The first of planned annual Appanoose Economic Development Corporation Dinners Monday featured Doug Gross as speaker and saw AEDC members Larry Wilkinson and Bill Benz receiving awards.

Gross, a past Republican candidate for governor and chief of staff to Gov. Terry Branstad, founded the non-profit Committee of 82 (named for the 82 non-urban counties in Iowa) as a think tank by Iowans for Iowans.

“We, Iowa parents of college-aged kids, know all too well that our best and brightest continue to flee for lands of opportunity elsewhere. Yet those of us who have pledged our futures here love this land between two great rivers,” states Gross on his web page. “So what's wrong with Iowa? We all have this gnawing feeling that we're not the state we used to be or want to be.

“Despite the rapid urbanization of some portions of our state, it's clear that the heart, and soul, and a majority of our people remain in what most would call rural areas. But it is precisely these areas of Iowa that are stressed the most. And where is the agenda to turn them around - to make them grow again?”

Gross said his group is performing the research to find why some areas grow and others do not.

He said what they have found so far are:

• Counties should focus on growing family incomes; the growth in income of a county's residents will lead to most of the amenities we want for a higher quality of life. It starts with higher incomes for Iowans.

• On the whole, Iowa performs at the average among our neighbors, slightly better than Illinois, but not as well as Wisconsin, Minnesota, and especially South Dakota.

• Counties that saw a significant increase in farm program payments saw a significant reduction in growth. On the other hand, counties with an increase in livestock sales had more growth. Sioux County, for example, particularly benefits from its livestock receipts.

• The faster the rise in local taxes, the greater the decrease in county growth. You tax more, you get less. Increasing transfer payments and those over 65 years old was also strongly related to slower growth.

• Counties with commuters traveling over 30 minutes to work showed some of the strongest economic performance. People want to live in rural areas, but they need access to a good job and are willing to drive to get one.

• Counties that saw an increase in the number of non-farm businesses had significantly more growth. Locally-owned small businesses and a county's economic well-being are closely related.

• Areas with outdoor recreation amenities, lakes, bike paths and parks, grew faster than those without them. These amenities appear to actually generate growth.

According to the Committee of 82’s research, Appanoose ranked 13th in the state for economic growth.

Gross noted Appanoose County did “relatively well” when it came to property taxes and government wages.

A large surprise for him, Gross added, was the strong connection between the availability of recreational activities and economic vitality and growth. Appanoose County should capitalize upon its outdoor offerings, he said, because younger people have growing incomes and quality of life is a major factor on where they decide to live.