Long before a new housing development or business expansion is announced to the public, a lot of work has to get done behind the scenes.

The people who do that work are rarely known to the public. But in Fort Dodge, if someone were to sort through City Council meeting minutes and other documents related to economic development projects, they would find one name over and over again: Vickie Reeck.

Reeck has worked for the city government for about 35 years in various roles related to planning and development. She has steadily worked her way up into more and more responsible positions. Today, she is the economic and community development manager in the Development Services Department.

Reeck has had a role in creating the Decker Development Park, Williams Bend housing area, the Parkview housing area, the Crosstown Connector, Corridor Plaza, and the Northwest River District redevelopment. She has worked on the conversion of the former Phillips Middle School into apartments and the recently announced expansion of the Nestle Purina PetCare plant. And that is just naming a few of the projects she has been involved in that easily come to mind.

Along the way, she learned a lot about cleaning up polluted places that government officials call brownfield sites. In fact, she learned so much about that work that Reeck is now called upon to talk about it at various conferences.

Now, when your job involves all of that work, one might be expected to kind of unplug and get away from it all in their off hours. But Reeck stays plenty busy when not at work by volunteering. Main Street Fort Dodge, Meals on Wheels, Facing Autism, MIDAS Council of Governments, the Fort Dodge Betterment Foundation, and the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance Housing Committee all benefit from her volunteer efforts.

Reeck’s long resume of community service – both on the job and away from work – made a big impression with the committee that chooses the winner of the Growth Alliance’s Catalyst Award.

On Thursday evening, Reeck was named the 2024 recipient of that award, which is the highest honor presented by the Growth Alliance.

We can’t think of a more deserving Catalyst Award winner.

Reeck has made a huge and lasting impact on her community and all of the people who live in it.

All we can say is thank you, Vickie.