pring is so close now. With as mild a winter as we have had, we know many are enjoying shaking off the effects of cabin fever this time of year. There have been great things taking place this year, and we are sure there are many yet to come.

One of great things we are looking forward to is the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) coming to Muscatine. Upwards of 16,000 cyclists will wrap up their ride here on July 31.

We can expect upwards of 1,000 people to visit Muscatine the weekend of July 22 as many riders will leave their vehicles here and ride a bus to the starting City.

These visits represent potential sales opportunities for Muscatine. There will be potential opportunities for increased traffic at retail merchants and there will be potential opportunities for restaurants, organizations and food vendors to realize increased sales and fundraising.

We also want to ensure we take advantage of the wonderful opportunity to show off what a great place Muscatine is. There will be visitors from around the country and around the world who have never been to Iowa well enough Muscatine, and we want to ensure we put on the best show possible. You can trust we recognize the chance we have, and will strive to make it happen.

Several meetings have been held to lay out the plan of action to bring together all of the moving parts. RAGBRAI provides an informative handbook detailing the steps to take leading up to our turn to welcome the riders to Muscatine. This plan identifies upwards of 22 committees with distinct work plans that, when pulled together, result in all of the pieces coming together to fulfill our commitment.

This going to be fun. We believe it is more important than just the place for the riders to dip their tires in the Mississippi and head for home, and we at the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry are very excited to have the opportunity to play a key role in this great opportunity.

“All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.”

― Winston S. Churchill

Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & IndustryPROGRESS

Volume 25 Number 3 March 2016

Pearl City Renewed Members:

Greg JenkinsGMCCI President & CEO

SAffordable Metal Manufacturing 1 year

Allison & Mather, P.C. 6 years

AmericInn Lodge & Suites 13 years

Annsarts 1 year

Bark Chiropractic & Rehab Clinic of Muscatine 5 years

Downtown Muscatine Renovations, LLC 11 years

Enterprise Rent-A-Car 16 years

Fabricators Plus 10 years

Forest Glen Townhomes 12 years

Home Instead Senior Care 1 year

Inland Environmental Resources, Inc. 3 years

Let’s Eat 1 year

LPI Loans 1 year

Making Friends Welcome Service, Inc. 4 years

Merit Construction Company 16 years

New Choices, Inc. 10 years

Sign Pro of Muscatine 2 years

The Family Credit Union 13 years

The Palms Theater 3 years

Twitter:GMCCI_Muscatinewww.muscatine.com

Facebook:Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry

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GMCCI Staff:

Greg JenkinsPresident & CEO gjenkins@muscatine.com

Susan FultonOffice Coordinatorsfulton@muscatine.com

Janet MorrowDirector of Membership & Marketingjmorrow@muscatine.com

Jodi HansenBlue Zones Project Muscatine Community Leadjhansen@muscatine.com

Interview With a Board Member

Bill HarperDirector of Corporate AccountingStanley Consultants

Shelley SidesCommunications & Event Coordinatorssides@muscatine.com

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Q. How many years has Stanley Consultants been a GMCCI member? A. 72 years.

Q. How many years have you been a GMCCI Board Member? A. one year.

Q. What is the greatest benefit of being a GMCCI member?A. Being better informed about local business and community activities. It has been nice to have a better look ahead of what’s coming regarding local businesses and community events. There is a lot going on in our town. Q. What is your favorite GMCCI event/activity?A. Business after hours are a fun way to mix with other community minded people. I plan to improve my attendance of BAH in 2016!

Q. What is the best aspect of our business community?A. The diversity of our local business is impressive for a community our size. Muscatine is fortunate to have a handful of large companies that provide stability to our local economy. Our small business community is something to be proud of too. This year my parents are celebrating 50 years as Muscatine business owners and it is something I am proud to be a part of. I work for a pretty good sized global company now, but you could say my roots and values are based on small family owned busi-ness. It is encouraging to see new small businesses pop up in town.

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Member Opportunities

HeroesHeroesAmongst us!Amongst us!

$50 per person

Kindly respond by March 1st as seating is limited

RSVP card is enclosed for your convenience

Contact Susan Fulton, 563-263-8895

Or sfulton@muscatine.com

5:00 - 7:00 PM Cocktail Reception & Dinner

7:00 PM Program Begins

Kevin Brown - “The Hero Effect”

Dinner served buffet style

reservations

Greater Muscatine Chamber

of Commerce & Industry

Annual Meeting &

Recognition Night

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Greater Muscatine Chamber

of Commerce & Industry

Annual Meeting &

Recognition Night

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Keynote Speaker

Event Details

menu

Geneva Golf and Country Club

3100 Bidwell RoadGeneva Golf and Country Club

3100 Bidwell Road

It is important that you R.S.V.P. as seating is limited.

RAGBRAI Muscatine 2016GMCCI is honored Muscatine was chosen as the RAGBRAI® 2016 end town. Approximately 15,000 cyclists and their support crews will be visiting our city on Saturday, July 30th. We can also expect upwards of 1,000 people to arrive in Muscatine the Friday and Saturday prior to the start. Many people park their cars here for the week and meet up with team members or charters that take them to starting town on Saturday, July 23.

It takes numerous volunteers to pull off a fun and well-organized event. Here is a listing of the committees:

1. Campgrounds, Showers, Sanitation, Recycling2. Communications3. Downtown4. Electrical5. Entertainment & Special Events6. Food & Vendors7. Hospitality8. Housing9. Information Center10. Law Enforcement11. Long-term Parking12. Medical13. Public Safety14. Publicity15. Ride Right16. Transportation17. Volunteers18. Web & Social Media

If you would like to take part in welcoming people from all across the states and world, we will have multiple committees in which you could choose to participate. Email jmorrow@muscatine.com to express your interest.

Legislative ForumsThese town hall-style forums take place the first Saturday of the month from 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. in the Muscatine Community College student center.

The purpose of the legislative forums is to provide area constituents with the opportunity to directly address the legislators that serve this area with their questions/concerns/feedback.

The forums will be held on:• March 5 and • April 2

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Quality of Life Initiatives

Muscatine Blue Zones Project hosted a Blue Zones Worksite Summit on February 16, 2016. This 2-hour long event included designated Blue Zones Worksites® giving presentations on best practices that encourage well-being in the workplace. Jodi Hansen, Blue Zones Project Community Lead and Ashley Loveless, Wellness and Training Coordinator for UnityPoint-Trinity Muscatine organized the event.

Businesses play a key role in helping improve their community’s well-being. Blue Zones Worksite is designed to create a work atmosphere that inspires, encourages, and promotes well-being in the workplace, and in the communities your employees live and play. To achieve this designation, you will need to complete well-being improvement actions from a menu of evidence-based options that can help create a healthier work environment for your employees.

MOST OF THE ACTIONS ON THE BLUE ZONES WORKSITE PLEDGE HAVE LITTLE TO NO COST FOR YOUR BUSINESS beyond the initial time necessary to set them up. The criteria are designed to be flexible so you can choose the options that work best for your company culture and employees.

Presenters included; Greg Jenkins, President and CEO of GMCCI, Erika Cox of Muscatine Power and Water, Chris Boar of Monsanto, Megan Randoll of Carver Pump, Chad Bishop of Muscatine Community College and Ashley Loveless of UnityPoint-Trinity Muscatine. Hy-Vee Dietitian Kara Zigament let attendees know about the dietician services Muscatine Hy-Vee offers to worksites. The program also included a wonderful stretch break led by Caleen Pagel and a delicious plant-based lunch prepared and served by Chef Tessa Crookshanks of Muscatine Hy-Vee.

Jim Hayes, President and CEO of UnityPoint-Trinity Muscatine addressed attendees and let them know of the importance of worksite wellness and how they could get involved with Business Healthy Muscatine.

Ready for your worksite to be a well-being leader?THRIVING EMPLOYEES ARE VITAL TO YOUR BOTTOM LINE. Pursuing Blue Zones Worksite designation not only demonstrates your commitment to making your company a healthier place to work, but also has tangible benefits including:

• Improved health of your employees through risk reduction

• Improved engagement of employees leading to collaboration and innovation

• Improved productivity and reduced absenteeism• Reduced turnover by becoming an employer of

choice in your community

If you would like more information on Blue Zones Worksite destination. Please contact Jodi Hansen at jhansen@muscatine.com or call 563-263-8895.

5

Quality of Life Initiatives

4th of July Fundraisers

ON SALE NOW!To raise funds toward making out 4th of July celebration bigger and brighter, the 4th of July Planning Committee is holding two raffles this year:

6

Member Opportunities

This is a current Leadership Muscatine project put together by

Kelsey Hodapp, First National Bank;Tony Kelly, Monsanto;Mike Moyer, Carver Pump;Josh Onken, Monsanto; andMatt Wendt, City of Muscatine

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Stanley Consultants provides program management, planning, engineering, environmental and construction services worldwide.

563.264.6600 www.stanleyconsultants.com www.facebook.com/stanleyconsultants

Global Engineering Service ProviderEnergy. Environmental. Transportation. Water.

C E L E B R AT I N G

ENGINEERING A BETTER WORLD

OP PRINTING

CREATIVE

AFFORDABLE

EFFICIENT

QU

ALI

TYRELI

ABL

E

DESIGNPRINTMAIL

LOCAL

IN HISTORIC OCTAGON PLACE

2610 Park Ave Muscatine, Iowa 52761

563.288.2773 print@opprinting.org www.opprinting.org

• Lawn Maintenance• Weed Control & Fertilization Programs• Mowing Service• Tree & Shrub Care• Pruning• Bed Clean-Up and Mulching

1301 WASHINGTON ST.563-263-4442“Since 1987”

www.kellorandkellorlandscape.com

Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry 102 Walnut StreetMuscatine, Iowa 52761-4027563-263-8895 Fax: 563-263-7662

Address Service Requested

The Pearl City Progress (USPS391-430) is published monthly by the:

Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry102 Walnut StreetMuscatine, Iowa 52761-4027Email: chamber@muscatine.com

Periodical Postage Paid at Muscatine, IA.

POSTMASTER: Send address change to Pearl City Progress102 Walnut StreetMuscatine, IA 52761-4027

OfficersChair of the Board Bob Allbee, Retired Exec.Past Chair Doug Krieger, Krieger Auto GroupChair Elect James Hayes, UnityPoint Health- Trinity MuscatineTreasurer & Chair-Finance Bob Howard, CBI Bank & TrustChair – Membership Ann Meeker, Downtown Muscatine Renovations, LLCChair – Community Development Pam Collins, Musser Public LibraryChair - Economic Development Jim Simmons, Hy-Vee Food StoreChair – Public Policy Mark Post, Carver Pump Company

DirectorsBob Allbee, Retired Exec.Pam Collins, Musser Public LibraryNaomi DeWinter, Muscatine Community CollegeAaron Eversmeyer, River RehabilitationJason Gregory, Grain Processing CorporationKevin Harle, SSAB SteelBill Harper, Stanley Consultants, Inc.Greg Harris, Bridgestone BandagJames Hayes, UnityPoint Health- Trinity MuscatineBob Howard, CBI Bank & TrustStan Howe, Member EmeritusScott Ingstad, First National Bank of MuscatineKyle Jensen, TEMP AssociatesDoug Krieger, Krieger Auto GroupSal LoBianco, Muscatine Power and WaterJeff Lorenger, HNI CorporationGregg Mandsager, City of MuscatineAnn Meeker, Downtown Muscatine Renovations, LLCDave Mohr, Eastern Iowa Light & PowerBrett Nelson, Musco Sports LightingShane Orr, United Way of MuscatineKarla Pinner, Muscatine JournalMark Post, Carver Pump CompanyJim Reynolds, Reynolds EngineeringJerry Riibe, Muscatine Community School DistrictShawn Schrader, Monsanto CompanyJim Simmons, Hy-Vee Food StoreGary Slight, Community BankJeff Sorensen, Muscatine County Board of SupervisorsNancy Snaadt, Alliant EnergyTrista Sotelo, Young Professionals NetworkTiarr Sweere, Stanley, Lande, Hunter P.C.Dorothy Thulen, Kent Corporation

March

USPS 391-430PERIODICALS

POSTAGE PAID AT MUSCATINE, IOWA

March 3Employer’s Council“Getting to Know Muscatine, Our Town!”Muscatine History & Industry Center117 W. 2nd StreetNoon to 1pm

SCORE1:30pm to 3:30 pm

March 10SCORE1:30pm to 3:30 pm

Business After HoursLifetime Dentistry 2011 Houser Street5:30pm to 7:30pm (note time)

March 15Plant-Based Cooking DemoHy-Vee Club Room2400 2nd AvenueNoon – 1:00 pm

March 17SCORE1:30pm to 3:30 pm

YPN’s Third ThursdayBoonie’s on the Avenue214 Iowa Avenue5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

March 23Wake Up WednesdayISU Extension and Muscatine Co. Outreach 1514 Isett Avenue6:45 am – 8:45 am

March 31GMCCI Annual Meeting3100 Bidwell RoadCocktails/Dinner at 5:00 pmProgram at 7:00 pm