New MSE Director wants to listen and learn
Maggie Sommers is the new director of Main Street Elkader. (Submitted photo)
By Willis Patenaude | Times-Register
Main Street Elkader (MSE) welcomed its new director, Maggie Sommers, on July 1. Sommers is an Iowa native who resides in the Strawberry Point/Edgewood area, and looks to be a stabilizing force for the organization.
Sommers graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in event management and has a background rooted in marketing, events and tourism. She spent time as the marketing and tourism director for the Delaware County Economic Development Commission, a role she said taught her the “importance of relationship building, storytelling and promotion,” as well as the “value of collaboration.”
Sommers believes all are “key parts” of leading both MSE and Elkader’s economic development.
It’s a background that will be necessary since Sommers is inheriting a shifting Main Street landscape and items on the city’s to-do list. Among the immediate issues facing Sommers is the recent announcement that several businesses are either closing or for sale, including GEAR, Birdies, Emerald Grove Boutique, TD’s, Gene’s and Turkey River Mall.
Other items include a pedestrian bridge, hotel, damaged Keystone Park wall and closed gas stations creating aesthetic concerns.
Although Sommers wasn’t necessarily looking for a change at this time, when a friend shared the Elkader job posting, she did a little research and was drawn by the scope of the work involved and the potential for impact. Taking the job was also about timing, and the timing “felt right.”
It felt right for Sommers to shift her career into a role where her “creativity and experience could provide an impact locally and to a community that [her] family enjoys spending time in.”
She has also, from time to time, worked on Main Street projects in conjunction with her mom’s shop, Old Crow Mercantile.
Elkader City Administrator Jennifer Cowsert, who serves on the hiring committee, said, “for the first time in several years, we had candidates with direct experience in economic development. Maggie brings experience from working with rural communities in our area through her work with the Delaware County Economic Development Commission. Her background in marketing, community engagement/outreach activities and grant writing will be very valuable to the position.”
Still, there will be some learning on the job, which Sommers acknowledged.
“Every community is unique, and no two roles are the same,” she said.
Sommers will learn from city leaders, MSE board members, business owners and residents, while bringing her own knowledge and remaining open to advice and feedback. One of the people she will learn from is outgoing MSE Director Amy Holst, who is sticking around for a week or two to help Sommers get started.
“Amy has been incredibly helpful during the transition,” Sommers said.
Sommers believes her main function in the MSE Director role is to “help Elkader grow in ways that honor its history while embracing its future.”
To do that, she will utilize skills that help her bring visibility, organization and creative ideas to the table, while also being a hands-on leader who is “not afraid to pitch in, listen and learn.”
Sommers wasn’t ready to pinpoint her vision or goals as MSE Director, instead simply saying, “I’m looking forward to learning more about these projects in my new role. I will be focusing on these stated initiatives that continue to foster a more vibrant Main Street experience.”
In regard to business turnover, Sommers said each project “comes with its own unique opportunities and challenges.”
She is focused on “listening, learning and gathering input.”
Sommers offered a similar reply to how she would spur economic development.
She is “excited to bring [her] outside perspective to the table,” having researched many communities across Iowa over the last couple years.
In response to how she will attract and retain volunteers, which are critical to MSE, Sommers added, “There’s a great group of volunteers that I’m excited to work with and continue that positive relationship.”
When asked about the need for stability and longevity for the MSE position, Cowsert said it is a tough question.
“I wish I had a crystal ball and could predict various things happening in people’s lives. We do ask a question about longevity in the interview process in a couple of different ways. Maggie has local ties and has fallen in love with Elkader, so the committee is comfortable that she will bring stability to the role,” Cowsert said.
