Author: deanfiihr Published: November 4th, 2011
State Representative Chris Hall of Sioux City has been appointed to serve as Ranking Member of the House Economic Development Appropriations Committee for the 2012 legislative session.
“Rep. Hall is committed to creating new opportunities and bringing good-paying jobs to Sioux City and across our state. Working with the head of the new Economic Development Authority Debi Durham, Hall will make sure Sioux City is well served in the state’s job creation efforts next year,” said House Democratic Leader Kevin McCarthy.
“Chris has a reputation for working across party lines and advocating for our community in Des Moines. This is a positive step for Sioux City,” said Dave Bernstein, a Sioux City businessman who is Vice Chair of the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board.
In addition to serving as Ranking Member, Hall will also serve on Appropriations, Economic Growth & Rebuild Iowa, Natural Resources and Transportation committees.
“Growing our economy and putting Iowans back to work is my top priority and I’m proud to be chosen to help lead the Economic Development Appropriations Committee. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move our state forward,” said Hall.
The 2012 legislative session starts on January 9th.
Tags: chris hall, Economic Development, iowa jobs
Category 2012 Session Information, Featured, Jobs & Economy, Recent News |
Author: rachellethomas Published: October 14th, 2010
Iowa’s Small Business Loan Program, which started August 1st, has already shown it’s paying dividends to Iowa’s small businesses.
The program is an effort to create good paying jobs and help Iowa’s small business owners through a $5 million loan program. The Iowa Small Business Loan Program will provide loans up to $50,000 to small businesses with under 35 employees, with an interest rate of 3.9%.
As of October 1st, the following results can be shown:
- 46 loans are in the process with the Small Business Development Centers.
- 11 applications have been received by the Iowa Foundation for Microenterprise and Community Vitality (IFMCV), of which, eight have been recommended to the Department of Economic Development (DED) for approval and three have been recommended for denial.
- The eight approved businesses have been awarded $375,000 in capital, which has leveraged $325,000 in additional co-financed capital.
- Of the eight businesses, two have been start-ups and six are existing businesses.
- 32 full-time and 16 part-time jobs have been created or retained.
The program is still taking applications. To apply businesses must also have a business plan and receive assistance from an Iowa Small Business Development Center, the John Pappajohn Centers for Entrepreneurship, or the Iowans for Social and Economic Development.
Interested businesses should contact their local Small Business Development Center (www.iowasbdc.org) to confirm eligibility and application process.
Tags: Economic Development, Iowa Economy, Iowa Small Business Loan Program, Iowa Small Businesses, Save Our Small Business Fund, small businesses
Category Featured, Jobs & Economy, Recent News |
Author: rachellethomas Published: September 20th, 2010
State Representatives Roger Thomas of Elkader and Andrew Wenthe of Hawkeye joined Senators Brian Schoenjahn of Arlington and Bill Heckroth of Waverly at the Volga River State Recreation Area to participate in the new campground opening ribbon cutting ceremony.
The new campground at the north end of the Volga River was funded by a $1.5 million infrastructure appropriation. The 42 new campsites all have electricity and water while 34 have sewer connections as well. Each campsite has a fire ring and picnic table. The camp pads are level and 11 are paved, pull through sites.
The project began when roads for the campground were built in 2005. In 2008, the legislature approved $750,000 to develop the campground and another $750,000 was provided in 2009 to complete the project.
For more information on the Campground visit: http://www.iowadnr.gov/parks/state_park_list/volga_river.html
Tags: Andrew Wenthe, DNR, Economic Development, Iowa Recreation, Roger Thomas, Volga Lake, Volga Lake Recreation Area
Category Environment, Featured, Jobs & Economy, Recent News |
Author: deanfiihr Published: June 15th, 2010
As part of Iowa’s continued effort to help small businesses, the Iowa Department of Economic Development Board announced Iowa Demonstration Fund awards and business expansion awards.
Environmentally Friendly Shipping Solutions in West Burlington
The Iowa Economic Development Board awarded West Burlington company, Green Line Amour, a $75,000 Iowa Demonstration Fund award to develop the Green Line Armor Hybrid Sustained Use Pallet, or SUP.
Identifying Environmental Efficiencies for Energy Companies in West Des Moines
Statistics & Control (S&C) is a full-service control engineering company based in West Des Moines, Iowa offering a broad range of services. The board awarded S&C $75,000 from the Iowa Demonstration Fund to increase its exposure in the oil and gas industry.
New Job Opportunities in Medical Equipment in Iowa City
Jim’s Instrument Manufacturing, Inc. collaborates with researchers from educational, corporate, and quasi-government agencies in the design and production of medical instruments, and general fabrications for use in industrial applications.A $61,000 Iowa Demonstration Fund Award was approved by the Board, which will allow the company to expand its market share, offer sustainable employment opportunities to qualified highly-skilled staff, as well as new positions to apprentice tradesmen.
New Mobile Application Launch in Des Moines
Des Moines’ BitMethod is a web-service driven application development firm focused on building interactive applications delivered on multiple platforms. BitMethod plans to use the $50,000 Iowa Demonstration Fund awarded today by the board to launch their new application Knych.
Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Technology Developments in Iowa City
Celadon Applications, LLC is a provider of products for the hybrid and electric vehicle industry headquartered in Iowa City, IA. The Iowa Economic Development Board awarded $85,000 from the Iowa Demonstration Fund for marketing efforts targeted to a vehicle-embedded version, and later, directly at consumers, including a cell phone application and a standalone device similar to a Garmin.
Advanced Law Enforcement Technology in Des Moines
ASTRUM LLC (ASTRUM) in Des Moines received a $150,000 Iowa Demonstration Fund Award from the board to market and receive product certification for their product STARS™ (Structural Tactical Acoustic Receiver and Sender). STARS™ combines intelligence gathering and wireless communication capabilities for use by civilian law enforcement.
Decorah Company to Develop Unique Sports Brace in Iowa
Decorah’s Draz Athletics LLC produces athletic and therapy products assisting thousands of athletes at all ages and levels, in 30 sports, to perform better. The IDED Board awarded $40,000 from the Iowa Demonstration Fund to Draz Athletics LLC to build the brace domestically using an Iowa based manufacturer and components.
Wind Turbines for Suburbs Developed in Ankeny
Stirling Wind Systems manufactures and plans to commercialize the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT). The $150,000 Iowa Demonstration Fund awarded will go towards the production of the demonstration systems needed for public research collection, produce two final revisions of the prototypes for 3rd party certification and patent generation, and additional manufacturing and marketing costs.
The Economic Development Board’s support for three Iowa companies expanding operations.
Large investment in Modernization for Waterloo Company
The John Deere Foundry in Waterloo will undergo an estimated $100 million modernization. When completed, the investment will allow the company to leverage more advanced casting designs and manufacturing technologies. The Iowa Economic Development Boards approved tax credits from the High Quality Jobs Program for retention and modernization.
Advance in Value-Added Ag Products in Council Bluffs
Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC (SIRE), an ethanol producer in Council Bluffs, plans to install corn oil tricanter equipment (“Tricanter”) using innovative technology that will allow the plant to recover corn oil at the completion of the ethanol process. The Board awarded the company $300,000 from the Grow Iowa Values Financial Assistance Program, Value-Added Agriculture Component and tax benefits through the High Quality Jobs Program.
State of the Art Value-Added Ag Technology in Keokuk
Roquette America, Inc., headquartered in Keokuk, is a manufacturer of value-added ingredients from corn serving the food, beverage, confectionery, pharmaceutical, personal care, animal food, and industrial markets. The IDED board awarded Roquette tax benefits through the High Quality Jobs Program (HQJP) to support this project with an estimated capital investment of $41,500,000.
Tags: Economic Development, IDED
Category Jobs & Economy |
Author: deanfiihr Published: September 18th, 2009
In an effort to create more good-paying jobs, the state made thirteen awards on Thursday to help Iowa businesses expand or stay in Iowa. The total investment of the projects is over $26 million and the projects will create or retain 336 jobs in Iowa. The awards were made by the Economic Development Board.
Hub City Brewing Company in Fayette County received an award to market and expand their product into neighboring states. Othere state awards were made in the following communities: West Union, Bloomfield, West Des Moines, Mt. Pleasant, Muscatine, Bettendorf, Cedar Rapids, Ames, Ankeny, Carroll, and Marion. For more details on the awards, click here.
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Tags: Economic Development, Iowa Business, iowa values fund, Jobs
Category Jobs & Economy |
