Hawarden, IA - The public is invited to a very exciting open house! Join members of the Hawarden Area Partnership for Progress (HAPP) Economic Development Committee and Hawarden city officials in celebrating completion of Hawarden’s new speculative building.

A public open house is planned for Thursday July 9th, from 4 to 6 pm, at the building site in the South Industrial Park, to allow the community to see and learn about the new building, and have a chance to win a drawing for a prize worth $250. To enter into the drawing, simply bring a sales receipt dated July 9 from a HAPP business member, and drop it in the box at the spec building site. City officials and HAPP members will be present to discuss the project, answer questions about the future of the 20,000 square foot speculative building, and share their vision for future economic development in Hawarden.

The spec building is a cooperative project of the City of Hawarden and HAPP, and is intended to attract a new business or industry to Hawarden. “We did not build it with a specific business in mind,” says Spencer Haacke, Hawarden Economic Development Director. “But there’s intense competition among communities all over the country to attract new businesses and industries. Economic development specialists tell us that when businesses want to expand, they can’t wait for someone to build a building. They want to move in and go to work. That’s exactly the way it worked with the Plasticology plant that moved into an existing building we had available on the old SECO campus on the north edge of Hawarden.

“Our new spec building is just a shell that can quickly be modified to whatever business we sell or lease it to, so they can be up and running quickly. Now that we have a great building available, our efforts are focused on finding a good tenant as quickly as possible. One of the reasons for this open house is to collect any ideas from citizens about potential occupants of that new building.”

For more information, contact Spence Haacke, Hawarden Developement Director, at 712-551-2565.