T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY From left to right, Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO John Hall, Tama County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Doland and Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors President Zach Stahlin sign copies of the new economic development contract between the two entities during a ceremony at the downtown State Bank of Toledo Community Meeting Room on Tuesday morning.

TOLEDO — Coffee, donuts, cinnamon rolls, mingling, and small talk were had among prominent officials from Tama County and Marshalltown on Tuesday. They weren’t gathered simply to read each other’s name tags and to chat about a possible bright future; they were there to make history. Though the matter had already been discussed and approved by the Tama County Board of Supervisors, their new 5 ½ year economic development contract with the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce was officially formalized during a signing ceremony inside the community room at the downtown State Bank of Toledo on Tuesday morning.

As the attendees enjoyed coffee, donuts and friendly conversation, Chamber President/CEO John Hall delivered brief remarks and expressed his excitement about cementing a partnership that had, in past years, mostly existed through “informal relationships, cross interactions and expectations of different organizations or employers that one county could be helpful to another.”

After the old Tama County Economic Development department functionally shut down last June due to a drastic funding cut and the resignation of former director Katherine Ollendieck, the Supervisors embarked on a discovery process to explore their options for the future and eventually landed on pursuing a public-private partnership with the Chamber, which has similar contracts with the city of Marshalltown and Marshall County.

“We’re happy that through the discovery process and the Institute for Decision Making (at UNI) and ISU Extension and Outreach, it ultimately led them to our organization and our team,” Hall said. “While I’m the one here standing in front of you all, at the end of the day, the commitment that we’re making and you’re making is to hire our team of professionals, the bench strength that we’ve got at the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce to be the economic development engine for Tama County.”

As part of the new arrangement, the Chamber has hired Jake Buchanan to serve as its Tama County economic development director.

Locals have probably seen Buchanan, a local boy himself and Class of 2004 STC High School graduate, around town, in a local play, or with his little ones, Evelyn (4) and Robbie (6), who he says, “keep me on my toes.” After graduating from STC, he went on to continue his education at Coe College and the University of Iowa.

Buchanan spent nearly 15 years as a store/pharmacy manager for Walgreen’s, but for the past four years, he worked as an Area/District Manager for CSOI Corp. So, this is a fresh mine that needs exploring for him.

“Economic Development as a career is new to me, but working for the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce gives me access to a full team of experienced people to help me, and I believe I can leverage the relationships I have throughout the county to be successful,” he said.

As Economic Development Director, he has a few different duties and explained his job.

“I work as a liaison between government, businesses, non-profits, and educational institutions to add value to the Tama County economy. We work on attracting new business, retaining and helping grow established businesses, and helping provide education and resources to improve the quality of life in Tama County,” Buchanan said.

The new hire is rip-roaring and ready to go; he wants to make an impact on the place he calls home.

“I am most excited to be able to make a difference in my community. I think if you were a customer that interacted with me in my previous two careers, you would know that I am passionate in what I do and hold myself accountable to deliver results,” he said.

Hall noted that along with Buchanan’s fresh face, the entire Chamber staff is now at the service of Tama County.

“The reality is that our entire team is engaged. Our entire team is here and present, and we stand ready to assist in all of the avenues that we can pursue in trying to make Tama County better and stronger,” he said.

Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Heather Knebel also shared her thoughts on the occasion as she took center stage, praising Buchanan for already making himself visible and known in his new role.

“As a county, we’re able to save money but also get improved services. We don’t just get Jake or one or two people, but getting an entire team is just an amazing thing. So I’m super excited to get boots on the ground and to work with you guys,” she said.

Hall then remarked that the signing was “marking a moment” and hoped to build on the public-private partnership in the future with special events, networking and other opportunities.

“Watch this room continue to grow as we outgrow this space (and) find new space as we continue to bring our focus into the boat, all pulling in the same direction and, again, building that economic engine that it takes in order to build a successful county and community,” he said. “It’s gonna take a lot more than the folks in this room, and so we’re gonna bring them all along.”

Once Hall, Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Doland and Chamber Board of Directors President Zach Stahlin had each put their John Hancocks on their copies of the contract, the deal was done, and the new era had officially begun. The details are as follows: between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2026, the county will contribute $75,000 for the initial half-year of service, followed by $150,000 in Fiscal Year 2026-2027, $160,000 in FY27-28, $170,000 in FY28-29, $125,000 with a $50,000 private contribution in FY29-30 and $125,000 with a $50,000 private contribution in FY30-31.

Afterward, Doland, Knebel and Hall spoke to the T-R about their economic development goals and why they felt that a public-private partnership made sense.

“We have access to a full team of professionals in Marshalltown. I used to work in Marshalltown. I go to Menard’s in Marshalltown. I go to Walmart in Marshalltown, and so there’s so much synergy and so much that we are alike. Our diversity of our population is very similar, and the Meskwaki Nation is in between us that we both interact with,” Doland said. “I think it’s kind of a no-brainer, honestly, when we started looking into things.”

Some of the county’s major employers like Iowa Premium Beef, the Meskwaki Bingo Casino and Hardon’s Services are already members of the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce, he added. Knebel said the work of the individual Chamber organizations in Tama County communities will continue, and she hopes the new agreement will benefit every city within its borders.

Hall noted that past strategic plans in Tama County had never been truly acted upon, so his goal is to seek feedback from county and business leaders on what they’re actually looking for before drawing up a new one.

“We’ll then build a strategic plan and (be) very clear from the outset that it will have measurables, and we will be held to account against those measurables. We’ll be spending this first, probably year, building that network and then going into the strategic planning process,’ he said.