As president of Van Diest Supply Company, Jake Van Diest is a busy man. But he’s found time to take on another important responsibility as president of the Hamilton County Growth Partnership.

“We have the potential here to do a lot of good over the long term,” he said.

If the Partnership’s name rings a bell, it may be because you attended the State of Education seminar on August 26 at Briggs Woods Conference Center. HCGP sponsored the event.

To be sure, the group is interested in education, but its mission encompasses everything about economic development.

“We want to be the point of collaboration between industry, government and education,” Van Diest said.

The growth partnership is effectively the local branch of the Ames Regional Economic Alliance, which Webster City and Hamilton County joined in 2024.

Ottie Maxey, whose title is director of Economic Development, is Hamilton County’s and Webster City’s advocate at the Ames Alliance. On any given day, you might see him in a meeting at City Hall or the Webster City Area Chamber of Commerce, or visiting Jewell or Stratford. He’s partial to Leon’s pizza. His mission is simple: to integrate Hamilton County businesses, governments, schools and nonprofits into the Alliance.

And right now, to get things started, he chairs meetings of the HCGP.

“Economic development is a team sport. We need education, health care, local communities, banks and real estate developers working together to foster economic development,” Maxey said.

In addition to Van Diest, HCGP’s executive board is made up of Matt Berninghaus, the superintendent of the Webster City Community School District; Darcy Runestad, Stratford Communications; Ryan Williams, Availa Bank; John Harrenstein, city manager, City of Webster City; Anne Garvey, Iowa Specialty Clinics; and Rick Young, chairman of the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors. Elizabeth Berg of the Ames Regional Economic Alliance serves as board secretary.

The board represents members of the Partnership, which today numbers about 30. Any business, nonprofit, educational or governmental institution with a stake in the future of Hamilton County may join. Modest dues ensure HCGP has a budget to sponsor events like the State of Education Seminar and Business & Industry Breakfast, which are effectively windows into its work for the public at large.

The HCGP is set up along the same lines as the Boone County Economic Growth Corporation, which, working with the Ames Alliance, saw ground breaking last spring on a $636 million dairy plant in Boone. The new factory will be finished sometime in 2027. It will make Daisy brand sour cream and cottage cheese, and create 255 new jobs in the process.

Daisy Brand, LLC, a family-owned company based in Dallas, TX., currently operates in Arizona, Ohio and Texas. Building the Boone facility gives it a stronghold in the Midwest. Locally-produced milk will supply the plant, a major boost for Iowa dairy farms.

Similarly, the Nevada Economic Development Council was formed in the early 1990s to promote economic development in Nevada, a city of 7,000. In 2018 it joined the Ames Regional Economic Alliance, which continues to provide economic development services to Nevada as it does in Boone, Webster City, Story City and Ames itself.

Explaining the relationship of the Alliance to each of its local economic development organizations, its Chief Executive Officer Dan Culhane said, “It looks different in each community because we respond to what’s needed. What makes our organization different is we’re invested deeply in each community we work with. We actively meet with local community and business leaders, attend city council meetings, and do the leg work to provide value. That work now extends into Hamilton County, which occurred because of our reputation for ‘following through.'”

Maxey, Van Diest and the HCGP membership are focused on stimulating economic growth in Hamilton County.

Some hoped-for benefits include new housing, more local jobs, and steadily improving schools. Bolstering its chances for success are Webster City’s newly-expanded 600-acre industrial park, and planned 200-plus unit apartment complex on the city’s west side.

The HCGP is a not-for-profit corporation organized under Section 501(c)6 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, a category reserved for trade and professional organizations. Chambers of commerce, real estate boards and trade associations are all commonly set-up this way.