Get Into All Things Grinnell through this regular recap of community activities, events and opportunities!
Yesterday morning, Chamber Ambassadors visited Temp Associates, known by their tagline, “providing jobs since 1986.” At the heart of this local employment agency are Claire Burch and Brittany Hamilton, who are committed to secure Grinnell residents with opportunities to work again. Having recently experienced unemployment and starting over in their careers, they recognize the importance of bridging together applicants and potential employers.
Burch and Hamilton primarily help place local residents in the manufacturing field, particularly in light industrial and warehouse jobs. Temp Associates begin their process with an application and in-depth interview, making sure that an employee and potential company are a good fit for one another. In some cases, placement goes well enough that clients will convert their temporary employees to full time workers. Burch and Hamilton attribute their success to analyzing their applicants’ strengths and determining which job locations they would work best in. This way, they prevent turnover on behalf of their clients as well.
Temp Associates provides a quick hiring turnaround on behalf of employers, too — they promptly post job openings, run credit and background checks, and set service agreements in place. The result? Jobs are usually filled within a week, with some slight variation in between. It’s a win-win situation for both clients and employees, who are ready to hire and work.
“Most of our applicants are second chance employees, too,” shared Burch, meaning that applicants are applying with a lack of resources and work experience. Burch explained that applicants who have been laid off often only have that one particular work experience on their resume or lack other resources, like housing and transportation.
“One applicant, for example,” recounts Burch, “walks an hour to our agency because he doesn’t have a drivers license. When he called us to say he scheduled his drivers license exam, we were so excited.” As someone who had to pivot in her career, Burch says she loves to hear her applicants’ career goals and success stories — even outside of work. So far, she has celebrated applicants who have moved out of their parents’ house and have bought their first car.
Temp Associates also connects applicants with resources, such as housing, job fairs, and more. If you know someone who is looking for a new job or career, or is a business needing to hire employees, call Temp Associates at 641-236-9220 or visit their website, www.tempassociates.com.
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During today’s ribbon cutting, Chamber Ambassadors extended a warm welcome to Home Revisions, a construction company that is committed to their clients. Their motto? Protect and provide.
In August 2020, Home Revisions owner Nick Darland began the company with a vision to not only renovate homes, but to “transform the client experience within the construction industry.” Darland, who grew up in Grinnell, has since purchased a building on Penrose Street (formerly Ashing Machine & Tool) as the company’s headquarters, and now offers a subscription service that includes gutter cleaning, exterior inspections, and 10% off future remodeling projects.
Ultimately, says Darland, “we’re carpenters aspiring to be artists.” Darland and his team of two — Kolton and Kevin Werner — have done beautiful work on numerous historical and Victorian homes. Together, they’ve built a reputation for taking on complex, large-scale projects around the town of Grinnell, preserving charming features of older homes while introducing the functionality of modern ones.
Today, Darland continues to catch tea with one of his former clients every week, having spent time between August 2022 to May 2024 reconstructing her home — another nod to their client-centric approach to business. Meanwhile, HomeRevisions has maintained good working relationships with similar companies around Grinnell and has built an impressive clientele. HomeRevisions is a company with deep roots in the community, one that Darland has grown to appreciate since he has “found his way back home” to the Grinnell community.
For more information on Home Revisions’ work or their approach, visit their website homerevisionsiowa.com, email info@homerevisionsiowa.com or give them a call at 641-260-1079.
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Grinnell High School Career and Technical Education students from last trimester’s class brought projects, presentations, and even food to the Reverse Career Fair in their high school gymnasium. Students presented from an array of classes, from “Ceramics” to “Fashion Design” to “Theatre Marketing and Social Media Implementation.” Community members, high school peers, and Chamber members came out to support these students’ hard work throughout the trimester — and enjoyed some cool sights and food in the process!
Xilohmara Robles, a student in “Animal Science: Injections,” explained how her class has been practicing injecting animals by injecting oranges and bananas with syringes. She described how important it is to provide proper vaccinations and medications via injections — as well as minimizing pain and using proper technique for maximum efficiency.
Photography students Jase Koester and Emma Doty had a white box platform and camera set up to demonstrate how they shoot professional product pictures — something they have been doing for local businesses in town already! They also mentioned how they’ve photographed Grinnell High School and College games and their experiences playing with different light exposures.
There were also culinary artists in the room — students Janae Keenan and Taleah Bailey had impressive displays of chocolate croissants and fruit cutting displays! As visitors resisted eating them all right away, Keenan and Bailey explained how they preserve their food displays in ice water and described food safety processes within catering. Along with Keenan and Bailey, other students were excited to share their food-related stands. Two students brought out their tower garden display, while others were in the middle of growing cucumbers and greens for their cafeteria to use!
One high school student also had her own plant display for her class, “Plant Parts and Functions.” On one side of the table, she had a microscope and two little plant pots set up with different growing seeds. As she explained to someone visiting her stand, the two plant pots represented either a monocot or dicot, two distinct types of plants. She invited guests to peer into her microscope and see for themselves what a monocot cell looks like! She also had a beautiful array of flowers tainted by food coloring — a result of feeding them food coloring water.
Mark your calendars for next year’s Reverse Career Fair! Each year, students unveil projects showing off what they learned — plus, the fair is a great glimpse of the high school’s diverse interests and creativity!
Have you ever felt burnout in your professional life? Kim Casko, director of Client Services and Support for Elisse Glennon Consulting, shared her personal journey with “burning out” in a recent Connecting for Women luncheon event.
As the former President and CEO of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce from 2016 to 2023, Casko was feeling stressed at all times, and yet she didn’t realize the effect it had on her personal life until her loved ones intervened. They noticed Casko’s exhaustion and forced her to take two weeks off from work — or as Casko calls it, “forced paid time off.” Amidst supporting the Chamber through the COVID-19 pandemic and spearheading a merger, she hadn’t noticed that during her quiet time she had become “squirrely.”
“Even when I left the job, I was still like, ‘What am I going to do today? Here’s my to-do list. Who are we visiting today?’” she recounts. “I would be trying to fill the calendar even though I would be with my husband by the peaceful water.” After Casko learned that she was uncomfortable in open spaces, she adopted new tricks to find that serenity in her personal life. She created a “10 daily habit” checklist, which she falls back to when she is feeling adrift. “What is measured is managed,” she told the other women in the room. “This is to reground me and it’s a daily practice.”
Of course, Casko could not combat her burnout without her community. Once she returned to work at the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, her team became aware of Casko’s burnout and stepped up to take on more responsibilities. They also held her accountable in prioritizing the most important tasks and kept her from taking on extra projects. Though Casko eventually left her job, she found a better fit in a new career and has taken the time to consistently pursue therapy, yoga, and meditation. For our attendees of the luncheon event, they received a resource list that included books, podcasts, and programs she has found helpful. If you or someone you know is experiencing burnout, we encourage you to seek support with wellness and mental health professionals in our community.
Many thanks to UnityPoint Health – Grinnell for hosting the event in partnership with SHE Counts, Grinnell College, Grinnell Mutual, REMAX Partners Realty – Grinnell, and Double You Marketing, Inc.
About the Connecting with Women Series
The Grinnell Connecting For Women series, hosted by the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce, aims to bring together women for a networking, coaching and mentoring session from the region’s most influential business leaders. We encourage you to join us for our 2025 UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Connecting for Women events.
Today I write to share with you that the Chamber is publicly endorsing the March 4 PPEL vote for the Grinnell-Newburg Community School District, in hopes that it will help move our community forward. It is important to our organization because it matters to our members. As part of educational support strategic initiative, we chose to collaborate with the School District to gain public support for a potential bond which is, in part, why we are asking you to join us in voting YES for the future of our community.
We know the viability and success of educational institutions to be tied to the long-term economic success of Grinnell. Our schools are an integral part of Grinnell's future and vitality, and our businesses rely on a thriving community to ensure their own success and growth. Will this cost more for all of us, business included? It will - but the tax implications are significantly less than previous plans presented (I encourage you to use this calculator to figure your tax implication). We believe that a YES vote has the power to be a unifier for our community, which will allow us to strengthen and enhance our school district and greatly reimagine the future of Grinnell.
We have heard directly from many of our businesses and community leaders who feel this is a pivotal moment for the Grinnell community. Should this vote fail to pass, we believe there will be unintended consequences that affect the ability to maintain and grow businesses in our community. We have heard from many of our members that this would likely lead to potential closures or relocation of businesses.
We recently held a session for chamber members with Superintendent Lisa Beames, sharing more about how this point was reached, and why the district needs this adjustment in order to remain financially solvent. You can watch it here and we encourage you to share it with others.
We urge people to understand the facts and figures of this vote. Our district needs this. Our business community needs this. Grinnell needs this.
on behalf of the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce Staff & Board of Directors
We talk about connection as it relates to many things: connection to community, connections with one another, connections to businesses but today we're talking about connection to broadband.
A few years ago, many of our businesses - large and small - came to us with the same problem: their internet was not reliable enough for them to conduct daily business, and they needed help. Along with our partners at the City of Grinnell, we conducted focus group meetings with several businesses to better understand the issue so that we could seek a solution.
We met with a number of potential providers to determine how they may be able to assist, and ultimately found a willing partner in Mahaska Communication Group (MCG) to build out fiber to the Grinnell community. Their investment, along with additional upgrades from other existing providers, led to much improved broadband access in Grinnell over the past four years. So much so that when we look at this newly provided map from the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), we can see the city limits of Grinnell are now one of the most connected communities in the state!
Connection - in its many forms - matters, and we are glad to have been able to play a part in furthering the connectivity of our community.
Can you imagine a party to celebrate turning 110 years old?! That's exactly what's happening for Miss Edith Renfrow Smith this Sunday (July 14) as she turns 110 years old! Ms. Renfrow Smith is originally from Grinnell, having graduated from Grinnell High School in 1932 and is the first black alumna of Grinnell College, receiving her diploma from the institution in 1937. Edith later relocated to the Chicago area where she worked as a public-school teacher for many years before retiring and going on to have a long volunteer career with Goodwill and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Grinnell College recently announced they would be naming the new downtown residence hall in honor of Ms. Edith Renfrow Smith, in recognition of her long-standing dedication to community service. We are thrilled to share this announcement, and her love for her hometown, and cannot wait to see students enjoying their new downtown living experience later this fall!
You, too, can help celebrate this amazing 110-year milestone for Ms. Renfrow Smith and learn more about she and her family. Drake Community Library's Poweshiek History Preservation Project has partnered with the Grinnell Area Arts Council to host an exhibit that will be on display through August 10 at the Arts Council (926 Broad St). Community members are encouraged to experience the new exhibit "Connections" which combines history and art to explore Grinnell's past, and TODAY (July 12) from 4-6PM they'll also be celebrating Ms. Renfrow Smith with birthday cupcakes and greetings!
In Ms. Renfrow Smith's response to being awarded an honorary doctorate from Grinnell College in 2019, she said 'Grinnell has been my life.' We are proud to help honor this true Grinnellian, and aspire to her long-standing dedication to community; may we all be so diligent to engage with our community and service in the ways that she has over her incredible lifetime.
We're thrilled to announce Peggy Elliott and Martha Pinder as the 2024 Fourth of July Parade Grand Marshals. Many incredible and worthy nominations were received again this year, and we are excited to recognize Peggy and Martha for their tireless commitment to communicate, inform and highlight area happenings.
Each year we receive many nominations to serve as the Fourth of July Grand Marshal, and this year was no exception. In a world where communication and accurate reporting are critical, we are thrilled to recognize Peggy and Martha for their commitment to keeping Grinnell and the surrounding area informed.
One nominee shares, “The Grinnell Herald-Register plays a critical role in Grinnell by informing us of important events, telling the stories of our residents, and documenting the history of our community.” The Grinnell Herald Register, owned by members of the Pinder family since 1944, is one of the community’s longest standing businesses. The sisters are no strangers to the community, devoting their lives and livelihood to sharing the community’s important news and information for decades.
The community is invited to join Peggy and Martha as this year’s Grand Marshals at the Fourth of July parade beginning at 5 PM. Click /index.cfm?nodeID=86743&audienceID=1 to find more details about Grinnell on the Fourth.
Martha & Peggy are pictured above with their late mother, Dorothy Pinder.
The parade is produced by the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce and presented by Ahrens Park Foundation in partnership with Grinnell Mutual, Green State Credit Union and Clarity Eyecare and Windsor Manor. Fireworks are managed by the City of Grinnell and paid for by the City’s Hotel/Motel Tax Committee.
In case you missed it, our President & CEO Rachael Kinnick attended the Greater Des Moines Partnership's DMDC fly-in back in May along with a few others from our community.
Much of our organization's work is spent strengthening the local Grinnell community right here in our five square miles. But we also work with other communities in the Central Iowa region. Our Chamber of Commerce is a regional affiliate of the Greater Des Moines Partnership (GDMP) and we work with them and their 23 affiliate chambers of commerce towards a common goal of strengthening central Iowa as a great place to do business and raise families.
While many of GDMP's members are located in metro areas and are advocating heavily for their communities, we take the time to advocate on behalf of Grinnell and rural Iowa. This year, GDMP is working to launch initiatives that better support and connect rural, suburban and urban, and we are thrilled to be part of that work to better connect our community and its businesses with others. With so much of rural Iowa beginning to see economic downturns, many federal programs are instrumental for continued community development in these places.
Not only did we have the chance to talk with our elected delegation and their staff about a number of issues which are critical to the continued growth and vibrancy of Grinnell, but we were able to network with nearly 200 business and industry leaders from the Central Iowa region. We were inspired by the support and encouragement from our peers and are excited to work with them in the coming months as we continue to strengthen many newfound relationships.
As a chamber of commerce, we spend much of our time collaborating with others. Not only in our community, but within our region to continue building rural, suburban and urban relationships in an effort to make Grinnell and Central Iowa a great place to live, learn, work and play.
Many of you will recall that a little over a year ago, the Build a Better Grinnell project surveyed community members in an effort to better understand some of the key issues community members believe to be most critical to the Grinnell community. Seven top responses were identified, and while there will be more information coming soon about each of those, one of the key issues Grinnellians noted was improving drinking water quality. At the time of the information gathering and its subsequent release, the City was already in the process of designing a new water treatment plant to help address the issue.
Much progress has been made since that time, and as you can imagine, projects like these take a significant amount of legwork to structure, design and develop - not to mention time and money. The city just recently completed the 95% design meeting with project developers, indicating components of the project will soon be put to bid and visible progress will soon be made. You can read more about the status of all the water improvement projects in a recent update on the city's website HERE.
The city was also recently notified they are the recipient of a federal grant through the Community Project Funding process, secured by Congresswoman Hinson, to help fund the efforts. This earmark will provide $3M towards the scope of the project. Additionally, the City has applied for state revolving funds (SRF) and are exploring other funding options that could also be used toward the project's completion.
I encourage community members to follow along with the Grinnell Herald Register as they provide regular and in-depth updates on this important community project. And in case you missed it, the Chamber Ambassadors visited the City of Grinnell's Water Treatment Plant over spring break (thus the smaller group photo!) to learn more about the progress being made on these efforts to address the water system(s) in the community. You can read more about that visit and find some of the photos HERE.
