Individuals, Organizations Honored at 2025 Iowa Rural Summit

For Immediate Release

April 20, 2025

Contact:  Bill Menner (director@iowardc.org)

AMES, IA – The 9^th annual Iowa Rural Summit this month included a special recognition of five rural leaders, individual and organizational, ranging from an Eastern Iowa Main Street program to a Southwest Iowa couple who blend entertaining and entrepreneurship.

The Iowa Rural Summit brings together leaders from small towns across Iowa each year, and this year’s event included a recognition of rural difference-makers.  The Summit is hosted by the Iowa Rural Development Council (IRDC), a statewide non-profit focused on small-town and rural vitality.

The Rand Fisher Rural Leadership Award, sponsored by the IADG Community Foundation, recognizes nominees in rural economic and community development, philanthropy, the arts and utilities.  The honorees are nominated by friends, colleagues or anyone who values their contributions to rural places.

The 2025 recipients are:

• Rob Denson, DMACC President
• Main Street West Branch
• Ashley Moyer, Van Buren County Hospital, Keosauqua
• Origin Homes
• Bonnie & Theo Ramsey, Ramsey’s Market, Lenox

“These honorees each brought a unique set of contributions to their community, county, region or the entire state,” said Mark Reinig, IRDC board president.  “Each demonstrates in their own way how leaders can make a huge difference for a rural community.”

Rob Denson has announced his retirement later this year after 22 years as president of DMACC.  During that time, DMACC launched rural-focused centers in Boone, Carrol, Newton and Perry, Templeton and expanses services to many rural communities including Ogden, Colfax, Pella, Knoxville, Indianola, Winterset, Adair, Adel, Woodward, Winterset, Audubon, Manning and Story City, among others.

Main Street West Branch plays a pivotal role in advancing rural development in Iowa through its innovative programs, strong leadership, and measurable results. Located in the heart of a historic small town, the program focuses on revitalizing the downtown area, fostering economic growth, and creating a vibrant community that supports local businesses and residents.

Ashley Moyer is one of the original members of the Empower Rural Iowa task force and has played a vital role in shaping that initiative’s focus and direction. Her leadership was instrumental in the Iowa United First Aid project, where she worked first to ensure the development of a strong pilot program and lead Van Buren County’s application and implementation. Her commitment is helping to increase access to critical lifesaving resources in her county and others across the state.

Origin Homes began a Rural Housing Initiative in 2023 to build five single-family homes in three small towns. The company saw a growing need to address rural housing, primarily via new construction. It focused on Knoxville’s redeveloped Veterans District at the former VA Hospital grounds, Manning’s Stadium View pocket neighborhood, and Gowrie’s, Wiley Addition development. Over 50% of the homes pre-sold before completion.  Now Origin is building five more homes in Knoxville and launching developments in Conrad and Jefferson.

Bonnie and Theo Ramsey have significantly advanced rural development in Iowa through their entrepreneurial initiatives and community engagement. In 2015, they transformed they opened Ramsey’s Market in Lenox, providing essential access to fresh food in a rural area. They expanded in 2017, opening Ramsey’s Ace Hardware. And in 2021, they launched “Fresh Out of the Box,” utilizing refrigerated lockers in communities that had lost their grocery stores. This initiative allows residents to order groceries online and retrieve them from local lockers, ensuring continued access to fresh food without the need to travel long distances.

With a crowd of more than 300 individuals from 70 different small towns, the Iowa Rural Summit addressed issues this year ranging from outdoor recreation to regional collaboration to disaster resilience.    In 2026, the Iowa Rural Summit will be held April 9-11 in Dubuque.

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