
Celebrating the Life and Outstanding Accomplishments of Late Founding Partner Shirley Phillips
January 21, 2025
Selfless. Tenacious. Driven. When Western Iowa Advantage (WIAD) founding partner Shirley Phillips passed away unexpectedly in November 2024, friends and colleagues immediately began celebrating the unmatched legacy she left behind.
“Shirley's selfless dedication to her community left her fingerprints across western Iowa. She knew the power of regional collaboration and understood how the success of her neighbors was also her success,” said Rick Hunsaker, WIAD’s Executive Director Region XII Council of Governments. “Shirley set out to make our world a better place for well beyond her time with us, and for this we are grateful.”
A go-getter from the start, Phillips bucked the popular narrative by working in non-traditional female jobs. These included managing the family’s farm implement dealership in Lytton in the mornings and spending the afternoon at the car sales and repair business she ran with her husband, Jerry. Her experience in sales segued into a desire to attend auctioneer’s school, where she became a Colonel. In later years, she managed the bookwork and taxes for individuals in a twelve-county area.
“There was no one more tenacious or driven to make a difference than Shirley Phillips,” said CJ Niles, former director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development (now the Iowa Economic Development Authority) and Carroll Area Development Corporation. “Shirley showed confidence and leadership from the beginning. She wanted the best for her community and the people who lived and worked there. When Shirley Phillips gave her support to a project, there was no stopping her. Shirley's influence and positive impact will be felt by many for years to come.”
A Mover and a Shaker
In 1988, Shirley became the first Executive Director of Sac Economic and Tourism Development, a role she served for twenty-five years. Her tireless devotion to highlighting the benefits of operating a business in the county attracted the likes of Evapco and VT Industries. She also lent a hand to various start-ups.
“Shirley made time to genuinely care about everything she touched, and she touched so many towns, organizations, programs and people,” said Jim Gossett, chief executive officer of Raccoon Valley Electric Cooperative. “We have many colleagues in community and economic development, but Shirley was more to me. It was easy to call her my friend.”
With an eye on highlighting development opportunities throughout the county, Phillips continued deepening her knowledge and expertise via extensive training on the state’s Iowa Main Street Program. An arm of the Main Street American Coordinating Program, it works with 50 selected communities in Iowa that have completed a rigorous application process and demonstrate a commitment to exceptionally high standards for downtown economic development. As a result of her efforts, Sac County was able to capitalize on the unique identity, assets and character of its historic commercial districts to attract businesses and new residents without sacrificing the spirit of the community at large.
She also played a prominent role in ensuring US Highway 20 was completed as a four-lane route, one of her most notable accomplishments. Before the expansion, businesses along the Northwest Iowa corridor had no access to a four-lane highway, minimizing the potential for economic diversity. Her thirty-year commitment to the project involved multiple trips to Washington D.C., where she testified before the DOT Commission and met with legislators and the governor to rally for the project.
A Tireless Devotion
It would be impossible to tally the countless hours she clocked to truly understand the unique needs of Sac County, working closely with government and tourism while lobbying for causes at the county, state and even national levels. As a result of her efforts, she was named Executive Director of the Western Iowa Tourism Region in 2013, representing a thirty-six-county stretch in Western Iowa that touches the borders of Minnesota and Missouri.
Her outstanding list of accomplishments also include:
- Serving a one-year term as President of Western Iowa Tourism
- Recipient of the Silver Shovel Award by the Iowa Area Development Group, which honors outstanding leadership, innovation and achievement for business and community development
- President of the US Highway 20 Corridor Association
- Board member and past president of Travel Federation of Iowa
- Board member of Western Iowa Advantage Development Group
- Citizen of the Year in Sac City
- Iowa Tourism’s Leader of the Year in 2003
- President of Sac Community School Board
- Board member for Unity Church
- Sac City Ambassador
“Shirley was one of the most honest and straightforward people I've ever met and worked with,” said Don Luensmann, executive director of marketing and development for Crawford County Memorial Hospital. “Smart, tough as nails, driven, results-oriented and yet a very sensitive, warm and engaging personality who could work with just about anyone she met. It was a joy and a privilege to have known and worked with her. I count myself extremely blessed with the memories of my friend, Shirley Phillips.”