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New Business Assistance:
The OCEDC serves as a clearing house for new business development in Osceola County.
Most new businesses may begin by inquiring about assistance at the Commission office, and
the Commission provides assistance as requested throughout the project.
Types of Assistance:
- Technical Assistance
- Marketing Assistance
- Business Licensing and Permits
- Grant Writing
- Promotional Materials
- Project Administration
- Grant Administration
- Community Data
- Sibley Downtown Revitalization Program
- Revolving Loan Fund Administration
Financial Assistance Programs
The Osceola County Economic Development Commission administers several financial
assistance programs for new and expanding businesses in Osceola County.
City of Sibley
Economic Development Revolving Loan Fund
The City of Sibley established this
program in 1998 to be able to provide an additional economic
development tool when business opportunities were available to
the community. The
fund was initially capitalized with $75,000.
OCEDC provides all phases of administrative support for
the program with the exception of application approval, which
is handled by the Sibley City Council.
While there were no new loans made out of this fund in
the year 2000, there are two active loans from this fund.
Spec Loan Program
The Speculative Property Loan Program
is a very small lending program for speculative ventures
designed specifically for the participation of OCEDC member
communities. Using
revenues saved by the Commission, funds are made available on
a pro-rata allotment based on population and contribution
amounts for the purpose of economic growth .
Examples of past activities include paying for a
portion of a new community facility building, purchasing a lot
and constructing a house on speculation, retrofitting an old
school for rental garages, and to retrofit business property
for new businesses. The
fund has also been utilized to help establish local community
downtown revitalization loan funds, which provide additional
resources for businesses to rehabilitate and expand their
facilities. Currently
, three of the six member entities are still participating in
this program. One
member entity has used this program twice and is considering
using it a third time.
IDED EDSA Program
Grant and Loan
The
OCEDC wrote the
EDSA request on behalf of G.E.I.S., Inc. for the City of
Sibley. The City
received approval for this application and through it G.E.I.S.,
Inc. received a combination $20,629 forgivable loan and a
$20,629 zero interest loan based on the number of 20 new jobs
to be created by the company’s proposed expansion.
In addition, The OCEDC County economic development
revolving loan fund provided a 3%, five year term loan
totaling $25,000 This
state administered Federal program is a complex compliance
program that requires a special amount of careful
administrative and record keeping requirements.
In return, once the loan amount has been repaid by
G.E.I.S., Inc., the resources will remain available for
additional future lending in the community.
The purpose of the CDBG Economic
Development program is to increase employment opportunities
for low and moderate income Iowans by increasing the level of
economic activity within the State.
The program provides financial assistance to those
businesses and industries requiring such assistance in order
to create new job opportunities.
G.E.I.S., Inc., provides electrical contracting,
electrical design, and integration, and computer software
design and implementation for the poultry and food processing
industry. The
goal of the company is to provide efficient integration of
software and computer technology with the mechanical
components of the various systems employed in the poultry
industry, often by custom design of products and systems which
are manufactured in-house prior to installation at the job
site.
G.E.I.S.,Inc., has developed a
specialized egg counter unit, which it manufactures and
markets extensively. The company had one production line and wanted to utilize the
aforementioned county and State resources to expand to three
lines. The
proposed expansion includes the remodeling and construction at
the Sibley facility to allow for the two new production lines,
as well as the construction of two additional office spaces
for two employees. The
company had 32 employees with twenty –one of these located
at the Sibley plant and the proposed expansion was to add
twenty more to these existing 21 positions.
The total expansion project totaled over $320,250.
G.E.I.S., Inc. has a significant annual payroll with
projected payrolls to be over $400,000 annually.
IDED- 3 CEBA Program
Loans and Grants
The OCEDC is still in the process of
administering three CEBA loan and grant programs from the
FY1999-2000 on behalf of the City of Sibley. The Iowa
Department of Economic Development’s Community Economic
Betterment Account (CEBA) provided us with three 50%
forgivable loans and 50% zero interest loans that are based on
the number of jobs created.
These projects while not done in FY2000, provided over
$150,000 in resources to three of our local businesses, with a
total investment in our community of over $4 million and 57
new jobs created.
Chatroom Program
The Sibley Ocheyedan Middle School was
looking for a responsible and affordable fiscal agent to help
them with their Lakes Area Decatagorization /Empowerment
County Action Plan – C.H.A.T. Room (Completing Homework
Assignments Today) project.
The OCEDC offered its administrative services on a
temporary basis. The
C.H.A.T. Room was created in 1998.
This project is designed to give S-O Middle School
students the opportunity to stay after school and work on
classroom assignments. Students
have access to reference materials, computers, and small group
instruction in an atmosphere conducive for learning.
The project is open immediately after school from 3:15
– 5:00 PM, Monday through Thursday, in the Middle School IMC.
The role that OCEDC provides is one of requesting
resource dollars from the State, payment of payroll or
services rendered under the program auspices, and the payment
of other costs associated with the project.
PLaCE- Partnering Landscape and
Community Enhancement/ College of Design
The OCEDC received information about an
Iowa State University sustained development program entitled
Project for Partnering Landscape and Community Enhancement (PLaCE)
in the College of Design and received approval from the City
of Sibley’s city council to apply on their behalf.
The College of Design informed the OCEDC that they had
found a professor interested in taking on our application.
The City of Sibley’s PLaCE project
entails the cooperative/collaborative effort between the
College of Design, the Iowa State University Extension
Service, the OCEDC, the Iowa Department of Transportation, and
the City of Sibley. The
project shall have an overall focus of ensuring that, through
the use of signage alternatives, the impact of the proposed
Highway 60 by-pass will be made more positive by enabling
traffic to continue to flow through the community or to stop
and use services offered.
The PlaCE program aims to enhance and
promote the quality and character of Iowa’s landscapes and
communities. The goal is rooted in support of economic competitiveness as
well as proper development and stewardship.
Unique, dramatic enhancements to the landscapes and
communities of Iowa are viewed as ways to attract and retain a
new group of talented and energetic citizens, a resource very
much in demand for the state’s future.
To this end the College of Design will engage with
communities in collaborative efforts to understand, envision,
and promise a fundamental enhancement of their physical
environment. Collaboration
also will be encouraged with the Department of Civil
Engineering, Economics, Political Science, Sociology, and
others at Iowa State to achieve the most beneficial results
for the applicant.
The PlaCE program’s specific
objectives include: providing
learning experiences for students outside the classroom,
helping applicants explore enhancement options, learning how
design positively affects change, creating an environment in
which communities and organizations may work more effectively
with design practitioners, and assisting applicants in
establishing and refining goals and expectations.
During a typical semester, 10 to 15 classes within the
College of Design will conduct projects off campus as a part
of student’s learning experience.
Graduate students will often take on external projects
to complete their professional report or thesis for
graduation. Design
students are often a font of creative ideas and expressions.
College of Design community outreach and Extension
projects frequently involve students as a means both to
enhance their education and to benefit participating
communities and organizations.
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