HER Stories: Cedar Rapids’ biggest cheerleader

This story first appeared HER Stories - Fall 2024, a biannual special section that features Eastern Iowa women who have experienced powerful paths of achievement for themselves, their families and their communities.

You might not expect a native Californian to be the associate executive director of the Cedar Rapids Tourism Office. But Julie Stow, who moved to Iowa about 25 years ago, has truly found her perfect role.

“I get to promote our community on a national and international level, and our community is so fantastic,” Stow said.

Stow originally moved to Iowa to help open the Nordstrom office and immediately fell in love with Cedar Rapids. Between the cultural attractions, concerts and community events, she said she’s always felt like there’s plenty to do — and plenty of time to do it.

“You get to have a life here,” she said. She’s living out the city’s slogan: City of Five Seasons. The fifth “season” is “time to enjoy.”

Stow’s relatives in California have talked about the math they have to do if they want to enjoy a night out. Forty-five minutes to get back downtown. Additional time to find parking — a much bigger struggle there. Then there’s the math of what everything’s going to cost. (A lot more than it costs here.)

So, she recruited them to move here. So far, her brother and sister-in-law, her nephew and his wife, her parents, and her sister-in-law’s mom have all relocated to the area.

“We have everything we need here,” she said. Her relatives have been particularly happy they don’t feel house-poor, which is a common problem in California. For Stow, affordable housing means she can enjoy other interests, including her passion for travel.

“I like to see what other communities are doing — and experience great food and wine,” she said.

In many ways, Stow still sees Cedar Rapids through a traveler’s eyes. She spoke reverently about Bloomsbury Farms, Theatre Cedar Rapids, Cobble Hill, and the fact that a city of our size actually has a symphony. These are just some of the attractions people comment on when they come in for meetings and conventions.

“We see it every day, but visitors are blown away,” she said.

One visitor didn’t believe Stow when she told them the play they had just seen at Theatre Cedar Rapids featured local actors, not a touring group. (They still didn’t believe her when Stow insisted she personally knew several of the performers in the production of “The Sound of Music.”) Another couldn’t believe how beautiful Cedar Ridge Winery was on a late fall day and joked that Stow somehow planted the bald eagle that happened to fly by.

Stow loves Iowa so much that she actually moved here twice. About nine years ago, she jumped at the opportunity to work at a winery back in California, which had been a longtime dream. But she missed her friends and the community feel of Cedar Rapids. She moved back after just a year. “I boomeranged twice,” she said.

Stow’s enthusiasm has not gone unnoticed by those she’s worked with in town. Pam Hinman, marketing and communications director of the Eastern Iowa Airport, said Stow is the biggest cheerleader for Cedar Rapids and the surrounding communities. For example, Stow arranged for members of the National Gay Pilots Association to visit the airport for the first time, which was a huge success.

“It was great for the airport and everyone who attended,” Hinman said.

Jackie Bohr, general manager of the Hotel at Kirkwood, said Stow is great at making sure lots of different businesses have opportunities to shine.

“I’ve worked with many tourism offices, and that’s the difference with Julie. She’s a true ambassador for the city,” Bohr said.

Last year, the Cedar Rapids Tourism Office generated approximately $24 million in economic impact. That’s outside dollars spent at local restaurants, attractions and retail. And there’s plenty of attractions Stow is looking forward to showing off to future (or second, or third-time) visitors, including the recently opened Kingston Yard, new hotels in the works and more.

“We’re going to continue to put Cedar Rapids on the map,” she said.