be covered include Social Media Marketing, Financing, Websites, Search Engine Optimization, Taxes, Health Care, Quickbooks and more. The seminars will be held during the lunch hour at rotating towns in Monona County.  There's no charge to attend and a light lunch will be offered for a free will donation.  All sessions will be held from Noon until 1p.m.

Schedule:

July

7^th – Mapleton City Hall; Making Facebook Fit for Your Small Business

21^st – Onawa City Hall; Building Business Through Farmers Markets

August

4 – Ute City Hall; Blogging Bootcamp: How and Why to Start Blogging

19^th – Whiting Library; Building a Website on the Cheap for the Non-Techie

September

1^st – Moorhead Community Center; Hiring & Motivating Employees

15^th – Mapleton City Hall; Credit Concerns for your Business

30^th – Whiting Library; Quickbooks Overview

October

13^th – Ute City Hall; Quickbooks Revisited

All meetings will be held from Noon-1p.m.

Space is limited.  Please RSVP to mcedp@longlines.com or by calling 712-433-4493

MCEDP 2009 Annual Summary

This non-profit organization began in 2006 with an aggressive goal to advance a focused economic development growth agenda to enhance, position and market Monona County as the preferred business location in west central Iowa.  The Partnership asks that every business in Monona County take an active role in growing our county.  MCEDP is a membership based organization and is supported by Monona County, Cities and local businesses.  Your support is appreciated.  Take a closer look at our Strategy for Growth and our  2009 Annual Summary of accomplishments.