Executive Director Karen Eischen and Director of Membership Mary Mansfield with the PACE Alliance joined City of Pella leaders Mayor Don DeWaard, Visit Pella Executive Director Ann Frost, and GenLink
Community Manager Jade Dix in hosting area 14 area leaders and coordinators from Marion, Indiana, on Monday.
The group arrived in Pella Monday morning with hopes of learning more about the successes of the community. Their original exposure to Pella came after reading an article in the Wall Street Journal highlighting the city. Marion, Indiana, is currently facing a decline in population and seeking avenues to revitalize growth in their community. The day included breakfast, a walking tour of Pella, and ended with a roundtable discussion.
Manfield said in a statement, “It was both flattering and exciting to have leaders from Marion, Indiana, visit Pella. It is no exaggeration to say that our community has excelled and thrived in many ways, and it was an honor to showcase the key factors that contribute to our success. I appreciated the open roundtable discussion as we shared challenges, victories, and primary drivers in our community. In talking with the Marion leaders, it was interesting to hear what positive attributes stood out to them about Pella. Items such as the LOSST Tax, collaboration amongst local organizations, focus on intern and college student integration into the population, use of TIF money, the benefits of having local banks invested in our area, and the effectiveness of partnerships topped their list of notable critical determinants contributing to the vibrancy and success of Pella. It was a great reminder of how lucky we are that Pella encourages and fosters Private-Public partnerships. We are truly blessed to have private investors, developers, organizations, and businesses who partner with our governments to grow our economy, amenities, and community. We had productive conversations, information sharing, and it was insightful to converse with an outside community. I appreciate the connections made and look forward to staying in touch with the leaders from Marion as they seek to elevate their community.”
Those visiting from Indiana included Lori Gross Reaves (Indiana State Representative), Dwight Ott (CFO, TLC Management), Gary Ott (Chairman of Board, TLC Management), Ryan Ott (CEO, TLC Management), Kylie Jackson (CEO, Greater Grant County), LeeAnna Smith (CEO, Grant County United Way), Meagan Matthias (Director, Grant County Community Foundation), Keenan Davis (Community Engagement, Indiana Wesleyan University), Patrick Broderick (Owner, Valiant Construction), Michelle Doyle (Partner, Halstead Architects), Wendy Puffer (CEO, Marion Design Co.), Kelly Scher (Director of Fundraising, Carey Services), Charlie Myers (CEO, YMCA of Grant County), Jed Hunter (Owner, Hunter Ford), and Abby Wilkinson (Owner, Chic Mercantile).