Caleb Mason works to grow Cedar Rapids as second economic development manager

CEDAR RAPIDS — Caleb Mason started working for the city of Cedar Rapids shortly before the 2008 flood devastated the downtown area, as well as many surrounding residences and businesses.

Thirteen years later, he plays a key role in the city’s growth, managing efforts to create jobs and bring new developments to life.

Mason started this summer as the city’s second-ever economic development manager, replacing Jasmine Almoayyed, who left the post in July to become the vice president of Continuing Education and Training Services at Kirkwood Community College.

A Kansas native, Mason studied biology as a premedicine student at Tabor College and earned his master’s of public administration from Walden University. He and his wife, whose family resides in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, decided Cedar Rapids was a good distance between their families, and they’ve been here ever since.

Mason pivoted from the premed track to public service after volunteering with groups such as Habitat for Humanity.

When he started with the city in March 2008, Mason worked with federal programs including Community Development Block Grants and HOME, which are community development and housing programs, respectively, geared toward helping low-income residents.

In 2015, he began working as an economic development analyst when economic development was a new endeavor for Cedar Rapids.

City Manager Jeff Pomeranz was brought in after the flood largely to home in on the city’s economic development strategy and help Cedar Rapids bounce back from the costly disaster.

Almoayyed was his first hire in that area, and Mason came on as those efforts began to grow.

Much of Mason’s work involves putting deals together using available incentive tools, collaborating with businesses or developers on projects, preparing agreements and performing administrative work such as budgeting and forecasting.

“His vision is the same as mine, and that’s to work hard, to create quality jobs for the citizens of Cedar Rapids,” Pomeranz said, adding that Mason is hardworking, committed and pays close attention to detail.

Mason said one of Pomeranz’s sayings is “time kills deals.”

“There are a lot of opportunities out there that never come to fruition and so, really, our goal is to maintain diversity,” Mason said.

Cedar Rapids has several industry clusters, such as manufacturing. All sectors have their ups and downs, Mason said, so maintaining a diverse portfolio of businesses helps ensure the city’s success is not tied to the shifts of any one industry.

While economic development is Pomeranz’s area of expertise and the team has the know-how to execute, they nonetheless were faced with the difficult task of infusing the city with new life after the 2008 flood.

But “what you find in Cedar Rapids is a can-do attitude across the board — nonprofits, public sector, the private sector,” Mason said. There are many setbacks, but there is a spirit of getting knocked down and picking yourself back up, he said.

Speaking this past week over a cup of coffee at NewBo City Market — a district reborn again after the flood — Mason noted there are several such examples of how the city has rebuilt after the flood with the help of many partners, from the private sector to the people who want to live here.

“Businesses could have left downtown after the flood. Homeowners could have given up, moved somewhere else,” Mason said.

“We've been able to maintain population and grow in population despite those things. That speaks well of the people that live here.”

Now, the economic development team also must grapple with how to retain and grow the city’s workforce, and equip workers with the skills they need to fill the available jobs.

The nation faces uncharted territory with answering these questions amid a phenomenon known as the “Great Resignation,” as Americans quit their jobs in record numbers or search for remote work possibilities with the workforce in flux from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city of Cedar Rapids is focused on helping local employers address these workforce issues and is working through a strategic plan to formalize a road map, Mason said. And it will “takes a village” to solve this, with engagement from many partners.

But Mason said relationships are among the most rewarding aspects of his job, from cultivating relationships with developers and City Council to working with his colleagues in City Hall.

“Our full-time jobs are to make Cedar Rapids a quality place to live, work and play, and it is energizing being around people that put their heart and soul behind those efforts, whether it's building flood protection or roads or trails,” Mason said.

“There's a lot of different aspects that make Cedar Rapids a great community, and there are a lot of dedicated professionals that are behind all of those endeavors.”

Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com