ICAD celebrates successes, looks to reimagined future

If the past two years have brought any progress in economic development, it’s that a spirit of cooperation is key to success, Iowa City Area Development (ICAD) leaders said during the group’s annual meeting Oct. 27 at the Highlander Hotel in Iowa City. It was likely the last annual meeting of its kind, as the boards of directors for ICAD and the Iowa City Area Business Partnership (ICABP) prepare to vote later this month on a proposal to merge the two organizations. Other dramatic changes in the past few years weren’t lost on Robin Therme, president of CIVCO Medical Solutions and this year’s ICAD board president. “Three years ago, I think we all thought we were in for a brief pause to our lives, the way we worked, interacted, traveled around our communities and the world, the way we serve our customers and each other,” Ms. Therme said. “And here we are two-and-a-half years later, still adjusting, pivoting and working through new issues. ICAD, the Iowa City Business Partnership, the downtown district, Think Iowa City, the SSMID, ICR and numerous partners have been at the forefront of leading us through new and unprecedented times, working on quick decisions to just survive the day and quickly moving to long-term visioning and how we build on the solid house we already live in.” That long-term visioning has been headlined by the ongoing development of the Better Together 2030 All In Vision for Johnson County, a collaborative effort of the Iowa City Downtown District, Iowa City Area Business Partnership, Think Iowa City and ICAD to create a shared vision for community development. The vision is headlined by three guiding principles:

• Representative leadership to dismantle systemic inequity and deepen a culture of inclusion and belonging;
• Collaboration among public, private, nonprofit, neighborhood and University of Iowa representatives to develop innovative scale solutions; and a
• Growth mindset with the willingness to try new things, because growth and skill are improved with effort and persistence.

The plan also includes five focus areas: Environmental improvements, authentic neighborhoods, connective projects to improve regional transit and access to high-speed internet, inclusive economic systems and reimagined human and social services. ICAD President Kate Moreland, who will be stepping down from her role in January 2023, remarked on the “important juncture” represented by both the pending ICAD-ICABP merger and the Better Together project. “We’ve never had a vision for our community before, supported by all of our economic development partners,” Ms. Moreland said. “And we have a potential merger with the Business Partnership that our organization is considering. I was struck by the fact that we are continuing to live our values through both of these things – a collaborative spirit, forward thinking and growth.” ICAD’s annual report also listed a number of other area development highlights during 2022, including assisting five new companies in the Iowa City area, launching a new Builders and Backers Idea Idea Accelerator program that has has supported 20 new entrepreneurs with programming and seed fund, and partnering with the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and the ICABP to create the first-ever Inclusive ICR Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Index, and ICAD’s being named Entrepreneurial Support Organization of the Year by Clay & Milk’s Iowa Startup Awards. Ms. Moreland added her gratitude for the support of ICAD members over her tenure, including the last two years as ICAD president. “The strength of most organizations lies in the strength of the people,” Ms. Moreland said. “In other words, I really believe that organizations are people, and over the course of the last nearly 10 years, I worked with the best. While I will be moving into a different role in January, I believe very much the importance of this work … our community is only as strong as the organizations and the people that reside there, and we have a vision and a north star for our community development along with our partners.”