Chamber President Sees Nothing but Growth for Business in Waukee

If you ask Rod West, business in Waukee is looking up.

West, market president at People’s Trust & Savings Bank in Waukee, has had an insider’s view since he took on the job of president of the Waukee Chamber of Commerce in January 2011.

West sat down with Waukee Patch to give us his take on the state of business in this western suburb.

Waukee Patch: What’s the role of a chamber president?

Rod West: My primary goal is to work with the chamber director to plan out what direction to take the chamber, what our goals are for growth and how we can attribute as much value as we can for our chamber members. You’re kind of the CEO of the chamber during your year as president. You guide the board and its ambassadors toward whatever you consider your most important goal that year.

Waukee Patch: What do you do at People’s Trust & Savings?

Rod West: I’m the market president. My main duty is in the commercial and agricultural lending sector. I’ve been with People’s since 2007.

Waukee Patch: How has the Waukee Chamber of Commerce grown during your time as president?

Rod West:  The chamber itself has a very strong membership. We’ve added 35-40 new businesses just this year alone. I think the mark of a strong business community is how they deal with growth and Waukee has done a great job planning and plotting for that.

Waukee Patch: What is on the horizon for businesses in Waukee? 

Rod West: I think the biggest thing happening is that Alice’s Road corridor project. It’s going to make Waukee stand out and make it appealing to other businesses to want to come here.  Of course, more businesses are only going to bring more people in and that’s tremendous for Waukee. That’s a good thing for Waukee.

Waukee Patch: What is the state of business in Waukee?

Rod West:  I think the state of business is really good. We’re stable, we have a great business community right now and as we grow, that is only going to improve. There are a lot of business that are kind of sitting on the sidelines right now, waiting to see what the economy does. We’ve seen very few closures throughout the downturn in the economy. People are still patronizing the community businesses. Hopefully that continues. Having a strong chamber only makes that stronger, as well.