Urbandale Taking Team Approach to Nurturing Businesses

Everyone benefits from an Urbandale business community that is growing and vibrant, so city leaders are enlisting the help of residents and business professionals to boost economic development.

Curtis Brown, Urbandale’s economic development director since April, recently shared his vision with the mayor, city council and other officials on nurturing economic development in the city, the Des Moines Register reported. 

His presentation outlined the makeup of a new economic developement advisory committee. Representatives would be brought together from a variety of industries, including insurance and banking, manufacturing, bioscience, logistics, information technology and business services, education, real estate, retail and hospitality. Residents and young professional representatives would also be included, the newspaper said.

The committee would have no regulatory authority. Rather, it would advise council members on matters relevant to attracting businesses and sustaining relationships with the city’s current businesses, the Register story said.

 “It encourages that important engagement of the private sector in economic development,” Brown said. “This work is so large in its scope not one agency or person has all of the insights necessary to put together a successful plan.”

Mayor Bob Andeweg told the council he was preparing a list of people in the representative industries and would contact them about serving, the newspaper said.

Brown’s hiring was part of the city’s overall move to internalize and take a new responsibility for economic development, said City Manager A.J. Johnson.

Both Brown and Johnson said officials will review the financial incentives packages offered to businesses developing in the city.