News

The Nominations Committee of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) has elected Dennis Fraise, CEcD, President and CEO of Lee County Economic Development Group, to serve on the IEDC Board of Directors. The nomination took place during IEDC's 2020 Annual Conference, which ran from October 13 -16, 2020. Mr. Fraise’s term begins on January 1, 2021.

“Mr. Fraise has been an invaluable part of IEDC’s member community,” said Kenny McDonald, CEcD, President and Chief Economic Officer of One Columbus and 2020 Chair of the IEDC Board of Directors. ““From his popular economic development podcast, DevelopThis!, to his leading role on our Membership Development Advisory Committee, his dedication to our profession and to IEDC has been exceptional.”

Dennis Fraise joined the Lee County Economic Development Group as Capital Campaign Coordinator in 2013. He has served as Chief Operating Officer, Senior Economic Developer, and currently is the President and CEO. During his tenure, the Lee County Economic Development Group has won numerous state and national awards for their creative and innovative programs and work.

“I am humbled and honored to have been selected to serve on the IEDC Board of Directors. My election is a testament to the quality of work the Lee County EDG team has done over the past 7 years. I look forward to bringing a rural voice to the national economic develop discussion and learning from my peers from all over the United States and abroad,” said Fraise.

“We look forward to his leadership in this new role,” Jeffrey Finkle, President and CEO of the International Economic Development Council said. “Mr. Fraise has been instrumental in improving the accessibility of our services, and his new role will only help IEDC continue to expand our service offerings to fill the needs of our diverse base.”

October 14, 2020– Governor Reynolds recognized Lee County as one of the newest Home Base Iowa Communities in Iowa at the 11th Annual Statewide Veterans Conference yesterday. Becoming a Home Base Iowa Community helps recruit new veterans to our county and match them with local career opportunities.

"Working together, we can make Iowa the state of first choice for Veterans, transitioning military personnel and their families,” said Beth Townsend, Director of Iowa Workforce Development.

Home Base Iowa designates qualified communities as centers of opportunity for military veterans based on four standards:
Within a designated community, at least 10 percent of eligible, hiring businesses must become HBI businesses and pledged to hire veterans,
Community develops its own incentive package for veterans,
Community prominently displays HBI Community designation, and
Community must obtain a resolution of support from the appropriate local governing body

“We are excited to receive this designation,” commented Lee County EDG Project Director Dana Millard, who spoke at the conference. Lee County EDG put together a steering committee of representatives from the Lee County Board of Supervisors, Keokuk and Fort Madison chambers and industry representatives that were also veterans themselves to help guide the process. “It was important for us to include local veterans in our process,” stated Millard. “We wanted to make sure we were creating something that veterans actually wanted.”

"We are grateful to see Lee County join other communities in receiving the Home Base Iowa designation. The entire community can be proud of this remarkable accomplishment and commitment towards our Veterans, military personnel and their family members" said Jathan Chicoine, Home Base Iowa Program Manager for State and Strategic Initiatives.

Lee County EDG plans on continuing to add to the program and provide value not only to our veterans but local industry who are looking for skilled workforce who possess the traits many who serve in the military obtain through their service.

The Southeast Iowa STEM Region Advisory Board met on Thursday, September 17, for their first meeting of this academic year. We are pleased to announce that Daniel D'Alessandro of Le Claire and Dana Millard of Keokuk were selected by their peers to serve as Co-Chairs for FY 2021.

Dana has served on the Southeast Iowa STEM Regional Advisory Board for almost 6 years. She has also served on the statewide STEM Communications Advisory Committee for the past 3 years. She has worked to connect educators and industry to provide opportunities to youth and inform them about the great STEM careers available in Iowa.

The Governor's STEM Advisory Board is comprised of some of the area's most active members of STEM fields through government, education, and industry. The SE Iowa Region covers 66 school districts and 17 counties on the eastern portion of the state. She will be representing our region at the state level, sharing best practices and contributing to the future of STEM education.

Lee County was presented the Iowa Wind County Seal Award by Governor Kim Reynolds and Iowa Economic Development Director Debi Durham. The American Wind Energy Association recognized communities for helping wind build a sustainable, affordable, and prosperous energy future. 

Lee County EDG's President and CEO Dennis Fraise and Economic Development Project Director Dana Millard have been asked to serve on Governor Reynold's recently announced Economic Recovery Advisory Board working group focused on Workforce.

 This working group will be developing recommendations to the Advisory Board related to Iowa's recovery from a workforce perspective.

To help support local small businesses, several Lee County groups came together to provide Buy Lee County Certificates; where individuals could purchase a $30 certificate for $20 and use it at any Lee County business.

This Monday certificates went on sale and by the end of the business day Tuesday they were completely sold out.

The Keokuk and Fort Madison Chamber sold 600 Buy Lee County Certificates within two days.

This program is designed to give incentive to people to shop at the over 240 small businesses in Lee County. Certificates can be used at local restaurants, retail, or services from a Lee County business. A complete list of businesses can be found here.

“We were very excited about the community’s response to the program,” said Dana Millard with Lee County EDG. This was the first round of Buy Lee County Certificates. The groups plan on launching a second round June 15th. “We want to make sure the people who are purchasing the certificates are turning around and spending them to help local businesses and not holding on to them,” explained Millard.

Several studies have shown that money spent at a locally owned business stays in the local economy and continues to strengthen the economic base of the community. There are other benefits to buying local as well.

Small, locally-based businesses make vital contributions to communities and neighborhoods; they account for the largest share of net new jobs generated each year, and provide some of the most stable employment opportunities in a community.

The following is a synopsis of the actions, support or resources the Iowa Economic Development/Iowa Finance Authority (IEDA/IFA) has undertaken or made available in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Information on all resources can also be found at iowabusinessrecovery.com