Ripple Effect Helps Develop a Legacy in Ely

Photo caption: Pictured l-r: Ethan Pitt (IADG, Ripple Effect Program Director), Adam Thompson (City of Ely Administrator), Erin Krob (Main Street Legacy, LLC), Mark Krob (Main Street Legacy, LLC), Jessica Larsen (Communication and Owner Experience Specialist, Aureon), and Bre Horstman (South Slope Business Development Manager).

On Monday, November 21, 2022, members from South Slope Cooperative Communications, Aureon, Main Street Legacy, LLC, and the Iowa Area Development Group met at Ely City Hall. A $10,000 check was presented to the City of Ely. The funds were granted through Iowa Area Development Group and Aureon’s Ripple Effect program. The Ripple Effect grant funds will be used to help cover design and architectural costs for a new two-story mixed use commercial and residential facility with businesses and indoor parking on the first floor and condominiums on the second. The property remodel design is in conjunction with the City of Ely’s downtown revitalization project. The plan is to design the building to be consistent with Ely’s existing historic downtown and highlights architectural design from the late Victorian era.

“We would really like to keep with the character of Ely,” said Mark Krob with Main Street Legacy, LLC. Krob’s family has owned the property since 1910 as a fourth-generation familyowned grain elevator business. The primary office located on the property closed permanently in 2021. Krob said that his families land seemed like a perfect fit for this kind of project. “We really want to attract restaurants and cafes, places to eat and hang out,” said Erin Krob with Main Street Legacy, LLC. “We are a small business trying to attract other small businesses.”

“We’d like to leave a legacy,” added Mark.

Through the Ripple Effect community development program provided by Aureon and the Iowa Area Development Group, South Slope Cooperative Communications donated $5,000 and Aureon also donated $5,000. The overall project is expected to be completed sometime in 2024.

South Slope Cooperative Communications serves local Eastern Iowa communities with the best communications technology possible. For more information, please call 319-626-2211.

Aureon is a premier business solutions provider, with expertise in IT services, consulting, and customer care. For details, please call 888-387-5670.

Developed through a partnership alliance between Aureon and Iowa Area Development Group (IADG), the Ripple Effect program helps Independent Telecommunication Companies and communities become catalysts for advancing the economic health and vitality of rural Iowa.