Mark your calendars for September 26th for the Warren County Chamber's Annual Women's Mentoring Event! This event, planned in conjunction with the Carlisle and Norwalk Chambers will be held at Carlisle High School Wildcat Activity Center with special guest speaker, Kim Reynolds!

Register HERE!

The Indianola Downtown Farmers Market is a community event that takes place every Saturday morning on the square outside of the Warren County Justice Center. It provides fresh and locally grown produce at affordable prices, handmade artwork, and many other treats and items to share. In addition to providing support to small businesses, the market also serves as a gathering place for the community. Come and join us to experience the joys of our farmers market starting Spring of 2024!

The Independent Advocate and Warren County Chambers are pleased to invite you to a candidate forum featuring Supervisor candidates for Districts 3,4, and 5 and House candidates for District 21. All candidates have been invited to attend.

Event Schedule:

The forum will be broadcast live on Facebook, with additional coverage by the local newspaper and possibly KNIA radio.

We look forward to seeing you there!

This is Simpson's first time in many years hosting a larger career fair, and this event aims to connect students interested in internships and jobs with employers from a variety of different industries. Simpson encourages our exploring students to attend to learn more about career opportunities and make professional connections. 

This event is free. Due to this, lunch will not be provided but there are eating establishments in the campus center, which is where the event will be hosted.

Employers’ registration deadline for this career fair is September 23^rd at 4 PM. Space is limited and registration will close once it is full. To register, please click here.

Overview
Some meetings - and some meeting participants - are really tough! Gain and practice proven techniques to protect the productivity of the meeting and keep things moving forward well, even in the face of resistance, hostility, apathy, attempted domination, and other unprofessional behaviors. In this full-day workshop, we'll weave stories of disruptive behavior into techniques of how to manage them with grace. Keeping in mind the essentials of any effective meeting and supplementing those critical foundations with advanced techniques to use when the meeting is at a standstill.

Objectives
By attending this course, participants will...

• Practice anticipating and preparing for the challenges that will most likely occur in your meeting environment
• Gain proven techniques as a facilitator to keep your cool under fire
• Practice regaining control in a safe environment, so you can be ready when the next meeting turns unpleasant
• Gain tools you can use to help others manage better meetings

Overview
This lively and highly interactive session will give individuals the critical essentials for getting a project done, regardless of the size or complexity, offering you techniques, concepts, and tools that will save you time and energy right away. This class is designed for individuals who are new to the PM space and need an introduction, or those more seasoned PMs who could use a refresher. This class includes everything you need to know to manage a successful project. Filled with fun activities and plenty of group interaction, this class will introduce you to many topics including, what a project manager is, what a project is, the project lifecycle, and helpful mnemonics. Additionally, participants will walk away with tools they can apply right away

Objectives
By attending this course, participants will . . .

1. Describe a project in a meaningful way –including the “what” and the “why” of it, a summary of the “how” and a prioritized statement of high-priority risks.
2. Describe the road map of project management, include the processes and knowledge areas that contribute to project success, with a focus on stakeholder management through influence regardless of authority:
   • Managing the triple constraint of Scope, Time, and Cost
   • Effective communication management
   • Risk management
3. Describe how the transition process impacts their team, and how projects cause change

Take advantage of our extended hours on the 3rd Thursday of each month to visit the Annett Nature Center!

There may be new things to check out, an activity, or a chance to visit after school and work that might be harder during our regular office hours!

We are excited to welcome Lisa Shimkat, State Director of the Iowa Small Business and Development Centers, to Indianola for an informative luncheon. Lisa will be sharing insights into how Iowa State University’s Economic Development and Industry Relations (EDIR) office supports business growth and economic development across the state.

This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the resources available to help your business thrive. Lunch will be provided. Don’t miss this chance to connect and engage with leaders in economic development!

With just a handful of key concepts, Changemakers can enable change in an organization in a way that protects business interests, empowers people, and simplifies the process. Join us in this session to learn more.

Changemakers are the individuals who put the good of the organization first, make authentic human connection, and consistently treat change as a process, not an event. They make things happen. More often than not, though, Changemakers get stuck. There’s not enough budget. Our projects keep falling behind. We rarely stick to a change when we propose one. Someone is always upset about an initiative. Is there a better way? Yes!

This jam packed and engaging session will give you the tools and techniques for a better way…

• For change
• To get more done
• To bring people along

By attending this course, participants will:

• Gain tools to help you improve your influence
• Encounter a simple, easy-to-apply model for talking about one of the most disruptive forces at work
• Enable you to identify and empower Changemakers around you

Designed specifically for those who are actively managing projects, this class is a deep dive into the processes, knowledge areas, inputs, and outputs you need to know about to manage projects more effectively. Based on the best practices of the Project Management Institute’s Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, this highly interactive class will give you a chance to evaluate and improve your approach to project management.
You’ll learn about the constants – those fundamentals of project management that hold true regardless of the scope or nature of the project – plus you’ll be exposed to some of the most common reasons project approaches vary. This hands-on, no-nonsense class can serve as a foundation for project managers new to their role, as well as an eye-opening refresher for seasoned project managers who have been managing projects for years, and you will come away with tools you can use right away.

During this course, participants will:

• Identify the ten knowledge areas described by PMI’s PMBOK
• Practice creating commonly-used artifacts within the Project Management Lifecycle
• Describe some of the common mistakes made in Project Management
• Practice creating and managing a project plan
• Create solution options for building and maintaining a project team
• Identify opportunities for improvement, using recent projects as examples

Overview
This class covers the foundations of problem solving and critical thinking, starting with making sure that you’re solving the right problem, identifying the best possible solution options, creating an actionable plan for your solution, and then taking that critical first step.Your solution is only three steps away! With practical, hands-on examples, learn how to identify the right problem, uncover the right solution, and put the right action plan into place. Learn some easy-to-apply tips that help you solve even the most complex problems, head-on, without getting overwhelmed by the problems you’re facing and without becoming distracted by the first solution that comes along.

Objectives
By attending this course, participants will...

• Discover decision-making tools to help you identify the right solution
• Encounter specific techniques to ensure you’re solving the right problem
• Practice using a reusable tool to help you approach any problem that comes your way
• Gain proven strategies for creating the right plan of action to move forward
• Get tools and techniques to improve your facilitation skills
• Contextualize problem solving within process improvement / continuous improvement 

Take advantage of our extended hours on the 3rd Thursday of each month to visit the Annett Nature Center!

There may be new things to check out, an activity, or a chance to visit after school and work that might be harder during our regular office hours!

• ​Santa
• Letters to Santa
• Christmas and Disney Character Meet & Greet
• Train
• Live Windows
• Christmas Vendors
• Christmas Carolers
• Photo ops
• Lighted Parade and more!

On November 23rd during the Home for the Holidays event on the Indianola Downtown Square, the Indianola Chamber is hosting the annual Holiday Lighted Parade. We want to make this the best lighted parade ever! We are asking YOU to sign your organization up to be a part of the parade! Here are the details for the event:

• Parade Time: The parade will kick off at 7:30, participants should start lining up at 7:00pm to ensure a smooth start
• Float Requirements: Participants provide a parade entry, we encourage floats, vehicles, and even decorated people! The only requirement is that your entry is creatively decorated with lights to illuminate the parade route.
• Candy and Treat: Feel free to bring your own candy or treats to distribute to the excited onlookers. It’s a great way to spread holiday joy!
• Competition: To add an extra element of fun, there will be prizes for various categories. Let your creativity shine and you might be the winner!

Let’s come together to make the “Home for the Holidays” a memorable event for our community! 

Overview
Goals and expectations are critical to success, but sometimes, we set bad goals with good intentions. We’ve got tips and tricks to help you set (and achieve!) better, SMART-er goals with the end in mind. Now that you have your goals, you need to follow-up and provide feedback to your team. Let’s explore ways to maximize your own emotional intelligence and self-management in the moment while also being sensitive to the other person in the conversationso you can manage your conversations well, whether that’s providing praise or sharing corrective feedback. Don’t forget about appreciation! Expressing appreciation at work is critical to building healthy employee morale, but sometimes it’s easy to forget,and even easier said than done. We’ll explore the 5 Languages of Appreciation and where they fit, along with tactical tips to help you get your appreciation across!

Objectives
By attending this course, participants will...

• Set clear expectations with your team, peers, and colleagues
• Thoughtfully provide feedback others can hear
• Deliver appreciation with individual styles in mind

Take advantage of our extended hours on the 3rd Thursday of each month to visit the Annett Nature Center!

There may be new things to check out, an activity, or a chance to visit after school and work that might be harder during our regular office hours!