New economic development director shares his background and talks about Dickinson County

Aug. 15—The east wall of Kent Campbell's office is covered in pictures. The pictures contain himself and people Campbell has spoken with over his career in media and economic development. There's Radio Broadcaster Paul Harvey, Iowa Senator Charles Grassley, celebrity Howie Mandel and several more prominent figures.

"Each of these represents a different impact on things. Each of them have taught me something different... All these people I consider friends because they taught me something at a point in my life that made me better, maybe directly or indirectly," Campbell said.

Campbell, who is the new executive director for the Dickinson County Economic Development Corporation, sees himself as a culmination of his past experiences and those who invested into him, whether the investment was big or small. As such, he sees himself as one of the people who have noticed the county from the outside and is now part of a team to grow a county that has been continually working to grow for a long time.

"I've been successful because things aren't about me. I believe things are about 'we,' it's not about 'me.' I'm a catalyst, but it's not about me," Campbell said. "In the end, in this case, it's about the community; it's about the county."

Campbell has lived and worked in several communities. He sometimes sees himself as a Minnesotan, sometimes as an Ohioan and then sometimes as a Texan. In his career, he started out as reporter in media. He then moved to the economic development. His previous experience includes principal for Intelligent Visioning Consulting LLC, multiple chambers of commerce, and executive director of the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Institute for Organizational Management at Notre Dame University. Economic development appeals to Campbell because media and political science, which he earned bachelors in at Concordia College, fall partially underneath the wide field of economic development.

"Economic development really encompasses that ability to communicate with people. A big part of it is, not just addressing needs, but listening to people. It's not always a new business or something nice. Just talk to existing businesses," Campbell said. "So I think it encapsulates that whole picture of the community. You get to be that catalyst that works with the city and the private sector. It's a unique opportunity that a lot of people don't understand or get to be a part of."

One need in the county Campbell said he is focusing on is housing. While Golden Belt Heights is currently developed, he said he doesn't want to end with the development there because the Heights are just one category of housing.

Campbell said he is also focusing on what he called "essentials" to be available in the county so residents do not have to drive out of the county to purchase or receive them. In his opinion, economic development is not exclusively about building "shiny, new buildings." The field, in general, also brings quality of life aspects to their communities. Providing education for projects that may not be popular with the community is also a task for economic development.

While Campbell said there's more work to be done, Dickinson County has a, "firm base," shown by the consistent statistics the country has maintained. Now, people are moving to the county from urban centers to have the quality of life they grew up in and live in a community they want to be a part of. That in turn, is a main factor in the housing shortage in the county. The county may experience growth because of unforeseen reactions or consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Convention and visitors bureau would bring them to town. The chamber (of commerce) would welcome them. Economic development would give them the reason to stay," he said.

Overall, Campbell believes positive changes have been happening in Dickinson County for many years, and people from around the state are noticing more and more. There's more work to be done though, Campbell said, and his door is always open to listen to thoughts and ideas for those willing to make an effort.

"People can make a great impact. You just need to make the effort to do it. I think that's what life is about. That's what I've learned from all these people, is that if you make the effort it's going to make a difference," Campbell said. "In Dickinson County, people for a long time have been making an effort. The difference now is that people outside of Dickinson County are seeing that and wanting to be a part of it."