Newsletter Time!

APRIL 2015

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And the Winners Are. . .

WW Homestead Dairy & Fidelity Bank

The ACED Board of Directors had a difficult time deciding upon the "Win a Billboard Contest" winners. Through much discussion, the board chose the WW Homestead Dairy and Fidelity Bank as the 2015 winners.
ACED staff are working with these two entities to choose an exact location and time frame for their billboard display. ACED will be providing $1,500 for each winner for a billboard promoting Allamakee County and their projects and/or business.
We want to thank everyone that submitted an application. This was the third year of this promotion and it continues to grow.
ACED is proud to be able to provide this opportunity for our members.
Keep your eyes open for these billboards sometime this Summer!

EVER CONSIDER EXPANDING MAYBE GOING INTERNATIONAL?

IF SO, THIS MAY BE OF SOME INTEREST TO YOU

AMERICAS COMPETITIVENESS EXCHANGE INVITATION

Allamakeee County Economic Development is a partner with the 7 Rivers Alliance, which is dedicated to boosting Economic Growth and Collaboration in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. We focus on business outreach, retention, engagement and marketing ideas that join across state lines. 7 Rivers Alliance has announced that they will be hosting an international delegation through the State Department called America’s Competitiveness Exchange 2015. On April 20, 2015, foreign dignitaries from 26 countries will be arriving in LaCrosse, WI for the purpose of meeting business executives in our region and to explore opportunities for developing new import and export relationships. There will be at least 12 Foreign Ministers who report directly to their President in their country,

This event is dedicated to businesses who are seeking to develop new lines of business with foreign nations and/or seeking import/export relationships. If you have interest or have ever thought about reaching a market beyond our boundaries, this may be an opportunity for you to investigate those possibilities. You must pre-register online at www.7riversalliance.com. Click on the “ACE 2015” button to access the registration page OR you can register by phone at 608-787-8777.

Business executives are asked to come prepared to provide a brief overview of their business and what they have to offer in products and services.

Event information:

DATE: Monday, April 20, 2015; 6:00-8:15 pm
EVENT AGENDA: 6:00-7:30 pm is introductions, networking and making connections
7:30-8:15 pm Dinner and profile of local businesses
LOCATION: Lunda Center, Western Technical College
400 7th Street North
LaCrosse, WI
COST: $75 per person
REGISTER: www.7riversalliance.com or 608-787-8777
DRESS: Business attire recommended

For more information, please contact Lisa Herr at 7 Rivers Alliance.

The Northeast Iowa Food & Farm Coalition (NIFF) and Food & Fitness Initiative (FFI) is sponsoring the Upper Iowa Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign again in 2014. The organizations hope residents will see the value of this cooperative marketing effort and choose to join the Northeast Iowa BFBL campaign. The campaign is one of 12 in the state. Registration must be completed by April 1 to be included in the directory. The goal is to have the directories printed available for the Farmers Market season!
Click here to register: http://www.iowafreshfood.com
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WHAT'S HAPPENING IN APRIL

4th Easter Egg Hunt - Waukon & New Albin
4th Fireman's Wild Game Feed- Harpers Ferry
19th NEIA Bird & Animal Swap- Waukon Fairgrounds
19-27th National Park week - Effigy Mounds
22nd Earth Day - Special Film - Effigy Mounds
25th Junior Ranger Day Hike - Effigy Mounds
25th Lansing Spring Cleanup - Lansing
25th High Chap's Adult Prom - New Albin
25th Bluff Country Studio Art Tour

Hashtag 101

Hashtags have become ubiquitous on social media. But why are they necessary? And how can they benefit your message?

Hashtag best practices vary from social channel to channel. But on all channels, hashtags can help you extend your reach. Users may find your post by searching a hashtag or by clicking on a hashtag in another post. For example, if you and I each use the same hashtag in our posts and a user clicks on the hashtag in my post, it will return all the posts that have used that hashtag, including yours.

The Iowa Tourism Office can help you extend your reach through mutual hashtags, as well. When you post a photo or video to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and use the hashtag #ThisIsIowa, that image or video will be automatically included in our hashtag gallery at traveliowa.com/thisisiowa. Now your image or video is shared beyond your social channel(s) and is available to the more than one million people who visit traveliowa.com annually.

This site offers some tips to hone your hashtag strategy. Have more questions? Contact Brooke Miller

Have News to Share?

If your business or organization has updates and news, please let us know! We will be including news from our members in future newsletters. We look forward to assist in the distribution.