Click to learn why Silvius came to Red Oak and Montgomery County, Iowa
Economic progress for everyone; to reduce obvious inequity issues; improve quality of life for all; and to position Red Oak and Montgomery County as a progressive, thriving commUNITY leading change for a brighter future!
Economic progress for everyone; to reduce obvious inequity issues; improve quality of life for all; and to position Red Oak and Montgomery County as a progressive, thriving commUNITY leading change for a brighter future!
Shawnna Silvius has 17 years as a rural community-based economic development specialist
Under Shawnna's leadership, vision and actions as the Executive Director for Montgomery Co. Development Corporation in February 2020, MCDC received state recognition as "The Best of Iowa" (click link to read why)!
MCDC's Top 15 accomplishments in Silvius' 3+ years include:
3) SPURRED THE $5.3M HOUSING REUSE PROJECT (due to previous relationship with past projects with the developer) preserving the former (high then) middle school property; assisting getting the building on the National Park Service Historical Registry; and creating 25 - 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartment complex units to soon open as PRAIRIE FIRE LOTS. This project (which involved many) actually created 3 additional projects! A) Saved the school district $1M in demolition which they B) Reinvested into renovation of Washington Elementary (now home to the Red Oak Child Development Center) and C) Allowed the purchase of new property for the districts Administration Building
4) ADDRESSED LACKING CHILDCARE - our #1 most critical county issue - resulting in two new licensed centers in the county (Red Oak Child Development Center and Southwest Valley Early Childhood Center in Villisca) brought Sunshine & Rainbows Child Resource Center to full capacity and lobbied at the state legislature for additional childcare support
5) SAVED THE RAIL SPUR in the industrial park by hosting a public input session (one of 31 dedicated spurs direct to industry in the state)
6) FIBER OPTICS TO REMAINING RURAL AREA - Convened many discussions leading Farmers Mutual Telephone Co.'s into applying for and receiving a $6.4M Reconnect Award to complete installation of fiber-optic broadband'
7) SECURED AND CONDUCTED BROADBAND STUDY (half from the City of Red Oak and County) after forming a broadband committee and securing funding. The Consultants shared the report findings and the Committee recommended to the City and County to complete Fiber Optic buildout initiative for Red Oak using FMTC
8) CREATED AN EXPANDED HOUSING COMMITTEE who presented a proposal using SWIPCO and funding from MCDC and MidAmerican Energy to support a city-wide housing study
9) PREPARED MULTIPLE GRANTS. ADMINISTRATED one COMMUNITY CATALYST BUILDING REMEDIATION GRANT for $100,000 for a building rehab project
10) CREATED iGnite Montgomery County YOUNG PROFESSIONALS GROUP dedicated to uniting the county, until the City of Red Oak reallocated Red Oak's funds originally requested to host a combined 4th of July fireworks event over Viking Lake and combining funds from Villisca and Red Oak to make an extra special display.
11) RE-ESTABLISHED MCDC as a 501c4 ORGANIZATION dedicated to full-county economic development efforts delivering community, economic, workforce, housing, business and leadership development initiatives to revitalize a severely depressed, declining rural county in SW Iowa. INCLUDED GENERATING ADDITIONAL REVENUE of more than $80,000 additional program funding and EXPANDED THE BOARD to include 6 additional seats to represent Education, Industry, Small Business, Workforce, Agriculture and Finance.
12) CREATED A BRAND, SLOGAN, MARKETING MATERIALS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE
13) HOSTED MULTIPLE CAREER AND JOB FAIRS in partnership with Southwestern Community College and other partners
14) STARTED/HOSTED PUBLIC AND SPECIFIC TOPIC CONVERSATIONS on Housing, Childcare, Workforce, Targeted Industry, Broadband and more.
15) SECURED MULTIPLE RETAIL BUSINESSES, AS WELL AS, RETAIL STRATEGIES to perform due diligence in continued focus on market research specific for our dedicated areas targeted retail/service business needs, to create a customized attraction strategy, negotiate property acquisition, and attract and secure additional businesses.
Silvius signed off for a career opportunity that better positions her for serving Red Oak!
MCDC's Top 15 accomplishments in Silvius' 3+ years include:
- 1) STATE RECOGNITION as Best of Iowa (1 of 4 communities recognized out of 1600) because we responded to issues of concern shared by our executives at our large industry through our Business Retention Expansion Program Visits
3) SPURRED THE $5.3M HOUSING REUSE PROJECT (due to previous relationship with past projects with the developer) preserving the former (high then) middle school property; assisting getting the building on the National Park Service Historical Registry; and creating 25 - 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartment complex units to soon open as PRAIRIE FIRE LOTS. This project (which involved many) actually created 3 additional projects! A) Saved the school district $1M in demolition which they B) Reinvested into renovation of Washington Elementary (now home to the Red Oak Child Development Center) and C) Allowed the purchase of new property for the districts Administration Building
4) ADDRESSED LACKING CHILDCARE - our #1 most critical county issue - resulting in two new licensed centers in the county (Red Oak Child Development Center and Southwest Valley Early Childhood Center in Villisca) brought Sunshine & Rainbows Child Resource Center to full capacity and lobbied at the state legislature for additional childcare support
5) SAVED THE RAIL SPUR in the industrial park by hosting a public input session (one of 31 dedicated spurs direct to industry in the state)
6) FIBER OPTICS TO REMAINING RURAL AREA - Convened many discussions leading Farmers Mutual Telephone Co.'s into applying for and receiving a $6.4M Reconnect Award to complete installation of fiber-optic broadband'
7) SECURED AND CONDUCTED BROADBAND STUDY (half from the City of Red Oak and County) after forming a broadband committee and securing funding. The Consultants shared the report findings and the Committee recommended to the City and County to complete Fiber Optic buildout initiative for Red Oak using FMTC
8) CREATED AN EXPANDED HOUSING COMMITTEE who presented a proposal using SWIPCO and funding from MCDC and MidAmerican Energy to support a city-wide housing study
9) PREPARED MULTIPLE GRANTS. ADMINISTRATED one COMMUNITY CATALYST BUILDING REMEDIATION GRANT for $100,000 for a building rehab project
10) CREATED iGnite Montgomery County YOUNG PROFESSIONALS GROUP dedicated to uniting the county, until the City of Red Oak reallocated Red Oak's funds originally requested to host a combined 4th of July fireworks event over Viking Lake and combining funds from Villisca and Red Oak to make an extra special display.
11) RE-ESTABLISHED MCDC as a 501c4 ORGANIZATION dedicated to full-county economic development efforts delivering community, economic, workforce, housing, business and leadership development initiatives to revitalize a severely depressed, declining rural county in SW Iowa. INCLUDED GENERATING ADDITIONAL REVENUE of more than $80,000 additional program funding and EXPANDED THE BOARD to include 6 additional seats to represent Education, Industry, Small Business, Workforce, Agriculture and Finance.
12) CREATED A BRAND, SLOGAN, MARKETING MATERIALS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE
13) HOSTED MULTIPLE CAREER AND JOB FAIRS in partnership with Southwestern Community College and other partners
14) STARTED/HOSTED PUBLIC AND SPECIFIC TOPIC CONVERSATIONS on Housing, Childcare, Workforce, Targeted Industry, Broadband and more.
15) SECURED MULTIPLE RETAIL BUSINESSES, AS WELL AS, RETAIL STRATEGIES to perform due diligence in continued focus on market research specific for our dedicated areas targeted retail/service business needs, to create a customized attraction strategy, negotiate property acquisition, and attract and secure additional businesses.
Silvius signed off for a career opportunity that better positions her for serving Red Oak!
Vote Shawnna Silvius for Mayor of Red Oak Tuesday, November 2, 2021 - Your Vote Counts!
"Coming together is a beginning; Keeping together is progress; Working together is success!" - Henry Ford
Paid for by the Committee to Elect Shawnna Silvius for Mayor of Red Oak, Iowa
Paid for by the Committee to Elect Shawnna Silvius for Mayor of Red Oak, Iowa
