Iowa's Brain Drain - Part 2

Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series on stemming the ‘brain drain’ — young people moving from rural Iowa to other states for higher pay or better jobs. This week focuses on what communities and businesses can do to recruit and retain the young vocational employee and community college graduate.

• Strong evidence of community pride
  
• A willingness to invest in the future
  
• A cooperative community spirit
  
• An active economic development program

According to Algona Mayor Lynn Kueck, those are the four things a community needs to focus on for its survival and growth.

“We have been very fortunate in Algona,” stated Kueck. “I’ve been mayor for 10 years and have been blessed with a great city council and a good group of people on the Kossuth County Board of Supervisors who are looking toward the future.”

There are 82 counties in Iowa that are considered non-urban, and all struggle with the same demons — jobs and declining populations.

A special committee has been set up as a think tank to address helping rural Iowa growth. Called the Committee of 82, it is headed up by Chairman Doug Gross.

Kossuth County was one of the lowest ranked counties for economic viability between 1995 and 2004, registering 97th — only above Lee and Pocahontas counties. However, Kossuth County has been moving steadily up the ranks with growth in the industrial and retail sector.

It isn’t a coincidence that the increases in 2003 and 2004 were shortly after the Kossuth County Economic Development Corporation established the slogan “Acres of Opportunity” for Kossuth County and developed a kit to help small businesses grow and thrive in the area.

“Counties that saw an increase in the number of non-farm businesses had significantly more growth,” stated Gross in his summary of the committee’s results. “Locally-owned small businesses and a county’s economic well-being are closely related.”

Additionally, Gross explained that areas with outdoor recreation amenities — lakes, bike paths and parks — grew faster than those without them.

“These amenities appear to actually generate growth,” explained Gross.

Kueck has taken the committee report to heart.

“For me as a mayor, it reinforces the need to work hard to make sure we have these amenities available to people,” stated Kueck. “We’ve got the jobs that will bring people to the area. We need to make sure that this is a place they want to be.”

Work yet to do
With the recent expansion at KoFab and Cozzini, Elbert warns against focusing too strongly on the “four-year-plus degree” brain drain.

“I think there is one thing we may be overlooking and that is the young high school graduates that go to the vocational schools or those who want to go right into the workforce after leaving high school,” stated Elbert. “We have major opportunities for those students, and I don’t think we have marketed to these youth the advantages of staying in Kossuth County.”

Ryan Zimmerman is the operations manager at Cozzini. Every year he sees the pool of potential employees getting smaller.

“We contact the area colleges and let them know if and when we have openings,” stated Zimmerman. “We work mainly with Iowa Lakes Community College’s Emmetsburg campus for its welding program.”

He commends the Algona Community School District and ILCC for helping get young teenagers involved in vocational classes early.

“That helps — getting kids involved in vocational classes early so they consider welding and manufacturing as a career choice,” Zimmerman stated.

KoFab prefers an apprenticeship model for its hiring practices.

“What we look for isn’t experience or training,” explained Don Schultz, president and CEO of KoFab. “We look for people with a good attitude who want to work.”

While ILCC and other community colleges play a big role in helping train employees, Schultz pointed out that most of the jobs at KoFab were ‘learn-as-you-go’ and employees progressed through jobs as their talents increased.

“I don’t know if this would work anywhere else, but it works for us,” he stated. “I don’t have a problem getting people. Our employees are so valuable to us. We pay as much as we possibly can and keep benefits in line.”

The fact that community colleges figure highly in the needs of the vocational employer is not missed by area legislatures. Some studies show that up to 85 percent of community college graduates stay in the state of Iowa.

“New and expanding businesses need to work closely with community colleges to be sure that young people are getting trained for their needs,” stated Senator Jack Kibbie. He served on the ILCC board for 17 years, as board president for 10 of those years.

“The beautiful thing about community colleges is that they can react to business needs quickly,” added Kueck. Not only Algona’s mayor, Kueck is on the board of trustees for ILCC.

Because of the size of the regent schools, new programs take at least three years to be developed and produced. Community colleges can develop new programs within a year.

A perfect example is the program to be designed in conjunction with the Hydrogen Engine Center by ILCC. It will be the first hydrogen engine program in the United States, according to ILCC President Dr. Harold Prior.

“We just started discussions with the Hydrogen Engine Center, but they have expressed an interest in working with the community college for preparation of future workers,” stated Prior. “That’s a part of the career and technical side of what we do. We offer over 100 career and technical programs.”

Prior pointed out that more and more even agriculture and production employees need advanced training.

“We have a 360 acre college farm. We provide students instruction on how to do today’s production agriculture, how to manage hog confinement facility, how to feed cattle, how to market their product,” added Prior. “You tour the ethanol plants, biodiesel plants and wind farms — there is a need for science and math background. It’s all blending together.”

The role of the community
“In our intern program, it has been interesting to see the mind changes that have taken place in the past six years,” Maureen Elbert, executive director of KCEDC stated. “Initially, we heard that the students just want to get away — there are no social activities. Now it’s that we are only two hours away from Ames and two-and-a-half hours from Des Moines. People who are used to driving up to two hours for their daily job find living closer to work and driving long distances for entertainment a better proposition.”

That sentiment was echoed by the professionals interviewed last week.

“Stuff to do is a big deal,” stated Eric Becker, employed Hydrogen Engine Center. “In Algona, there isn’t a lot for young single people to do, but as more young people move back, it creates more opportunities.”

Opportunities like the one taken by Becker’s wife Mollie, who opened her own boutique in downtown Algona and works with the area youth as part of Kossuth Connections.

“When we were in Clarion, it was hard for Mollie. If she didn’t want to work at the hospital, there wasn’t anything for her to do,” Becker stated. “Here, there is plenty for her to do and be involved in. She’s created her own opportunity with her store.”

“We have to have an attractive retail sector,” added Kueck. “I have to compliment the businesses in Algona that have made an effort to update their businesses and store fronts.”

Jenny Grainger, a personal lines underwriter for Pharmacists Mutual, enjoys spending time with family and friends.

“People think Iowa is all books, quilts and Bingo,” stated Grainger. “There are other things to do. You have to make it fun. It’s not that hard to find things to do.”

After spending eight years in Kansas City, Mo., Grainger knows that small town life is for her family.

“We had all this luxury, but we never went to a Chiefs game,” she added. “Now we have time to go to a game, so we just drive down. We haven’t been bored since we got here.”

It still takes work and if Kossuth County is going to continue to rise in the economic ranks in Iowa, it needs to continue with its forward focus.

“A community needs to be willing to be a showplace,” Kueck explained. “It needs to know its history and heritage, but also know where it is going — invest in the future.”

He means not just the physical investments of streets and storefronts, but amenities and culture for the community.