2022 has come and gone and like 2021 Fort Dodge and Webster County have continued to grow economically and have continued to outpace comparable areas in economic prosperity and growth.

We further continue to recognize some of the reasons behind the economic success, such as good governance, good leadership, continued community development enhancing quality of life, and outstanding community collaboration and cooperation. The collaboration has not just been within Webster County, but also, almost as importantly, throughout the region as well as within state and federal government levels.

In the past, we did not do as well in becoming involved in building partnerships and good relationships with people and organizations outside our own jurisdictions, but with whom many decisions are made that, directly and indirectly, affect our economy and quality of life. When we participate outside of our own communities, we gain the opportunity to get and see different ways of approaching problems, we can network and exchange ideas, and we have a better opportunity to effect policy and regulation that is established by others that affects us locally. Only by becoming aware do we gain knowledge, and only by developing relationships with those other decision makers can we become more influential in their decision making. These partnerships and relationships enable all of us to become true and valuable leaders.

Any of us can show leadership by being involved and voicing our opinions, but the question is always is it good or bad leadership. Just like having a relationship, is it a good or bad relationship? Only with good relationships can we affect decision-making beneficial to all of us.

The city of Fort Dodge and the Webster County Board of Supervisors have enabled the Growth Alliance to contract with Capital Consultants of Iowa to inform and lobby on our behalf at the Iowa legislative level, which has been very effective in keeping us informed, helping to arrange contacts, influencing legislation, and generally providing for better local inputs on economic rules and legislation affecting Webster County. We thank them for seeing the value in this.

Further, we utilize the influence gained through membership in the Iowa Chamber Alliance, Professional Developers of Iowa, the Iowa Association of Counties and the Iowa League of Municipalities.

We also have good contact and assistance from our locally elected lawmakers in the Iowa legislature in Des Moines.

With all this in mind, in order to maximize our potential, it is imperative that we encourage involvement from community members on the local level also. To view the different boards and commissions in Fort Dodge, visit the city of Fort Dodge website and click on the Boards and Commissions link under the Your Government tab. On the Webster County website, applications for boards and commissions can be found under the Board of Supervisors tab. To view openings on statewide boards and commissions, visit talentbank.iowa.gov.

I hope that we continue to grow economically, and I believe we can. I further know that this will be predominantly dependent on the cooperation, collaboration and involvement of you, our citizens, and your knowledgeable participation in support of that goal. I believe that it is the most important ingredient in what separates areas that are successful most of the time from ones that are never or only occasionally successful economically.

Dennis Plautz is the chief executive officer of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance.