Even with the remnants of a massive blizzard a day earlier, the Iowa Soybean Association welcomed nearly 130 people to the ribbon-cutting ceremony of their new building in Ankeny.

Along with farmers and directors, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver and Ankeny Mayor Steven Van Oort were a few of the distinguished guests who welcomed ISA to their new home.

“We debated putting it off,” says ISA President Delbert Christensen. “Considering the weather, I’m pleased with the attendance.”

Mayor Van Oort spoke next and expressed gratitude towards ISA for choosing Ankney as the home of the association.

Gov. Culver spoke after Mayor Van Oort and described his fond memories of working with staff and members of ISA, going on trade missions and working hard for soybean farmers at the Capital in Iowa and Washington, D.C..

The building was constructed with the help of Dennis Albaugh of DRA Development Company and Harry Stine of Stine Seed. The two businessmen joined together to donate the three-acre property, valued at $1.2 million, available in the Prairie Trail development in Ankeny. The building size is approximately 30,000 square feet and will allow for 15 to 20 percent growth within the organization.

ISA CEO Kirk Leeds expressed gratitude to Albaugh and Stine previously, explaining that the right circumstances fell into place at the right time.

“Given this growth, the ISA board formed a task force to take a look at our short-term and long-term office space requirements,” Leeds says. “During this review, ISA was approached by industry friends who ultimately offered to donate three acres of land in a new development in Ankeny to house our new offices. With the gift of land by Dennis Albaugh and Harry Stine, the board decided it was an offer they couldn’t refuse. It just makes good business sense to invest in a building we were able to self-finance, as opposed to paying thousands of dollars every year to a landlord.”

The new building is being paid by both checkoff and non checkoff dollars.

*Content Funded by the Soybean Checkoff