A Pocahontas family grocery business and a loan officer in Rolfe were honored with awards from the Pocahontas County Economic Development Commission (PCEDC) this year. The award recipients are normally announced at PCEDC’s annual meeting in conjunction with the Pocahontas County Foundation’s grant awards ceremony, which has been cancelled for this year.

Wood’s Supermarket was selected as Business of the Year. Clay Wells, a loan officer with United Bank of Iowa, was selected as the first Volunteer of the Year recipient.
“We are extremely fortunate to have such wonderful business leaders within Pocahontas County,” said
Tom Grau, Pocahontas County Economic Development Director. “We have the pleasure of working with
these individuals to move Pocahontas County forward and we are thrilled with the individuals that our
Board members selected as this year’s winners”.

Kent and Kim Wood thanked the individual(s) who nominated them for the award. “I was honored that
somebody or some group thought we deserved it,” Kent said. Last year was a hectic one for the grocery store, which has been a family business operating in Pocahontas for 60 years. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Woods found that their supply lines had been
disrupted by supply chain issues. Throughout the uncertainty, they began offering grocery delivery and
pickup options for customers.

Clay Wells has worked for Rolfe State Bank and United Bank of Iowa for more than five years. He started working with PCEDC three years ago. PCEDC staff selected Wells for the new award, which was
designed to recognize community members who “go above and beyond with their own time and talent
to move Pocahontas County forward.”

Wells has spent many hours helping PCEDC staff with the organization’s revolving loan fund.
Weels said “It is good knowing that I am a small part of an organization that can do so much to help local businesses in the county. It was quite unexpected because I feel like I just do my small part to help. I am
honored to be the first recipient and look forward to continue on in the future in any way I can.”