Regional development group updates Indianola on marketing, talent and programs

Tiffany Taushak, president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, and Stacy LaVaughn, senior vice president of economic development, briefed the City Council on April 7 about the partnership’s regional marketing, business‑retention and talent‑development programs.

Taushak told councilors the partnership represents a 12‑county footprint and that Indianola participates in the regional collaboration. LaVaughn reviewed project metrics, saying the organization has assisted hundreds of companies with expansions and located projects that created thousands of jobs across the region; she described target industry sectors including advanced manufacturing, logistics, insurance and data centers.

LaVaughn said 87% of the Partnership’s leads come from local sources and that the organization conducts trade shows, metro recruitment trips and targeted marketing campaigns. She noted talent programs such as an intern‑connection pipeline and a Career Ready Collective for high‑school students; the Partnership offers paid internships and youth programming and invited the mayor’s youth council to participate.

Council members discussed industrial park visibility and site readiness tools the Partnership offers, including a “RFI ready sites” program to mark development sites as shovel‑ready for marketing. Councilors thanked the presenters and asked staff to keep lines of communication open; no city funding or contractual action was taken that night.

Ending: The council accepted the presentation. Representatives said they would return with information about upcoming events and opportunities for local businesses and students.