From Ag to “Aging in Place” or “Diversified Job Base”

Twenty years ago DeWitt, IA was virtually a 100% ag town and ag was in a major recession. The citizens decided that they had to do something different for the welfare of their citizens, their children and grandchildren. They could have sat back, done nothing and just aged in place like a lot of places that I visit. They didn’t! Today, they are a thriving, diversified town of 5,000 with a wonderful future.

Agriculture was always the backbone for places like DeWitt. It wasn’t necessarily flashing, but it was steady. Farmers sold their crops, bought goods locally and the community moved gradually along. When crops were good, lots of pickups and other high value goods were sold. When they were poor, farmers buckled their belt a bit tighter and sales in the town fell.

The 1980s were a sea change in that equation. Crop prices fell, growing conditions were erratic and the number of farmers fell dramatically. I was out in Iowa during those years and it was an era reminiscent of the Great Depression. Fortunately, it didn’t last.

During those times several citizens of DeWitt decided that they could no longer be totally dependent upon agriculture. They started several industrial parks, built industrial spec buildings and recruited in companies that were looking for good workers with a mechanical ingenuity and work ethic that is often found in farming places like DeWitt.

Today the town has 14 manufacturing companies that they have recruited in over the past 15 years. These plants employ over 1,000 people with the largest a glass manufacturer with 285. One of the local plants is owned by a family out of New York, which moved all of their telecommunications and data systems to DeWitt after 9/11. Evidently they figure that Iowa is a bit safer than New York.

DeWitt is a very progressive community with a beautiful local aquatic center and new library. Last year 40 new houses were built, quite a few for a town the size of DeWitt. Their one negative is that they can’t pass referendums for their schools. They’ve had 7 in a row go down in defeat. Hopefully, they’ll realize that their children are their future, invest in that future and pass a referendum.

DeWitt is the kind of town that I love to visit. It has friendly people, visionary leadership and a solid base on which to build. It is a community looking forward, rather than lamenting what might have passed them by. The people of DeWitt are creating their own future.