Congratulations Hy-Vee!

I want to take some time and space to congratulate Hy-Vee on the first-class event they put on June 15-17. Both the amateur event in West Des Moines and World Cup race downtown brought thousands of spectators to our area. Our City staff had the pleasure of working with several different Hy-Vee employees and race director Bill Burke, and they couldn't say enough good things about each and every one of them.

There are concerns that naturally accompany this type of event--potential inconveniences for our residents, injuries, traffic issues, etc. We were fortunate in that our residents and businesses welcomed the event and truly saw it as a significant boon to our community.

If you read any of the literature regarding the 2007 triathlon, you know that it is only the 4th World Cup event of its kind to be held in the United States, ever, and the only US World Cup triathlon event to take place this year. Most of these athletes spend their time competing in other countries for prize purses. To bring them to Des Moines and West Des Moines was truly an opportunity for us to show others what we already know--that this is an excellent place to live, work--and visit!

Events like this do not just drop into the laps of cities or communities. Somewhere along the way, an idea must form in the mind of someone committed to planning and carrying out an event of this magnitude. In this case, we can thank Hy-Vee CEO Richard Jurgens for having the idea and the dedication to make it a reality. Marketing Director Beth Damm also deserves much thanks and recognition for executing this large-scale plan, keeping track of every detail, and just being a pleasure to work with in general. This should not minimize the skill and commitment of every person involved with the triathlon; I simply feel that Ric and Beth deserve a little extra recognition.

We look forward to this event in June of 2008! I know positive word about the Triathlon and its accompanying events has spread fast and expect an even bigger and livelier response next year!