David Maahs has spent most of his life living and working in either Des Moines or Ames. But prior to joining the Greater Des Moines Partnership Dec. 19 to lead the organization’s regional economic development program, Choose Des Moines Communities, he was considering relocating to a larger metropolitan area in the near future. However, Maahs felt it was important to represent his hometown, so now he will now try to convince companies that Greater Des Moines is a good place to build a business.

As a college student at Iowa State University, what attracted you to business courses?

I guess I was always interested in getting a degree in business that would help me later on to secure employment. That interest in finances and accounting, which was my emphasis at Iowa State, carried over to my work at the University of Iowa with my master’s in economics.

What was your first job out of college?

After graduating from the University of Iowa, I went to work for the Polk-Des Moines Taxpayers Association in Des Moines. I did research on topics such as local government and school budgets. I did that for about a year and a half and then went to work for the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce Federation (the predecessor to the Partnership) as a research manager.

How did working for the Chamber Federation prepare you for a career in economic development?

It was a good background for me in economic development because a lot of what we’re doing with trying to recruit companies here and work with existing companies is sharing information about the Des Moines marketplace that will help them make their decision to expand or come here. I moved up the ladder at the Greater Des Moines Chamber over the course of 13 years, and eventually was vice president of economic development before relocating to Ames in 1996.

What made you take the job in Ames as head of the Ames Chamber of Commerce and Ames Economic Development Commission?

I was interested in running my own chamber and economic development operation, and I was intrigued by working in a community that had a world-class research university.

What did your job entail?

We worked with existing companies, and did a lot of work helping them to secure seed and venture capital. Over the last four years, we probably helped generate over $3 million with our community-based seed fund and angel investors and other funds we have relationships with. We also did some recruitment efforts in Ames and worked with existing industries there on their expansion projects. We worked closely with the city of Ames and had a real good public-private partnership for economic development.

Was there more activity there than you anticipated going into the job?

Not necessarily. I thought it had some real strong assets to promote with the university there, a strong advanced manufacturing base and interstate and rail-line access.

What interested you in this position at the Partnership?

A couple of things. This is my hometown, and my wife and I both grew up here. After our son graduates from Ames [High School] in a next year and a half, we had been planning to move to a bigger marketplace. When this job opened up, it seemed like a great fit with my interest to move to a larger metropolitan area and to promote a great product, which the Des Moines area has. It’s a fantastic place to promote, and I look forward to doing that, both nationally and internationally.

What is the biggest adjustment you have to make going from your old job to this one?

Probably the biggest difference is that this is a regional economic development initiative in the Des Moines metro area, working with the three counties that are a part of the team. It’s important to maintain and enhance those relationships with all the different communities you’re serving, the city leaders, the city managers and the economic development professionals for each one of those communities. Working on those relationships with all the different economic development partners in the region is something I really hope to work on in the first 90 days.

What makes economic development exciting to you?

The rewarding part of this job is you’re doing something that has great meaning for the community. You’re trying to create jobs in the community, which is important to Iowa’s future. You can look back and say you were part of a project or part of that team and drive by the building and see it there and know that there are a couple hundred people working there. Seeing those results are the biggest satisfaction that I get from working in economic development.



What do you do outside work?

Family is a big part of my life. I have two kids, a son who’s a junior at Ames High and a daughter who’s a senior at the University of Iowa. My wife is a kindergarten

teacher in the Ames Community School District. Outside work, I like to read, and I try to stay in shape with exercise. My wife and I also enjoy bike riding. We have a tandem, but we don’t get out as often as we should. I just recently purchased some golf clubs. I’ve never played golf, and I’m trying to pick that up as a hobby.

How have you avoided golf this long into your career?

People always ask me how I do my line of work without playing golf. The job entails travel and long hours, and when you’re home on the weekends with your kids, you don’t want to spend four to five hours at the golf course. But now that my kids are older, my son and I are looking to take lessons together this year.