THRIVE-Summer 2023

FEATURE ARTICLE

HELPING IN ANYWAY WE CAN COMMUNITY INSURANCE

Community Insurance, Capitalizes on Growth & Opportunities in Spencer

Community Insurance has always had a simple, straightforward mission: to provide comprehensive coverage and topnotch customer service.

Many families and businesses in the Spencer community have come to rely on Community Insurance to make good on that mission. It’s more of a promise for the team located at 315 Grand Avenue – right in the heart of town – and one that the team looks forward to keeping each and every day.

“Our team loves working with our clients and getting to know them on a personal level, as well as being there when unexpected, life-altering events occur,” said Agency President Scott Simpson. “We help navigate the claims process to offer support during these various situations, helping clients in any way we can.”

Combined, the team of 11 at Community Insurance has 163 years of insurance knowledge and experience that allows them to serve their clients, which are located throughout 13 different states.

All from right here on historic Grand Avenue!

Community Insurance, Chamber offer opportunities

Although Community Insurance has been an integral part of the Spencer business community since 1988, the Simpsons were not far behind. In fact, Alison is originally from Spencer.

After the couple graduated from Bemidji State University in 1995, Alison was hired by Spencer Community Schools. Scott joined Community Insurance shortly after they made Spencer their home.

“Community Insurance offered me an opportunity to get into the insurance industry, and I have not looked back,” he said. “Through this business, I have met many different people of all walks of life. I have been blessed to have mentors who have helped guide me along my journey, and I now enjoy mentoring others.”

Community Insurance and the Simpsons are strong supporters of the Spencer Chamber and the Chamber Foundation.

“We feel that the Chamber is a very integral part of the success of our community,” Simpson said. “I have served on the Chamber Board of Directors, and have been a Chamber Ambassador since 1996.” Alison also serves on the Chamber Foundation board.

Simpson noted the Chamber’s many activities throughout the year allow ample opportunities for professionals to network with other likeminded community members.

“They also have many resources to help small businesses,” he said. “I would suggest reaching out to the Chamber to see how they can positively impact and support your business.”

Agency’s rapid growth leads to new venture

As for itself, Community Insurance has experienced tremendous growth in the last several years.

The agency started in Spencer in 1988 as a full-service, independent agency, then in 2004 joined Community State Bank. That partnership lasted for 13 years.

Scott and Alison purchased Community Insurance from Community State Bank in 2017. In an interview with KICD following the news, Simpson said both the bank and the agency had experienced considerable growth leading up to the purchase, which created the need for additional space in the bank.

“We’d been trying to find ways to deal with that good problem, and in throwing things around, we came up with the idea of moving the agency out, and the bank offered the opportunity to Alison and me to purchase the agency,” he said.

That’s when they made the decision to relocate the business to its current location on Grand Avenue. That building was the former location of Fabric Warehouse. When Community Insurance bought the building, they decided to go all-in on revitalization.

Although it was less of a revitalization and more of a restoration, Simpson explained.

“We worked with our contractors to help renovate and reinvigorate the building to its current state,” he said. “We basically brought the building back to its original architectural rendering from 1931 when it was first built as the Woodcock Building.”

New partnership broadens agency’s future

Simpson and his team are constantly exploring new opportunities for better products and services to help its clients protect what matters most to them. As a smaller agency located in rural Iowa, they were finding it increasingly difficult to have access to carriers and additional tools and resources available to agencies in larger market areas.

Through their ongoing efforts to improve product offerings, Community Insurance began to explore the potential of joining forces with a larger agency. Finally, through a long vetting process, the agency was introduced to AssuredPartners (AP).

“We felt the culture and product offerings of AP were a perfect fit for our agency,” Simpson said.

The partnership between Community Insurance and AssuredPartners officially began in January 2021.

“It was a seamless transition,” Simpson said.

“This merger gave us access to many more services, such as loss control, legal assistance with claims, technology platforms, association and captive programs as well as other resources – yet we are still able to operate with the local control of our agency, as we did prior to our merger. Our slogan has always been to provide service you can count on and protection you can rely on, and our partnership with AP has helped us take that to a new level.”

Shortly after the partnership was made official, Community Insurance acquired Insurance Associates of Spencer in February 2021. That agency had been a staple in the Spencer business community since 1984.

Community Insurance has not only been able to serve the clients of Insurance Associates of Spencer, but Scott and Alison were also then able to purchase the business’s building at 328 Grand.

The building is currently home to Community Housing Initiatives, as well as Wildflour Bake Shop and Market.

Now, it’s the Simpsons and Community Insurance who are providing opportunities for other Spencer businesses and organizations.

RELIABLE SERVICE

A Note from the Mayor

Welcome to the City of Spencer! Spencer is the economic hub of northwest Iowa bringing in families and individuals from a 40-50-mile radius. Spencer has a unique, historical and vibrant downtown full of shops and service-oriented businesses. The south side of Spencer has a variety of commercial venues, professional offices and retail outlets. The community is also served by two industrial parks that are home to a variety of manufacturing, warehouses, and service businesses. The north side of the city is on the march as well! The city is in the process of providing street and sewer infrastructure to a 40+ acre commercial development area on north Highway 71. The City of Spencer works together with our partners in the business community and non-profit organizations to create a progressive economic development atmosphere. Whether you would like to start a new business or expand an existing business, the City of Spencer will provide the necessary information and assistance you need.

The community of Spencer also provides the amenities that provide a positive quality of life. The city park system and other recreational venues allow for a multitude of activities including: canoing and kayaking, biking and running trails, golfing, fishing, playgrounds, aquatic center and campground with more opportunities in the planning stages. Whether you want to explore local history, take an art class, or participate in some aspect of theater, the arts are alive and well with the Clay County Heritage Center, Arts on Grand, and the Spencer Community Theater.

Spencer is proud of our outstanding public-school system with state-of-the-art facilities including a nationally recognized middle school. Spencer is also a satellite location for Iowa lakes Community College and is served by two elementary parochial schools. The Spencer Hospital is an excellent regional care facility and is served by a wide variety of physicians and other health care providers. The hospital is presently in the process of upgrading the Emergency Room facility with a multi-million-dollar project.

Whether you are visiting our community or looking for a place to build a business or raise a family, the City of Spencer welcomes you!

Steve Bomgaars Mayor – City of Spencer

Primary Retail Trade Area Demographic Profile

St. Luke, a Community Focused on Serving

St. Luke Homes and Services has been part of the Spencer community for more than 50 years. With its campus perched atop a hill overlooking the town, this community within a community continues to be there for its residents – no matter their stage of life or needs.

St. Luke is home for many in the 55+ age range, whether that’s as part of its retirement community, assisted living or nursing home care. But, as CEO and Administrator Ken Nelson explained, it’s also a home to a much broader range of residents.

“We have a wide range from people in their 50’s to 80’s and 90’s as that comprises the majority of people on campus,” Nelson said.

For example, one of its buildings on campus, South Ridge Heights, is open to any independent individual or couple. That community offers short-term and month-to-month leases. Many travelers, such as those working temporarily at Spencer Hospital, choose St. Luke as their place of residence during their time in town.

No matter their situation or stage of life, St. Luke and its staff stay focused on providing for and taking care of residents’ needs.

“We’re here to help these people in any way we can and make sure they have a nice home to live in,” Nelson said. “In all aspects, whatever they need for services, whether it’s nursing care, providing meals, lawn care for the independent living, we just keep everything running smoothly.”

Those services are just a part of the impact St. Luke has on the lives of its residents and even those who visit or attend events there.

At its core, St. Luke holds its Christian values closely along with its continuum of Christian care. It was founded in 1967 by 13 area churches and still has close connections with most of those churches.

Nelson said this aspect of what St. Luke provides to its residents is among the most important.

According to its website, St. Luke “is the church at work within the community – serving people in the name of Jesus Christ.” The campus has a chaplain who residents can go to for spiritual guidance. There are also weekly Bible studies and worship services held inside chapels at Riverview Terrace and St. Luke Lutheran Home.

The work done and services provided at St. Luke touch many lives on a daily basis. Currently, the campus has just under 200 people living in its four facilities: The Highlands Retirement Community, South Ridge Heights, Riverview Terrace Assisted Living and St. Luke Lutheran Nursing Home.

For Nelson and the rest of the staff at St. Luke, the focus always centers on service.

“We’re here to provide good service for everyone, whether they are homeowners, tenants or residents here,” he said, adding that he and the staff try to take a compassionate care approach to all that they do.

Ken Nelson, CEO/Administrator

St. Luke is also a significant employer for the Spencer community, currently employing more than 130 people.

Staff and residents aren’t the only ones who can find community at St. Luke. The campus hosts events and welcomes volunteers.

“We have volunteers through the various churches in the community that come out here and provide activities and services to all of our tenants, homeowners and residents,” Nelson said.

A large activity room and chapel area, is a great space to be utilized for special events and gatherings to be hosted.

“We’ve opened that up to the public and have certain activities and events out here,” Nelson said. “We just had a senior prom for special needs high school kids.”

Nelson added that he and other members of St. Luke’s team try to keep in touch with the rest of the Spencer community, too, specifically through the Spencer Chamber of Commerce.

Nelson specifically pointed to how St. Luke participates in the Chamber’s annual Chamber Dollars program – now the Spencer Chamber Gift Card program –around the holidays to encourage its employees to support Spencer businesses.

“I want to do business in the community – we all do,” Nelson said. “We’ve made a point to even buy Chamber Dollars to have our employees spend in the community for their Christmas gifts.”

St. Luke staff appreciates the efforts of the Chamber in all that it does to promote Spencer as “the hub” for the area in many aspects, Nelson said.

“I think they’re very welcoming to new businesses and promoting the community to make Spencer the hub for the area and to attract people that want to live in or do business in the community,” he said. “I think we need to continue to invest to help Spencer grow and stay as good as it is.”

Nelson said anyone is always welcome to stop out and visit the St. Luke campus.

“We’d be glad to show our facilities and grounds off to anybody who’s interested in looking,” he concluded.

Physical Therapy Room

Chapel & Activity Room

Renovated Room for Families

Community Dining Room

Recently renovated rooms ready for occupancy.

What’s Going On

July 20 – August 17 Thursday Main Street Market

July 27 – 29 – Downtown & Community-wide Crazy Days

August 12 – Touch a Truck

September 9 – 17 – Clay County Fair

September 18 – 22 Downtown Restaurant Week

November 18 – Holiday Craft & Vendor Shopping

November 25 – Shop Small Saturday

December 4 – Grand Meander/Tuba Christmas

Spencer Stats

• Population 11,605

• Major retail hub for communities within a 40-50 radius of Spencer

• Named one of the top 10 best small towns in the U.S.A.

• Ranked No. 4 ‘Top 10 Affordable Small Towns Where You’d Actually Want To Live’

• Two Historic Districts

• Spencer is home to the 2nd largest tourist activity in the State of Iowa, the Clay County Fair which runs for 9 days and attracts over 310,000 visitors!

Noteworthy

• Century Farms Distillery - Open Gate Vodka has earned a SILVER with the American Distilling Institute (ADI); and Century Farms Single Barrel Straight Bourbon has earned 2 GOLDs at MLSA

• Spencer Municipal Utilities awarded Platinum Level as a Reliable Public Power Provider by the American Public Power Association May 2023-April 2026.

• Spencer Community Schools and Chamber expand the Work Based Learning partnership for the 2023-2024 school year.

Animal Medical Centers Builds a Legacy of Veterinary Care in Spencer

From left to right: Dr. Victoria Foerster Spencer High School class of 2009 and Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine class of 2017

Dr. Janessa Mecher Spencer High School class of 2001 and Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine class of 2009

Dr. Katie Kiepe Spencer High School class of 2014 and Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine class of 2022

The need to take care of our four-legged friends is a priority for any proper pet owner. However, being in Northwest Iowa, with agriculture being the backbone of the economy that it is, that need for excellent animal care extends to livestock, as well.

Animal Medical Centers, with offices in Spencer and Hartley, offers veterinary care to both pets and livestock.

“We are a mixed animal clinic, which means we see companion animals – cats and dogs, pocket pets, exotics – and then farm animals. So cattle and swine, sheep, goats and horses,” said one of the practice’s six owners, Dr. Janessa Mechler. “Within our practice, we see a little bit of everything. We’re fortunate we have 10 doctors within our practices. That allows us to see a large variety of species.”

Animal Medical Centers sees its companion animal patients at its Spencer office, located at 515 11th Street SW, and its Hartley office, 6570 320th Street. As for livestock, the practice’s doctors visit the farms for much of the needed care.

The clinic first started in Hartley. It later became known as Animal Medical Centers when the original group of doctors purchased a veterinary clinic in Spencer in the late 90s.

Dr. Mechler, a Spencer native, sees cats and dogs out of the Spencer office.

“The part I like the most is that being in a small town, you get an opportunity to build relationships and get to know people and their pets,” she said. “I think that’s really cool, because I think it helps to foster that human and animal bond. So, getting to see pets with their families, keeping them healthy and helping to foster that bond is really special.”

Dr. Mechler knew from an early age that she wanted to become a veterinarian. Though she worked at Animal Medical Centers as a dog walker and shadowed the veterinarians, Dr. Mechler did not know she would eventually return to Spencer, let alone Animal Medical Centers.

She went to undergrad and, in 2009, received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Iowa State University. Drs. Mark and Wendy Rees, the first two doctors at the Spencer clinic when it joined Animal Medical Centers, got back in touch with her while she was still in Ames.

“They reached out to me as I was finishing up at school, just seeing if being back in the Spencer area was something that I would maybe be interested in,” Dr. Mechler said.

Turns out, the answer was yes.

“Keeping in contact and keeping up that relationship was special,” Dr. Mechler said. “That mentorship led to an opportunity for me when I graduated.”

Dr. Mechler isn’t the only Spencer High School alumni working at Animal Medical Centers. It’s become something of a theme there.

“I am one of three doctors working in our Spencer office right now who are alumni of Spencer High School, worked here as a dog walker or job shadowed in some sort of capacity in middle or high school,” she said. “We were able to continue those relationships, offer jobs and attract those people to come back to the area to provide much needed veterinary care. That’s kind of a cool legacy that I think the practice has worked hard on building.”

There are, of course, other Spencer High School alumni who worked at the clinic and life took them elsewhere, Dr. Mechler said, but that only adds to Animal Medical Centers’ legacy of building a love for the career.

“Besides myself, the group of veterinarians has invested in four others who I can think of off the top of my head. They helped to get them started in their careers and foster their love of the profession,” she said.

Dr. Mechler said she appreciates being able to return to and live in the Spencer community.

“I think that we have a really fun community with an active downtown, tons of locally owned businesses and a lot of activities for kids,” she said. “It’s a great place to raise a family.”

Animal Medical Centers tries to do its part in making Spencer a great place – a goal promoted by the Spencer Chamber of Commerce – by supporting other businesses and being active in Chamber activities.

“We try to be an active local business, as far as supporting the other businesses in town,” Dr. Mechler said.

The Chamber encourages its members to take part in community activities and for all businesses in the community to support each other in many different ways. Those are priorities that Animal Medical Centers have taken to heart.

“It’s really important for us to be part of the community and support other local businesses,” Dr. Mechler said. “That’s one of the things that makes Spencer a really great place.”

Chamber Board Member Patty Schulz

“I’m not a native of Spencer, yet it is definitely “home” for our family. I was born and raised in southwest Minnesota and attended Southwest Minnesota State University for both undergrad and graduate school before moving to Spencer in 2009. I have been working in healthcare for 16 years and am currently the Director of Nutrition, Environmental and Valet Services at Spencer Hospital, one of the largest employers in the area. I am also part of the adjunct faculty at Buena Vista University.

Outside of work, my focus is family time, which often includes volunteering in the community. You can find me with my husband, Dave, and four children, Owen, Kathryn, Maverick and Reba. We spend a lot of time at swim, dance, soccer and other sporting events. I was asked to consider joining the board because I’m a member of the hospital leadership team who has a family that is active in the community. I enjoy serving on the board and continue to learn about the community and all Spencer has to offer.”

Exploring what’s next...

The Chamber and Spencer Schools are expanding the Work Based Learning partnership starting with the 2023-2024 school year. The Chamber Foundation will assist with the opportunity for businesses and individuals to support this program. The purposes of the Chamber Foundation is to support, sponsor, promote and fund community development activities of civic, charitable, educational and cultural organizations.

The Work-Based Learning department is celebrating the close of an excellent year. No Boundaries, a student-led project-management class, is celebrating the completion of sixteen area service projects ranging from creating a community activity center for young families to placing a fish habitat structure in Iowa lakes.

The extended career experience (ECE) program has brought on seven new area businesses into the internship program. Students in the ECE class rotate multiweek placements in area businesses that they are interested in learning more about.

Spencer Schools is passionate about helping students make well-informed decisions following graduation, and they are excited to see how the program will continue to grow in the coming year!

Kelly Kuehler

Work-Based Learning Coordinator

Spencer Community Schools & Spencer Chamber

WORK-BASED WORK-BASED LEARNING UPDATE LEARNING UPDATE

5,000

awarded in grant funding to promote equitable access to the Work-Based Learning program*

INFORMATION SESSION

on professional trades organized and provided to over 40 junior and senior students with 5 businesses present

CAREER FAIR

attendance opportunity organized for high school and middle school students

MOCK INTERVIEWS

as well as professional clothing for those in need and resume coaching provided to students preparing for the Spencer Chamber Spring Career Fair

WEEKLY CHECK-INS

and feedback opportunities provided for businesses with Extended Career Experience internship students

new business partners added to ECE internship program 7

*funding was additionally used to provide PPE and professional clothing for students in need

A Spencer Cornerstone

Carroll’s Bakery isn’t just a staple of Spencer, Iowa – it’s a part of the town’s history.

Trace your way through the long lineage of families and owners of what’s now Carroll’s Bakery and you will have covered more than 120 years of local business and community history.

“I feel that we’re a cornerstone,” said Colleen Thompson, who co-owns the business at 416 Grand Avenue with her husband, Paul.

That’s not an understatement. Everything Spencer has been through, so has Carroll’s Bakery and its owners.

Though it has been around under several different names since 1904, most of the bakery’s history has been as Carroll’s Bakery since 1928.

Not too many years after the Carroll family took over, the bakery survived the infamous Grand Avenue Fire in 1931 that destroyed 80 businesses and caused $2 million in damage.

The bakery stayed in the Carroll family until 1991 when the Thompsons took over.

“We’ve been running it since and following a lot of the same recipes,” Colleen said.

Although many of the recipes have remained the same, the Thompsons have made some changes. Paul went to school for baking and Colleen herself grew up in a bakery family.

“We brought in a lot of our own ideas,” Colleen said.

Truth be told, those ideas rejuvenated a business that, at the time, welcomed a boost. At first, the Thompsons weren’t so sure that’s how it would work out.

“The first day that we opened up, we had an inch or two of snow,” Colleen said. “Coming from Minnesota, we thought, ‘An inch – no problem!’ We had two customers. We thought we made the biggest mistake ever.”

Instead of letting that first day frighten them, Paul and Colleen simply got to work.

“We were able to increase the sales,” Colleen said. “Within three months, sales went up 75%.”

Everything has worked out since. Even during a global pandemic, which will be added to the list of historic events Carroll’s Bakery has overcome, Carroll’s continued on.

“During COVID, we asked our doctor ‘Should we stay open?’” Colleen recalled. “He said, ‘Do whatever you want or whatever you feel safe with.’ Paul and I looked at each other and said, ‘No regrets.’”

They decided to stay open.

“We created some normalcy that people were able to rely on,” Colleen said. “It’s something that always happens. Carroll’s is always awake or open.”

Today, as it always has been, Carroll’s Bakery being open 5:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday through Saturday is a given on Grand Avenue. Paul and Colleen are clocking in, working long hours to bake delicious breads, cakes and other confections.

But this time next year, Carroll’s Bakery being open is not a given.

As of January 2024, unless the right buyer comes forward, Carroll’s Bakery will be locking its doors forever.

What would that look like for Spencer?

For one, it would mean the men who play basketball at the YMCA and come in for doughnuts on Fridays would need to find a new spot, as would anyone else who frequently stops in for coffee, treats and a chat with friends.

It would mean losing a business that has seen many Spencer residents grow.

“We’ve always been there,” Colleen said. “We’ve done a person’s graduation cake, then their wedding cake and then we’ve done their first baby’s birthday cake. We’ve been a part of that.”

Seeing Carroll’s Bakery close is not something the community wants, especially the folks at the Spencer Chamber of Commerce. Colleen said the Chamber staff have been doing their part to not only promote Carroll’s, but are also trying out new initiatives that benefit all of Spencer.

“They’re being forward in their thinking,” she said. “They’re not doing the same old, same old just because we’ve always done it that way, which I’m really thankful for.”

Here at the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation, we want to see our region thrive. Covering Clay, Dickinson, Buena Vista and Emmet Counties, the Corridor assists businesses, communities, and individuals to support the growth of the region. We do this through partnering with our local chambers, cities, and counties on business retention & expansion programming, business attraction efforts, entrepreneurial & small business support, and workforce & community development.

We know that the Corridor region has many amenities to enjoy and is a wonderful place to live, work, and do business. The Corridor staff is here to help you get a taste of life in NW Iowa and Spencer. Whether you’re looking to relocate, expand, own your own business, or learn more about the opportunities in the Corridor Region, we’d love to get to know you!

To learn more, visit our website at www.lakescorridor.com or contact us at info@lakescoridor.com or 712-264-3474.

Shop Small, Shop Spencer.