FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laurie Johns, Iowa Farm Bureau, (515) 225-5414

BREDA, IOWA HIGH-TECH EQUIPMENT MOVER WINS COVETED RENEW RURAL IOWA ENTREPRENEUR AWARD

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA – February 26, 2009 – A Carroll County high-tech equipment shipper with a worldwide reputation for excellence is the Renew Rural Iowa Entrepreneur of the Month recipient for February.

Computer Transportation Services (CTS) in Breda specializes in shipping all kinds of used and refurbished equipment, including computers, electronics, medical equipment and telecommunications gear. CTS has customers from New York City to the California coast and around the world; and they’re growing.

Todd Partridge and Elizabeth Partridge Blessington manage CTS and co-own the company, along with the rest of their family. The company has changed considerably since their father founded it in 1979. At that time, CTS shipped computers exclusively. As technology improved, computers got smaller, and there was less money to be made shipping them.

“We had to broaden our net and look for different markets while still staying specialized and doing what we do well,” said Todd. “We’ve done that by being primarily a sales driven organization. For example, online auctions has been a growing segment of our business. You take the E-Bay model and apply it to businesses; people who are liquidating companies like Motorola or AT&T, and they need somebody to move all that stuff.”

Along with developing their business model, the owners have renovated their headquarters, embracing ‘green’ sustainable architecture. They decided to build a state-of the-art facility, designed by Iowa City architect John Shaw. “John was able to design a bright, open, airy, space that almost doubled our work area with energy costs that are projected to remain the same as our current building,” Elizabeth said. “Plus it greatly improved the quality of the workplace for the employees.”

The co-managers have invested and kept their company rooted in rural Iowa because it’s home and it suits their business interests. “Our location confounds a lot of our customers,” said Todd. “Our customer base is people in New York City high rises and businesses on the California coast, and people across the globe. What the Midwest has is a cheerful optimism that you don’t find on either coast. That really translates well over the phone; we do 90 percent of our business over the phone. It also translates to loyalty, which is why we have such low turnover, which also gives a business strength.” CTS has 30 employees.

“Iowa’s rural communities and businesses enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship,” said Iowa Farm Bureau Economic Development Administrator Sandy Ehrig. “Communities like Breda benefit from the great jobs offered by outstanding companies, and businesses like CTS benefit from the qualities that rural Iowans bring to the workplace. The opportunity to recognize rural Iowa companies like CTS is an important aspect of Renew Rural Iowa. We know that nearly 80 percent of Iowa’s economic growth is dependent on existing rural industry.”

The first Renew Rural Iowa seminar was offered in the Iowa Lakes Corridor region, at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake in December of 2006. Since then, 22 seminars with more than 1500 participants have engaged in RRIowa seminars to help their companies thrive and grow. The next seminar is scheduled for March 19 in Adel. For more information on the Renew Rural Iowa program call (800) 254-9670 or go online at www.renewruraliowa.com .

About Iowa Farm Bureau The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is a grassroots, statewide organization dedicated to enhancing the People, Progress and Pride of Iowa. More than 153,000 families in Iowa are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve farm and rural prosperity. For more information about Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit the online media center at www.iowafarmbureau.com.

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