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Progress 2020 Business and Industry

Crossroads Mall: A new era at Crossroads

There is a big, barren patch of concrete surrounded by wire fencing at the south end of Crossroads Mall. A Sears store and its connected auto repair shop sat there for about 50 years. It was demolished late last year in the first phase of massive changes to the mall property. The rest ...

Shimkat Motor Co.: From generation to generation

Although Bruce and Ed Shimkat have retired as owners of Shimkat Motor Co. — the longtime Fort Dodge car dealership — they are still very much a part of how the business operates, according to current owners Ed Shimkat Jr. and Bill Shimkat. Bruce Shimkat and Ed Shimkat serve as ...

The Warden Plaza: Waiting for a rebirth

The Warden Plaza has been a fixture in downtown Fort Dodge for a little bit more than a century. During that time, it has been a hotel and an apartment building. It has been home to a radio station and some government offices. Stores once filled the ground floor level. All the apartments ...

Baker Electric and Ball Plumbing: Two businesses under one roof

Both Todd Baker, owner of Baker Electric, and Dan Ball, owner of Ball Plumbing, have built their businesses from almost nothing to successful enterprises that together employ about 40 people. They are also both under one roof, sharing a recently constructed building at the intersection of ...

Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance: Developing leaders

Pharmaceuticals make up 42% of gross regional product in Webster County, according to Kelly Halsted, economic development director for the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance. And one company that falls under that category is AML Riverside, a maker of veterinary medicines. AML Riverside ...

Top 10 Building Projects of 2019

HERE’S A SUMMARY OF the top 10 building projects, based on value, that were started in 2019. The information came from building permits issued by the Fort Dodge Development Services Department.