IF YOU PRODUCE FOR SALE, PLEASE TELL US!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (MAY 18, 2010)

O' Brien County Economic Development Corporation Seeking Producer Register Participants

Primghar, Iowa, May 18, 2010 - O' Brien County Economic Development Corporation, in conjunction with the O' Brien County Value Added Ag Committee, is seeking to identify producers and their products. They would also like to gather information about farmers markets in O' Brien County. Kiana Johnson, Executive Director of O' Brien County Economic Development Corporation stated, "
Our vision is to build a farm fresh food register linking farmers and consumers and offering consumer and producer services in order to improve food, health, quality of life and community."

Producers in O' Brien County can register to participate by contacting the O' Brien County Economic Development office and leaving their name, address, phone number and email address. A form will then be mailed or emailed for them to complete. Anyone with information on our local farmers markets, such as location, dates and hours, contact person and products available, should also contact the O' Brien County Economic Development Corporation. The farm fresh food register will then be compiled, printed and distributed throughout the county.

For additional information on the O' Brien County Economic Development Corporation and O' Brien County Value Added Ag Producer Register, contact Kiana Johnson at 712.957.1313 or e-mail ocedc@tcaexpress.net .

GRANT FOR RURAL BROADBAND

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (January 25, 2010)

Contact: Grant Gustafson / Kate Cyrul

202-224-3254

HARKIN ANNOUNCES OVER $6.6 MILLION TO EXPAND ACCESS TO BROADBAND INTERNET IN RURAL IOWA COMMUNITIES

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that a total of $6,651,830 will be coming to Iowa for projects to bring broadband internet access to businesses and residents in rural communities. The grants and loans are being provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and were funded in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Harkin worked to secure these funds through his role as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, which wrote the Recovery Act.

" Broadband internet access is a necessary utility for people to stay connected, get information and even for students to do their homework. In order for small towns to thrive and rural businesses to stay competitive, it is important that we provide resources to connect Iowans with this critical utility," said Harkin. " Additionally, the projects associated with expanding broadband infrastructure will create good jobs and boost Iowa' s economy."

The details of the projects are as follows:

*  C-M-L Telephone Cooperative Association will receive a $1,519,225 grant and $1,519,225 loan. Funding will provide services via a fiber optic network to rural communities with high speed internet exceeding 20 Mbps. The Association is headquartered in the community of Meriden. It is member owned and serves the communities of Cleghorn, Larrabee and Meriden in Cherokee County, and Archer in O'Brien County. Along with these communities, it also serves approximately 225 square miles of rural Cherokee and O'Brien counties.

*  F & B Communications, Inc. will receive a $1,609,162 grant and $1,628,588 loan to provide services via a high speed fiber optic network with speeds exceeding 20Mbps. This will benefit residents and businesses in and around the communities of Bennett and Lowden in Cedar County and Delmar in Clinton County.

*  LaMotte Telephone Company will receive a $187,815 grant and $187,815 loan to provide services from a 300-foot tower and Wi-Max installation for wireless broadband service in and around the community of Springbrook in Jackson County.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jan 25, 2010

BARN QUILT TOUR - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1ST  (2009)

Cost: $15 (Lunch Included)

• 10:00 AM: Meet at Fairgrounds Shelter House, Primghar
• 11:30 AM: Lunch at Prairie Heritage Center
• 2:30 PM: Tour concludes at Fairgrounds, Prmighar.

Raffle to win barn quilt donated by MaeB. Tickets $1 (6 for $5). Available at Prairie Heritage Center, Sheldon Chamber & Development Corporation and O'Brien County Economic Development. Questions: call 712.957.1313. 2009 FLYER (PDF format)

IMMEDIATE RELEASE (August 2009)

FASTTRAC   Venture - Northwest Iowa’s Premier Entrepreneurial Training Course

Classes Begin July 28, 2009â€" September 8, 2009

Tuesday’s 7:00â€" 9:00 p.m.â€" Dinner provided at 6:30 p.m.

Located at Northwest Iowa Community College , Sheldon, Iowa

$75.00 registration fee

The Seven-Session Program Covers:

• Strategies for developing a business concept
• Analyzing the feasibility of your concept
• Opportunities for entrepreneurs, including
•  
  • turning an idea into a marketable concept
  • creating a business from a hobby
  • buying an existing business
  • joining a franchise system
• Using market research to determine the potential of your idea
• Multiple approaches to effective marketing, including
  • direct sales force
  • telemarketing
  • direct mail
  • advertising
• Creating a market penetration strategy and understanding your customer
• Pricing methods
• Developing budgets and estimating start-up costs
• Determining your profit potential
• Basic word processing and spreadsheets for creating a professional looking plan
• Using the Internet for market research and sales generation
• Presentation skills

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (July 2009)

"HOW TO HIRE, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO FIRE"

by Patricia O'Brien Galasso

Dear Business Owners and Managers in O'Brien County:

Being able to lead and manage people is one of the most important business skills you can possess. As the number of people grows in your organization, the number of relationships grows â€"
 and grows exponentially once you have four employees. For example, four people represent six relationships. Visualize each person as a dot and draw a connecting line between each dot. With four people, you have six connecting lines. Take it further and do the math: seven employees equal 21 relationships; 100 employees mean 4,950 relationships!

This exponential number of relationships can cause internal chaos in your business â€"
 so let me show you how to learn the art of INTERVIEWING and HIRING great employees from the beginning, as well as how to continue MOTIVATING them.

Tuesday, JUNE 30, 2009

1:00 pm â€"
 4:00 pm

NCC 605 West Park Street, Building C, Sheldon, IA

SEMINAR HIGHLIGHTS

"The Art of Interviewing"

â€"
 From analyzing the application and resume to closing the interview.

"Consistency is Key"

â€"
 Why consistency in expectations matters most and how to keep it throughout orientation, training, and ongoing communications.

"Why People Do the Things They Do"

â€"
 The secret to meeting the motivational needs of each personality type.

Register by calling O'Brien County EDC: 712-957-1313

Registrations due by June 26, 2009

IMMEDIATE RELEASE (May 2009)

Are you a small business owner? Want to start? Grow? Entre Bash is for you. Friday, June 5, 5:00 - 7:00 PM, Hartley Community Building. Free. Call Kiana Johnson, 712.957.1313 for details.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Mar 2009)

Representatives from the UNI Regional Business Center, Iowa Small Business Development Centers and regional economic development organizations will discuss the significance of being selected as a 2008 MyEntreNet region and provide an overview of the entrepreneurship system.

Adams County and O'Brien County have been selected as the two new regions for the MyEntreNet entrepreneurship development system. MyEntreNet receives funding through the State of Iowa's Grow Iowa Values Fund.

MyEntreNet is an entrepreneurship development system which creates community-based support networks for entrepreneurs, provides start up and existing companies with advanced technical assistance and training, and connects rural entrepreneurs with the financial resources they need to launch or grow small companies.

Each region selected will receive two years of customized technical assistance, training and networking assistance from Iowa's premier business development organizations, including the UNI's Regional Business Center, UNI's Institute for Decision Making, Iowa State University Extension Service, Iowa's John Pappajohn Entrepreneurship Centers, Iowa Lakes SBDC, Northwest Iowa SBDC, South Central Iowa SBDC, Iowa Lakes Community College and Southwestern Community College. In addition, each selected region will receive a $10,000 cash grant from the University of Northern Iowa to support their business assistance efforts.

Regional leadership submitted strong applications that demonstrated potential demand from nearly 100 existing and pre-venture entrepreneurs for access to capital, customized technical assistance, and training over the next two years. Their application also reflected strong regional support for business development in the county.

New regions each year will be added through a competitive process over the next decade, creating a statewide network of rural entrepreneurship resources, connecting Iowa businesses and communities with opportunity, education and capital.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE(Jan 2009)