We are heading into that spectacular time of year again. A time for celebration and reflection of all that makes Ames and Story County so very vibrant.
At the Ames Chamber of Commerce, we are reflecting on all of the great opportunities our community has been afforded in 2018. And on December 17 we will celebrate the many outstanding accomplishments of the year at our 2018 Annual Event.
This year’s event, Ames in Full Color, will be a celebration of the great people and businesses that make Ames such a vibrant place to live, work and do business. Sigler Companies, one of our community’s great corporate citizens, has graciously offered to host this year’s event at their location near the Ames Municipal Airport. Staying true to theme, we are taking over their production floor to host interactive and creative activities. This festive and unique environment will provide a great opportunity for Chamber members to connect with each other.
A highlight of the evening will be the opportunity to honor our annual award winners. This year, 19 community members and businesses are being recognized for a wide array of significant contributions to Ames and Story County. From local entrepreneurs (including Ryan Newstrom, Cornbred Barbecue, and Andy McCormick, Torrent Brewing Company) to established businesses (Burke Corporation, MH Eby, Inc. and 3M to name a few), we will be celebrating the accomplishments of business at all levels.
We will also be honoring individuals who give their time to the Ames Chamber and our affiliate organizations to help make our community the vibrant place we love to call home.
This has truly been a spectacular year in Ames and Story County, and we have so much to celebrate. This year we have witnessed major expansion announcements by companies like Rockwell Collins, Kent Corporation and SmartAg. The Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market hosted its first ever Farm to Table dinner (a smashing success!) and the Ames Main Street organization rebranded itself to better tell the story that downtown Ames is where community happens. We also gained a new affiliate organization, Startup Ames, to cultivate our growing startup community.
While we’re celebrating, check out some of our most recent accolades: “Home of the Best US Metro Job Market" (CNBC, 2018); “#1 - Best College Towns in America" (24/7 Wall St., 2018); and “#1 - Best Cities for Working Parents" (SmartAsset, 2018) to name a few.
Ames and Story County continue to illustrate to the rest of Iowa and the country that it is a great center for jobs, a great place to start a company, a great place to get an education, a great place to retire, and a great place for a legacy company like John Deere to develop an innovation center in the Iowa State University Research Park. Whatever picture you want to create, you can do it here.
Please join us December 17 to celebrate Ames in Full Color. There are a number of exciting surprises we have in store for the evening that you will not want to miss. For more information simply log on to www.ameschamber.com or stop in and see us at 304 Main Street in the heart of Downtown Ames.
