Des Moines inspires Springfieldians

The recent visit by 39 Springfield-area business, education and government leaders to Des Moines, Iowa, might be the trip that changed two entire communities.

The delegation was in Des Moines, which is Iowa’s largest city and the state capital, Aug. 18-20 for the 12th annual community leadership visit sponsored by Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. The group studied the city’s successful downtown revitalization and collaborative approach to education and work force development.

According to Brad Bodenhausen, executive vice president of the Springfield chamber, the goal of the program is to learn from the experiences of other communities and bring home ideas that will benefit the region. Previous intercity visits have served as catalysts for important projects such as the Ozarks Regional Economic Partnership, Jordan Valley Park and the annual publication of a community report card. The first trip, in 1993, to Spartanburg, S.C., provided the seed for the Partnership Industrial parks.

Chamber President Jim Anderson told that group that Des Moines was once known as a “tough community to get anything done.”

This is no longer true. We came away with the distinct impression that the entire area shares a vision of being a world-class region, consistently ranking high in quality of life.

Des Moines officials were generous with their time and attention to us. A tremendous volume of information, ideas and resources were freely made available to us. I can only provide a few nuggets here. Bodenhausen will soon publish a “white paper” with more detail.

Immediately upon arrival at Des Moines International Airport, or DMS, our first session focused on airport and air transportation issues.

We learned how the airport went beyond marketing to grow all-important enplanements, the number of people boarding from DMS.

Potential customers – both business and personal travelers – were urged to “do the math” when figuring the true cost of airfare.

It costs more to fly directly from Des Moines, just as it often does from Springfield, but add in the cost of gas and wear and tear on your vehicle, parking, meals and possible overnight stays in Tulsa, Kansas City, Dallas or St. Louis, and the difference is insignificant. It disappears once the time on the road, and wear and tear on my body, is figured in, too.

This line of reasoning could translate to a powerful campaign here, as well. It has proven extremely successful for Des Moines, with enplanement figures to prove its strength. I was amazed to learn that an airport is not required to have international flights in order to have “international” in its name. Sounds bigger, doesn’t it? Hmmm.

Slightly dazed and already excited, we finally arrived in the center city where we were greeted by Martha Willits, president/CEO of Greater Des Moines Partnership, formerly the Des Moines Chamber of Commerce.

Willits drove the message home about the importance of partnership and collaboration in regional development. She explained how long-range planning was followed up with infrastructure to become a “win-win” partnership for all the communities involved.

The question follows: Can we give up an apparently pervasive territoriality in the Ozarks to make a concept like this work for us?

I think our group was re-energized to continue on the step-by-step journey that will be required for increased regional cooperation.

Downtown

Des Moines’ downtown redevelopment is impressive, but no more so than Springfield’s, especially considering that we actually have more center city residents despite our smaller size and much smaller building inventory. Our Jordan Creek may never provide magnificent riverfront promenades, but we are certainly making the most of what God and our city founders have provided.

An evening reception at the art center re-emphasized the point that quality of life brings people, especially educated young people, and that this “brain gain” draws business to the city.

Build a place where young people want to live, and business will follow is the mantra of economist Richard Florida and Des Moines visionaries.

We listened with interest to a unique public plan to increase funding for arts and cultural activities. Trailways and greenways were cited again and again as major drawing cards. Ozark Greenways has already shown us this path.

We also heard about educators’ efforts to encourage life-long learning, and we wished that Ozarks Technical Community College officials had joined us on this journey. They would have felt pride and been encouraged by the progress that OTC has already made.

We were excited to learn, too, about a successful downtown elementary school in Des Moines that has a long waiting list created by parents who want to be close to their kids’ school and activities. It makes sense in both of our car-based communities.

Visiting peers

Finally, we were given the opportunity to visit our counterparts in the area. My friends and long-time colleagues Des Moines Business Record Publisher/Owner Connie Wimer and Associate Publisher Janette Larkin were gracious hosts.

I got an inside look at their attractive and efficient headquarters in a beautifully renovated railroad depot in the heart of downtown. It will turn out to be a profitable visit for us here at SBJ, especially where our annual Book of Lists is concerned. I am very grateful for this opportunity.

Fellow traveler Richard Ollis of Ollis & Company Insurors helped sum up the trip for us. Despite the larger size of Des Moines (260,512 within the city limits, to our 150,170), our economic areas do not differ widely in population (936,502 in our region, compared with 1,197,017 there). Our potential is huge, Ollis said. Amen, brother Richard. Buckle your seat belts!

Des Moines leaders were impressed with our delegation, its questions and concerns. Our presence gave them ideas, we heard repeatedly. They are already making plans to conduct their own leadership visits to other towns.

Dianne Elizabeth Osis is publisher of Springfield Business Journal.