Letter to the Editor: Support local business and industry

To the Editor:
As many Allamakee County residents are aware, our county currently has the highest unemployment rate in the State of Iowa. This is one category you do not want to be number one in. I wanted to share some data regarding the unemployment rate. The latest data is not seasonally adjusted. Allamakee County has a very large seasonal construction and seasonal tourism cycle. Our unemployment rate of 8.4 is the lowest it has been in March for the last six years. Compared to last month, the rate is less again. We all want our unemployment rate to be less, but it’s not going to happen over night. I check the unemployment rate every quarter and our trend is heading in the right direction. We cannot compete with larger metropolitan areas or even similar sized areas located on a major interstate.
We need to focus on what we have and what we can build upon. We know that 80% of our growth is going to come from business that is already here. Because of this, business retention and growth is a top priority for Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED). We need to support our local business and industry.
My job is to assist our business and industry how ever we can. We do that by advertising and marketing Allamakee County through tourism and existing industry, structuring financial packages, providing them with information on available programs they qualify for, provide confidential business counseling, business succession planning, business contingency plans and more.
I implore all Allamakee residents and businesses to find one item (or raw material/inventory item) that could be supplied/sold by a local provider instead of a national provider. We are all strong supporters of “Made in the USA,” which we should be. When will “Made in Allamakee County/Northeast Iowa” be just as compelling?