Story by Laura Bogumil
The town of Jefferson has a thriving business community that offers a variety of amenities in a cooperative environment. The town’s strategy has been successful, bringing an interesting and profitable mix of niche specialty businesses, technology-based industries, and large manufacturers to the community of 4,600 located approximately 60 miles northwest of Des Moines. “One thing we shoot for here is a balanced lifestyle and a balanced economy,” says Rick Morain, executive director of Greene County Development Corporation and editor and publisher of the Bee and Herald newspaper.
Participating in area development corporations and emphasizing diversity are keys to Jefferson’s strong economy. “We aren’t dependent on one single large employer,” explains Morain. “We have a good balance among manufacturing and service, and professional and agricultural businesses in the county.”
Greene County is a member of Midwest Partnership, a collaboration of Greene, Guthrie, and Adair Counties that works together to provide economic development and community planning services for the area. In addition, Midwest Partnership works with a seven-county economic development partnership, which includes Carroll, Audubon, Sac, and Crawford Counties.
A PERSONAL APPROACH TO BUSINESS
Local retailers are an essential part of Jefferson’s economy. To make area shopping more attractive to residents, many stores provide customized services.
Since Lori and Bob Smith bought Ben Franklin in 1999, the entrepreneurs have expanded the variety store to include custom picture framing. This added service, combined with office supply sales, accounts for most of the store’s sales. Recently, the Smiths added a Radio Shack and purchased the 1,200-square-foot building next to the original store to provide more room for growth.
Lori says residents have been extremely supportive of the store and appreciate the new additions and quality of service they receive. “It’s a very hometown atmosphere,” she says. “You’re going to get customer service here, versus going to the big-box stores where you’re just a customer.”
Another local retailer, Muir Embroidery, is one of the fastest growing customization stores in Jefferson. Todd and Roxanne Muir moved their business to Jefferson just a year ago, hoping the larger facility would allow them to spread out and organize. “It didn’t work,” Todd says, laughing.
Due to an overwhelming demand for customized caps and shirts, the business quickly took off and has more than doubled its amount of walk-in orders. Each month, approximately 1,000 baseball and golf caps are embroidered with custom logos and sold.
SETTING THE PACE FOR IOWA’S TECHNOLOGY
Another important piece of Jefferson’s economy is composed of companies that are using and making advancements in technology. The small town has made significant contributions to communication technology that offers much-needed services not only to town residents, but also to the world.
The Jefferson Telephone Company was formed in 1940 and has been passed down through generations of the Daubendiek family. Since its inception, the locally owned company has been a state and national leader in technological advancements.
In 1945, it was the first commercial telephone company granted a two-way radio permit. Jefferson Telephone Company was also among the first 15 percent of companies in the nation to convert to a digital switching system in 1982. More recently, the business implemented a new digital switch that allows the company to expand its services and be more adaptable to technological advancements and changes.
Jim Daubendiek, general manager of Jefferson Telephone Company, has lived in Jefferson his entire life and started working for the company in 1964. He looks forward to the continuing evolution of technology and has been instrumental in attracting another technology-based industry to the area — Caleris, Inc.
Caleris, Inc. is a decade-old call center company headquartered in Des Moines. Co-owners Sheldon Ohringer and Rick Grewell purchased the business in December 2004. They soon began looking for an additional location, because the Manning facility was filled to capacity. The company received 30 responses from a proposal submitted to the Iowa Department of Economic Develop-ment. Grewell says the company chose Jefferson because of the town’s labor force, its location, and the strength of the local economic development group.
Morain says a spirit of cooperation from the community enabled Caleris to make the move. “It was a real coalition of organizations, groups, and firms that came together to make it happen for us,” he says.
Although the Jefferson site opened its doors in April 2005, the call center already works with more than 30 internet service providers, as well as taking calls from individuals who need help with products they have purchased from department and electronic stores.
SERVING THE NATION
In addition to niche specialty businesses and technology-based industries, several large manufacturing companies have established themselves in Jefferson. When Iowans watch televised national sports or eat foods that contain organic soy, they’re likely enjoying products manufactured in the town.
In 1954, American Athletic, Inc. (AAI) founder and Jefferson native Bill Sorenson manufactured trampolines in the basement of a local hardware store. In 2004, the company celebrated its fiftieth year producing athletic equipment in Jefferson and became a division of Russell Corporation. For the past 51 years, AAI has expanded its products and services while embracing community support.
Throughout the years, AAI has been the leading manufacturer of gymnastics equipment while increasing its production of basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, and gymnasium and stadium equipment. Today the company has an extensive list of nation-wide professional and collegiate clients.
Another local manufacturer, MicroSoy Corporation, takes advantage of Iowa’s soybean crops and produces an alternative to the chemically processed soy commonly used in foods. Since the Jefferson plant’s opening in 1991, the company has developed MicroSoy Flakes — hulled, cracked, and flaked soy processed without solvents or additives — through a patented technology.
The flakes can be used in nearly every product that contains soy, such as soymilk, tofu, and hummus. A toasted version of the flakes has a sweeter flavor and can be used in cereal, yogurt, and bakery products. Through its innovative processes, MicroSoy Corporation fulfills the large national demand for organic, healthful alternatives to heavily processed foods.
The emphasis on balance and the spirit of cooperation among local businesses and Iowa counties is visible in the area’s economic success. Morain says the community’s future growth will most likely come from the east. “We’re close enough to Des Moines and Ames that we can offer residents lots of amenities found there,” he says. “Most communities in Iowa are familiar with former residents who would like to come back if they could find good enough jobs for themselves and their spouses. We’d like to provide those here.”
(Originally published in the August/September 2005 Edition of Iowa Commerce Magazine, a Pioneer Communications, Inc. publication. Republished here with permission) |
