URBANDALE, IA — Jerry Holt has been selected to receive the prestigious Urbandale Hall of Fame award. The award is given to the selected citizen during the organization’s annual Sample Urbandale, A Celebration of Business event. This year two citizens will be inducted, Jerry Holt and the late Audrey DeCarlo.
Jerry came to Urbandale in 1998 as the first full-time fire chief for the city. At this time, the fire station currently operating was only one year old. Prior to Jerry’s arrival, the Urbandale Fire Department (UFD) was the largest all-volunteer department in the state of Iowa. Jerry had a vision to transform UFD from a volunteer department to a full-time, professional department. Through the years, Jerry worked tirelessly to build the department to where it is today. A few of these accomplishments include three fully operational fire stations, one department dedicated to fire and EMS professionals, and a closest-unit-response agreement with the City of Clive that provides enhanced protection to the residents of both our communities, while providing savings to each community. Jerry has also instilled strong values within the fire department, including an oath that promises pride, respect, duty, unity, integrity, and compassion. Jerry exemplifies each of these values every single day.
Jerry will receive his award on Thursday, September 21st at Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites Des Moines Northwest during the 2023 Sample Urbandale, A Celebration of Business event. Tickets are $35 each and can be purchased through the Urbandale Chamber at 515-331-6855 or www.uniquelyurbandale.com. The event includes live music from Chris Ranallo, food sampling from area restaurants, wine and spirits sampling, a silent auction and award ceremony for Citizen of the Year, Business of the Year, Connector of the Year Young Professional of the Year, and “Best of Class” awards.
The Urbandale Chamber of Commerce is a membership-based business organization that serves its membership and business community by promoting economic development, business growth and a high quality of life.