IEDA director offers advice

Debi Durham (second from left), director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, listens in on a conversation Robin Blakely is having with Jodie Flaherty and Dustin Logan with the City of Denison. Blakely does communications for the Donna Reed Foundation. PHOTO BY GORDON WOLF

Representatives of the Donna Reed Foundation received input and feedback following an economic summit conducted on Friday.

Seated at tables set up in the lobby of the Donna Reed Theater in Denison were city and state officials as well as community leaders.

State representation came from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). Director Debi Durham brought with her Jim Thompson, business specialist for the Main Street Iowa program; Stephanie Neppl, tourism liaison; Liz Gilman, film commissioner; and Heather Gibb, state historic preservation officer.

John Fujii, president of the Donna Reed Foundation, went over important milestones that pertain to the Donna Reed Foundation – the building of the Germania Opera House (now the Donna Reed Theater) in 1914, Donnabelle Mullenger’s (Donna Reed’s) birth in 1921, Reed’s Academy Award returning to Denison in 1986, the formation of the Donna Reed Foundation and the acquisition of the Donna Reed Theater in 1987, Donna Reed’s Centennial and her induction into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 2021, and the listing of the Donna Reed Theater on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023.

“We have great things to work with here (in Western Iowa),” said Fujii, adding that there is much more work to be done.

He listed as Western Iowa treasures Donna Reed as a cultural icon, the Donna Reed Theater as a crown jewel and the Donna Reed Foundation in providing opportunities to share the legacies of Donna Reed and the Donna Reed Theater.

Fujii presented a strategic plan (represented by a pyramid) that has as its base the safety and preservation of the building. Fujii said over three decades of preservation has been done and noted that old buildings need a lot of maintenance. Second to safety and maintenance is a focus on hospitality and service, making sure that the building is not only safe but making it available for people to experience.

He also listed the opportunity to build out the brand, adding that Reed continues to attract attention nationally and internationally.

All three of these factors working well together will help reach the top of the summit, which is sustainability.

“We have to get through our fundamentals,” Fujii said. “Our fundamentals include waterproofing the building.”

He explained that water is an enemy of old buildings.

Other fundamentals are service, focusing on delivering the expectation of experiences at the Donna Reed building, and then spreading the brand.

“We have a great opportunity for brand reach and delivering on the brand promise, which is about the expectations that the general public in the state, nation and the world have in coming to the theater,” he said.

Fujii pointed out that lot of things have changed since the foundation was formed in 1988.

“Instead of the old days of licking envelopes and sending out mailers and listing things at welcome centers, now people find us on the internet,” he said.

He added that those that visit the Donna Reed Theater and Donna Reed Museum are turning to social media to tell of their experiences, and this makes it possible for others to self-evaluate whether they should make that trip to the theater.

“The spread of the brand is something we can get behind and work on with you folks, and then have the opportunity to create a greater halo effect that not only reflects on the western region but also on Iowa,” Fujii said.

Fujii said making the theater a destination, expanding on brand assets and the history of the theater, and focusing on the experience of visitors will make what the foundation is doing sustainable.

Asked about his reference to water issues, Fujii said that is an ongoing issue. He spoke about a roof replacement and plans for a project to brace the parapets on the building. He said part of the issues are created through water seepage and that the intense cold experienced in January affected the limestone features on the upper exterior of the building. He said the focus is to create a seal so water can’t get behind the facing.

“Nothing is out of control, but we can’t let water deteriorate the building,” Fujii said.

Denison Councilman Dustin Logan pointed out that the longevity of theater building has more to do with community interest and asked about plans to drive some kind of fund.

He referenced online resources that were mentioned during the conversation.

“What are you doing to drive funds to keep this operating?” he asked. “That’s the issue of the online presence; it doesn’t necessarily drive revenue.”

Fujii agreed and said it’s a little bit of a chicken and egg situation.

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John Fujii (standing), president of the Donna Reed Foundation, presents a slide program at an economic development summit in the lobby of the Donna Reed Theater. Seated around the table are local and state leaders and others with the Donna Reed Foundation. PHOTO BY GORDON WOLF

“If we do the investment now to show that we are healthy and sustainable, then we’re going to see more of an interest, but we also have to build up a new track record in terms of tourism-focused events - people coming in having premium experiences and then have an opportunity to expand reputation for the excellence that is going to happen, whether it is targeted events, themed events, concerts, or ‘It’s a Wonderful Life”-focused things or things that may be tied into more regional events,” Fujii said.

Fujii added that the foundation is working on a budget or capital improvement program.

With Fujii were Mary Owen, daughter of Donna Reed and treasurer of the foundation, and Robin Blakely who is doing communications for the Donna Reed Foundation as pro bono specialist.

Blakely said the foundation started professionalizing tour groups. Last year six tour groups of about 45 people each came to the theater, and the people stayed overnight and ate in town. She said five more tour groups are scheduled for this year and added a lot of that happened because of what the foundation was doing online.

Mayor Pam Soseman said people often stop by the Donna Reed Museum for tours and asked if that would be open daily or have projected hours.

Blakely said one of the things being discussed with those around the table was to see the demand.

“We couldn’t afford to have it open when no one came, and so it’s much better to schedule the time frames that would be in coordination with other events or have a certain day that it is open each month that we could direct people to,” Blakely said.

Along with Logan and Soseman, other city representatives at the summit were Councilman Corey Curnyn, City Manager Jessica Garcia, City Clerk Jodie Flaherty, and Building Inspector Chris Flattery.

Representing the Chamber & Development Council of Crawford County were Paul Plumb, executive director, and Drew Perrien, tourism coordinator, and from WESCO Industries, Clay Adams, executive director.

In an interview with The Denison Free Press, Durham said that the IEDA has the programs that “would certainly have a line of sight to this project.”

She listed programs such as Produce Iowa, historic preservation and a catalyst grant.

A $100,000 emergency catalyst grant is already in the works for a project to brace the parapets at the top of the Donna Reed Theater building. That grant goes through the city.

Durham added Travel Iowa can help with promotion and that the Destination Iowa program would be ideal for the Donna Reed Foundation as the grant program is all about tourism.

“You know there’s no greater opportunity for all this with how iconic Donna Reed is,” she said.

CAT grants can also help the foundation.

Durham said having the entire team that touches programs for IEDA at the theater was good, “so it’s at the top of mind for us and there is a connection between the foundation and us and the community.”

“You really have a gem here,” she added, “and I don’t think as a state we have been as good a partner as we can and should be going forward, because as we talked about the whole halo effect with Donna Reed, we have outreach through our communication and marketing team that goes national, and we also have connections with national media outlets that we can work with the foundation hand in hand to really try to elevate those kinds of stories that are coming up or anniversaries or significant events.”

Durham continued that the Donna Reed Foundation and the community still have to frame what their project or projects are.

“So we do need more information which is what was talked about (during the summit),” she explained. “We need to see a full list of what the capital needs are. We want to see what those opportunities are for creating events or festivals, and once we see that, then we can do an even better job of connecting them and helping tell the story.”

She said there is an art to grant writing and added that an applicant could have a great project, “but if you fail to tell the story, sometimes it doesn’t’ score as well with people who haven’t been here, because you have independent scorers. So part of it for us is to not only connect the dots of what programs align with where they want to go but more importantly it's also to help them tell the story.”

Durham said the IEDA grants are usually the last dollar in on a project, except for historic preservation, so private fundraising has to be done and there has to be city or county participation.

She added that IEDA will help communities with grants up to the point when an application is submitted.

“And we want to help them because, as I said today, the community of Denison and the foundation need to think of us as their extension of how we can help them be successful,” she said.

Generating local interest in projects is about strategic planning and bringing the community along, she added.

“We have some communities out there that have done exceptional jobs,” Durham said. “But if there’s a strategic plan and you’ve brought the community along, that seems to be the best way to approach these things.”

Read more about the Donna Reed Foundation’s plans along with Durham’s visit with city officials in next week’s Free Press.

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