Recapping an impressive year in Greene County

Greene County scored an impressive number of achievements in 2022 in areas that contribute to the quality of life of its residents. A number of challenges in those areas remain, some of which we’ve faced for decades and some of which are of more recent vintage. The start of a new year offers an opportunity to take stock of the pluses and minuses we’ve just run up.

Several new businesses opened here this past year, and others expanded their service lines and/or production levels. Some invested in major construction projects, including a new ag complex on Highway 4 near Cooper and replacement grain storage capacity in Jefferson, as well as increased square footage at some manufacturing facilities in the county.

Most Greene County manufacturers report strong sales for the year, in part through recovery from the COVID downturn. Maintaining sales growth, however, will depend heavily on the availability of employees. Greene County’s not alone in that situation: labor shortages plague every corner of America, rural and urban alike. 

The communities that solve that challenge will enjoy continued prosperity. Those unable both to retain their employees and attract others to live and work there will not. Many of Greene County’s workers can boast long tenures in their positions, but their retirements approach. Our companies will need not only to find replacements for them but also to recruit a net increase in their workforces so they can expand.

Nueva Vida en Greene County, Greene County Development Corporation’s initiative to attract Latino workers and their families to jobs here, would help meet that need. Its success hinges on several factors: attractive employment opportunities, more housing for employees’ families, and a community that Latinos find to be welcoming. 

The challenges for Nueva Vida are significant. Businesses in neighboring counties also have jobs available, and they are closer to current Latino population centers than Greene County. Greene County employers will need to offer pay scales competitive enough to encourage Latinos living elsewhere to make change jobs, and eventually homes, to come here. 

But the project could pay real dividends if we can meet those challenges. Iowa’s growing Latino sector explains why the state didn’t lose population in the last census. It’s difficult to see how rural employers can thrive without taking the potential of Latino workers into account.

While some new businesses brightened the economic picture in the county in 2022, some others are for sale, as their owners reach retirement age or decide to seek other ways to make a living. How rapidly new owners take their place will provide a barometer of Greene County’s ability to maintain and improve its quality of life.

Along that line we are not without advantages. This past year saw an increase in the size and quality of our child care facilities, and provided an impressive increase in housing units, particularly apartments and town homes. The towns along Highway 144 in eastern Greene County have initiated a housing improvement project to spruce up their residential areas and attract new residents. We are also enjoying a variety of local entertainment opportunities, as well as the results of an emphasis on business district attractiveness. 

Local government entities continued to prioritize community development, with strong leadership on their councils and boards. Leadership strength also continued in progressive non-profit organizations that cooperate toward common goals. And funds from Wild Rose Casino inject around $1 ½ million annually into worthwhile civic efforts here and in our surrounding counties.

Of course, stand-alone rural counties at some distance from metro areas, like Greene County, continue to live with some of the same challenges they have faced for at least 75 years. Retail competition from urban shopping centers, adjacent counties with relatively larger retail sectors, and, more recently, on-line shopping opportunities threaten local stores. Encouraging local residents to shop locally, and attracting shoppers from elsewhere, remain a big challenge and a big opportunity.

Everyone has his or her own opinion of our pluses and minuses, and this list is not meant to be comprehensive. For me, the most significant ingredient in Greene County’s mix is its resilience. The county’s residents and organizations continue to take challenges head-on and work together to meet them. That ingredient resists quantification, but it’s real, and it’s essential to a community’s success. 

It’s gratifying to live, work, and play in a place like that.