Lt. Gov Reynolds encourages business start-ups during visit to Sigourney

            Lt. Gov Kim Reynolds visited Sedna Warehousing/Iowa Shrimp Farms on Thursday, Dec. 15 as part of her 99 county tour to talk with new business start ups about how government should be involved.

            A private lunch and presentation was held at Sedna, where Reynolds was greeted by Marc Bretz, CEO, and Bill Thomasson, CFO, as they discussed their new start up: Iowa Shrimp Farms. Along with business partner Craig Meacham, Bretz and Thomasson discussed their new venture with the soon-to-be governor and local leaders in front of one of the tanks that will hold the shrimp. Iowa Shrimp Farms plans to begin work early in 2017.

            After hearing about the new business, Reynolds talked about working to make sure small business start ups, like Iowa Shrimp Farms, had an environment in this state to grow and prosper. She also talked about Gov Terry Branstad’s selection to be the Ambassador to China for the U.S. and took questions from the audience.

            “We talk about growth in the economy of Iowa, and it’s exciting to see two people who took a warehouse like this that was empty and created a business out of it,” Reynolds said during the event. “They talked about potentially having a greenhouse and having students from the school get involved in what they’re doing. This shows students that a creative idea can lead to a business and you can do that in Sigourney. If we’re going to be successful in Iowa, we have to see growth in opportunities for Iowans in every single corner of the state. That means looking for ways to keep young people in our state, making sure people like Bill and Marc can have an environment to make a business, and connectivity and broadband to stay connected to market products. This will continue to be a focus and passion of mine as we move through the next couple of years.” 

            The event was organized by the Sigourney Area Development Corporation (SADC).

            “This one of the best ceremonies I have been involved with,” Jim Dickinson said. “Iowa Shrimp Farms has great potential. I’m excited that Lt. Gov Reynolds came here and (SADC) was part of it. For us to meet her here face to face was a great opportunity.”