Ken Paxton, executive director of Greene County Chamber and Development, told the Jefferson city council at its regular Oct. 22 meeting that the approval of the casino referendum last August had a bigger impact on potential employers than he anticipated.
Paxton reported on trips he made to Chicago and Minneapolis paid for by the eight-county (including Greene) Western Iowa Advantage economic development group to talk with site selectors. “I represent the eight county region that sponsors me, but obviously, I talk about Greene County when I’m there, too,” Paxton said.
He talked with 20 site selectors in Chicago, and reported that some of them are starting to feel “beholden” to him because this was the third time he had made the trip to talk with them. “They feel like they need to come up with some opportunities for us,” Paxton said.
In addition to persistence, the voter support and the possibility of a casino and entertainment facility coming to Greene County increased their interest. “I thought the casino was important to make this a destination area,” Paxton said. “ I was honestly shocked at how impactful it was on these site selectors. They thought this was really a big deal. They want me to keep them abreast of everything that goes on as it moves forward. They really think it’s a finishing piece. That makes us really a destination, and changed our standing in their interest level. That’s gone up significantly.”
Paxton also told the council he anticipates 600 new jobs in Greene County in the next two to three years. He named the possible casino, HyVee, a recent $2.3 million expansion at Scranton Manufacturing, the John Deere purchase of Bauer Built in Paton, and Vaughn and Lori Bauer’s plans for a new manufacturing facility in Paton, as projects that will create jobs. Greene County Development Corporation has recently formed a labor task force to look at ways to aggressively prepare for the increased need for employees.
He noted that he is currently working with two potential businesses, one of them a large employer. “We’re really fortunate. I think it’s a snowball. We have so much going on, and people have heard it’s going on, so now they’re looking at us….We’re on a pretty good roll right now. We just need to keep that going.”
