News

Mason City Hosts Leadership Iowa Session

The session is being coordinated by local Leadership Iowa alums.  Many area organizations and businesses from across North Iowa are serving as event sponsors, including Petroblend, NIACC, Mason City Conventions and Visitors Bureau, Stellar Industries, North Central Iowa Alliance, ASSA ABLOY Door Group - Curries Division, and the Mason City Foundation. Mediacom and the Iowa Association of Business & Industry are sponsors of Friday’s Jane Applegate presentation.  

Mayor Roger Bang will be on hand Thursday morning to welcome the class to Mason City.  The Thursday sessions will consist of a presentation on Iowa economic development, The Curries Story: Hardware Store to International Door Group, a presentation by Charles Sukup, a panel on regional economic development and a presentation on Vision Mason City.

Friday’s session at NIACC will feature an introduction the NIACC’s John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, a workshop by Jane Appelgate and a presentation by NIACC JPEC staff on Building an Entrepreneurial Region.
“Hosting Leadership Iowa in North Iowa provides us an opportunity to showcase the things we are doing here to foster economic development and entrepreneurship. We hope class members pick up some ideas from here to take back and consider for their own communities.” said Terry Schumaker, planning session committee member.

The Leadership Iowa program is sponsored by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry Foundation.  Leadership Iowa serves as an issues awareness program to develop, educate and motivate leaders of Iowa. Forty individuals from across Iowa were selected this year based on exhibited leadership skills, community involvement and commitment to the issues impacting Iowa.  Each Leadership Iowa class represents a diverse mix of individuals representing business, education, government, non-profit and community-based organizations. 

The Leadership Iowa class meets once a month and travels throughout the state from October through June, hosted by various communities.  Each session focuses on a single topic impacting Iowa and features interaction with subject matter experts, small group activities and leadership development.

“Leadership Iowa is a highly interactive program allowing participants to immediately apply newly developed skills to real life issues.  The Class of 2008 – 2009 has a mix of remarkably talented individuals from all walks of life and from all points around the state,” says Dan Anderson, Iowa Area Development Group, chair of the Leadership Iowa Board of Governors 2008-09.

For more information about Leadership Iowa, contact Kay Neumann-Thomas, Vice President, Programs, at 800/383-4224 ext. 564  or visit www.leadershipiowa.com.

The Iowa Association of Business and Industry Foundation is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation with a mission of building partnerships between business, education and communities.  The ABI Foundation is sponsored by parent-organization, the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI), the Voice of Iowa Business Since 1903. www.iowaabi.org