a c u s t o m p u b l i c a t i o n f o r t h e c h a m b e r o f c o m m e r c e a n d c i t y o f u r b a n d a l e

SponSored by

Invest and engage In Urbandale

Business Connectionvolume 1, Number 3

December 2014

rise of the smart machines

the art o f t h e c i t y

in this piece of public art, the city honors the public safety personnel who have given their lives, especially the 343 firefighters that died on september 11, 2001. it is located at fire station 42.

the cities of urbandale, clive and Windsor heights made application to the New York Port Authority to receive a piece of steel from one of the World trade towers. upon award, the clear lake fire Department transported to iowa a beam for its station and the beam pictured here. this

750-pound steel i-beam was incorporated into a monument dedicated in october of 2011 with materials, labor and services donated by generous businesses.

the urbandale fire Department’s mission is to preserve life, protect property and to promote safety through education. for urbandale emergency responders, the monument recalls the service of their colleagues and inspires them in pursuing their mission on behalf of urbandale’s citizens and businesses.

Deere’s intelligent solutions group powers precision Ag

Picture this—it’s a warm, sunny day in early may, and a central iowa farmer is preparing to plant corn. Along with his tractor and planter, he heads to the field with his iPad and new John Deere seedstar™ mobile technology to monitor the planting process in real-time. he can also make adjustments row by row, if necessary, to ensure his equipment runs at the highest level of precision and accuracy.

As the planter rolls through the field, seedstar™ mobile transfers the data to the grower’s secure site at myJohnDeere operations center or his office using Wifi or a cellular connection. this

powerful technology originated at John Deere intelligent solutions Group (isG) headquartered in urbandale.

“farmers want to be able to visualize their productivity and access their data anywhere, any time,” said Wallas Wiggins, isG’s Global manager of supply management, Quality and facilities and a member of the city of urbandale economic Development Advisory board. “innovative technologies like seedstar™ mobile increase the value and efficiency of modern Ag production.”

mobile data centers with satellite-based GPs systems, apps, guidance systems and other advanced technologies produce an array of valuable information

which provides new insight for critical operational decisions on a farm.

going globAl

since it opened in urbandale in 2001, isG software engineers and precision Ag specialists design high-tech solutions that support John Deere customers’ ability to radically improve productivity, efficiency and profitability. isG’s precision technology serves as the foundation for data-enabled agriculture for customers in North America, europe, south America, Asia, Australia and india. Whether it’s a soybean farm in brazil, a large crop farm in northern china or a high-production operation in Western europe, isG’s products, in combination with the equipment, are on the scene.

Honoring Memories; Protecting Life and Investments

wallas wiggins holds ipad loaded with John Deere seedstar™ Mobile technology.

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SponSored by

Q&A: with chief holt and chief mccarty

“while each market is unique in its needs and adoption of technology, people in agriculture have a common goal- increase productivity in a profitable and sustainable manner. the many solutions John deere precision technology offers, along with the support of our dealers, mean we can support their goals and help them provide food, fuel and clothe a growing world population. ” wiggins said.

the des moines metro area location has been an ideal setting for iSG due to its close proximity to some of the most productive farmland in the world, leading educational institutions and other deere facilities in the midwest, wiggins said. the community’s small-town feel and easy access to a cosmopolitan urban center also make the area appealing

to potential employees, he added.

attracting great talent has helped iSG thrive and has contributed to deere’s national recognition for business and innovation leadership. deere has been named to fortune magazine’s world’s most admired companies. deere has also been listed among the top companies in informationweek magazine’s most innovative Users of Business technology.

as technology continues to revolutionize agriculture and expand global markets, iSG is uniquely positioned to capitalize on these trends. “Just as important, we’re in a position to make a positive difference by helping farmers grow food more efficiently and support a higher quality of life for people around the world,” wiggins said.

Chief Jerry Holt 515-278-3970

Superior public safety services are important to Urbandale’s value proposition to businesses. in fact, about one-third of police and fire department calls are to businesses.

How does your department impact economic development?

Holt: we want to make sure that companies have a safe place to do business. our department is as customer-focused as any you’ll find.

McCarty: we maintain an excellent quality of life for our community.

Beyond emergency response, how do you assist businesses?

Holt: we offer cPr, first aid and fire extinguisher classes at low or no cost and delivered at the business or Ufd. we are also happy to visit a business for emergency pre-planning. in this process, the Ufd

becomes familiar with the building and business operations and can help develop an emergency response plan. Ufd also creates a map which allows firefighters to digitally see the building layout while responding to an emergency.

McCarty: an important, but overlooked service is keeping business contact information up to date as personnel changes happen. we urge businesses to call our community relations officer with updates which we enter into our dispatching system.

What is an ISO rating and how does it impact businesses?

Holt: the iSo rating is the fire protection class for a community. typically, lower ratings on a scale of 1 to 10 mean lower insurance premium rates paid by customers. Urbandale’s businesses are in an area that recently improved to class 3. my goal is to get Urbandale to a class 1 rating.

The Police Department recently achieved accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Tell us more.

McCarty: accreditation assures our community that their police department is committed to the highest standards of professionalism. it is a voluntary audit and review process that only three percent of law enforcement agencies nationally have achieved.

Fire Chief Jerry Holt and Police Chief Ross McCarty’s combined experience in Urbandale totals 46 years.

Wallas Wiggins is John Deere Intelligent Solution Group’s Global Manager of Supply Management, Quality and Facilities.

Chief Ross McCarty 515-278-3938

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SponSored by

upcoming events

January 8 Morning Mingle Mixer | 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. | networking event Hungry Boyz, 3070 100th St., urbandale | Free event

January 15 genYP Kickoff event | 5-7 p.m. | murphy’s Bar and grill | genyp is the young professional group for the urbandale chamber of commerce. | Free event

January 20 AM exchange | 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. | networking event Signs now, 8445 Hickman rd., urbandale | Free event

January 21 Membership Luncheon | 11:30 – 1 p.m. | Holiday inn Hotel & Suites Dm northwest, 4800 merle Hay rd., urbandale | featuring Liz nead talking about her mount Killimanjaro climb and How to reach your goals. | cost: $30 general admission/$20 members.

please register to attend through www.uniquelyurbandale.com or by calling the urbandale chamber of commerce at 515-331-6855. more information on each event may be found on the website.

PowerfuL PArtnershiPs 2015 aLLiance

The urbandale chamber of commerce and The iowa association of Business and industry (aBi) formed an alliance for 2015 to provide additional resources to small business members of the urbandale chamber of commerce. “The urbandale chamber of commerce is very excited about our new partnership with aBi,” said John irving, director of business development at Baker electric and 2014 urbandale chamber of commerce president. “a member can use the programming, educational and networking opportunities for both organizations to help their own companies grow and build their brand.”

“Businesses with fewer than 20 employees make up 85 percent of iowa’s employment base. This is an incredibly important segment of iowa’s business population. We want them to have a

voice in statewide business issues as well as access to programs and services that will help them compete globally,” said Leisa Fox, senior vice president for revenue and programs with aBi.

members of the urbandale chamber of commerce with 25 and fewer employees will receive a complimentary membership in aBi, beginning in January 2015. any business that joins the urbandale chamber in 2015 with 25 and fewer employees will automatically receive membership in the urbandale chamber, aBi and the greater Des moines partnership. “The value of this partnership for small businesses is phenomenal,” said Tiffany menke, executive director for the urbandale chamber of commerce. “This alliance, coupled with the affiliate program of the greater Des moines partnership provides

a trifecta of benefits, programs and resources for small businesses in iowa.”

LaunchiT, a software programming and iT staffing company, currently has 12 employees working out of its urbandale headquarters. “This partnership provides for a natural progression for urbandale businesses as they grow and look to expand outside the metro area,” president Hiram Houghton said.

The aBi/urbandale chamber alliance is serving as a pilot program that could be rolled out to other chamber organizations throughout the state at a later date. Businesses interested in finding out more information should contact the urbandale chamber of commerce at 515-331-6855.

83%* of employees say they are under financial stress.

According to a survey conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management, financial stress causes:

· Inability for employees to focus on work · Increased employee absenteeism · Increased employee tardiness · Negative impact on productivity

*PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ 2013 financial wellness survey for SHRM

Contact Holly Bernal to schedule a free employee workshop on tips to reduce personal financial stress.

hollyb@midlandCU.org or call 515-645-9321 (direct) 515-664-7984 (cell)

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SponSored by

chamber business value city of urbandale

t H e bIG p i c t u r e

top left: regional legislative luncheon held for members of the urbandale, Johnston, ankeny and Grimes chambers of commerce.

top riGHt: “people do business with those they know, like and trust.” pictured are members connecting with other members during the november High 5 event.

left: Members network after hours during the High 5 event at the friedrich’s coffee corporate headquarters in urbandale.

riGHt: Monthly the chamber holds a morning event called aM exchange. in november the connecting event was held at yost family chiropractic.

Tiffany Menke Executive Director, Urbandale Chamber of Commerce (515) 331-6855 tmenke@urbandalechamber.com

AJ Johnson City Manager (515) 331-6705 ajohnson@urbandale.org

Curtis Brown Director of Economic Development (515) 331-6756 cbrown@urbandale.org

econoMic DevelopMent contacts

this month the urbandale chamber rolled out another benefit for members to use to connect with other members using their mobile device. the Memberplus app allows members to access member business information, communicate with members through a closed news feed area, register for events, add hot deals or member 2

member discounts, read member news and more. Mobile access to business information is vital and this tool helps members access their benefits easily, allowing for communication with members in a news feed format to ask questions, promote programs and more. the app is free to download and access to it is a benefit of membership.