John Willard

John Stavnes recalls the warning he received from a prominent Cedar Rapids business leader when he transferred to Davenport in 1996.

"If Davenport had a last name, it would be either ‘can't' or ‘won't', " the business leader told Stavnes, who had left Wells Fargo in Cedar Rapids to join the bank's Davenport operations.

Stavnes, who is eastern Iowa president for Wells Fargo, vowed that he would prove his friend wrong. As chairman of DavenportOne, he is making things happen on a number of fronts.

His priorities include economic development, community development and downtown development.

DavenportOne indeed is making progress, he says. In the last year, according to the organization's Return on Investment Report, the community gained 800 jobs, landed one industry and sold 60 acres in the Eastern Iowa Industrial Center, secured a $20 million Vision Iowa grant, received a $500,000 state grant for development of the AgTech Center and began conceptual development of the River Music Experience.

Stavnes grew up on a farm in the northeastern Iowa town of Castalia, graduated from Postville (Iowa) High School and earned his degree from Upper Iowa University.

After working as an economic development coordinator for a regional planning council in northeast Iowa, he joined Norwest Bank — now Wells Fargo — in 1981 as a business development officer in Minneapolis. In addition to Minneapolis and Cedar Rapids, he has served at the bank in LaCrosse, Wis.

IN THE NEWS

John D. Stavnes, 50, is president, Eastern Iowa, for Wells Fargo & Co., and chairman of DavenportOne. He is responsible for Wells Fargo's banking and financial services operations in the Quad-Cities, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City markets.

Talking philosophy: "If not us, who? If not now, when? For those of us who can make a difference, now is the time to do so."

Around the corner: "I see more downtown development coming as a result of the momentum that has been built. We'll be focusing on housing and all the things that make for a great city."