-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
The AML Riverside plant at 141 E. Riverside Drive is shown Monday afternoon. The company plans to invest about $6 million in new research and development equipment over the next three years. The investment will lead to the creation of 12 new jobs.

For an organization tasked with developing the economy of its community, 2020 appeared to be a daunting year.

And while there were challenges, the staff and board of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance found some positive developments.

Some local businesses, especially in manufacturing, actually grew.

“During all of this, companies have continued to invest money in their facilities and make incremental increases in employment,” said Dennis Plautz, the chief executive officer of the Growth Alliance.

As an example, he cited AML Riverside LLC, a Fort Dodge manufacturer of veterinary medicines. The company opened in 2016 with 30 employees. It now has more than 100 and last July announced plans for a $6 million investment that will create 12 new jobs over three years.

“I think all of our industries are essential, so they were able to continue to manufacture and go gangbusters,” said Kelly Halsted, the alliance’s economic development director.

The growth of companies like AML Riverside LLC bodes well for Webster County, where biological products account for 42 percent of the manufacturing sector.

Elanco, which employs 430 people at its plant on the city’s northwest side, is the big player in the biological products sector.

Ethanol at 20 percent and gypsum at 11 percent, are the next two biggest pieces of the manufacturing sector in Webster County.

Plautz said retail and service businesses were hit hard during the pandemic, but primary sector manufacturers were not. He said the COVID-19 pandemic won’t dictate what those companies do.

While seeing growth in existing businesses, the Growth Alliance also is in touch with an increased number of companies looking for places to open new facilities. Growth Alliance staffers call this list of contacts the pipeline.

“The pipeline is no less and a little higher,” Plautz said.

Community development is the other major focus of the Growth Alliance.

Jill Nelson, the alliance’s community development director, said all of its programs for members have moved online as a result of the pandemic.

She said that networking is important to business people, so the alliance has always tried to provide a lot of different opportunities for in-person networking. Those opportunities had to move online.

Nelson said networking online is not as natural as meeting in-person, and she was concerned about how that would work out. It turns out she had nothing to worry about.

“We ended up having more participation,” she said.

Nelson added that the staff has done a lot of individual outreach to Growth Alliance members.

To give retailers a boost last year, the Growth Alliance conducted a program in which people could buy a gift card valued at $35 for $25. Nelson said seven businesses and organizations sponsored it.

During the 2020 holiday season, the Growth Alliance conducted a campaign to emphasize shopping locally.

“I think we continue to implement the initiatives that have been ongoing for a number of years,” Plautz said.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve suffered any great loss,” he added.