Grow Johnston!

A joint publication of the Johnston Chamber of Commerce and
the Johnston Economic Development Corporation
PO Box 61 - 5408 NW 88th St. - Suite 120
Johnston, IA 50131
515.276.9064 - FAX 515.309.0144
May, 2006

Chamber President's Message

Dear Chamber Members,
SALUTE!
I would like to take this month’s letter to recognize some people that have made tremendous contributions to this community. My first SALUTE goes to the great Teachers, Administrators and Staff of the JohnstonSchool District. The Chamber recognizes their accomplishments every year with a reception honoring the group. It was held this year at the Holiday Inn on Merle Hay road. This facility did a great job in hosting the event and we would like to thank them for contributing the space this year. We said farewell to 18 educators that are retiring this year. They were presented with a beautiful keepsake that was made by Karen Lee/Community Partner Insurance. We thank her for her efforts on this. I also want to thank the steering committee headed by Glen Waterhouse, Christy Jones, Mary Miller, Kasi Koehler, Rob Woollums, Ron Barnes, Karen Lee, Sue Harney, Chase Young, Tony Jaquinta and Heather Wilcox. To all of you – SALUTE!
I would also be remiss if I didn’t bid a fond farewell to one of the most instrumental people that have ever contributed to this community – Dr. Richard Sundblad. His leadership as Superintendent of the JohnstonSchool District has been key in making our school system highly regarded not only locally, but in the state and country as well. The schools continue to win recognition in academics, music, as well as athletics. Dr. Sundblad has been a strong supporter of the Chamber of Commerce. He participated in the search for a new Administrator for the Chamber and attended several meetings and functions throughout the past several years. We will miss his insight, wit, and passion for what he does. Enjoy your retirement, it is very well deserved – SALUTE!
My next SALUTE goes to our own Phil Dunshee of Enterprise MidAmerica. Phil was recently honored at the United Way of Central Iowa 2006 Volunteer Recognition “Inspire by Example” event held April 24th this past month. Phil was presented with an award for “outstanding volunteerism” during the program. I want to thank Craig Light of BDF Investments for notifying us of this accomplishment. I immediately wondered how is it possible that Phil can do all he does for the Chamber, JEDCO and his “real job” at Enterprise MidAmerica and still have time to give to the greater good. The next time you find yourself too busy to volunteer or help out, just think of Phil. If he can find the time, you can too! Congratulations Phil, you make us look pretty smart to hire you in the first place!
I close with my final SALUTE to Pam Kucera and Wayne Fry for their leadership on Green Days. I will detail more in next months issue. In the meantime, take a minute to check out the new website It is a great source of information including all of the events for this year. We are actively seeking contributions for this year’s event. As you may have heard, we are not charging admission this year so it is imperative that we have strong support from our membership. Please contact Heather at or information. I am confident you will come through as always. And for that – SALUTE! - Scott Kahler – 2006President

JEDCO News
Are We Done Planning Yet?
No - obviously. There just isn't any end to planning in the world of economic and community development. At the recent joint meeting of the economic development boards for Grimes, Johnston, Urbandale and the Greater Dallas County Alliance participants received an intriguing look at long-term transportation planning for our area. While the news media often gives attention to the proposed northeast beltway in PolkCounty, growth marches on in western PolkCounty and eastern DallasCounty. This reality has helped facilitate joint transportation planning with our neighboring economic development organizations, because if we don't our roads won't be safe and growth will be constrained.

Imagine for a moment that the interchange for Interstate 80/35, Highway 141 and Urbandale Avenue was reconfigured as illustrated in the images below. Interstate 80 would be extended westward into DallasCounty - creating a "western" beltway. The new interchange might also help relieve the congestion at the intersection of Highway 141 and 54th Ave in Grimes (and also relieve congestion at the west mixmaster where Interstate 80/35 intersects with I-235).

Why does the Johnston Economic Development Corporation care about this? Because future growth in our community extends northward along Highway 141 and perhaps westward into Dallas county somewhat. We can't say for sure whether any of this can or will become a reality. We do know that nothing will happen if there isn't a plan. These images were taken from the presentation made by Jerry Searle from the engineering firm Snyder & Associates. You can also view the presentation made by Tom Kane, Executive Director of the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. They were discussing the key elements of a "Full Build-Out" Transportation plan for the region.

DC Here We Come
Representatives of the City of Johnston, the Johnston Chamber of Commerce and JEDCO will be participating in the upcoming Greater Des Moines Partnership trip to Washington, DC June 7-9, 2006. Among other Partnership priorities, we will be seeking support for the "Full Build-Out" transportation plan for NW Polk and NE Dallas counties.

Newton Loses Maytag
Anyone in Johnston who has observed recent events in Newton can't help but feel sympathy for everyone affected by the Whirlpool decision to phase out the Maytag operations there. Any community that has a major employer (and we have three of them) must feel some sense of vulnerability given the dynamics of a competitive world economy. We are blessed to not be in the same position as Newton - but let us take nothing for granted and do everything possible to keep Johnston and our key corporate citizens strong.

Johnston Chamber Luncheon
Date: Thursday, May 25, 2006

Location: Hilton Garden Inn

Time: 11:45 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.

Topic: Green Days
Sponsor: Anytime Fitness
Businesses of the Month: Family Acupuncture
Physiotherapy Associates

Cost is $12.50 with an RSVP, $15.00 at the door. RSVP to the Chamber office at 276-9064 by Tuesday, May 23, 2006. You may also RSVP by sending an e-mail to .

You can now RSVP on line. Register now! Reservations not cancelled or kept will be billed.

Upcoming Community Events
Looking ahead, a few events of interest to Chamber and JEDCO members have been announced. These include:

  • Chamber Workshop
  • Business After Hours
  • Chamber Member Luncheon
  • Business After Hours
  • Johnston Green Days
  • Breakfast before Business
  • Johnston Chamber Golf Outing

Go to:Upcoming Events for more information.
Photography
The Johnston Chamber of Commerce is hoping to update our image files for future newsletters, member directories and other publications. This is a great time of year to take digital images of scenery and key landmarks in Johnston. If you have a digital camera and would like to share some images of Johnston - please contact Heather Wilcox at 515.276.9064 or . Images should be saved in high resolution and you can provide them to the Chamber on a CD or thumb drive.

Chamber Workshop - Marketing
Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Location: Best Western - 5055 Merle Hay Road
Time: 1:00-3:00pm
Speakers: Tom Flynn and Joe Rosenberg, Lessing-Flynn
Topic: “Marketing – What’s New and Where Should You Spend Your Money
This seminar provides insights on effective marketing strategies for now and the future.

  • Branding
  • Word of mouth marketing
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Online advertising
  • Non-traditional media

Cost: Free to Johnston Chamber Members
Non-Members: $25.00
Please pass this information on to anyone who would be interested
in attending from your business!!
Green Days Parade

JOIN US FOR THE

2006 GREEN DAYS PARADE!

This is an invitation to all Johnston Chamber members, businesses and organizations to join us for the Johnston Chamber of Commerce Green Days Parade. The parade is a great way to promote your business or organization while having fun, and best of all it’s FREE! The parade will be held on Saturday June 17, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. The parade begins behind Pioneer Hi-Bred International and runs south and east along Pioneer Parkway turning north on Greendale Road.
A registration form is included for your use, if you need more information; please contact Sue Harney at 278-6300. Please click here for the registration form.

Business After Hours Event- Hilton Garden Inn

Hilton Garden Inn will be hosting the Chamber’s
Business After Hours for May and You're Invited!!
Date: Thursday, May 18, 2006
Time: 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Location:8600 North Park Dr., Johnston, IA50131
Enjoy complimentary specialty drink, beer & hors d’oeuvres at this garden Party. Mingle with "perennial & new blooming" chamber members.
This will be the perfect event to cultivate new relationships!
Please RSVP to Heather at the Chamber Office at 276-9064 or email
For more information please click here

Sponsor the Monthly Newsletter
Do you have a message you want to deliver to the members of the Johnston Chamber of Commerce? If you do, then you may want to consider becoming an exclusive sponsor of one of the upcoming online newsletters. Select this link - Become a Sponsor - to view an example of the features you will receive as a sponsor of the Grow Johnston Newsletter. These features include:

  • A Banner headline (top and bottom) with your company logo
  • An article featuring your business and services
  • Hyperlink to your company web site

The fee for sponsoring a Grow Johnston Online newsletter will be $250.00 per month.

This year the Johnston Chamber of Commerce will be publishing four printed newsletters that will be distributed to all Johnston households. The newsletters will feature upcoming community activities and information of interest to Johnston residents such as Green Days, public forums, and other activities.Exclusive sponsorships for each of these newsletters will also be available to Chamber members. Sponsorships are structured to help cover the cost of printing and mailing the newsletters.

Grow Johnston!

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