Greater Iowa City: A new name and new opportunities

Timing is everything. A decade ago, this community was in a very different place. I had just moved to the area for a job — a boomerang looking for a new opportunity with my family and attracted by what the Iowa City area had to offer. Downtown Iowa City was ripe for a renaissance. The municipal leadership in Johnson County was starting to see collaboration advance the larger community’s interests, while stable leadership enabled relationships to grow and trust to be built. We were fortunate to have this foundation in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic sent shock waves through the world economy and triggered the largest global economic crisis in more than a century across the globe.

A decade ago, we could not have imagined the economic fallout caused by a pandemic. But, we have faced it by working to support the thousands of people in our area who lost jobs and remain underemployed. We have witnessed households with minimal crisis-protection that now report too little to eat and falling behind in rent. The pandemic exposed the cracks in our economy, forcing us to take a hard look at our community and ask complex questions. It accelerated critical discussions on raising all boats in future rising economic tides. The value of that approach has been reaffirmed by our business leaders today.

That is why I was really interested in the lead role of the new merged entity of the Iowa City Area Development Group and the Iowa City Area Business Partnership — now called Greater Iowa City, Inc. (Greater IC). Along with a fresh name, our network of business and community leaders will be directing from a new sheet of music. We are taking the opportunity to lead the greater Iowa City area’s economy by trying something different. We are inviting all businesses, entrepreneurs, and business-curious leaders to be members of Greater IC. Want to attend our Business Startup Speaker Series or a City Lunch Connection? Need direction to solve a business challenge or find grant opportunities? We are here to support.

Personally, I believe we will find that it has been we, “the organization,” that has been missing out all along. New opportunities and connections, due to a larger business base, will most certainly activate new ideas, solutions, and companies. Providing access to resources and tools, which have previously been behind a dues-payer door, is one of many keys that could significantly advance the progress of our region. It's an exciting time to explore our untapped potential for business activity under this model, while also recognizing that opening access will still require investment.

We have learned a lifetime of lessons over the last decade. A decade ago, the call to invest was about supporting an organization to grow the economy. Today, we are asking the community to invest in one another and participate to support the economic resiliency of the region. It will continue to take all of us, working together. For Greater IC, how we work matters just as much as what we work on. An inclusive call to all those wanting to build a livelihood here is a great first step for our new organization — Greater Iowa City, Inc. We’re just getting started.

Nancy Bird is president and CEO of Greater Iowa City, Inc.