NORTH IOWA – The North Iowa Corridor Economic Development Corporation announced today that Chad Schreck has accepted the position of President & CEO. Schreck, an Iowa native, has most recently served as the Executive Director of the Midwest Partnership Economic Development Corporation, a four-county collaboration based in Stuart, Iowa. While in his role, Schreck was recognized by the Professional Developers of Iowa with an award for his Business Retention and Expansion efforts resulting in the procurement of financing to assist Scranton Manufacturing with their $2.5million, 56,000 sq/ft expansion project. Prior to his position in Stuart, he served as a Regional Development Planner as well as an Economic Development Planner for Region XII Council of Government in Carroll, Iowa.
“We’re thrilled to have a leader like Chad on board with the North Iowa Corridor,” said Board Chairman, Mark Hewitt. “We’ve worked very hard over the past several years to bring numerous successes to North Iowa, pair that with Chad’s consummate professionalism and community engagement and I am very confident that the Corridor will continue its positive momentum going forward.”
“The North Iowa Corridor is a premier development organization in an area full of opportunity and potential. The region is blessed with a balanced and dynamic economy thanks to its blend of industry, finance, healthcare, retail and tourism,” said Schreck. “I’m excited to work with the excellent staff and community leaders to build on the growth that is already underway.”
Schreck will begin his new duties on November 03. He and his wife, Rachael, along with their three children will relocate to the region.
The North Iowa Corridor Economic Development Corporation serves as the economic development organization for the Cities of Mason City and Clear Lake, and Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. The Corridor is the primary contact for business retention and expansion in the region and provides location services for businesses looking to locate in the region. Funding is provided for these efforts by the cities and county as well as over 150 local business partners. The Corridor is governed by a nineteen-member board of directors.
The Corridor is a proud member of Professional Developers of Iowa, a professional association focused on working to grow and develop Iowa’s economic base.
All the meaningful work is done by the cities of CL and MC. An EDC director is necessary, but if you think anyone in that position influences much in the way of economic development you are kidding yourself. All the successful project, especially Windmill Realty in CL were done primarily by City officials, not EDC. I’m sure more than Gary Schmidt was involved in hiring the new director. If you think the City officials are pushed around by the private investors, you are mistaken.
Hopefully he will not be another puppet of the current regime. I want to be optimistic– but it’s hard. Since the Chair of the recruitment committee to secure the new EDC director is the president of Henkel and Councilperson Alex Kuhn is employed by Henkel… I just don’t know. That never seemed quite right to me. So, if this guy gets hired by the primary contractor in NI and the primary contractor needs a heads up in the bidding process– what do you think could happen ????
I too wish him well. Hopefully he’s not a follower, and can take this bull by the horns and do good things for this area.
I wish him luck. He has to do more than the last guy if he just shows up to work.