Katie Gieszler '10

State of Iowa Economic Development Office, Des Moines, IA

Katie Gieszler '10 recently completed an internship with the State of Iowa Economic Development Department in the Downtown Resource Center. She completed case studies on four historic sites which had received Main Street Iowa funding for rehabilitation. She visited these sights to discuss the renovation projects, sustainability, and economic impact on the surrounding area.

Says Gieszler, "This experience has been greatly beneficial on an educational level as well as a professional level. This internship confirmed my belief in the importance of great management. It also allowed me to see how a small amount of grant money can really make a difference at the local level including job creation and revenue increases for surrounding businesses. Analyzing the economic impact model allowed me to see the benefit in numerical amounts, which was important for the comparison of projects."

Click here to read Katie's internship blog.