posted on Friday, September 27, 2024 in Central Region News
Fifteen years ago, Audubon, Iowa, was the typical picture of rural decline. Disheveled downtown buildings and vacant storefronts signaled the death of small businesses and a sense of community.
But a small group of people decided to change that. They came together, proving the power of hard work, renovations and financial dedication, to bring the small town of 2,100 people in central Iowa back to life.
“Audubon looks very different today than it did years ago with new businesses and housing efforts,” says Kate Hargens, owner of The Bakery on Broadway. “Rural communities are the heartbeat of America's farm country. Unfortunately, aging infrastructure and declining populations in small towns drive the loss of small businesses in rural towns.”
Reviving Rural America
Maintaining grocery stores, coffee shops and recreation opportunities is critical for quality of life, Hargens points out.
“In order to continue to recruit people back into rural communities for jobs, we need to support the growth and essential businesses like a grocery store and stores that improve quality of life such as a rec center, coffee shop or movie theater,” she explains. “Young professionals currently entering the workforce with young families are not willing to sacrifice the comforts of a larger town or city when looking for a job.”
Providing a place to bring the community together is crucial and one of the reasons why AMVC, a diversified agricultural business decided to get in the game, literally. AMVC is headquartered in Audubon and heavily invested in the community where they have a swine management company, traditional mixed animal veterinary clinics, a research business and construction and remodeling equipment sales business.
“When I came and interviewed here 18 years ago, I remember riding around with Steve Schmitz, one of our senior partners and current chairman of our board of directors, and he was talking about this idea of a rec center for Audubon,” says Jason Hocker, AMVC partner and veterinarian. “He wanted to build a place where everybody could get together and have a common meeting place.”
Schmitz says the idea started when their kids told them there wasn't anything to do in the evenings in town. In 2007, Schmitz and his wife Jane organized a group of people to come up with options.
“We surveyed the community, went to the schools, talked to the kids and came up with the concept of a recreation center consisting of a bowling center with restaurant, community room, half-court basketball, racquetball court, children's play area and a walking track. The thought was to involve all ages. The original group that met eventually became the board of our non-profit and has been key to the rec center's success,” Schmitz says.
Eleven years later, after raising $2.6 million through fundraisers, business and private donations, and grants, the rec center finally opened in the fall of 2018. Three years ago, another group started the push to add a full-sized gym and fitness area. Hocker led the subcommittee group focused on the gym process.
“The initial committee invested over a decade of time and energy into it. So, we said, ‘You guys have done the heavy lifting, let us finish it.’ A group of eight couples with kids that are in that age range who will utilize this facility to its fullest potential moved it on by leading the phase two fundraising effort, applied for grants, and coordinated getting it built,” Hocker says.
Bringing Audubon Back to Life
The $6-million facility was completed in 2024. As the largest employer in the county, AMVC believes it’s important to have a rural community that is inviting and thriving.
“There are probably a lot of philosophical reasons we need to invest in our rural communities but ultimately, they are where we live, raise our families and have our friends. AMVC wants to see our communities grow, not only economically, but also in the quality of life that rural communities can provide,” Schmitz says.
The rec center has done a lot to foster community in the small town.
“This summer we had a regional final for softball and made it to state, which is super cool. Afterwards, we all walked across the street to the rec center and hung out with the teams and the families. It’s been great to have a common meeting place to do cool things like that,” Hocker says “If we didn't have this facility, people would have gone to somebody's house and congregated in smaller groups. But this is a place where the entire community can come together and celebrate community things like a state softball championship berth.”
AMVC is very supportive of these opportunities, he adds. Many AMVC employees are involved in the community, from economic development groups to the city council to the sports boosters to the chamber of commerce.
“AMVC has been a successful company over the years, which has given us the ability to give back to our community. We have a lot of very talented people that are willing to donate their time and talent,” Schmitz says. “AMVC has supported the renovation of an old movie theater which draws many people to town. Over the years, AMVC has taken the lead on other projects including turning an unsightly salvage yard at the intersection of two highways into a park, buying a dilapidated swine operation and turning it back into farmland and the removal of an old gas station.”
Hargens says the work AMVC does for the community doesn’t go unnoticed. She appreciates AMVC’s support of new growth and improvements that have been so important in continuing the momentum of renewal in Audubon.
“People are invested in pushing the community forward,” Hocker says. “I like to think as a company we are big proponents of that, because it not only benefits us from a business perspective, but also personally by keeping the town vibrant and growing.”
One of the popular phrases in town has become, “If you can't get out, get in.” Hargens coined that phrase years ago when she built her coffee shop, The Bakery on Broadway, that has become a popular hang-out in the community.
Hocker is proud of the way Hargens and others continue to find ways to make the best of what they have. He says it’s a great environment to raise a family in – around people who look for ways to make things better for everyone, not just themselves.
“It’s important to invest within your community so there's places for people to come back to,” he says. “When small towns start to die out, some of that's self-induced because you're not looking at what would bring people back. That's what you need to provide the engine for your school system and your workforce – families and kids. Making sure you're providing that is going to help your community thrive.”
Article Credit: Jennifer Shike, Farm Journal's Ag Web
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