Grimes is growing rapidly. Its first-ever economic development director hopes to keep it up.

Grimes wants to continue its quick growth, so the city has hired its first-ever economic development director.

Katie Lord will start in the new position on May 1, the city announced Thursday in a news release.

“There is tremendous growth and opportunity in Grimes and I’m excited to build upon the strong foundation already in place," Lord said in the release.

Grimes' population almost doubled between 2010 and 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. The city had 8,246 residents in 2010 and an estimated 16,295 in 2022.

The Des Moines Metropolitan Planning Organization's Transportation Technical Committee earlier this year projected Grimes would add 11,100 more residents by 2050, reaching a population of more than 28,500.

Though Grimes is still smaller than its immediate neighbors Johnston and Urbandale, its estimated growth of about 98% between 2010 and 2022 was much faster and added more people than Johnston's growth of 41% or Urbandale's 18%.

More: Apartment building coming to vacant land in downtown Grimes — the district's first

"As the economic development director, Katie will be instrumental in achieving the city’s vision and continued growth," Grimes City Administrator Jake Anderson said in the release.

"She has the crucial skill set, knowledge, and experience to cultivate and strengthen community relationships and strategic partnerships," Anderson added.

City spokesperson Whitney Tucker said Lord will work with the 13 other staff currently in the Development Services Department. The department includes planners, engineers, building officials, code compliance officials and geographic information system officials.

Lord's salary will be nearly $137,000, Tucker said.

Lord has 12 years of experience in economic development, including as the business and community development manager at MidAmerican Energy and as an economic development specialist for Urbandale.

Lord is a graduate of Cornell College and earned a master's degree from the University of Iowa. She has served on the board of directors for economic development organizations in Johnston and in Dallas and Warren counties. She's currently a member of the board of directors for Professional Developers of Iowa.

Phillip Sitter covers the western suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @pslifeisabeauty.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Amid growth, Grimes hires first-ever economic development director