Iowa Rural Summit 2024 - Our 8th Celebration of Rural Places!!

When

April 11-12, 2024

Where

Gateway Hotel, Ames

AMES, IOWA – Registration is open for the 8th annual Iowa Rural Summit, to be held April 11-12 at the Gateway Hotel & Conference Center, Ames IA. Past years’ gatherings of leaders from rural communities from across the state have drawn crowds of almost 400.

Rural communities are once again being asked to bring a three-person team to the Summit, an approach that has helped generate post-Summit momentum in previous years for those places that were represented. Three-person community teams will be able to go online and register at a special, discounted rate. Interested individuals can also register online.

The Summit is sponsored by the Iowa Rural Development Council (IRDC), a public-private statewide non-profit that works to support small towns addressing issues such as housing, broadband access, business development and leadership.

 

 

 

 

Wednesday April 10

Pre-Conference Opportunities

 

10:00-3:00      2023 Annual Rural Housing Readiness Assessment Conference. Lunch provided. Garden Room, Gateway Center, Ames, Iowa

https://go.iastate.edu/KSSSMB

 

3:00-5:00         Empower Rural Iowa Task Force

 

5pm- 7pm:      Welcome Reception at Reiman Gardens

Gateway Hotel and Conference Center Garden Room

Sponsored by DMACC and The Bill Menner Group

 

Thursday April 11

7:30-9am         Registration and Continental breakfast

Sponsored by Iowa State University Extension & Outreach

 

9am                   Conference Welcome, Gateway Hotel Prairie Ballroom

IRDC Board President Mark Reinig

ISU VP for Extension & Outreach Jason Henderson

 

9:10am             Creating a Culture of Excellence and Civility, Prairie Ballroom

                           Sponsored by CultureALL

Scott Raecker, Executive Director, Robert D. and Billie Ray Center

Himar Hernandez, Community & Economic Development, ISU Extension

Brenda Hackman, Community Relations Manager, Allamakee-Clayton Electric        

 

10:00am          “20 Questions in 20 Minutes:  What Do We Need from this Summit?” (Ballroom).

                             Sponsored by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses            

10:20am          Celebration of Sponsors and Exhibitors (Ballroom)

10:40am          Networking Break

11:00am          Break-out Sessions, Round 1

Critical Issues:    Rural Pharmacies: Keeping Doors Open/New Ideas (South)

Kate Gainer, Iowa Pharmacy Association (moderator)

                              Brett Barker, Nevada

                             Joe Hudson, OneroRx

Brad Magg, Colfax

 

Facilities/Projects: Culture and Community: Three Stories (Central)

 JJ Kapur, CultureALL (moderator)

                               Dylan Does, Marshalltown

                                Lorena Dorado-Robles, ISU Extension

                                Antonio Mouzon, Dubuque County                                           

 

                             Facing the Future:  Elite Leadership in Small Towns (North)

Sponsored by Alliant Energy

                               Moderator: Debi Durham, IEDA

                                Meche Crise, Woodward

                                Dennis Jordan, Alliant Energy

                                 Mindy Stalker, Creston

                                                                

12:15pm          Lunch, Garden Room with Overflow Rooms Available

Sponsored by D.A. Davidson

Empowering Rural Iowa with Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg

 

1:30pm             Break-out Sessions, Round 2

Critical Issues:   Community Development Options: Three Ideas (South)

                                  Lorin Ditzler, Keep Iowa Beautiful (moderator)

                                  Katie Mason, Coon Rapids

                                  Mayor Patty Hardin, Delmar

                                  Rachel Allensworth, Macedonia

 

Facilities/Projects:  Ag and Ag Tech: Driving Rural Innovation (Central)

Sponsored by Iowa Farm Bureau

                                Nathan Katzer, IFBF (moderator)

                                Jason Ryner, ReEnvision Ag

                                Mark Mendick, Appanoose Manufactured Products

                                Chad Huyser, Lely North America                                                                               

 

Facing the Future:   Complex Strategies: A Deep Dive for Summit Vets (North)

Sponsored by Bolton & Menk

                               Bruce Nuzum, IADG (moderator)

                               Rural Housing, Dave Miller, City of Rock Valley

                               State Reinvestment Districts, Kim Didier, DMACC Newton

                              Port/business park, Frank Huseman, New Coop, Blencoe

 

2:30pm             Short Break with Light Snack/Transition to Break-out Rooms

2:45pm             Break-out Sessions/Population Cohorts

Under 2,500 Caucus (South)                                                                                                                                       

2,501-5,000 Caucus   (Central)                                                            

5,001-10,000 Caucus (North)

 

                             Over 10,000 Caucus  (Garden Room)

                                                                                                                     

3:45pm             Hotel Check-in and Meet the Vendors!

 

5:00pm             Rural Recognition Reception (Garden Room)

Sponsored by Iowa Farm Bureau/Renew Rural Iowa

 

5:30pm             The Rand Fisher Rural Leadership Awards Ceremony (Garden Room)

Sponsored by IADG Community Foundation

 

6:30pm             Dinner on your Own

 

 

Friday April 12

 

7:30am             Buffet Breakfast/Community Networking Time (Garden Room)

Sponsored by ITC Midwest

 

8:30am             Welcome Back, Day 2 (Ballroom)

 

8:50am             Roundtable #1: Rural Vitality Coalition Update (Ballroom)

                            Sponsored by Wellmark

                           Drew Conrad, UNI (Moderator)

                           Laura Jackson, Wellmark

                           Jason Henderson, ISU Extension & Outreach

                           Edith Parker, UI College of Public Health

                           Pilot  Community Representatives

9:45am             Break/Check Out

10:15am          45 Ideas in 45 Minutes (Ballroom)

Sponsored by America’s SBDC – Iowa and ISU Economic Development & Industry Relations

 

11:00am          Closing Roundtable: “We’ll Do it Ourselves”  Making Things Happen on Your Own

Sandy Ehrig (Moderator)

                             Beth Bilyeu, Forest City

                             Molly Murphy, Mount Ayr

                              Peg Raney, Jefferson

 11:50pm          Parting Messages and Adjournment

 

 

 

The Premier Sponsor of the Iowa Rural Development Summit

 

www.alliantenergy.com/economicdevelopment

 

 

 

 

  

Summit Highlights from Iowa Rural Summit 2023

  • FINDing Rural Dentists
  • Child Care Success Stories in Rural Iowa
  • Public Libraries Driving Rural Innovation
  • Celebrating 5 Years of Rural Businesses in GS 10,000 Small Business Program
  • Rural Hospitals as Economic Engines

 

LOCATION | Gateway Hotel and Conference Center

       A memorable experience awaits you at Gateway Hotel and Conference Center at Iowa State University! You’ll find us in the heart of Ames, Iowa – an easy walk from the campus of ISU and just 30 miles from downtown Des Moines. As one of the few full-service hotels in the city (and home to the largest conference center), we provide a modern, welcoming destination for work or play.

To register for the Gateway Hotel's Iowa Rural Summit room block and the nightly rate of $146, call 800-FOR-AMES (800-367-2637) by Wednesday, March 20 and say you are affiliated with the Iowa Rural Development Council.

Summit Sponsors