Emily Garden takes new position as regional marketing director for McSoifers Inc.

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Forgive Emily Garden if she gets a little emotional when the topic of her hometown comes up in conversation.

“People love Charles City. To hear them talk about how cool our town is — sometimes you forget it if you live here. We are so lucky to have everything that we do have here,” said Garden.

It’s safe to say that Garden is a familiar face to many in Charles City. Fresh out of college, the 2013 Charles City High School grad took over the position as events coordinator at the Chamber of Commerce office in November 2017.

During her time in that position, Garden helped orchestrate numerous community activities and events. Whether that was assisting local businesses in seasonal promotions, helping schedule events, or coming up with new and exciting things to do and see in the area, Garden will be missed by many as she looks toward a new career path.

Wednesday was her last day as community events coordinator. She’ll take on a new challenge and position as regional marketing director for McSoifers Inc., a job she starts Monday. That corporation is headed by Scott Soifer, who owns and operates 12 McDonald’s restaurants in northeast and north central Iowa, including in Charles City and New Hampton.

It’s a bittersweet moment for Garden, who said she plans to still live in Charles City with her husband, Brady. She said she’s sad to leave her current job, but excited for what the future may hold.

“I’m really grateful for the time that I’ve had here and the support that I’ve had from the community, for sure,” said Garden. “It’s been a really incredible learning experience.”

Garden said she believes in fostering a bond of togetherness, that in turn helps communities thrive in order to reach their potential. She says that starts with some of the unsung heroes that help make fun projects a reality — the volunteers.

“That’s what I’m going to miss a lot of, is the volunteers that are so dedicated and they are so passionate about Charles City and making sure that this is a great place to be,” Garden said. “The one thing that really sticks with me is that Charles City is what it is because of the people that pour their time and lives into it. Working in this position has really made that clear.”

Garden added that investing in a community takes effort, not just by individuals, but by many, all working collectively toward the game goals.

“Those were the people that said, ‘this is a great town, this is a town I love and this is a town that I want to continue to invest in,’” said Garden. “They said, ‘I’m not going to sit down and not doing anything about it. I’m going to get out everyday and make a difference.’”

One of Garden’s main goals as events coordinator was to make space for community where people can feel like they are a part of something bigger and come together in the process. She thinks she helped achieve that.

“Every goal came back to that,” said Garden. “This McDonald’s position — which is a great opportunity — what I will be able to do there is continue to do that in those 12 different spaces.”

As with Garden’s next step in employment, Charles City will too encounter much change in the next five to 10 years with big projects on the horizon.

“I’m excited to watch it keep growing, to watch it keep doing its thing,” said Garden.

Although the landscape is changing for many smaller rural communities across the nation such as Charles City, keeping perspective is essential, she said.

“It’s really your choice, individually, on where you see it. I see it going great places. I’m ready to ride with it. I’m really excited for Charles City. I’m excited to be here. If you’re sitting in a negative spot and you’ve got those negative glasses on, then in five or 10 years, you’re probably still going to be there,” said Garden.

Garden said she will still drive down Main Street, taking no shortcuts, regardless of where she works. She said she’s likely to stop at many of the businesses that she has worked with in her public role, adding that those business are the lifeblood of the town.

“We are not dying. We are so alive and there are so many people that are passionate about Charles City,” said Garden. “For a town our size, we have an extraordinary amount of events. So we’re really very fortunate.”