Roger Thomas retires “It’s been a good ride but time to go”
The Thomases shared their retirement party with a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Main Street program.
By Pam Reinig
Register Editor
Certificates, letters and photos have been stripped from his office walls and his desktop has lost its characteristic clutter as Roger Thomas completes the process of sorting through, tossing out and packing up the accumulated trappings of 10 years as Main Street and Elkader Economic Development Director.
“It’s been a good ride,” Thomas said, “but it feels like the right time to move on. Of course, I’m sure when January 2 rolls around, I’ll have to resist the urge to get ready for work. Yeah, that will take some getting used to.”
Thomas will leave his posts on December 31, 2016. McGregor native Emily Yaddof, who most recently worked with the Main Street Cedar Falls program, will succeed him. Her start date is January 2.
During his tenure with Main Street and EDC, Thomas has been a highly visible, “boots on the ground” community advocate. He has had active roles in many of Elkader’s most impressive successes. According to former Elkader Mayor Bob Garms, Thomas’ work on challenge grants prepared the way for the redevelopment of the flood-ravaged south end of town into a white water course and park, completion of the downtown restoration project, construction of the new fire department and EMS building, and the launch of the long-awaited of Art in the Park fine arts festival, to name just a few projects. His duties—both those found in his job descriptions and those he willingly embraced—have ranged from writing grants to escorting state leaders to driving tent stakes into the ground to scrounging up (and later staffing) a popcorn machine.
“It’s very hard to put into words the tremendous impact Roger has had for (our town),” Garms said. “When I was mayor, he was very easy to work with as we both tried to move Elkader forward making it a destination place and a place for new businesses to locate. Roger has been a great ambassador for the community.”
Keith Garms, who heads up the EDC, concurred: “Roger’s expansive network allowed him ready access to resources and people to accomplish EDC goals. He and Rosie sometimes just did the work themselves too. His efforts with the smallest employer to the largest always focused on what was best for the employer, employee and Elkader. He has helped Elkader to grow and maintain its place as a leader in many ways.”
Current Mayor Josh Pope shared a similar sentiment, adding the Thomas’ wealth of knowledge was instrumental in easing the mayoral transition.
For much of Thomas’ tenure in Elkader, he also represented the area in a state legislature. He was nine years into elected office when he accepted the Elkader jobs. Garms mentioned the value of Thomas’ numerous contacts in state and federal government in helping Elkader recover from the flood of 2008 and gaining tax incentives for some of the industries and businesses in the industrial park.
“Being a legislator is important work but it’s neither a high-paying or year-round job so when the opportunity came to work for Elkader, I jumped at it,” said Thomas, who retired from the legislature in 2015.
Working in Elkader also had appeal. Thomas, who lives on the family farm east of town, was employed in Decorah at the time the Elkader jobs opened. The Main Street post had been in place for several years; the economic development position was new.
“It was and continues to be a natural fit,” Thomas added.
A northeast Iowa native, Thomas is married to his high school sweetheart, Rosemary. His decision to step down is a retirement for her, too. Rosemary has been at his side in all of his endeavors.
“I think she’s looking forward to not doing newsletters or creating databases,” Thomas said, laughingly. “But seriously, she’s been a real big part of this and deserves so much credit for her efforts.”
Kris Grover, one of the Art in the Park organizers, also acknowledged Rosemary’s behind-the-scenes contributions: “Rosemary is a quiet volunteer who served as the administrative assistant for Roger and was invaluable for the festival committee this past year, writing detailed minutes which the team greatly depended on, helped promote the festival in newsletters and personally managing the main Welcome Tent,” Grover said, adding that the festival organizers were surprised by Roger’s “ willingness to jump in and do anything and everything necessary to help move the festival forward. We will deeply miss both Roger and Rosemary Thomas on our team.
Roger and Rosemary have three grown children. None live in the area but they made it home Thanksgiving weekend when a decorated tree in Founders Park—named for the couple—was lighted for the first time.
The Thomases will continue living on the family farm. Roger said he will be accessible to Yaddof as she transitions to his former position. Other than that, the hope to spend more time attending their grandchildren’s events and, in Roger’s case, “jumping on the tractor now and then.”
Ever the team player, Thomas acknowledges the hard work and input of others as critical to the town’s Main Street and economic development successes. The community’s commitment to growth, the dedication of the retail sector and the spirit of entrepreneurship present here will make seamless the transition to a new Main Street and Economic Development Director.
“The stage is set for new things to happen,” he said. “We have some exciting times ahead.”
