Business Community

The progress made over the past few years of new and expanding businesses in northwest Iowa has been unsurpassed. Dozens of new businesses have located and opened within the region and with this development hundreds of new jobs have been created.

Northwest Iowa businesses such as the following have been making headlines of their own because of their unique product offerings and superior quality, resulting in dramatic growth:

BIOwa Nutraceuticals – organic culinary oil and essential fatty acid (EFA) dietary supplement production making it the world’s largest plant dedicated to organic, plant-based EFA oils.

BoDeans Baking Company – most modern ice cream cone baking facility in North America.

North America IML – plastic container manufacturer that personalizes packaging to ensure higher levels of product recognition. They use an injection process called in mold labeling (IML) that can be used for transparent or colored food packaging and a possibility of light barriers.

Little Sioux Corn Processors Expansion – a recent expansion will raise production from 52 million gallons of ethanol per year to over 90 million annually.

Soy Energy – a soy processing plant that will produce 30 million gallons of biodiesel per year.

Wells’ Dairy, Inc. – world’s largest family owned and managed dairy processor producing Blue Bunny brand ice cream, novelty and dairy products.

Along with the above listed companies, the following is a list of key cluster businesses currently located in northwest Iowa:

Lifestyle

• Climate
• Housing
• Cost of Living
• Arts and Recreation
• Medical Facilities
  

Government and Utilities

The six-county area is served by several telecommunications, electricity, natural gas, water and sewer providers. The following link will give specifics on each county:

• Cherokee
• Lyon
• O'Brien
• Osceola
• Plymouth
• Sioux
  

Higher Education

Iowa schools have consistently ranked among the top in the nation when it comes to education. There are many post-secondary education facilities in and around Northwest Iowa, including:

• Briar Cliff University
  http://www.briarcliff.edu
• Buena Vista University
  http://www.bvu.edu/
• Dordt College
  http://www.dordt.edu/
• Iowa State University Extension Office
  http://www.extension.iastate.edu/
• Morningside College
  http://www.morningside.edu/
• Northwest Iowa Community College
  http://www.nwicc.cc.ia.us/
• Northwestern College
  http://www.nwciowa.edu/
• Western Iowa Tech Community College
  http://www.witcc.com/
• University of South Dakota
  http://www.usd.edu

Workforce Characteristics

• Cherokee
• Lyon
• O'Brien
• Osceola
• Plymouth
• Sioux
  

Taxes and Incentives

The State of Iowa and its Iowa Values Fund is a 10-year economic development program designed to boost Iowa’s economy by creating and expanding jobs and businesses across the state. The following financial assistance programs are available from the state. In addition, the counties and cities in Northwest Iowa have additional local incentives. (As viewed on http://www.iowalifechanging.com/business/financial_assistance.html):

• Community Economic Betterment Account (CEBA)/Economic Development Set-Aside (EDSA)
• Loan and Credit Guarantee Fund
• Value-Added Agricultural Products and Processes Financial Assistance Program (VAAPFAP)

Tax Incentives for business development include the following:

• High Quality Job Creation Program
• Enterprise Zones

Employee Training programs to create a thriving, skilled work force:

• Iowa Industrial New Jobs Training Program (260E)
• Iowa Jobs Training Program (260F)
• Accelerated Career Education Program
• New Jobs Tax Credit
• Targeted Small Business Financial Assistance Program (TSBFAP)
• Self-Employment Loan Program (SELP)
• Entrepreneurs With Disabilities (EWD)
• Assistive Device Tax Credit
  

Other Programs

• Export Trade Assistance Program (ETAP)