Earlier this week marked a significant moment for our organization as we officially launched our new brand: Ames Regional Economic Alliance. The new brand is not just about a name and a logo, it is about a collective commitment to growth, collaboration, and prosperity across our three-county area.
For over 85 years, we’ve been known as the Ames Chamber of Commerce, yet our organization has grown over the past decade as we started to engage and support economic development across the region. First, it was the City of Huxley (2012), and has steadily grown since then: Story County (2013), Nevada Economic Development Council (2018), City of Story City (2019), City of Boone (2020), Boone County Economic Growth Corporation (2022), and our most recent addition is Hamilton County and the City of Webster City (2024). Each of these additions has made us think more regionally and led us to our current brand.
With this expansion, our approach to economic development has evolved to include community development and other assets that enrich the livability of our communities. We have always been quick to embrace change and innovation, adapting to new challenges and opportunities. Today, we stand united, as an alliance, ready to forge ahead into a future filled with making good on the promise of thriving businesses and highly livable communities with diverse housing options, healthy downtowns and cool, public spaces.
When we embarked on this process last fall, we knew it was the right work. But rebranding is hard creatively and logistically. From the beginning, we had immediate support from our various board of directors, community partners, and a unified understanding of what this means from our entire team. It has been an incredible process.
Moving forward, our mission remains unchanged: to serve and represent everyone in our region with renewed vigor and clarity. The launch of the Ames Regional Economic Alliance signifies a fresh beginning—a commitment to inclusive growth, sustainable development that results in flourishing business and industry, vibrant and meaningful employment opportunities, and asset rich, livable communities.
I hope you share our enthusiasm for the Ames Regional Economic Alliance, also known simply as the Alliance, and our new identity. Together, we are poised to build a stronger, more vibrant future for our region.
