Join us as we chat with the team at Marion Chamber of Commerce and Uptown Marion Mainstreet as they share how they're leading and making a difference in our community. You might even get to know what they wish their super powers were if given a choice!

Rapids Wholesale Foodservice Equipment & Supplies is your "one stop shop" for all things food related. If you serve food - they've got you! From their full lineup of commercial cooking equipment and refrigeration products to the plates and tables you serve your culinary masterpieces on, they've got it! Listen in as the Rapids team shares their story, where they've been and where they're going!

MEDCO’s Startup Spotlight hosted a conversation with Lesley Vossenkemper of Scale-Up Strategies. Lesley is the first woman in the Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Iowa City area to earn the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation. An individual who earns the CEPA credential assists business owners with the development of a strategy and plan for business succession. In a release from the CBJ in early September 2023, Lesley had the following to share, “As the daughter and granddaughter of local entrepreneurs, I have a special place in my heart for business owners and want to help them proactively plan and successfully leave their legacy. Combining this specialized training with my experience leading high-growth businesses makes me uniquely equipped to educate others on the proven methodologies to enhance business value and bring a forward-thinking, holistic approach to succession planning. I’m grateful to be the local expert to assist our local business owners in achieving their goals for their businesses and their lives." Startup Spotlight is MEDCO’s intentional commitment to supporting new businesses and entrepreneurs seeking to scale and gain awareness in the Marion community and surrounding area.

The Marion Independent School Board candidates are uncontested. This portion of the recording was an open house where candidates shared their thoughts and plans for the coming term. Candidates include Denise Allison (Incumbent), Jon Fitch (Incumbent), Carl Lantermans (Incumbent), and Michelle Rains. Please remember to vote in the upcoming election on Tuesday, November 7th and enjoy listening to these individuals as they share updates and progress about the district!

This forum featured Linn-Mar School Board candidates. Candidates include Barry Buchholz (Incumbent), Justin Foss, Katie Lowe Lancaster, Tom Law, Brittania Morey (Incumbent), Kevin Slaman, Laura Steffeck, and Jodi Treharne. This forum followed a question and answer format of predetermined questions. Please remember to vote in the upcoming election on Tuesday, November 7th and enjoy listening to these individuals as they share their perspectives and thoughts on the district.

Listen to the live recording of the 2023 City Council and Mayoral Forum. The Marion City Council and Mayoral races are uncontested. This portion of the event featured an open house where candidates shared their thoughts and plans for the coming term and answer questions from residents and business leaders. Candidates running for reelection are: Mayor, Nicolas AbouAssaly; At Large, Steve Jensen; Ward 1, Gage Miskimen; Ward 2, Grant Harper; Ward 3, Will Brandt.

Listen in on our conversation with Lee Ulrich, the owner and operator of Iowa Coffee Roasters located on the east side of Marion. Lee has been roasting coffee for almost 20 years now and has grown a following of customers who he loves to share his passion and his coffee with. Lee shares his entrepreneurial journey as well as his lessons of small business ownership.

Listen to the live recording of The Story of Farmers State Bank featuring FSB’s President and CEO Gene Neighbor, current FSB Chairman Kent Neighbor, current FSB Vice Chairman Doug Neighbor, and current Executive Vice President Steve Neighbor as they recount the family history of the bank.

Listen in to a live recording of our quarterly Startup Spotlight featuring Ben Davis. Together with his wife Katy, Ben owns the Marion Chocolate Shop in Marion, IA. He purchased the business two years ago after a twenty-year career in the National Guard. Ben shares his entrepreneurial journey and keys to his small business success.

In 1985, David Martin, started a small architecture firm in Uptown Marion known as Martin Design Consultants. Dave and his team provided design services for a significant number of retail, religious, residential, and commercial structures throughout the United States. In 2006, David’s son Kyle Martin joined the company as an Intern Architect and in 2010 the company acquired Gardner Architecture and officially changed its name to what it is today. Upon Dave’s retirement in August of 2017 the company welcomed Kyle as the new President and Principal Architect of Martin Gardner Architecture, a position he continues to hold today. Still located in Uptown Marion, Martin Gardner Architecture is a 12-employee architectural firm with a second office location in Oelwein. True to its humble beginnings, the company continues to handle a wide variety of architectural projects for individuals, businesses, local governments, and institutions in the Cedar Rapids, Marion, Iowa City, Waterloo, and Dubuque metro-regions and throughout Northeastern Iowa. We welcome President Kyle Martin to the podcast as we listen to his recent presentation at Marion Economic Development called, The Story of Martin Gardner Architecture.

Startup Spotlight is part of Marion Economic Development's commitment to supporting new businesses and entrepreneurs seeking to scale and gain awareness in the Marion community and the ICR region. Recently we welcomed Taylor Matteson, founder of Tay's Hemp to the Startup Spotlight stage at Cowork 1107. Founded in late-2021, Tay's Hemp is an e-commerce retailer and wholesale distributor of full-spectrum cold pressed hemp extract products. Rich in cannabinoid CBDA, their products focus on ingestibles (Tincture, Gummies) and topicals (Salve, Soap) that support a wide variety of benefits including pain & inflammation reduction, anxiety reduction, brain health, sleep, and skin health. The company recently located to a small manufacturing facility in Marion. Join us for a conversation about their startup journey and overcoming the stigma of hemp and its history, and what's in store for Tay's Hemp in 2023.

The City of Marion continues to be a statewide leader in new housing construction and overall community growth. But how do we best understand the current and long term housing needs of our community? How many new single family homes, multi-family units, income qualified properties, or senior living options are in demand over the next five years? How might this demand influence public policy needed to support a diverse mix of housing options? Maxfield Research and Consulting, LLC performed a housing needs analysis for Marion, which was received and filed by City Council on October 6, 2022. The study analyzed demographic and economic data, and housing market conditions, and provides calculations of housing demand between 2022-2030. It also suggests housing product types and amounts necessary to satisfy current demand and the demand of projected growth. Join Marion Economic Development as we host Tom Treharne, Community Development Director for the City of Marion, IA, CLICK HERE to download Marion's full 2022 Housing Needs Assessment. CLICK HERE to download the presentation Powerpoint slides.

In 1964, Wayne and Shirley Engle, started a small electrical contracting business in their Marion home. By the 1970s, ESCO had grown into one of the most successful electrical companies in the Midwest, working on both residential and commercial projects. Through multiple generations of family leadership, the ESCO Group has now grown to serve industrial markets across the United States including a client list of Fortune 500 companies. Marion Economic Development Corporation welcomes ESCO’s founder Wayne Engle alongside current CEO Ray Brown for "The Story of The ESCO Group."

Hey Marion! Get ready to meet Cowork 1107, the newest coworking space opening November 1 in Uptown Marion. Check us out at www.cowork1107.org

Marion Economic Development Corporation recently launched a new series titled "The Story of." It's a platform to share the success stories of entrepreneurs in our community with those who aspire to do the same. This month we feature “The Story of Bob Sternowski.” Bob is the owner of Marion based Softronics, a company he grew from a hobby to a successful company working with global customers. We hosted him on May 19th 2022 with a live audience.

Would you consider your organization healthy? Maybe not in the physical sense, but do your team members understand their unique gifts, know how to apply them as part of your team, and then work cohesively to achieve true organizational health? Chad Greenlee with BerganKDV joins us to preview a cutting edge training series that launches April 14th powered by Marion Economic Development Corporation leveraging the curriculum of Patrick Lencioni and The Table Group. Registration is now open at www.medcoiowa.org

Hosted 10/20/21 by Marion Economic Development Corporation & the Marion Chamber of Commerce.

Hosted 10/20/21 by Marion Economic Development Corporation and the Marion Chamber of Commerce.

Hosted 10/20/21 by Marion Economic Development Corporation and Marion Chamber of Commerce.

It's Economic Development Week in the U.S. We're inviting the entire Marion Economic Development team to the microphone to provide a glimpse into the broad areas we influence as a community economic development organization.