Building an alliance is a strategic move that can significantly amplify an organization’s reach, resources, and impact. When the Ames Regional Economic Alliance formally rebranded from the Ames Chamber of Commerce in June 2024, it was the culmination of years of work under the leadership of President and CEO, Dan Culhane. Today, the Alliance is a regional organization that promotes economic growth and community development across Boone, Hamilton, and Story counties in Central Iowa.
Since 2006, Culhane has led the Ames Chamber of Commerce, a community organization that dates back to 1944. However, over the past 15 years, the organization has significantly evolved, expanding its services, programs, and team members. This growth has allowed the organization to play a much more comprehensive role in the region. It is what also ultimately led to the rebrand.
“We actively work across multiple counties, supporting economic and community development opportunities,” said Culhane. “Our team is plugged into what is happening in Boone, Nevada, Huxley, and many other smaller communities. Of course, Ames is our homebase and it’s the center of our region and our work.”
The new brand is not just about a name and a logo, it is about a collective commitment to growth, collaboration, and prosperity across the three-county area. The process of forming a successful alliance involves identifying potential partners who share similar goals, values, and visions. That process started in 2012 with an agreement with the City of Huxley, and it 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 the 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,” said Culhane. “For years, our jurisdiction ended at the city limits of Ames. But over time, it has become clear that we need to work together as a region to attract talent and companies. What is good for Boone positively impacts Ames. The same can be said for all of the communities we work in.”
A Look at the Leader
Culhane grew up in St. Charles, Minnesota, and first arrived in Ames as a student at Iowa State University. “Ames has a way of drawing you in. Since my undergraduate days, I always appreciated the community. Little did I know at the time that it would be the future home for my family.” He graduated from Iowa State in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Community & Regional Planning.
His first job out of college provided him an opportunity to lead the economic development organization in Franklin County. “During that time, I was fortunate to have community leaders who were willing to take a twenty-something under their wing,” said Culhane, reflecting on his early career. “They let me make mistakes, but they also let me fix them. I learned a lot during that time because I had great mentors.”
Culhane moved on from Franklin County and spent seven years leading the Mason City Economic Development Corporation. “I enjoyed my time in Mason City. I worked with great leaders that were committed to attracting industry.” Culhane worked with companies like Cargill, Kraft Foods, and Assa Abloy, to name a few, on projects that either expanded or located within the Mason City area. “That was a great time to be in North Iowa and it helped me develop a greater appreciation for collaboration and regionalism as we did not do it alone. The best example of that is the Alliant Energy power plant we helped locate outside of Mason City. If the Clear Lake community had not stepped up to provide water to the project, it may not have landed there. It took everyone pulling in the same direction to get that done.”
Along the way, he graduated from the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute in 1998, earned his CEcD (Certified Economic Developer) in 2000, and the Chamber industry’s highest designation, the Certified Chamber Executive (CCE), in 2011. During that time, his career path led him back to Ames with an emphasis on economic and community development.
Culhane admittedly has a traditional respect for leadership and has a tendency to say “yes” to a lot of things. “I think it’s important to be visible and involved because that’s how relationships are formed, and progress is made.”
He has served on numerous boards including the YSS Foundation and United Way of Story County. He chaired the 2017 fundraising, which, at the time, was the largest in campaign history. He has chaired several professional organizations over the years including the Iowa Chamber Alliance – a coalition of Iowa’s largest community’s Chambers of Commerce, the Professional Developers of Iowa, and the Mid-America Economic Development Council – a multi-state peer group from Ohio to the Dakota’s.
A Case Study in Economic Development
Economic development is often work that takes place behind-the-scenes of a community. Helping existing business and industry with opportunities for expansion, marketing the region, and developing workforce initiatives are examples of this work. It’s also responding to prospects who are interested in making investments in the region. That’s what happened in late 2023 when Daisy Brand, the makers of sour cream and cottage cheese, was exploring options across the country for a new manufacturing facility.
“As is often the case with prospective opportunities we see, the lead comes from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA),” said Culhane.
The Alliance team assembled a presentation for Daisy leadership, outlining the benefits of the region, including potential site opportunities where they could build. “Because we’ve worked with the City of Boone and led the Boone County Economic Growth Corporation for years, we had a two-county region to work from.”
As the process moved forward, Daisy narrowed the list of available destinations from a dozen to six, then to four, and eventually two; the Boone site and another out of state. Meetings and presentations led to an unaccounted number of follow-up phone calls, and even a day trip to Dallas where Daisy is headquartered, contributed to finalizing the deal. The Boone County Economic Growth Corporation played a vital role in acquiring land that was eventually sold to Daisy, and the Alliance team went deep in understanding milk production in the region. Did you know that Daisy estimates needing 3.3 million pounds of milk a day? That’s the equivalent of 43,000 cows, milked three times a day.
“The Daisy project landed here because everyone was on the same page, immediately,” said Culhane. The City of Boone, both staff and elected officials, the Boone County Economic Growth Corporation board, the Iowa Economic Development Authority, DMACC, Alliant Energy – everyone did their part, which matter in high stakes opportunities like this. Leadership matters, every day.”
AREA Impact
The Daisy case-study is an example of like-minded organizations aligning together to pool expertise and resources and leverage each other’s networks for regional success. “This collaboration has been taking place for years leading up to the Daisy project,” said Culhane. “And it paid off in a big way for the region in this case.”
An alliance requires a thorough assessment of each partner’s strengths and unique contributions that they can bring to the table. “It looks different in each community because we respond to what is needed,” said Culhane. “What makes our organization different is that we are invested deeply in each community we work with. We actively meet with local community and business leaders, attend city council meetings, and do the leg work to provide value.” That work now extends into Hamilton County, which occurred because of the developed reputation for “following through,” said Culhane.
The new Alliance brand is catching up to the work that has already taken place. Unpacking the name: Ames is the geographical center while Regional extends the range. Economic defines the work and Alliance highlights the partnerships held across the organization; together forming the acronym AREA.
Today, the Ames Regional Economic Alliance is a team of 18 and growing, working across the three-county Ames area. Over the past 15 years, not only has it grown regionally, but the organization has expanded its programming as well. The Alliance umbrella not only includes economic development work and traditional chamber of commerce programming, but it also operates a number of affiliate organizations.
“Each of our affiliate organizations has a specific purpose,” said Culhane, “that help round out much of the work that we do across communities.”
Downtown Ames is a Main Street Iowa organization committed to revitalizing downtown. The Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market is one of the best in the state that draws thousands of guests every Saturday from May to October. Founded in 1987, Ames Seed Capital is a venture fund that provides equity-based financing for business start-ups. Additionally, the Alliance operates the young professional’s organization in the region that supports the next generation of leaders in the community.
The business landscape is constantly evolving, and alliances must be flexible enough to respond to new challenges and opportunities. The Ames Regional Economic Alliance, under the leadership of President & CEO Dan Culhane, has embraced the spirit of regional collaboration. While they introduced a new brand, the mission has remained unchanged.
“I was fortunate to find this work at an early stage in my career and I have been blessed ever since with a supportive team, engaged board members, and community,” said Culhane. “My role has most certainly changed within our organization. There is a natural cadence of progress over time, but one constant is that I have continually found joy in the work that we do.”
