New leader Juliet Abdel looks to take Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance to ‘next level’

CEDAR RAPIDS — Nearly every weekend since moving to Cedar Rapids, Juliet Abdel has hosted visitors from all over the country. Each time, they’ve had the same reaction.

“I’ve had friends and family visit, and every single one that’s come out has said ‘OK, we can see now why you’ve moved out here,’” Abdel said. “It’s comments like ‘It’s clean. It’s safe, and there are really a lot of things to do.’”

That was the same impression Abdel had of the community when she first visited as part of the interview process to become the next president and CEO of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, a regional economic development engine.

Throughout her career, she’s worked in Oklahoma, Colorado and Kansas, but Abdel said Cedar Rapids still stuck out.

“This community is incredibly rare and special,” she told The Gazette. “It’s a beautiful part of the state. It’s got great people, … and it still has this unique sense of community with its own character and identity.”

Abdel was ultimately selected for the president position earlier this year following a nationwide search to replace former executive director Doug Neumann, who announced his decision to step down in February after more than nine years leading the organization.

She assumed the role in late July and has spent the several weeks in back-to-back meetings to learn more about the community she now calls home. Throughout it all, she’s been thinking about how to take the organization “to the next level.”

Abdel touts entrepreneurial, chamber experience

Abdel comes to the Economic Alliance with more than a decade of economic development experience, having served most recently as the president of the Greater Topeka (Kansas) Chamber and senior vice president of the Greater Topeka Partnership.

She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and master’s degree in international studies, both from Oklahoma State University, and is a graduate of the Institute for Organization Management at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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She also has small business management experience from time spent helping with her family’s international dry goods market.

“Having that experience of seeing how someone gets started in business, the challenges they face, the opportunities and the cash flow … really gave me a unique perspective” coming into economic development work, Abdel said.

In addition to her time in Topeka, Abdel served as president and CEO of the Westminster (Colorado) Chamber of Commerce and before that was senior vice president for the Stillwater (Oklahoma) Chamber.

On the industry side, she also spent time as chief operating officer for the Oklahoma Trucking Organization.

That breadth of experience was part of what drew the search committee to Abdel’s application, said Anne Parmley, chair of the Economic Alliance Policy Board, and that background paired with Abdel’s obvious enthusiasm for the work was ultimately what put her over the top.

“It was apparent to me that it was a true passion of Juliet’s to serve communities and grow as a leader,” Parmley said. “She’s very hungry for this kind of work, and it’s very impressive to see.”

New leader looks to ‘next level’

As CEO, Abdel serves as the alliance’s top officer and oversees administrative and management functions related to the organization’s goals around business, economic and population growth in the greater Cedar Rapids area.

She also acts as the face of the organization and is a frequent attendee at area ribbon cuttings, public meetings and business roundtables.

“Not very many people know what an economic development organization does … even though we have our hands in almost everything,” Abdel said. “But we really are a byproduct of the community that we serve.”

The alliance, based in downtown Cedar Rapids, is an economic development engine with some 1,200 members and perhaps is best known among the public for its annual Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market and its Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week events.

It is also behind the Collaborative Growth Initiative, a public-private partnership to bolster resident recruitment and retention through worker attraction campaigns and community marketing.

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Abdel said she looks forward to seeing those initiatives continue under her leadership, but added that she doesn’t intend to stop there.

In her first two months as executive director, she’s taken each meeting with stakeholders as an opportunity to learn more about the community and identify where opportunities exist for further Economic Alliance involvement or collaboration.

The goal is to “level up” the organization, she said, to continue serving the community in new and improved ways.

“The great thing about our type of organization is that we are adaptable and we’re nimble. … What we are today won’t always be what we are” in the future, Abdel said. “I’ll tease by saying ‘Stay tuned.’”

Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com