Inside Arvada

Inside Arvada's Economic Development Association with Iza Petrykowska

• City of Arvada • Season 1 • Episode 11

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What does it mean to be a quasi-governmental entity? What does an economic development association do? And can they really help improve our community?

Join us as we talk with Executive Director, Iza Petrykowska about the Arvada Economic Development Association (AEDA). From helping recruit and retain businesses to collaborations with city teams and everything in between, AEDA is a resource here to help our local businesses of all sizes. Discover why maintaining a vibrant local economy is about more than sales tax but about creating a thriving community.

Other news and events:

Visit us at ArvadaCO.gov/Podcast or email us at podcast@arvada.org.

Katie:

Welcome to Inside Arvada, the City of Arvada's podcast, where we bring you conversations with the people who make Arvada a thriving community. Hear stories about the past, present and future of Arvada through the lens of the city team members who help make it all happen. Explore the complex topics impacting our community, from the roads you drive to the water you drink, the parks where you play to what your neighbors think. Join us as we take you Inside Arvada.

Sean:

Hello and welcome to episode 11 of Inside Arvada, the official podcast of the City of Arvada. Thank you so much for tuning in, appreciate everyone who's been subscribing, rating the show, giving us reviews, who's been subscribing, rating the show, giving us reviews and, as always, you can send us feedback at podcastsarvadaorg. Very excited for today's guest. It's Iza Petrakowska, the Executive Director of the Arvada Economic Development Association. She's also the Economic Development Manager for the City of Arvada and has been with the city for the past five years, beginning in 2019, focusing on business retention and expansion. Iza moved to Colorado in 2016 to pursue her master's degree in urban and regional planning at CU Denver and she graduated at the top of her class in 2019 with a focus on economic development. And, as always, I'm joined by my co-host, katie Patterson. Hi, katie.

Katie:

Hey, sean, great to have Iza on today and really learn more about what it is that Arvada Economic Development Association or AIDA for their acronym there does. They are a free service to any and all businesses, whether you're a small in-your-home business through a large-scale business. They are here to support our community and really help grow and maintain our local economy, business economy so great to learn more about what it is that. Aida did something that really neither of us knew a lot about. So let's start talking with Iza. Hi Iza, thanks so much for joining us today. So before we dig in, tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do here in Arvada.

Iza:

Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much for having me. So I work for the Arvada Economic Development Association, so we're a quasi-governmental entity. We are fully funded by the city and city council and full-time city staff, but we also have a 501c6 nonprofit board of directors that is comprised of business owners in the area. So all within Arvada representing different target industries, different business sides and different initiatives moving forward, and so we're able to be the business to government liaison for the city. Very cool.

Sean:

Yeah, so you said kind of quasi-governmental. Maybe expand on that a little bit and kind of help us understand the association AIDA has with the city. So you're funded by the city, you're a city employee, but then in a lot of ways you're kind of separate as well.

Iza:

Yeah, that's a great question. So we have again. The funding comes from our operational funds through the city. We also go to council and the city to request for our nonprofit funding which provides grants and different services for our businesses. That is ultimately decided and approved by our board of directors. So in that sense, kind of able to wear two hats. We have a strong partnership internally with our city partners. We work really closely with planning and the development review team, obviously closely with PD. With crime increasing over the last few years here in Arvada and some of our businesses have been impacted by that, as well as other entities, kind of on an as-needed case-by-case basis.

Sean:

And the main function of the association is to recruit and retain businesses in Arvada. That's correct.

Iza:

Yes, so we are a free resource for all businesses in Arvada, so we serve anyone, from a sole proprietor, a home-based business, to our primary employers, which can be 300 or more employees in the area.

Katie:

So are there certain types of characteristics or things that you're looking for when you recruit or retain businesses? Are there things that you're focusing on maybe now or do generally over time?

Iza:

Yeah, definitely, I think. I mean a lot of our efforts are focused around retaining businesses. So as a almost built out city, I think we're, you know, somewhere 80, 85% build out capacity. We have a little bit more greenfield, raw land development out west as well as a lot of infill and redevelopment opportunities, but we really focus on creating and maintaining the relationships that we already have with existing businesses. A lot of those are always looking to expand, so helping them with different services on expansion, whether that's through physical locations or expanding workforce and employee base.

Sean:

You know, why is it so important for the city to have businesses not only begin here but stay here? Like, why is the city so invested in retaining these businesses? I mean, obviously it comes down to sales tax, right.

Iza:

Yeah, I mean sales tax is kind of the end all, but really it's kind of the entire economic development ecosystem. So if you don't have good jobs and a steady workforce and reasons for people to live and work here, then you don't really have a growing and thriving community. So, really focusing on that, obviously we have the gem of a historic downtown, which is unique to us and really grateful for that, as well as a lot of primary employers and amazing businesses that are in the area that both recruit and retain some of our local residents, as well as those coming into Arvada on a day-to-day basis.

Sean:

And sometimes you'll focus on recruiting and retaining specific businesses and specific industries, but you're open to any business that wants to be involved and reach out and get some help, and there's information on the AIDA website and how people can reach out and get involved, right? Yes, definitely.

Iza:

Yep, we have about 1,500 home-based businesses and sole proprietors about 1,500 home-based businesses and sole proprietors. The great thing about a lot of those is they're entrepreneurs. Some of those tend to shift into brick and mortar, so we have the potential for expanding them into storefronts in the future. We've had a couple folks that have started a catering business at home and then kind of grown into a space or into, you know, a bakery as an example, and then obviously working with our primary employers, who bring in a lot of that workforce and those high paying jobs into the area.

Katie:

And could you maybe talk a little bit more about some of the services that you provide to some of these very kind of different sized companies? Like I can? It's easy to understand for me the finding a space type of service, but could you maybe speak a little bit more about other?

Iza:

services, yeah, and so we kind of again, I mentioned this before but we look at ourselves as like the liaison between business and government, so we will help with anything from a business contacting us and that's interested in building their business in Arvada. How do I get a business license? What do I need to do? You know, help them through. Our finance team has a great sales tax and use tax class that we connect them with. Pd has some wonderful connections with business safety courses, so kind of navigating them through all of the services that the city has to offer. But then we as an organization also have different incentives. We have different grants that we provide for our brick and mortar businesses. We have a exterior improvement grant, so we get about $100,000 in funding every year to be able to fund a 50-50 match up to $15,000 for facade improvements and capital investment into commercial properties. And then in addition to we also have the economic impact fund, which is focused on bringing really bringing those jobs into the area and really bringing that workforce and expanding primary employers into Arvada.

Sean:

When we talk about businesses and economic development in Arvada I feel like a lot of times the conversation is about the highly visible restaurants and big box stores, but I know a lot of the work you do is also focused on recruiting and retaining the industrial businesses. How important are those businesses to the local economy here in Nevada and what is some of the work that you do with those businesses?

Iza:

Yeah, very important obviously to economic development and the investment into our community. We have a great array of different types of industrial businesses so we have a really unique and concentrated effort around aerospace manufacturing. Some of the largest aerospace manufacturers in the county are located here in Arvada, several of them out west. There's a few on the east side of Arvada Barber Nichols, felston Tools.

Sean:

I'm probably not educated on the topic. What is aerospace technology Like? What sort of? What are we talking about there?

Iza:

So satellite manufacturing for satellites that are in space. We had Barbara Nichols does engines, so they've done the engine for some of the space, the shuttles that have gone into space, and they have an amazing kind of community and culture as well. Moog is another one that just moved in a few years ago. That was actually a really fun project to work on. It was an annexation into Arvada that brought in that primary employer and they are doing satellite manufacturing as well. So just really high-tech, high-paying jobs that are being brought into the community.

Sean:

Very cool. I feel like I always think of Boulder when I hear those sort of operations, but it's great to know that we've got a lot of those right here in Nevada.

Katie:

Yeah, aida was also recently re-accredited with the International Economic Development Council with the International Economic Development Council and turns out we're the only accredited economic development association in the state currently, and so congrats on that. Can you tell us a little bit more about what that means to be an accredited organization?

Iza:

Yeah, and so our accreditation came through the International Economic Development Council. It really provides us recognition and shows that we're practicing the best possible practices in our economic development efforts you know, innovative with a lot of our strategies and both kind of in real time, as well as part of our long-term strategic goals. Our reaccreditation process is also pretty extensive, so they want to make sure we're sustainable. All of our economic development, recruitment and retention efforts are strategic and long-term goals and not just focused on short-term outcomes. They do a site visit every three years here as well. So we'll come, we'll have folks from the council come and do interviews with all of our partners, do interviews with our entire team, kind of figure out what's working, what's not, as well as doing some tours and connecting them with some of our employers.

Sean:

Very exciting. Congratulations on that.

Katie:

Yeah, and you mentioned your team. You're a very small but mighty team, I think that's worth mentioning too.

Iza:

There's three of you here there are, there's three of us, and then we have a part-time marketing and communications manager that we share with the city as well. So yeah, for over 3,500 businesses in the area, it's with 125,000 residents, we have our work cut out for us.

Sean:

A lot of times we like to end some of our interviews with clearing up maybe some misconceptions about the work that you do, and so what are some things that folks should know about AIDA? Either things that you do that people don't know, or things that you don't do that people think you do. So what are some misconceptions about AIDA that you may want to clear up?

Iza:

Yes, Well, first of all, our name is a little bit misleading. So I know we have association on the end. We're not an association Again. We're a free resource. We're not membership-based by any means. So we really are here to serve all businesses in Arvada. I think when people think about our work they think we're focused on bringing in one specific retailer and I know Trader Joe's is a hot topic and while we would love to have Trader Joe's here, we really focus on kind of the longevity of retailers and also what their movement and possible interest is in Arvada. So we're continually expressing our ability and desire to assist any retailer that's considering Arvada, but also respectful that they have their process, that they go through and they seek new locations and prefer that process to kind of be on their own terms.

Sean:

So we can't blame AIDA for all the taco shops that are in Old Town. That's not your role.

Iza:

No, go and support all of those local taco shops in Old Town and beyond. We do try to work with our shopping centers and our different improvement districts and historical districts to bring in a variety of different businesses. We're going to be bringing in a couple new businesses in Old Town that are really exciting this fall, so stay tuned for that. But we're really looking at connecting those businesses that want to come in Arvada where it's a good fit for them and finding them that perfect space.

Katie:

You mentioned the Trader Joe's. I think another thing I've learned since starting at the city around like grocery stores generally, is this like they all have their own process for how they find where they want to be and you kind of end up with these like hot spots of grocery stores, like 80th and Wads kind of, and so I think that's just good to speak to, kind of that's where you might have a role once they've said they're interested. They do have their own process too.

Iza:

so I just kind of wanted to reiterate that beyond Trader Joe's too, yeah, they have entire market research teams that go out and do you know, understand the demographics, the traffic patterns, what their return on investment would be in that community, and that's over several years too. So a lot of that is kind of happening behind the scenes and you know, who knows, in a couple of years what we might see here.

Sean:

So yeah, I'm curious to learn a little bit more about the size up database that you provide. So if I'm an entrepreneur and I have an idea of opening up a business in Arvada, I can use that database and that can help me determine if it's like a good fit, like opening here in Arvada. Is that correct?

Iza:

Yes, that is so. That's a partnership we went into with the Arvada Chamber. So ultimately it's a business intelligence tool that will allow for businesses to come in and kind of see what their competition is, what the saturation is in the market. There's a whole list of resources that it provides as well. It shows comparison of insurance rates and what businesses are paying, what they're paying their employees, demographics on a higher level. But it's really a nice touch point for those that are looking to either start a business in this area or expand their business and kind of understand what the market looks like.

Sean:

Very cool.

Katie:

And all of these resources are free. I think that, like we just I can't reiterate that enough I think that's such an amazing. It really speaks to that. The value that businesses of all types bring to our city and our local economy, and like the role that you all play in that is just phenomenal. I've so interesting to learn all this.

Iza:

Thank you. Yeah, we try to be that, you know, first touch point for businesses. So really, when we're going out and talking to existing businesses will sometimes refer us. Some of our partners will refer us when they hear of a business either looking to come in or expand, or even ones that are currently here I talked about retention ones that are having challenges but we really want to be that first touch point into the city. We also want to build our authentic relationships with those businesses so they know that they can come to us if they are having or faced with challenges or, you know, need help with resources. We want to make sure we're building that kind of sense of trust and relationship with all of those business owners as well.

Sean:

All right. Well, before we wrap things up, we're going to do a lightning round. It's a series of questions that we ask every guest, and so I. Katie, do you want to do lightning round, or should I?

Katie:

Go for it.

Sean:

Okay, Start with your favorite thing about Arvada. It can be a place, a fact or even a hidden gem.

Iza:

Yeah, so I came to Colorado in 2016 with the whole influx of everybody else coming here and I came to do my master's at CU Denver for urban and regional planning, came to do my master's at CU Denver for urban and regional planning and I think Old Town was actually my first stop and kind of has been my last stop in Colorado. We got an apartment here when I was going through grad school and I just what really drew me to this area was kind of the sense of community in place and for it being essentially, you know, a large city it's the seventh largest in Colorado it still feels like a small town, especially Old Town and now, you know, just being connected with businesses and kind of being out in the community, always running into folks up north or out west, and it's just been such a great place to raise our family and expand as well on that and, yeah, we love it here.

Sean:

Yeah, old Town is great. I think people refer to Arvada as like the smallest big city in the I don't know world or country or whatever. But what is the best concert you've been to? The first concert, the last concert? However, you want to answer that.

Iza:

It's. I think hard about this one because coming to Colorado, obviously Red Rocks is such an amazing gem and I saw Alabama Shakes there for the first time and I saw them live for the first time and they were just phenomenal. So I come from a musical family. My husband's a musician and he was blown away by it, so if he was blown away then that means something.

Sean:

That was. One of the best concerts I've ever been to was Alabama Shakes at Red Rocks. It was the Sound and Color Tour. I think it might have been the last time they played there. That was top five shows I've ever been to. What brought you to Arvada? You kind of touched on that already.

Iza:

Yeah, I am Yep. So I came out here for my master's degree. I was living and working in DC for nine years in education policy and defense contracting for adults, which was really fascinating and kind of never thought that all of my past jobs would be useful now in my career. But you know, working in the defense industry and aerospace has really brought a lot of context into working with some of those primary employers. So, yeah, I came out for grad school and never left.

Sean:

And then going back way before that, what was your first job?

Iza:

So I worked at a restaurant for a couple years and while I was doing that, my dad and I actually opened up a bakery. I grew up in Pennsylvania so we opened up a European bakery where all my family's from Poland. I immigrated to the US when I was four and we just saw a big need for good quality, fresh bread and pastries and that was sort of my first real job in helping my dad out and where some of the passion around small business and entrepreneurship came from. I have so much respect for people that run and operate a small business because it is not easy.

Sean:

Absolutely. And then finally, what's a favorite project you've done with the city?

Iza:

So I think that's a tough one, I'd have to say. When I first started we put together a retention committee work plan.

Iza:

So I think that's also something that makes AIDA really unique is we have a retention committee that's made up of business owners in the community that really come with us on some of those retention visits I mentioned earlier and act as our subject matter experts. So we have folks from restaurant industry, from the finance industry, from the arts. We have the Arvada Center here as well, which is such a gem and a huge community asset, and we have a couple other businesses that focus, or business owners that focus, around workforce and so putting together that plan with that committee and seeing how passionate they are about small that committee and seeing how passionate they are about small businesses and, more so, how passionate they are about seeing other businesses succeed and I think that's also very unique to Arvada is you have that support from other businesses and even if it's a competing business entity, they're always willing to help and support their quote unquote competition, and so that's been really amazing to see.

Sean:

That's really great. It seems like a project, too, that probably continues, you know, continues on and continues to benefit the community and not just kind of a one-off thing. So well, isa, thank you so much for joining us today. I really appreciate it. I know we learned a lot, and thanks for having, or thanks for coming on, the show.

Iza:

Appreciate it. Thank you so much for having us Thanks.

Sean:

All right, before we let you go, I wanted to move on to our news and events segment, and we recently got a question from a listener named Michael, who asked about a parcel of land out there west of Lake Arbor Park where there's a small unofficial bike park, and Michael was wondering about the city's plans to develop that area into a bike park, and so, actually, over the past decade, the city has explored potential uses for that area, also known as the Pomona Parcel. We even did some community engagement and developed some design concepts based on that feedback that we got from the community. Last year, though, the city's parks and urban design team shared those design concepts with the city manager's office, and at that time we received direction not to proceed with the next step in that project, which would have been construction documents. That decision was made due to a funding deficit for the project as well, as there is a similar bike project going on currently at Clear Creek Valley Park, which is run by the Highland Hills Park and Recreation District over there. It's very close, it's on the edge of Arvada and so, because they are also developing a park and there was a funding deficit, we decided not to pursue that project any further.

Sean:

At this time, however, we do have those updated conceptual designs, and so those can be used in any future planning, if resources are made available, to construct and maintain a bike park out there by Lake Arbor. So thank you, michael, for asking us that question. We really appreciate it. Anyone who has any questions can reach out to us at podcast at arvadaorg. Speaking of bikes, katie, we have a bike-friendly community survey that's open right now.

Katie:

Yeah, so if you are a bike or a cyclist in our community, or if you're interested in biking in Arvada, we encourage you to take our Bike-Friendly Community Survey, and so the city has been a bike-friendly community since 2010. And as a part of maintaining that designation, we have a survey out that the League of Bicycle Communities puts out, and so we'll put a link to that survey in our show notes for folks puts out, and so we'll put a link to that survey in our show notes for folks. And I mentioned last episode as well, but really kind of ongoing through October. Now, through October, the utilities department is having some conversations about 2025 water, sewer and storm water rates and fees, and so those conversations started in July and there's another one August 26th, september 23rd and then October 7th and 21st are the currently scheduled dates for the readings of the ordinance that will pass those new updated rates and fees. And then, sean, we're wrapping up summer. What's going on with our summer events?

Sean:

Yeah, we still have a few events here as we close out summer and look ahead to fall. One thing we've yet to mention is the Lake Arbor Golf Course's 50th anniversary celebration. And so Lake Arbor is turning 50 this year and as part of that celebration they are giving away free pint and wine glasses that have a limited edition 50th anniversary logo on them. You do have to play around in golf and purchase that drink, but then you get to keep the glass for yourself. So visit lakearborgolfcom for more information and to book your tee time to get those limited edition drinkware. Also, the Climate Action and Sustainability Plan our next round of engagement is now open. We're asking members of the community to rank their preference of initiatives that they want to see included in the plan, and so you can go to arvadagov slash climate action to learn more about that step of engagement and to weigh in on those initiatives.

Sean:

And next we have our Arvada Days coming up here pretty soon, on Saturday, august 24th. That's our end of summer celebration, hosted by the Arvada Festivals Commission. It's a super family-friendly event out there at Clear Creek Valley Park. There'll be a Nerf Turf Zone, free train rides, free inflatables and a free not a free beer garden, but a beer garden for the parents benefiting the Ralston House. So something for everyone at Arvada days on August 24th and then finally, just some seasonal closures coming up. The Ralston Central Splash Pad will close after Labor Day and then the Old Town Fountain in Old Town Arvada will move to weekends only after Labor Day through September, and then it'll close for the season starting in October.

Katie:

Well, thanks again. So much to our guests today, iza. We had a great time getting to know more about AIDA and the work that they do. Be sure to listen to our next episode with our Emergency Management Coordinator, nick Adams. We talk with him about emergency preparedness, what it means to be prepared in the case of an emergency, and that's because September, when our next episode will come out, is also National Preparedness Month. So be sure to tune in next time and then stay in touch with us. In the meantime, visit our website, arvadagov slash podcast. You can subscribe to the show. You can send us an email at podcast at arvadaorg. And be sure to share with your friends, family, neighbors to help us promote the show, and always be sure to subscribe, rate and review. Today's podcast was recorded and edited by Arvada Media Services producers James Long and Steve Mielke.

Sean:

And today's fun fact is we are actually in the Arvada Economic Development Association office right now. That's where we record the podcast. They have a recording studio actually in the back of their office, and so normally we have to meet the guest here. But Iza just was able to walk straight back from her office just a few feet and meet us for the interview, so that's our fun fact for today.

Katie:

Whoa.