JEDCO PLANNING SESSIONS
MAY 16 & 17, 2005
Deb Bengtson, First BankDallas Patterson, Comm. State Bank
Rick Helps First BankDavid Wilwerding, City of Johnston
Dan Anderson, Iowa Area Dev. Grp.Kesha Kaiser, City of Johnston
Bob Miller, Polk County BankGene Martens, City of Johnston
Dan Hawkins, Polk County BankDeb Calvert, MidAmerican Energy
Jim Meenagh, John Deere CreditKen Wunsch, MidAmerican Energy
Paul Jacobson, Charter BankKevin Tubbs, Graham Construction
Phil Dunshee, JEDCO Exec. DirectorJean Linn, JEDCO Board of Directors
Heather Wilcox, JEDCO AdministratorRichard Sundblad, Johnston C.S.D.
STRENGTHS
Positive perception of Johnston
Physical appearance is clean
Great place to live - Quality of Life
Vibrant economy - Momentum of growth - Upscale demographics
Existing Business Base & Environment
Broad – not just Pioneer
Diversity mix of small and large companies
Developed business, infrastructure known and developed
Strong core businesses
Access to I-35/80 – Transportation
Quality Schools
Being part of “Metro” - Proximity to culture & entertainment
Lifestyle and cultural benefits
Larger economy
Educated work force - Educated population – becoming diverse
Good land use plan – residential
Housing
Good diversity, quality, satisfaction, good neighborhoods
Large employers attract people
Inviting “aura” & welcoming
Public & private / leadership / cooperation
City planning
Works well, business friendly
WEAKNESSES
Do not communicate vision - what is vision?
Lack marketing – Location One
Less city obstacles to build/grow
Too much red tape / standards & codes too strict
Do not have a JordanCreek
Real shift of activity away from Johnston
Lack of destination shopping - weak retail
Redevelopment of legacy areas
e.g. NW 62nd / Merle Hay Road
People driven and not “vision” driven
54th Street corridor
86th Street to mile long bridge
No sense of “Main Street” and there are two “sides” of town
Lack of east/west corridor
We are an “edge” city and minimal interstate property - Where is Johnston?
Lack of economic assistance
Affordable housing
Vacant commercial space
Limited land for growth – size & scale - land locked
EMS access/response
Availability of existing facilities
Incubator / research lab
Website
Links to IDED
Access to business information
Lack of ethnic & cultural diversity
Lack of industrial land (e.g. Beaver Drive)
Light industry
No “big” health club or apartments
Not enough local owner participation
CampDodge limitations
Housing & annexation
Critical mass of population
Need more jobs & commercial growth
Momentum of development elsewhere – e.g. WDM
Not enough parks & green space
Not enough light industrial development
Lack of “downtown” or destination
Transportation arteries – easy access
Lack of business and public transit
No n/s entry express – barrier of I-35/80
Lack of existing industry program
OPPORTUNITIES
Connection to ISU & Ames
Make Merle Hay corridor a center of activity
Take better advantage of assets we have: Pioneer and recreation
Ag/Biotech spin-offs
Johnston Commons
Not fully captured opportunity
Rural character attractive to businesses
In Johnston they are “special”
N/NW 141 development
Being part of metro/reputation
Build relationships with Grimes
East Johnston development “gravel pit” – end of life cycle
70th Street W
Preserve frontage for commercial development corridor
Research park & incubator
lab space
Existing business – many elements
Defining our niche
Quaint town feel with progressiveness
Proximity to Saylorville recreation
Transportation corridor & network
100th Street interchange
141 corridor
Joint work with neighboring communities
THREATS
Grimes does not have same quality development standards - Buffer?
Competition between communities
Schools growing too fast? - Quality affected
NIMBY gets attention
Too much residential / not enough commercial development
Federal military planning – Camp Dodge
CampDodge
Base facility planning
DuPont owns Pioneer – external control
Left behind? Why Johnston?
Decisions no longer local
at corporate level – e.g. Pioneer
Not enough annexation - land locked
Take growth for granted
Need vision and action
Not risk taking
Lack of capacity or space for large enterprises
IDENTITY / BRAND / VISION / NICHE / STRAT. DIR.
Mini Research Triangle focusing on biotech
Small Town Flavor with big town amenities
“Green” theme
John Deere & Pioneer
Products environmentally friendly
A prosperous community
Snob? – NOT!
Balanced community
Recreation
Comm. / office research
Quality of life
Need commercial tax base
Do not compete with “big boys”
Exploit (does this describe our “niche”?)
Well educated population
Scientists & biotech
Financial services
Learn from other communities – benchmarking
Build on attributes
High end
Knowledge based
Research based
Great neighborhoods – aura of growth and success
Assets – K-12, agriculture., science, IPTV
Laboratory, plant science, medicine, education
Accessibility & Transportation
Here not “out there” – close to everything
Commercial support services
Pitch the community and the metro support systems
Internal message – do not take it for granted
MARKETING
Best tactic is face to face
Clear, simple & inviting
Portray great quality of life
Endless opportunities
Campus of corporation/knowledge
“green” - come green with us - fields of opportunity
Target Audience (Think Green)
- Small business
- Big firms
- ISU companies
- Pioneer partners
JEDCO TO DO
- See Idea materials
- Organize face to face meetings with prospects (quality)
- Involve members in prospecting
- Support materials marketing
- Web sites / hits / keywords
- Internal marketing / public communications
- News releases
FINANCIAL TOOLS
TIF
State programs
Pooled funds – financial institutions
Revolving Loan Fund
Entrepreneurial
Angel investment
Develop angel network of Johnston clients
PURPOSE
Communication
Strategic direction
Priorities
ECONOMICAL PLACE TO BUILD
Assertively assemble resources and land for development
Tell the world – target decision makers
Target growth of existing base – industry specific messages
Develop stronger relationships with higher education / ISU / incubator
Encourage land developer to take risks – JEDCO leadership
Tools for development
seed funds
Leadership education ed101
Budget & execution
Other partners
JEDCO PLANNING QUESTIONAIRE
- Name a few things that make Johnston an attractive place to start and grow a business. (What are Johnston’s strengths?)
Planned residential areas / communities infrastructure
Nice neighborhoods & sense of community & very green and well kept
Educated and growing population
Relatively high income population base
Supportive community
Schools – great education system
Attractive business community - Vibrant economy
Existing businesses are special vs. being lost in large community
Land use plan - Land prices
Room to expand & growth oriented
Good highway transportation systems – easy access to interstates
Access / location to transportation / DM Metro – part of the Metro
Residents from corporate community – employers bring people to town
Recreation possibilities – close to Saylorville
City government & progressive leaders
New infrastructure
Technology labor supply and labor supply in general
Quality utilities available
Reasonable taxes and business climate
Collaboration between public & private sectors
Summary –
Participants acknowledged the proximity to the interstates and Des Moines Metro Area. Many feel good about the local economy, school system, new infrastructure and appreciate the large and well-educated populationas a great labor resource. Land is available in Johnston and its leaders are growth-oriented. Other strengths include Johnston’s proximity to SaylorvilleLake, which offers several recreational opportunities, its reasonable taxes and business climate as well as the quality utilities available.
- Name a few things that would make Johnston a MORE attractive place to start and grow a business. (What are Johnston’s weaknesses?)
Do we have proactive leaders with a vision?
Communication of vision to the public
Better exposure of Johnston’s assets – better promotion
Marketing – information not easily available on web site – Location One Info
Commercial community / main street / lack of downtown
Better east & west access - Merle Hay Road development
More shopping opportunities - Better retail base
Land prices
Less obstacles to build within the city
Constraints from Johnston’s relative size
Some type of economic assistance, if needed.
Signage rules and regulations
Identifying needs of existing core businesses to establish spin-offs
Creation of technology/research start-up facility
High speed internet service – DSL
Streamlined city services – partner with businesses
Connection with ISU resources
More parks and recreation areas
More light industry
Diversification – cultures, ethnicities and income
Apartments – means larger labor pool
Additional diverse housing development – affordable housing for hourly workers
Summary –
Participants’ answers to this question were varied. Several people want to concentrate on developing more retail businesses and a downtown in Johnston while others were concerned with more affordable housing and recreational opportunities. Many participants were concerned with Johnston’s vision and want it to be better communicated to the public. Location One was suggested as a means for marketing and getting information to the public. Land prices and the size of Johnston were noted as weaknesses as well as the obstacles in building within the city. Some believe Johnstonis not diversified enough in cultures, ethnicities and income. Other weaknesses mentioned were not having high speed internet, the need to streamline city services and make a connection with ISU resources.
3. Name a few key trends or issues that Johnston could take advantage of to spur economic growth. (What are Johnston’s opportunities?)
Location, location, location
Variety of small businesses complimented by larger corporate presence
Foster to smaller retail users (moms & pops)
BiotechPark
Agricultural Research Firms
Ag Finance such as John Deere Credit and AgriCredit
“rural”
Monitor number of acres available for development – residential vs. commercial
TIF
Strong growth
“smart growth”
Metro growth
Growth to the North
Martin Luther King expansion
Proximity to everything
Continued growth of WDM
Growing community with small community feel
Developing Merle Hay Road as a “village” – Johnston Station is a start
Johnston Commons
Grow the idea of Johnston as a community separate from suburb of Des Moines
Viewed as a “nice place to live” – quaint but progressive
Other plans to expand transportation corridors
Collaboration – GDMP
Consider collaboration with other metro communities for second tier marketing
Developers have heavy investments in area
Develop ED programs – the tool box
Satellite offices
Electronic media
Identity targeted markets
Summary –
Participants believe Johnston has much to offer because of its small town feel but progressive attitude and close proximity to the Des Moines Metro Area. It is obvious that participants are very interested in developing a plan for strong growth which would include a downtown anddefining a specific identity for Johnston. While it is good that Johnston is close to Des Moines, some participants want to create an identity separate from Des Moines while others want to collaborate with the GDMP.
4. Name a few key trends or issues that could harm the Johnston community or impede growth. (What are Johnston’s threats?)
Cave People and NIMBY
Johnston does not have a clearly defined vision
What does Johnston have to offer to distinguish itself from other growing areas?
JordanCreek impetus
Struggle with retail - Lack of mix of businesses
Urbandale, Ankeny, and WDM growth
School district growing too fast and this could affect the quality of education
Continued rapid residential growth & affordable housing
“out of sight, out of mind” way of thinking by many realtors
Infrastructure – road system
Traffic patterns being shifted by DOT to something worse
Connectivity to other communities – transportation and roads
Contiguous land available – land-locked - lack of developable land
Lack of proper city planning
CampDodge land
Outgrow tax base to support further growth
Budget to carry out a program
Lack of marketing
Possibly a high turn over rate
Lack of high speed internet
Summary –
Participants felt strongly that surrounding communities’ growth is threatening to Johnston. Other threats include the small sizes of land available now for development and the lack of land that will be available in the future because Johnston is land locked. Another thought was that rapid residential growth is threatening the quality of the school system. Others were concerned about Johnston’s lack of vision, marketing and high speed internet service.
- What does Johnston want to be when it grows up? What is our brand identity?
Quality residential community with a solid school system
Build upon our education and science
“Mini” TriangleResearchPark
Build upon biotech & finance
Well-educated & diverse population for employment
A healthy, vibrant economic community
Environmentally suitable for businesses
Diverse cultures and business types with a few business “anchors”
Retail/Service Businesses serving population base and other existing businesses
Johnston does not need to be a retail hub
Small, rural community – a green community
Small town flavor with big town amenities
Small town atmosphere with prosperous, attractive suburban amenities
Able to pull all areas of Johnston together
Family friendly in midst of Metro market
Quality of life – Quality housing
Continue to grow community with annexation - annex with 141 growth
Well-planned community as result of long-term view
Progressive community
Keep white collar jobs by promoting existing and new developments
Small specialty shops – specialized suburb
Community-oriented businesses
Establish infrastructure for niche markets
Use land and large lots of public facilities to full advantage (ex. SaylorvilleLake)
Expand upon the reasons why people want to live in Johnston
Parks, trails, quality of life
Strengthen our strengths
“A quality of life community”
“The total package community”
Given the challenges (land availability) and competition from nearby towns, it is better to accept our limitations and develop them as ways to distinguish Johnston.
Consider a review of other metro areas and identify communities similar to ours. Based on current land mass and limitations continue to develop relationships that bring median-sized businesses to well-planned areas with residential around it. The retail side needs to be of a “high quality” to retain the business or it will go elsewhere.
A balanced community offering recreational, commercial, light industrial and office research park environments.
Johnston is a source of a high quality labor pool for national companies to maintain office where access to all areas of Des Moines is very convenient. Johnston will need to cooperate with adjacent communities to keep our corridors open. The labor pool should want to live here because of convenience to services and high quality schools and quality of housing stock and adjacent to amenities. Our real estate is extremely inexpensive compared to the East and WestCoasts.
Summary –
Participants want people to identify Johnston as a very livable community with educated residents, good schools and great business and recreational opportunities. One participant mentioned Johnston should accept its limitations and develop them as ways to distinguish itself. Others want to study surrounding areas and learn from similar communities. Many participants want to make sure that retail stores and businesses stay in Johnston.
- What are the key elements of a successful marketing plan for Johnston?
Message
“Opportunities Abound”
“Endless Opportunities”
“Come green with us”
“Fields of Opportunity begins in Johnston”
“Easy to grow in Johnston”
“We have it all for you”
“A nice place to raise a family”
“Just close to everything”
“Benefits of a progressive community without the problems”
“A town that wants you to grow with it”
Small town with excellent opportunities for new business ventures
People – location - area
Clear, simple and inviting
Business friendly
Family/Schools/City & Business Friendly
Quality of life
Support system
Education & Science
Part of Metro area offering identified opportunities to industry specifics
Find our niche and exploit it
Johnston is a place for developers to build larger apartment complexes which will provide employees with a qualified labor pool.
Summary –
Participants want to convey that Johnston is a place with opportunities and room for growth as well as being both family and business friendly. Also, Johnston is great on its own but near the Metro Area and more cultural events.
Target Audience
Biotech
Research Firms
Financial Services
Business owners
Small businesses
Light industrial businesses
Targeting to companies that think “green”
Businesses related to serving a bedroom community
Thirty-somethings
Baby-boomers
Families
Young to middle-age, business-oriented residents (NOW)
Families will grow older & become upscale senior citizen community (FUTURE)
Internal residents
Elected officials
National developers
Don’t forget about our backyard
National Corporations with operations centers and well-educated employees
Roof top dwellers first
Channels
Existing companies
Television
JEDCO
Networking – able to get in front of Location One hits
Direct marketing to targets and the support used by existing businesses
Develop a niche and consider a radio advertisement to promote it
Website
Promotional materials
Relocation companies
Specialty resources
New businesses
Calls
Trade shows
IDED
Collaboration
Whenever possible
Yes, but we need to focus on our own identity first
Ankeny, Urbandale, Grimes, WDM, DallasCounty, WarrenCounty, East Polk
ISUResearchPark and State of Iowa
IDED, utility companies, state colleges & universities
We are more alike than different - capture both similarities and differences
Must initiate existing business program to feed needs into marketing
Should pursue some kind of urban campus to foster the “well-educated” persona of the community