As Greater Des Moines Partnership CEO Jay Byers heads to Simpson, he'll be 'hard to replace'
Tyler Jett
Greater Des Moines Partnership CEO Jay Byers, who has helped foster a downtown renaissance and regional growth by building a deep network of relationships with central Iowa's corporate and political leaders, will leave the organization this summer to become the next president of Simpson College.
Simpson and the Partnership separately announced the move Monday, with Simpson College board chair Terry Handley writing in an email to employees that Byers was chosen over 91 other applicants for the position. Byers, a board member of the Indianola private college and a 1993 alumnus, has served as the Partnership's CEO since January 2012.
"This is truly exciting news for Simpson College," said Handley, the former CEO of Casey's General Stores. "Jay is a passionate Simpson alumnus who has been one of the College’s most prominent ambassadors throughout his distinguished career."
Byers will replace Marsha Kelliher, who announced her retirement in January.
In a news release, Greater Des Moines Partnership officials credited Byers with overseeing an expansion of the economic development group. The Partnership is now one of the country's largest regional chambers of commerce, encompassing 24 affiliate chambers with about 6,500 members, the release said.
Byers has overseen the group during a period when the Des Moines metro has grown faster than any other major Midwestern metro.
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“I could not be more proud of our organization’s and region’s record of economic and community development achievement during this time,” Byers said in a statement Monday. “I am excited about the future of Greater Des Moines and look forward to continuing to work closely with The Partnership and other private, public and non-profit leaders in our region in my new role."
The organization's news release credited Byers with helping oversee the Capital Crossroads Regional Vision Plan, which helped determine how to further develop the city. During his time at the Partnership, the group helped steer downtown additions, including the development of the Lauridsen Skatepark on the west bank of the Des Moines River downtown, and many other projects.
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Byers' departure comes as city, business and philanthropic leaders are working toward goals including plans for expansion of the terminal at Des Moines International Airport, a whitewater course on the Des Moines River and a downtown pro soccer stadium.
"He has helped transform our community, helping put DSM on the map, while also fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation," Mike McCoy, chair of the Partnership board and CEO of NCMIC Insurance Co., said in a statement.
In 2019, the most recent year for which a tax document is publicly available, the Partnership reported $7.6 million in revenue. That's up from about $6.3 million in 2012, Byers' first year as the organization's CEO. Byers received about $407,000 in total compensation in 2019.
Byers, who will stay at the Partnership through the end of June, will discuss his new job during a news conference at Simpson College on Wednesday afternoon. The Partnership board, meanwhile, will create a succession plan during a closed-door meeting Friday.
Byers won over political, business leaders in Iowa
The Partnership, which employs about 40 workers, did not make anyone available for an interview Monday. But other city leaders credited Byers with growing the organization by quietly building strong ties with Des Moines' most powerful and politically connected leaders.
Byers, who had served as an assistant to then-U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, joined the Partnership as a government affairs official in 2005. Steve Zumbach, a local attorney who helped form the Partnership, said the group's leaders hired Byers in part to help them secure state and federal grants to develop downtown.
Zumbach said Byers joined the group as it was still working to convert the Western Gateway, then a collection of mechanics' shops and car dealerships. It's now the site of the Pappajohn Sculpture Park, one of many downtown Des Moines projects that received state support, as well as corporate headquarters, the architecturally distinctive central library and fashionable restaurants.
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At the time, Iowa had a Democrat in the governor's mansion and U.S. senators from both parties. Zumbach said Byers, who had worked for a Democrat in Boswell, succeeded in building relationships with politicians from both parties.
"We needed to have people who were comfortable working with and skilled at working with both parties," Zumbach said. "We needed to de-politicize the Partnership."
Zumbach said Byers accomplished that goal mostly by staying quiet and letting politicians and executives tell him what they thought the city needed. Over time, if he thought it necessary, he would persuade them to shift their positions.
Underdog convinces Partnership's leaders of his vision
Suku Radia, the former CEO of Bankers Trust, said Byers was an underdog to take over the Partnership's CEO role when the board needed to fill a vacancy in 2012. He said Byers won the board over during his job interview, convincing the city's executives that he could help develop downtown.
"He was in a horse race," Radia said. "Nobody expected him to finish first. And he did."
He added that Byers succeeded as Partnership CEO by becoming a fixture in town, attending as many events as possible. Byers also was careful to ensure corporate executives and other board members received credit for the Partnership's accomplishments, he said.
Radia additionally credited Byers with focusing the Partnership on downtown development and avoiding political stances that could have divided the business community. The Partnership received pressure from members on both sides concerning issues like funding for clean water and same-sex marriage, he said.
"Should the Partnership take a stand on the issue?" Radia said. "If the answer is no, Jay is one of those who will instinctively say, ‘This is one we’ll sit out on.’ He has a good sense of what the Partnership should and shouldn’t be doing."
When they traveled to Australia together for a conference of chamber leaders, Radia said, Byers was among the most popular attendees, with deep relationships across several borders.
"I could not believe how many people from how many countries stopped by to greet Jay," Radia said. "I was just blown away. He knew everybody on a first-name basis. He managed to get respect everywhere. People really gravitated toward him."
Byers helped correct early missteps in soccer stadium plan
When Byers became the Partnership's CEO in 2012, Zumbach said, he also formed strong relationships with downtown developers.
Knapp Properties CEO Gerry Neugent, who chaired the Partnership board in 2015, said Byers has done a good job of making sure the organization is a neutral broker among several economic development groups around central Iowa. He noted that when Facebook parent Meta wanted to build a data center in the region, the Partnership organized presentations among several groups.
Neugent, whose company owned a potential site where Facebook could build, said he and local government officials went to the Partnership office to pitch the company. Ultimately, Facebook chose a site in Altoona.
"Jay likes to call the Partnership the economic and community development organization of central Iowa," Neugent said. "It truly is. They assist and have been involved in basically all of the major business expansion and attraction."
Every week, Mayor Frank Cownie, City Manager Scott Sanders and Assistant City Manager Matt Anderson meet at City Hall with Byers and Tiffany Tauscheck, the Partnership's chief operating officer. Anderson said the city leaders don't meet with any other group as frequently.
He said Byers and Tauscheck help mediate issues between the government and business leaders. When Krause Group CEO Kyle Krause announced in 2019 that he intended to build a soccer stadium downtown, Anderson said the company "got off on the wrong foot." Polk County commissioners quickly opposed public funding for the project.
But Anderson said Byers "recognized the importance of the project" and helped Krause develop a strategy to win public support. Anderson said the Partnership also helped organize a trip for city leaders and the Krause Group to go to Columbus, Ohio, where the local government had approved incentives for a pro soccer stadium.
The Iowa Economic Development Authority board has since approved $23 million for a Des Moines soccer stadium, while Polk County has approved up to $7 million. City officials are negotiating a separate development agreement.
"(Byers) just has a really broad depth of knowledge," Anderson said. "He's going to be hard to replace."
Tyler Jett is an investigative reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at tjett@registermedia.com, 515-284-8215, or on Twitter at @LetsJett. He also accepts encrypted messages at tjett@proton.me.