Ceremony at American Athletic Inc March 13
Greene County Development Corp. members and executive director Ken Paxton want all roads to lead to Greene County. At a ceremony Thursday morning announcing Greene County as the first Home Base Iowa community, it was clear that many roads already do.
Two of the three dignitaries present, Gov Terry Branstad and Maj. General Timothy Orr of the Iowa National Guard, talked of personal ties to the county.
Orr taught school and coached football at East Greene about 30 years ago. He talked about the warm welcome he was given then and gave a shout-out to a former student, veteran Frank Adamson of Scranton, who was seated near the front of the room.
Gov Branstad told of his friendship with Jim Andrew of Jefferson who, along with Paxton, spearheaded the effort for Home Base Iowa community designation and served as emcee for Thursday’s ceremony. Branstad and Andrew were in the ROTC together at the University of Iowa in the late 1960s. Branstad shared that Andrew’s nickname was Rock. “He was rock solid, I’ll tell you. He was in ROTC and he was in great shape,” the governor said.
Lt Gov Kim Reynolds was also present. She also made comments during the ceremony, which was held at AAI in Jefferson. About 150 persons attended, including representatives of the major employers in the county and many veterans. Jefferson mayor Craig Berry and council persons Larry Teeples, Harry Ahrenholtz, Gary Von Ahsen and Shannon Black attended, as did county board of supervisors chair John Muir and supervisors Dawn Rudolph, Mick Burkett and Tom Contner. Rep Chip Baltimore, who serves Greene County, was there also.
Home Base Iowa is a private-public partnership aimed at making Iowa the top state for job-seeking veterans. It is particularly focused on the thousands of personnel who will leave the military in the next five years due to a downsizing effort. The initiative was announced at Camp Dodge on Veterans Day. Andrew announced that day his intention for Greene County not only to be a Home Base Iowa community, but also to be the first in the state.
Timing of the Home Base Iowa initiative is ideal for Greene County. Paxton has estimated there will be between 800 and 1,000 new jobs in the county in the next several years. Most of those jobs will be in manufacturing and the service industry. He has promoted Home Base Iowa as a way to recruit those veterans to bring their families to work and live in Greene County.
The designation as a Home Base Iowa community has four requirements: a resolution of support from local governments; 10 percent of businesses committing to become Home Base Iowa businesses by setting goals for hiring veterans; an incentive package to attract veterans; and a willingness to display the Home Base Iowa logo in signage.
According to Branstad on Thursday, Greene County has 31 Home Base Iowa businesses with a goal of hiring a total of 321 veterans. As of Thursday, there are 53 Home Base Iowa businesses statewide and a goal of hiring 2,900 veterans. “We expect to see that continue to grow,” Branstad said.
The incentive package in Greene County and Jefferson includes elimination of closing costs for veterans purchasing homes with VA loans; a three-year property tax abatement for veterans purchasing homes; a $2,000 relocation support package offered by businesses; and a central list of available housing and jobs, as well as an online job pre-application on the GCDC website.
“Greene County is certainly setting itself apart as a very welcoming and supportive community for veterans,” Branstad said. “Though we honor Greene County today, in Home Base Iowa the whole state is involved. You’re leading the way, and we expect that many other counties and communities across the state will follow.”
“This is a step you’re taking today to put you on the map, not only in Iowa, but in the nation as one of the friendliest veterans communities…It’s going to be tough for other communities to compete with what you have to offer,” Orr said.
After comments from Orr, Reynolds and Branstad, and after Berry and Muir presented framed copies of the resolutions of support, Andrew told his personal motivation for his efforts. “Many of the Vietnam War era veterans in this room were treated with spittle and curses…during their service and on return to civilian life. I and many of the other Vietnam era veterans took a silent vow that we would never again allow our fellow brothers and sisters in arms to be treated that way. Today is a small down payment on the part of those of us who suffered that treatment to make civilian life better for this era’s returnees,” Andrew said.
