Looking back on an action-packed year in the realm of economic and community development, Astra Ferris, the chief executive officer of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance, said the past 12 months were more than busy.

“We did not just have a busy 2025, we had a very defining one,” she told the audience at Thursday evening’s annual Growth Alliance dinner.

“It happened because this region believes in collaboration rather than competition,” she added.

With the aid of a video, she recounted the accomplishments of the past year, including continued growth at Corridor Plaza, a massive expansion at Nestle Purina PetCare, the construction of new buildings for FORCE America and Amazon, and numerous ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings.

She said the Growth Alliance has seven economic development projects in what she calls “the pipeline.”

“We know that prepared communities win,” Ferris said.

“We are not waiting to be discovered,” she added. “We are building something worth choosing.”