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Traer Development
The Traer Development Corporation was founded in 1984. Its mission for Traer is summed up in its slogan "Creating Opportunities." Funding for its activites in the community come from the City of Traer and Traer Municipal Utilities. For more information on the group's activities, or to find out ways this group can assist you in "Creating Opportunities", please contact Kent Holst, President at 319-478-2729.
Officers for the corporation are as follows:
Kent Holst, President
Jared Bauch, Vice President
Jeff Jacobs, Treasurer
Ellen Young, Secretary
Directors:
Gary Kruse
Sam Young
Leonard Vorba
Don Lau
Phyllis McKee
Jammie Howard
Mark Mason
About Traer Development Corporation:
The Traer Development Corporation was born after the successful recruitment of Traer Manufacturing Company. A group of local citizens heard of a company looking for a new plant site in 1983 and immediately went into action to find out the needs of the company. With the needs understood, which were mainly for utility connections to provide water, sewer, and electricity, the group approached the Traer City Council and the Board of Trustees of the Traer Municipal Utilities and asked them to bond for the construction to extend the utilities to the proposed location for the manufacturing facility. The Council and Board acted quickly to contract for the construction and begin the bonding process. This immediate response impressed the management of the company and was a major factor in their decision to locate in Traer.
With this first success, the group decided they should become a formal organization and formed the Traer Development Corporation (TDC). TDC is a stock corporation, open to anyone interested in supporting the efforts to improve Traer, and willing to purchase a $100 share of stock. The stock has never paid dividends, preferring to reinvest any returns in additional projects. There are no paid employees, with everyone donating their time and talents to further the goals of TDC.
TDC primarily focuses its efforts on job creation and quality of life issues. Retail business recruitment is usually handled by the Chamber of Commerce, but the two organizations cooperate in joint activities whenever appropriate.
When needed, multiple organizations are joined to accomplish major projects. For instance, when it was recognized that a housing subdivision was needed to provide lots for new home construction, 5 organizations joined to develop Prairie West Subdivision. Each organization's duties and responsibilities are defined in a 28e document, so called because 28e is the section of the Iowa Code that specifies how governmental and non-governmental entities can contract to deal with each other. Under the Prairie West 28e, the Chamber of Commerce purchased the needed land with funds borrowed from the local American Legion Post. The City of Traer installed streets and storm sewers. Traer Municipal Utilities installed electrical lines, street lighting, and water service. The sale of lots is handled by the Traer Development Corporation.
Other projects the Traer Development Corporation has been involved with include recruitment of Clearline Cutlery, Meany Casket Company, Pied Piper Pre-School, and Wayne Holdings Sweeper Division. TDC owns a 42 acre Industrial Park, a portion of which will be provided for the construction of a manufacturing facility by Wayne Sweeper Division. TDC also purchased several building lots in the downtown business district in order to control their development. So far, an insurance office has been built on one lot and a building will soon be moved to a lot donated to the City of Traer as the location of the new Salt and Pepper Museum.
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