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Home My WebLink AboutA034 - Presentation of Ames Regional Economic Alliance Annual ReportTo:Mayor and City Council From:Steve Schainker, City Manager Date:May 26, 2026 Subject:Presentation of Ames Regional Economic Alliance Annual Report Item No. 37 MEMO The City Council has allocated funds in the City Budget for FY 2026/27 for economic development activities. Historically, the City has contracted with the Ames Regional Economic Alliance (AREA) to conduct these activities on behalf of the City. In accordance with the contract, AREA will be presenting its annual report at the May 26th meeting. When this contract was renewed last year on June 10, 2025, Council expressed a desire to conduct a more detailed review of the FY 2026/27 contract at a future meeting. Therefore, this discussion can take place when the AREA contract for FY 2026/27 is brought before the City Council in June for approval. ATTACHMENT(S): 2026_05_26 - City of Ames - Alliance Presentation 2 comp.pdf Administration 515.239.5105 main 515.239.5142 fax 515 Clark Ave. P.O. Box 811 Ames, IA 50010 www.CityofAmes.org 1 Impact on AMES region City of Ames May 26, 2026 2 AREA impact Engagement Advocacy Leadership Economic Development Community Projects Workforce Development Public Policy Programming Entrepreneurship 3 DAN CULHANE President & CEO BRENDA DRYER Senior Vice President JENAVIEVE CHRISTENSEN Coordinator, Economic Development & Workforce ERIC SMIDT Vice President, Marketing & Communications SARAH HURLEY Director, Events BAYLIE JANSSEN Coordinator, Client Services STEVEN LAWRENCE Director, Marketing GREG PIKLAPP Director, Economic Development Outreach & Government Relations AMY HOWARD Vice President, Finance & Administration SIDNEY HANSEN Digital Marketing Specialist MORGANNE DENNIS Coordinator, Investor Relations RONNIE OLSON Executive Director, Ames Main Street SHANNON THIELE Vice President, Affiliate Programming JAN WILLIAMS Vice President, Investor Relations DYLAN KLINE Director, Business Development OTTIE MAXEY Director, Economic Development JENNIFER LUENGAS-OTTO Director, Economic Development LOJEAN PETERSON Manager, Ames Main Street Farmers' Market KAREN SMIDT Contracted Marketing Support MIKE UPAH Director, Ames Seed Capital 4 5 (May 14) The Ames Regional Economic Alliance launched the new Live - Work - Play in Ames brand, a new digital platforms will serve as a hub for residents, prospective movers, job seekers, and visitors, offering insights into the unique aspects of living, working, and playing in the Ames region. LIVE WORK PLAY (July 25) The Ames Regional Economic Alliance and Greene County Development Corporation formed a strategic partnership to boost collaboration and growth. By combining resources and expertise, they aim to attract investment, support businesses, and enhance vitality across county lines. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to fostering economic opportunity and prosperity in Central Iowa. 2025 AREA HIGHLIGHTS GREENE COUNTY (March 7) The AREA Podcast launched in March and feature in-depth conversations with business leaders, entrepreneurs, and community stakeholders, covering topics such as leadership, innovation, and economic development initiatives shaping the future of Ames and the surrounding region. Season 1 included 16 individual episodes (May 20) Daisy Brand held a groundbreaking ceremony for their $1.2 billion, 1 million square foot dairy processing facility — their most ambitious project yet, according to President Ben Sokolsky. Additional speakers included Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, City of Boone Mayor Elijah Stines, and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. More images from the event can be found online. AREA PODCAST DAISY GROUNDBREAKING 6 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EXTERNAL FUNDING YTD THE AMES ALLIANCE 2025 ANNUAL REPORT HIGHLIGHT CAPITAL INVESTMENT YTD The amount of funding the Alliance assisted in bringing to the region. The amount invested by projects that the Alliance has worked on. $33,174,452 $581,064,820 73 visits BUSINESS RETENTION & EXPANSION 7 TRADE SHOW MARKETING San Francisco, California Washington D.C. Chicago, Illinois 8 AREA PROJECTS 90,000 square foot furniture store between Target and Walmart on SE 5th St. Supported by the city with 5-year sliding scale tax abatement due to the market leakage for furniture sales in Ames Construction began in April 2025 Opened Winter 2025 Announced in September 2025 Developer: Keystone Equity Group, LLC. 12 Units FURNITURE MART WORKFORCE HOUSING TAX CREDITS | HARRISON COURT 9 BREAKING GROUND IN 2025 BioMADE Danfoss Childcare Facility JT Logistics Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Iowa State University, and BioMADE broke ground on a $40 million biomanufacturing facility on November 14. The new facility at the BioCentury Research Farm will provide critical biomanufacturing infrastructure in the United States as part of BioMADEʼs Pilot Plant Network. Construction is underway at Danfoss Power Solutions for their new childcare facility. The manufacturing plant is collaborating with Everbrook Academy on the project. Once complete, it will have space for 160 students. The facility will be open to children of Danfoss employees and other local employers. JT Logistics hosted a groundbreaking in September for their new 300,000-square- foot facility east of Ames. As a family-owned, Iowa-based company, JT Logistics provides innovative warehousing, transportation, and fulfillment solutions across the Midwest, with the new facility expanding their regional footprint and creating employment opportunities in Story County. 10 OLIVE GARDEN IS COMING TO AMES! News broke on March 31, 2025 Ninth Iowa location, the fourth in central Iowa Opening June 1, 2026 11 UNDER CONSTRUCTION Kwik Star in West Ames Chipotle in West Ames A second Kwik Star is being constructed at Grand Avenue and South 16 Streetth 12 UNDER CONSTRUCTION Additional Project: City Light Downtown Jensen project The Bluffs (Friedrich project)Dakota Townes (Friedrich / Jensen project) Northwest corner of Lincoln Way and North Dakota Hunziker projects at ISURP 13 14 A GUIDINGA GUIDING VISIONVISION A GUIDING VISION for the futurefor the future for the future DOWNTOWN AMES C h e c k o u t t h e e n t i r e d o c u m e n t o n l i n e www.downtownames.org 15 16 Premiered April 30, 2026 17 8,000 - 10,000+ peak weekend attendance Expanded for 2026 Season 18 WASHINGTON D.C. FLY-IN April 21-23, 2026 19 INTER-CITY VISITS 2016 - Manhattan, KS • 2017 - Columbia, MO • 2018 - Bloomington, IN • 2019 - Fort Collins, CO 2022 - Dubuque, IA • 2023 - Lafayette, IN • 2024 - Fargo, ND WHAT IS AN INTER-CITY VISIT? INTER-CITY VISITS OFTEN CONSIST OF BUSINESS, COMMUNITY, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEADERS WHY IS INTER-CITY LEADERSHIP IMPORTANT? Connect community leaders Venue for them to dream Learn best practices from peers Find a solution or two Likely find out you are doing pretty well back home! Offers permission to dream Engages those less engaged Facilitates connections among your participants Lends credibility to your organization New source of revenue 20 The City of Ames has been awarded a $500,000 planning grant through the U.S. Department of Transportationʼs Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program, supporting the next phase of downtown transportation and infrastructure planning. The grant will fund planning and preliminary design work for the project titled “Multi-Modal Downtown Transit Hub in the City of Ames: Enhancing Downtown Access and Safety.” 21 FOR THE DOERS FOR THE DREAMERS FOR THE EXPLORERS FOR THE VISIONARIES FOR THE AMBITIOUS 22 227,146 Farmers' Markets • Live Music • County Fairs • Attractions • Connectors • Job Openings • Tasty Tuesdays • Watermelon Days • Stratford on the Loose • Summer Sidewalk Sales • Cost of Living • Fourth of July • Summer Daze in Parc • Ames on the Half Shell • Collins Days • Treehouse at Twilight • Ogden Fun Days • Fresh Air Concerts • Thrift Store Crawl • Parade of Homes View on Facebook from May 14, 2025 – May 13, 2026 23 24 25 Community Impact 26 Regional Storytelling QUARTERLY PUBLICATION SOCIAL MEDIA AREA PODCASTAREAPOD 27 QUESTIONSQUESTIONS 28