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Letter to the Community December 21, 2004 It is the time to reflect on the past year, celebrate our successes, learn from our mistakes and prepare for 2005. Reading the action team reports and appreciating their accomplishments and hard work brings one clear message: we live and work in a very special community. It was a bittersweet start to the year. In January we celebrated our success in helping get the Technimar building back into productive use. Our high spirits were quickly dashed by notification that scheduled air service would no longer be provided to the area. Life is not so much about what happens to you but how you respond. We responded with the formation of an Action Team and community recognition that returning scheduled air service is a priority. In February IDC/Jobs 2020 hosted the second Community Call to Action meeting where ten action teams were launched. Action Teams clearly defined goals and outcomes and set a calendar year commitment to getting a job done. Each team, without exception, was successful in positively focusing attention on important issues and making progress toward accomplishing their goals. The fact that we had 169 volunteers serving on action teams is testimony to the community’s commitment to improving our quality of life. A key highlight of 2004 occurred in mid April when the Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital’s financing package of $20 Million from the Blandin Foundation and the $42 Million HUD mortgage guarantee was concluded allowing the new campus construction to move forward. UPM Blandin Paper’s announcement in July of an economic and environmental feasibility study of a new paper machine brings renewed life to this economic engine. Local management and our own Action Team should be applauded and will require our continued support to bring this project to fruition. We also have great hopes for Minnesota Steel Industries and our community’s ability to bring steel production and high quality jobs to the Iron Range. Our eleventh Action Team was launched in October in support of this effort. IDC/Jobs 2020 took public positions for the first time in 2004. Our positions on issues in timber and tourism resulted in successful implementation of a nationally recognized certification of Itasca County timberlands and community recognition that there is a need to implement a regional approach to improve tourism marketing. Specific to our mission, our Small Business Development Center staff assisted 256 clients. The business counseling services helped small business clients retain 442 jobs and create 100 new jobs. The Grow Itasca Action Team helped 40 of the larger Itasca area businesses and those with the greatest potential to gain or lose employees. These businesses employed 3,618 at the end of 2003 and had a net gain of 120 jobs in 2004. As you read the accomplishments of all the action teams and other highlights of 2004, recognize that none of this would happen without volunteer involvement, commitment and dedication. In looking forward to 2005 and building on these past accomplishments, we are energized and excited about what can be done. Thank you for your continued support. Very truly yours,
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