IADG Honors Development Commission

Mount Pleasant, Iowa - Iowa Area Development Group and Access Energy Cooperative honored the Mount Pleasant Area Development Commission with the Silver Shovel Award on August 20th at the Mount Pleasant Golf & Country Club.   IADG is the business and community development leader for Iowa’s rural electric cooperatives, member municipal electric systems and independent telephone companies. 

The Silver Shovel Award recognition was established to help commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Iowa Area Development Group and its economic development mission.   Mount Pleasant Area Development Commission was nominated for the award by Access Energy Cooperative CEO, Bob Swindell.

The Silver Shovel Award honors outstanding leadership, innovation and achievement in business and community development and collaboration with IADG and its utility partners.   In presenting the award Mr. Rand Fisher, IADG president highlighted numerous accomplishments of the organization including strategic investment in industrial parks, buildings and projects for Mount Pleasant and the Henry County area.  

Fisher and Swindell singled out the extraordinary leadership of past and present boards of directors and the current Executive Director, Kiley Miller.   Bob Swindell praised Miller for his enthusiasm and dedication to growing and diversifying the economy of the Mount Pleasant Area.   He noted Miller’s crucial role in working with the city and other organizations to secure recent projects such as the Biomedical Synergies as well as Golden Eagle. 

The Silver Shovel Award also brought with it a $1,000 contribution from the Iowa Area Development Group Community Foundation.  The financial award will allow the Mount Pleasant Area Development Commission to advance economic development through contributions to local 501c3 organizations.   The IADG Community Foundation was established to facilitate community based philanthropy throughout rural Iowa. The Foundation works closely with the Enhance Henry County Foundation to facilitate local endowment building and grant making.  

Local leaders and community volunteers were especially pleased to learn that the Mount Pleasant Area Development Commission and Henry County were singled out to receive the first Silver Shovel Award from Iowa Area Development Group.  Iowa Area Development Group was established in 1985 to help its utility sponsors and their communities.  The organization has been instrumental in facilitating over 1,600 projects, $5.6 billion in investment and over 38,000 jobs for Iowa.