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Baumgartner starting role as Elkader’s economic development, Main Street director

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Samantha Baumgartner

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

 

A familiar face with strong roots to the area is returning to take over as Elkader’s economic development and Main Street director. Samantha Baumgartner, a graduate of Central Community School and a former Miss Elkader for Sweet Corn Days, officially begin the position on June 21.

 

This is a job and a city Baumgartner wanted to return to, even praying for something to come along so she could move back to Clayton County, and more specifically Elkader, with its friendly people, river recreation, variety of businesses and beautiful scenery for walks. 

 

“It’s a town that has nearly everything you need to stay put without having to leave,” she said. 

 

After leaving for college and working as a counselor at MFL Mar-Mac and an at-risk coordinator/dean/activities director for West Central, Baumgartner knows what it is to miss home. It was fortuitous that both her husband and mother saw the job positing on Facebook. 

 

At first glance it seemed perfect, but Baumgartner was initially uncertain if her jobs skills would translate to the economic development and Main Street positions. But Elkader is where she envisioned working, living and raising a family, so she began reflecting on her strengths and passions, and quickly realized many parts of her counseling jobs would translate well. 

 

That includes creating trusting relationships with diverse personalities and backgrounds, adapting in communication and listening and working closely with community agencies to apply for grants and connect with families. She’s also acquired the necessary ability to juggle multiple high-priority projects, a skill she will need filling two separate positions. 

 

The only other hurdle was whether or not she was ready to say goodbye to the students and families she had developed relationships with, but the pull home was just too strong. After having poured her heart, mind, time and financial resources into serving families in other districts and towns, she found that she yearned to pour those things into her own community. All that stood in her way was an application and an interview, both of which passed with glowing reviews. 

 

Baumgartner emerged as a strong candidate, and, according to Elkader Mayor Josh Pope, “she sprung to the top for all interview committee members.” City Administrator Jennifer Cowsert added, “Everyone on the committee seemed impressed with her interview and the skill set she would bring to the position. For a position like this, you want someone who has excellent people skills, is passionate about rural Iowa and will be a strong advocate for Elkader. I think we all felt Samantha had those traits.” 

 

In addition to working in her hometown, Baumgartner was attracted to position in other ways as well. 

 

“I believe you can serve in any role, but being able to serve my hometown community and help others see the beauty of Elkader is incredibly special and was a large factor that drove me to apple for the position,” she said.

 

In the Main Street position, Baumgartner will have many responsibilities, such as collecting business data, completing monthly reports, working on transformation strategies for economic growth, coordinating activities between active committees and developing an annual action plan for implementing a downtown revitalization program focused on four key areas: design/historic preservation, promotion, organization and economic vitality. 

 

When it comes to the economic development job, which extends beyond the Main Street role, Baumgartner will utilize her years of experience working to retain the workforce, attract quality employees to the city, create an inventory of available buildings, maintain demographic information and market the city. 

 

“In both roles, I will work closely with the Chamber, Main Street Iowa and local economic development agencies to coordinate and maximize resources for the benefit of business attraction and retention,” she said. 

 

What is Baumgartner’s vision for Elkader as she takes on these roles? 

 

“Simply put, my vision for Elkader is to preserve the historic beauty, create a sustainable and viable economy with a thriving downtown and continually improve the health and wellbeing of our residents,” she said. 

 

That vision rests on building trust and relationships, especially as it pertains to businesses and finding the resources they need to succeed. Along with this, the vision includes supporting older business owners with succession planning to prevent empty storefronts. Lastly, the vision seeks to assist committees with aligning projects and events that support the city’s mission to promote recreation, tourism and the arts. 

 

“Building strong working relationships with them to help them be sustainable in their volunteering—they are crucial to our town and I want them to be supported, appreciated and to reignite any flames of committee work that may have burned out the past few months without a director,” Baumgartner said. 

 

However, there will be challenges, such as learning on the job, enhancing tourism and finding out if the current efforts in arts, tourism and local investment are as financially rewarding as possible. 

 

Then there are the more personal challenges, such as changing her mindset from person-centered education to an economic focus, pacing herself and making sure that, through the excitement and ambition to get started and hit the ground running, she still prioritizes appropriately.  

 

For Baumgartner, this is all about returning to her roots and pouring hometown pride back into the community to ensure it sustains. 

 

“Personally, this allows me to live where I work and to fully emerge in my community. I will have the opportunity to form relationships with community members who share a love for our town,” she said.

 

The job also means preserving the successful tradition of Elkader’s economy and Main Street recognition. 

 

“I take this very seriously,” said Baumgartner. “Our town is a landmark of historic beauty, small business prosperity and economic stability, and I want this to continue for decades to come. The work we do now will pay dividends for the success and longevity of our town for many years.”

 

“I would like to thank the community for the support they have shown and for their willingness to wait for me, and I am eager to begin serving our wonderful community,” she added.

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