Economic Development
- Robust Project Pipeline
- Responded to 33 business attraction and expansion project inquiries, with 10 advancing to virtual or on-site visits.
- Secured two projects (Project Stack & Project Goldfinch).
- Worked on options/purchase agreements for four of them, and ended up as the second choice for another.
- Effort represents weekly 5-10 hours of staff time per week dedicated to project responses.
- Competed for over $5 billion worth of projects and thousands of jobs created, with over $2 billion in projects and 300+ jobs currently in advanced stages of consideration.
- Business Retention & Expansion:
- 2025-2026 saw three local businesses finish their builds and become operational:
- Adcraft
- Super 8 Logistics
- Law Jones Funeral Home
- EntreFuel & NewBoco:
- Contracted with Alex Taylor of NewBoco to serve as an entrepreneurial coach
- Two startups are ready to sign leases
- 14 coaching/mentor meetings
- 3 KIVA Loans from Clinton
- EntreFuel Launch Event
- Housing: Have
- Assisted with multiple housing applications and developments.
- Worked on developing an affordable housing solution for Clinton, IA, with a focus on a complete city block
Community Development
- Bethel AME Church
- Attended and facilitated night and weekend meetings to provide a space and opportunity for the community to discuss strategies to keep the African-American cultural corner active.
- Transitioned the project to a nonprofit to ensure the reimagining of the church into a reverential space.
- Downtown Revitalization Support
- Grow Clinton co-sponsored a Downtown Assessment by the Iowa Economic Development Association in partnership with the Lyons Business Professional Association and the Downtown Clinton Alliance. (Scheduled for July 2026)
- Entrepreneur & Small Business Support via EntreFuel
- Countless programs like Leadership Unlocked & EntreFuel Hour
- Iowa Legislative Engagement
- Another year of hosting candidate forums, legislative coffee, and the Des Moines Visit. Grow Clinton has developed strong relationships with our federal and local representatives, who answer strategic questions. Truthfully, this year we focused on state-level department heads.
- Recognized Community Involvement
- Grow Clinton staff served on 20+ local boards and committees, including United Way, Rotary, Kiwanis, YWCA, Information Referral & Assistance Services, and others—showcasing our deep roots in regional leadership!
Marketing & Event Planning
- Strengthened Grow Clinton's Facebook Reach
- 6,958 to 8,027 followers (+15.4%), generating 282,472 engagements (+86%) and 58,090 page visits (+29%) through entirely organic content.
- Produced & Expanded Member Visibility
- Business spotlights on social media/newsletter, job postings, giveaways & community promotion.
- Launched the Grow Clinton Member Giveaway Program
- Helped participating businesses gain new followers and generated hundreds of thousands of impressions and thousands of engagements for members.
- Implemented Digital Video Strategy
- Resulted in tens of thousands of views and expanded reach across various platforms.
- Grew Instagram Presence
- 294 to 360 followers (+22.4%), surpassing the long-term goal of 300 followers and generating nearly 15,000 content views.
- Hosted Three Weekly Local Radio Programs (KROS & MaC 94.7 FM)
- Promoted local businesses, events, and community initiatives.
- Partnered with Member Businesses to Support Marketing Efforts
- Increased member visibility throughout the region.
- Launched the Grow Clinton Oktoberfest
- A brand new signature Grow Clinton event!
- Established New Marketing Group (Marketing Mingle)
- Connected members, shared ideas, and provided peer support on marketing challenges.
- Email agerks@growclinton.com to join!
- Recruited New Ambassadors & Marketing & Events Committee Members
- Strengthened member engagement and event support.
- Hosted Clinton High School Marketing Intern
- Provided hands-on workforce development and career experience.
- Welcomed 894 Event Attendees
- 8.9% increase over the previous year
- Celebrated 27 Ribbon Cuttings
- Recognized business openings, expansions & milestones.
Member & Community Relations
- New Grow Clinton Members & Investors: 30
- Implemented a new Entrepreneurship membership tier for startups at $150/annually.
- VALUE Visits: 49
- Results:
- Connection with EntreFuel Program and Alex Taylor of NewBo Co. resulting in critical support of business owners.
- Connecting fellow Grow Clinton investors leading to meaningful collaborations.
- In depth discussions regarding membership benefits leading to ribbon cuttings, radio appearances, podcast guest spots, many fix-actions, and business consultations.
- Discussion leading to commitments from members to increase level of Grow Clinton investment.
- Introduction to new company and industry management.
- Business Retention Visits: 32
- 2025-2026 VALUE Spotlight Awards
- Cornerstone Award: Don’s Jewelry
- Innovation Award: XCEL NDT
- Community Impact Award: Camanche, Clinton, and Northeast School Superintendents
- Industry of the Year Award: TBA (2025 Industry of the Year Award was presented to Adcraft Printwear)
- Quarterly Child Care Provider Roundtables
- Opportunity to problem-solve and share ideas
- Provide information to attendees about local services
- Discussion regarding relevant legislation
- The Grow Clinton Podcast: 115 new episodes!
- Grow Clinton's most popular member benefit.
- Guests included Business and Organization Leaders, as well as City and School Board Candidates
- The Grow Clinton Podcast received the Salvation Army 360 Life Center Media Partner Award
- Sawyer Dawes, 2026 Children’s Miracle Network Champion, episode led to the creation of the “My Favorite Subject is Dismissal” t-shirt. All proceeds given to the Children’s Miracle Network
- Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
- ACCE 2026 Annual Membership and Revenue Conference (Des Moines, Iowa)
- Two-day conference resulting in introductions to fellow Member and Community Relations and Industry Colleagues.
- Programming and breakout sessions that offered insights into diverse operations and practices throughout the industry.
- Community Boards
- YWCA of Clinton Board of Directors serving as Vice Chair
- FCI Thomson Prison Community Relations Panel
- The Skyline Center Board of Directors
- LyondellBasell Citizens Advisory Panel
Tourism & Placemaking
- Dambo Trolls
- For 18 months, Grow Clinton staff helped with weekly meetings and logistics in the installation of this community-wide troll installation by Thomas Dambo. We continue to work on post-installation promotion and coordination. In the less than two months, at least 30,000 visitors have come to Clinton.
- Visitor Center
- We opened 719 S 2nd Street as the Visit Clinton, Iowa Tourism Center
- Developed the first-ever Visitor Profile Snapshot
- Aligned future marketing campaigns in partnership with regional amenities.
- Outpaced the State in Hotel Occupancy
- Clinton continues to outperform statewide metrics, with May 2025 occupancy at 48.9%, surpassing the Iowa average of 43.4%.
- Created AI-Powered Community Calendar
- Grow Clinton launched an AI-enhanced event calendar in response to local feedback. It's now the 5th-most-visited page on Grow Clinton's website and our top-performing organic page (excluding the homepage).
- Visitation Page Growth
- The "Visiting" landing page on the Grow Clinton website experienced a 47.31% year-over-year increase, reflecting the growing interest in Clinton as a destination
Workforce Development & Talent Attraction
- Partnered in Successful Completion of Inaugural P-Tech Cohort w/EICC, LYB, 3M & ADM
- Five students secured employment through the partner companies.
- Working on the next cohort through a robust promotion strategy.
- Continued leadership on the newly merged Eastern Iowa Workforce Development Board
- including chairing the Business Committee to help align regional workforce strategies.
- Expanded Professional Development & Networking Opportunities
- HR (Human Resources) Net
- Vet (Veteran) Net
- Safety Net for safety and environmental professionals
- Hosted the 3rd Annual Education & Business Partnership Symposium
- Attracted more than 100 educators, business representatives, and students to strengthen connections between education and industry.
- Numerous partnerships and connections are being formed to open WBL opportunities.
- Strengthened the Region’s Talent Pipeline Through Youth Career Exploration
- Worked with Junior Achievement & local K-12 school districts
- Supported employers with talent attraction initiatives
- Introduced robust local & statewide workforce resources
- Introduced leadership development programs
- Facilitated business engagement opportunities
- Planned & Orchestrated 2026 Grow Clinton Leadership Institute
- Cultivated current and future leaders across Clinton County.
- Partnered with Camanche Community School District on J-Term Experience
- Focused on marketing, workforce development, and local career opportunities.
