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“One thing I like about the university that I’ve seen in the last five years is its involvement in the larger community, beyond the borders of Cedar Falls, and the university’s use of the skill sets that are on campus to do positive things in Waterloo as well,” said David Deeds. Deeds is contributing to that “larger community” by restoring a historic neighborhood in Waterloo, one block at a time. The Cedar Falls native, who graduated in 1990 with an accounting degree, has lived in Kansas City, Des Moines and Chicago. But after the senior housing company where he worked was sold, he decided to return home. Deeds established the Cedar Valley Restoration and Development Company, which restores historic homes and builds new ones in the Cedar River Neighborhood of Waterloo. “The idea to focus on historic homes and their potential came about in the last five to six years. Then about three years ago, I became interested in this Cedar River Neighborhood. It’s actually where I’m living, in a 1911 four-square,” Deeds said. “I could see the potential of this neighborhood because of its proximity to the river and to the downtown.” While living in Chicago, Deeds noticed the proliferation of housing in the inner cities—a “new urbanism,” he called it. “If you look at larger cities across the country, people want a simpler life, where you don’t have to get in the car to do everything.” The new urbanism concept is that everything is within walking or biking distance: shopping, restaurants, bike trails, entertainment, recreation. “Right now we’re focusing our efforts on one block in particular, so we can really develop a positive block. If people can see positive things in that block, then we can work our way out from there. The people who can see that vision, in the long-run, will be rewarded,” Deeds said. “It will become a neighborhood that people don’t have to live in but want to live in.” Another UNI alum creating economic impact in his hometown is Bill Bonnstetter (BA ’64, MA ’69).When Bonnstetter left the north-central town of Corwith to attend UNI, there were 40 businesses in town; now there are six. 
He’s working to change all that. In the late 1980s, Bonnstetter founded Target Training International in Iowa, then moved to Scottsdale, Ariz., “In 1988, Iowa wasn’t a place to have a software company,” he said. But Bonnstetter always had strong ties to Iowa and his hometown, so two years ago he bought the former Corwith Bank building with the plan to turn it into the Corwith Community Center. The building had also housed City Hall and the Corwith Library before Bonnstetter bought it. “There were two reasons why I did this. First, my grandfather built that building in 1919 so I was always interested in buying it. I offered the Community Center for free. Second, I’m working with the mayor to start an incubator to attract entrepreneurs,” he said. “We’re trying to stimulate the economy in the entire area, not just in Corwith. The purpose of the Corwith Center is to send a statement to the community to really pull together. I’m trying to build a model that other small communities can follow.” 
Dedication ceremonies for the community center took place in September with Bonnstetter cutting the ribbon. Bonnstetter sees the project as a way to help the community and give rural residents access to business and communication tools those in metropolitan areas take for granted. “My whole premise is if we can export jobs to India, we can export jobs to Corwith,” he said. “With its small-town virtues and quality of life, Corwith is an ideal place for entrepreneurs to establish their business.” He credits UNI and a particular professor with influencing his career. “A lot can be tracked back to Leonard Keefe and his marketing classes. He definitely had an impact on me. The best four years of my life were at UNI,” he said. “I’m committed to doing something in Iowa and specifically in Corwith. There are so many high-tech opportunities in Iowa. That’s my thrust—to energize an entrepreneurial spirit in Iowa.” |
Iowa communities have a way of generating quality citizens who don’t forget to return the favor. How many times have we seen someone return to the community in which they were born, raised or schooled to make a positive social or economic impact? In their own separate ways, a couple of UNI graduates are bringing their talent and success full circle.