(Spencer)– The head of the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation says he’ll be stepping down in early February. CEO Kiley Miller made the announcement today (Wed.) saying he feels the timing is right…
“We have a great team in place, a really engaged board. We just came through a financial resources campaign that positions the organization for sustainability long term. Plus we’ve really got a lot of engagement in our programs, industrial development programs, business retention, entrepreneurship and workforce and housing. So I think this is a great time to sort of shuffle the deck, allow some leadership, leaders to emerge from within and bring in some new talent that maybe I don’t offer. So from that perspective I’m very excited to be leaving a strong organization.”
Miller says he’s pleased with the accomplishments made throughout the Corridor over the six and-a-half years he was at the helm…
“It’s easiest to kind of look at it as project-based. So if we went to like Emmet county, I’m just so, so excited about what that county and Estherville are achieving on the entrepreneurial ownership front with their Studio 12 co-working space. Brian Dalziel on our team is hugely influential in that program. Here in Dickinson county so many things have happened, so much growth. From an individual level, I really enjoyed the project to bring SAFCO to town. What a great new employer in the area. Down in Clay county, you know, we’ve been involved in just a myriad of different projects but I think the most complicated industrial development opportunity I’ve ever been in is when we sold a shell building down there, a speculative building to NWI Components. And then finally when we go down to Buena Vista county, you know they have a real, real challenge for housing. But incrementally we made a difference recruiting housing builders into the area and just the other day, not through anything I did, but just a great success story, they announced more than a 140 new units. So I think as we look across the corridor in each area there’s a project that really hits the core of what we’re trying to achieve.”
And as far as the future is concerned, Miller says it’s going to be vital to grow the region’s workforce and attract more people…
“Because workforce availability is probably the principal limitation to economic growth. But what I’m most excited about and what I see our team really starting to see to envision is where we have greater interaction between our programs. So let’s say an existing employer says man we’re really struggling to procure this particular product. Then that information flows to our local businesses who can say we’d like to do that. Or if that doesn’t happen we can recruit a new business in to do it. Or even use our entrepreneurship function to build up a new business internally to meet those, that need. So as the system gets more cohesive I really think you’ll see an accelerated growth program in our area.”
Miller says the Corridor’s Board of Directors hasn’t yet announced a time line for getting his replacement on board…
“We’re building a strong transition plan that makes sure that the team and the new team members have the information they need to continue. There should be no sense that I’m even not there. But I will remain available to answer those inevitable questions. No matter how good the plan you can’t predict everything.”
Miller will become Executive Director of the nonprofit Trees Forever in Marion, Iowa.
