Mayor: Apple Valley has become ‘model, smart city’
Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland said in her State of the City address that Stream Global Services’ newly announced plan to move its headquarters to Apple Valley “has the potential for millions of dollars in economic ripple effects across our community.” (Photo by Rick Orndorf)
State of the City address includes announcement that Stream Global Services is moving its headquarters to Apple Valley
by Andrew Miller
Thisweek Newspapers
Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland capped off her annual State of the City address, which touted Apple Valley’s status as “a model, smart city for the 21st century,” with the announcement that Stream Global Services intends to move its world headquarters to Apple Valley.
The Boston-based outsourcing provider’s move to the city “has the potential for millions of dollars in economic ripple effects across our community,” said the four-term mayor, who gave her address at the Hayes Community and Senior Center.
The news from Stream Global Services is just one of many signs from the commercial sector that the city is headed in the right direction, Hamann-Roland told an audience that included other elected officials and members of the Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the event.
Hamann-Roland pointed to the Cedar Avenue corridor, which saw major construction in 2011 and is set to begin bus rapid transit service by the end of the year, as a place of “job creation and economic development.”
“The Cedar corridor is the life force of our community … and it is our collective responsibility to keep it economically vibrant,” she said. “I know that it is not easy to have ongoing construction over two years in the downtown. … Attracting and retaining businesses on the corridor while under construction is our goal.”
Others signs Apple Valley has become a “smart city” noted in Hamann-Roland’s address included:
• Businesses, such as Think Bank and Kwik Kopy, opened their doors in Apple Valley last year despite the weak economy.
• A host of other businesses expanded or reinvested, including Sam’s Club, Jim Paul’s Valley Buick and Buffalo Wild Wings, which undertook a $500,000 expansion of its restaurant on Cedar Avenue.
• The city’s seen an uptick in housing, with family housing being added at Cobblestone Lake and along Embry Way, and residential remodeling projects up 43 percent over last year.
• City government has focused on “online connectedness,” using Twitter and Facebook to connect with residents, and offering a website (www.cityofapplevalley.org) that allows bills to be paid online.
The city will continue to focus on attracting jobs and economic development, Hamann-Roland said in her closing remarks.
“We move forward with confidence and optimism for our future,” she said.
Andrew Miller is at andrew.miller@ecm-inc.com.
