Sheldon, Iowa – Bill Withers was the guest speaker at the Sheldon Chamber & Development Annual Meeting. No, not that Bill Withers… Dr. Bill Withers of West Des Moines addressed the crowd at the meeting covering the topics of change, the culture of community, and leading through membership and service.
Dr. Withers challenged everyone in attendance to leave with just one new idea on how to improve their business in 2020. He shared that while many industries look for ways to improve only when they start to see a decline in their business, they should actually be continually looking for ways to change, update, or improve service, products, and employee satisfaction in order to stay competitive. The ideas presented to Chamber members challenged them to think outside the box as they head into 2020.
Additionally, Development Director, Curt Strouth reviewed various aspects of economic development in Sheldon that took place in 2019. Hotel/motel tax was up for the third year in a row at just over $153,000 in 2019. Local option sales tax was also up, over $38, 000 from 2018, bringing in over $669,000 in 2019 despite the fact that Sheldon saw the closing of the local Shopko store. In the capital investment category, there were eleven new building permits issued in 2019, including those for Sheldon Christian School, NCC, and Maintainer.
Overall, the 2020 year looks to be full of promise and potential for businesses, employees, and the residents of Sheldon.
