As is now becoming an annual tradition, the T-R recently reached out to a host of local leaders for their reflections on the year that was and their goals for the year to come with 2024 nearly in the rearview mirror. The first half of the respondents are directly quoted in their own words below, and the remainder will be printed in Thursday’s edition. Happy new year!

Joe Carter, President/CEO of MARSHALLTOWN Company:

Carter

Despite another lackluster building market, MARSHALLTOWN made great strides again in 2024 with our 10th acquisition in the last 6 years. We’ve become the Home of the Iconic American-Made Tool Brands and that’s a testament to our people – their commitment, their intelligence, and their love for their other team members. I’m so proud of them.

As a community, I love the progress we continue to make. The opening of downtown housing at the Willard and Hopkins buildings tops my list as I saw how hard Janelle worked to pull that together with a great team. The progress doesn’t end there, as it’s exciting to finally see housing popping up just north of Wayward Social.

I’m bullish on 2025 and can hardly wait to see the Apgar Water Plaza take shape along with the Emerson Bridge and Ann Keyser Trail Head. Finally, we can connect the Freedom Rock and restaurants/bars to our entire trail system. When we receive the grant to proceed to Steamboat Rock, we’re going to really be cooking. When Jeff Simms finishes his beautiful building on Main Street, it will be exciting to see what entrepreneurs will step forward to fill his spot and the Willard space.

As for the company, it will be exciting to see what changes we’ve got in store on 8th Avenue. We’re growing in so many ways with new products, expanding with our customers and seeking out new ones. It’s an exciting time!

Julie Graber, Principal of St. Francis Catholic School:V

Graber

Greer

Proud moments, challenges, and looking ahead: A year of growth at SFC

As we reflect on the past year, Saint Francis Catholic School has experienced both significant challenges and deeply meaningful moments that have shaped our community and strengthened our commitment to our mission. With 2024 now behind us, we look forward with anticipation to the goals and aspirations that will guide us through 2025.

One of the most defining and emotional moments for our school family came in the spring with the tragic passing of Paige, SFC’s beloved secretary. Her loss left a profound impact on our students and staff. Her example of service and love will forever inspire us as we move forward.

In addition to this sorrowful loss, the school faced a significant challenge when several key positions were vacated during the spring and summer months. Yet, with God’s grace and the dedication of our staff, we successfully filled these positions, ensuring that SFC remained a place of stability and strength for our students and staff. The transition was not without difficulty, but it provided an opportunity for growth, collaboration, and renewed commitment to our shared mission. We are grateful for the dedication of those who stepped into new roles, as well as for the support of our entire school and parish community as we navigated these changes.

As we enter 2025, our theme for the school year, “Rise Up,” continues to inspire us as we strive to live out our calling as disciples of Christ. The words from Luke 24:32-33 resonate deeply with our school community: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” This passage reminds us that as we journey together in faith, our hearts are called to burn with love and devotion to God and one another.

Our goals for the year ahead are focused on coming together as a united team–one that serves the Lord in all that we do, that educates the whole child, and that fosters a learning environment where each student is empowered to grow academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. We recognize that education is not just about imparting knowledge, but about nurturing the whole person, and we are committed to continuing our work to cultivate a community where each student can thrive and be Future Ready.

In 2025, we are also committed to strengthening our professional growth as educators. We believe that through collaboration, continued learning, and a spirit of humility, we can become the best possible educators for our students. Our staff will continue to engage in professional development opportunities, share best practices, and support each other in the pursuit of excellence.

Above all, we remain focused on our mission to be a beacon of Christ’s love in our community. Whether in the classroom, in the community, or in our service to others, we will continue to “Rise Up” in faith, love, and unity.

As we embark on another year, we invite all members of the SFC family–students, parents, staff, and alumni — to join us in this journey. Together, we will grow, learn, and rise up to meet the challenges and blessings that 2025 holds.

May our hearts burn with passion for the Lord and our community as we look forward to another year of service, learning, and growth.

Joel Greer, Marshalltown Mayor: Biggest accomplishments of 2024: Voters gave us our first young Hispanic female city councilor and renewed the LOST that helps visitors fund local improvements and projects. We filled critical positions including an excellent new city administrator, fire chief, police chief, housing director, planning director and park/rec director. We also added a second person to help process nuisance complaints and formed a task force to help that effort.

Challenges: fixing streets fast enough after voters rejected the franchise fee, and trying to help alleviate the homeless challenge.

Goals and outlook: In this last of my dozen years on the council and as mayor, I would love to see us go to citywide hauling to make it cheaper for residents, cause less damage to streets and help us recycle better. With Main Street being redone, I hope we can follow the expert traffic engineers’ advice to make Church and Linn Streets two-way and use a few roundabouts, for safety and traffic flow. And the big dream for the future is to get the grants and complete the Linn Creek projects with the water plaza, trailhead and Tye Theatre, the 34-mile trail to Steamboat, and the in-town trail connection from Riverview Park to the veterans home.

John Hall, Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO:

Hall

As 2024 draws to a close, it’s an opportunity to reflect on the successes, challenges, and growth that have defined this year for the Chamber and our community. This has been a year of milestones–both personal and professional — that have underscored the importance of teamwork, resilience, and vision. At the heart of our progress has been an extraordinary team whose dedication, collaboration, and shared sense of purpose have allowed us to achieve more than ever imagined. From transformative community projects to a renewed sense of cohesion within our organization, 2024 has shown that with strong partnerships and collective effort, we can tackle challenges and embrace opportunities that drive meaningful change.

This year brought both personal and professional milestones that have shaped a meaningful journey. On a personal note, welcoming my second child, Elliott, into the world in March was an incredible gift. As with any major life change, it required balancing responsibilities and priorities in new ways, offering moments of growth and reflection. Alongside this, I navigated an important personal discovery: a diagnosis of untreated ADHD. With the support of Center Associates, I’ve gained clarity and tools that have made this past year transformative, both personally and professionally.

On the Chamber front, 2024 was a defining year for our organization and team. By midyear, it became clear how exceptional the synergy within our team has become. Each individual brought their strengths to bear, fully embracing their roles while fostering mutual support and camaraderie. This alignment has not only bolstered our internal capacity but has also enabled us to pursue opportunities with renewed energy and confidence. Our community is rich in potential, and the caliber of our team ensures we are better equipped than ever to seize that potential and deliver results.

One of the standout achievements of 2024 was our partnership with the Arts + Culture Alliance, which led to raising over $2.5 million for the Linn Creek District Projects. This collaboration brought to life transformative projects like the Apgar Family Water Plaza, Ann C. Keyser Trailhead, the Emerson Bridge, and the Martha Ellen Tye Playhouse. These initiatives represent the power of combining creativity, business, and economic development to drive impactful change. The partnership exemplifies what is possible when organizations unite under a shared vision for progress.

As we turn our focus to 2025, several key priorities stand out. Addressing the redevelopment of major properties like the Marshalltown Mall, the old hospital, and the old clinic building remains critical. These sites, in their current state, hinder investment and growth while posing ongoing challenges to our community. Substantial progress on these properties will be pivotal to shaping a stronger, more vibrant Marshalltown.

Another challenge we are actively working to address is how to better support our individual Chamber members. While many join the Chamber to contribute to the collective improvement of the community, others seek more tailored, granular support for their businesses. Historically, much of this need has been met through partnerships with the Small Business Development Center, which remains a vital resource. However, we recognize the opportunity to expand our offerings. Tools like Placer.ai, which provides data on visitor activity, present exciting possibilities. As we gain proficiency with this technology, we aim to provide actionable insights that empower our members, particularly retailers, to make data-driven decisions that enhance their success.

Finally, some aspects of 2025 will involve building on the strong foundation established in 2024. With a team that continues to deepen its experience and cohesion, we are positioned to leverage new tools, resources, and opportunities. This momentum will allow us to push further and deliver even greater value to our community and members in the coming year.

Sean Heitmann, Marshalltown Community School District Board of Education President:

Heitmann

The proudest moment of 2024 was the passage of the bond referendum in November to reimagine Miller Middle School and Franklin Field. Seeing the community come out in support of our students, teachers and staff was amazing! I am thankful for the hard work of the reimagine committee and volunteers who made it possible.

The challenge for 2025 and beyond is to begin making the hopes and dreams of the reimagine committee and volunteers into reality as the designs for the future Miller Middle School begin to reach their final form. That work along with continuing efforts to reduce student absenteeism and increase student achievement are top priorities for the coming year.

Patrick Hemming, Albion Mayor: As Mayor I would say how proud I was in June when our town came together to celebrate Rail Trails. We saw people returning to Albion to celebrate our community, followed by an excellent fireworks display.

The addition of the Dollar General over the past year and a half has spurred local interest and will hopefully inspire other businesses to expand in our community.

The Market Off Main continues to draw support from our community and surrounding area as a supplier of all Iowa products.

Working with the Strategic Development Committee their goal has been to identify potential sites for housing development and encourage investment in our town.

With the passing of Larry Raymon our town lost a community business leader and strong supporter, however I’m looking forward to working with his son’s who have expressed desire to carry on with their families commitment to our town.

Like many small towns here in Iowa, we are required to address our aging sewer system which we started in May with a cleaning and televising of our system. This will be a multi year project which will put a strain on our community but is necessary to meet DNR and EPA requirements.

In February of this year the Mayor’s of the smaller towns in Marshall County started gathering on the third Saturday of each month to share common problems and solutions to our communities’ needs. It is my hope this practice continues as I have found it to be very helpful and informative. We are continuing to invite and encourage involvement in this gathering.

As for goals for our town I would like to see the development of a pickleball court near our skateboard park area, fundraising for a community electronic sign to better communicate with town’s people, the possibility of attracting a family restaurant or expanding food trucks, continued growth of the Rail Trails community celebration, and the expansion of the bike trail to Albion.

David Hicks, YSS of Marshall County Director of Community Engagement:

Hicks

Looking back at 2024, I’m grateful for another year of YSS of Marshall County continuing to expand and support the needs of the community. We added licensed mental health therapists, we saw a 27% increase of usage of our outpatient addictions counseling services, and had an 18% growth in our niche programs – such as those we serve who age out of Iowa’s foster care system. Part of our process is to measure data and to quantify how much we do. Perhaps more importantly, we have countless stories of who we served. Last week, MPACT housed an elderly gentleman who was living in a campground. The team connected him to services so his housing can be sustained long term. Prior to that, the team assisted in a hospitalization of a suicidal person who now has renewed hope for the future. One former foster care youth had been staying on a friend’s couch for nearly two years. Our staff found an affordable apartment and our program provided the deposit. The person is now working fulltime and has changed the trajectory of their life. Our growth comes from having dedicated professional staff who serve with compassion and commitment. Every day is a challenge. Every day provides an opportunity.

2025 will mark my 29th year at YSS of Marshall County. I’m closer to the end of my career than the beginning, but I have the same drive and motivation as I always have. I think that comes from having a ‘can-do’ spirit, but nothing gets accomplished by working alone. MPACT started as an idea to be piloted for one year. We had no blueprint or model to follow. We built the service in a collaborative fashion from the ground-up. Thanks to our city council, MPACT has now been fully funded through December of 2026 – and we’ll serve hundreds of people because of it. We also look forward to the EMBER Recovery Center set to open this month. It will be a best in class facility. Built on a 50-acre campus South of Ames, EMBER will offer 70 beds for emergency shelter, crisis stabilization, and residential addiction treatment for youth and young adults. The nature-based and trauma-informed facility will provide a welcoming environment that facilitates hope, wellness, and healing. The best of YSS is yet to come in 2025!