< PreviousIO WA If you’re looking anew for a place to pursue the American Dream, Iowa merits consideration. In March, U.S. News & World Report ranked the vast and rural heartland state as tops in the nation for opportunity. As a place to get ahead, Iowa was assessed as No. for a ordability, No. for economic opportunity and No. for equality. While welcome, the ranking comes as no surprise to Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and the Iowa Finance Authority. “What our research shows,” Durham says, “is that people are looking for a ordability. Millennials are looking to move out of these downtown lofts and to nd more space outside. ey’re looking for economic vitality, and Iowa has always had a really strong economy.” During the recently passed pandemic year, Iowa scored some high-dollar wins in economic development, including nine- gure investments in food manufacturing, advanced manufacturing and distribution. Among the highlights was BAE Systems’ $ million infrastructure investment at the navigation systems facility in Cedar Rapids by GARY DAUGHTERS gary.daughters@siteselection.com S T A TE SPO TLIGHT IOWA 228 MAY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N Des Moines, Iowa, Photo: Getty Images Top 5 Projects by Capital Investment COMPANY CITY CAPEX $M Mid Iowa Cooperative Shell Rock 270 Cargill Eddyville 210 Nestle Purina Petcare Clinton 140 BAE Cedar Rapids 139 Spiber Clinton 101 Source: Conway Projects Database Higher Ed. R&D Expenditure in $000s: 838,401 Number of NCRCs: 130,264 | Percent Improvement 2019–2020: 2.32% Business Tax Climate Rank Change 2020–2021: +5 Industrial power cost per kWh: $8.41 Total Revenue as Share of Total Expenses, FY 2004-2019: 103.8% 2020 Workers’ Comp Index Rate: 1.64 Source: Site Selection State of the States Report, January 2021 National Rankings S I T E S E L E C T I O N MAY 2021 229 Iowa looks to leap, post-COVID. that it acquired in 2020 from Collins Aerospace. With new construction having commenced at the classified facility, the company, in February, received a $247 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to build GPS chips and receivers there. “When we acquired the high- performing GPS business in 2020, we knew a key to success was retaining the experienced and talented leadership team and workforce,” says Jason Casciotti, Navigation & Sensor Systems lead at BAE Systems. “Cedar Rapids,” Casciotti tells Site Selection, “has an excellent local talent pool, including experienced engineers and microelectronics production personnel to support our growing military GPS business.” For her part, IEDA’s Durham is bullish on Iowa’s prospects for leveraging its many assets, post-COVID. Durham spoke with me at length in late April. Site Selection: Tell our readers something that corporate and industrial investors need to know about Iowa that maybe they do not. Debi Durham: Well, in addition to just being ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 1 state for opportunity, we were also named as the No. 1 most resilient state in the nation by KPMG coming into COVID and coming out of COVID. Iowa never shut down. We never shut our core industry sectors, which are primarily in manufacturing, which is our largest gross state product. We are strong in insurance and finance. We have a really vast bioscience cluster and an ed-tech cluster that cuts horizontally across those, as well. And we have really strong IT and innovation platforms. We continue to outperform in all kinds of measures and have a very business- friendly climate here. You didn’t even mention agriculture. Durham: Agriculture is the base of so much of what we do. But manufacturing is a much larger sector than even our agricultural base. Of course, if you look at what we do in manufacturing, roughly 30% is actually based on food BAE Systems received a U.S. Space Force contract for a GPS system for troops in the field. SOURCE: BAE Systems230 MAY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N A D V ER T I S EM ENT Ready to expand your business? Look no further than America’s heartland. With more than 26 development-ready locations, companies can easily fi nd the right option to fi t their needs risk-free on an accelerated timeline thanks to Iowa’s Certifi ed Sites program — fi rst introduced in 2012 by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). Q uality over quantity Iowa’s Certifi ed Sites program considers national site location standards, Iowa’s natural assets and the needs of companies operating in the state’s key business sectors – advanced manufacturing, bioscience, and fi nance and insurance. Unlike some states that certify shovel-ready sites by their own criteria (which can vary widely from state to state), Iowa’s certifi cation program uses nationally recognized standards and an independent, third-party site selection fi rm. To become certifi ed, sites go through a rigorous review process, and all issues discovered during this process must be mitigated within a pre- determined timeline. The outcome is a relatively “risk-free” site, which accelerates the development schedule for today’s fast- moving business environment. Though the number of Iowa’s certifi ed sites has steadily grown since the program was established, o ering the most certifi ed sites is not the state’s goal. “We’re using the most robust certifi cation program in the country,” said Amy Kuhlers, IEDA’s Certifi ed Sites program manager. “Our focus on quality, not quantity, is driving the program’s success.” Keeping pace with today’s business environment As business needs rapidly evolve, the demand for environmentally conscious industrial sites has increased. With this priority in mind, Iowa expanded its Certifi ed Sites program to include Green Business Parks (which incorporate solar power, rain gardens and other “green” components). This certifi cation o ers an option for sustainability-minded businesses who are seeking locations with conservation top-of-mind. “Adhering to environmentally friendly principles is becoming increasingly important to businesses and the industry,” said Debi Durham, Executive Director, IEDA and Iowa Finance Authority. “We designed the Green Certifi cation criteria to meet the needs of companies, gain a competitive advantage as we attract new investment and proactively o er infrastructure that promotes sustainability.” The Green Business Parks certifi cation preserves site’s natural features and recognizes the importance of environmentally sensitive design in o ce and industrial developments. In the last three years, Woodward Eco-Business Park and the Anderson 400 became the state’s fi rst two sites to be certifi ed for sustainable business development. These sites meet the unique needs of companies looking to reduce their environmental footprint and conserve the state’s natural parks and wetlands. For more information about the program and a comprehensive list of available sites, visit IowaEDA.com/locations. Certifi ed and Sustainable: Iowa Is Shovel-Ready becoming increasingly important to businesses and the industry,” said Debi Durham, Executive Director, IEDA and Iowa Finance Authority. “We designed the Green Certifi cation criteria to meet the needs of natural features and recognizes the importance of environmentally sensitive design in o ce and industrial developments. In the last three years, the development schedule for today’s fast- Woodward Eco-Business Park and the Anderson 400 became the state’s fi rst two sites to be certifi ed operating in the state’s key business sectors – advanced manufacturing, bioscience, and fi nance and insurance. Unlike some sites by their own criteria (which must be mitigated within a pre- determined timeline. The outcome is a relatively “risk-free” site, which accelerates the development schedule for today’s fast- “Adhering to environmentally friendly principles is advanced manufacturing, bioscience, and fi nance and insurance. Unlike some determined timeline. The outcome is a relatively “risk-free” site, which accelerates the development schedule for today’s fast- becoming increasingly important to businesses and the industry,” said Debi Durham, Executive Director, IEDA and Iowa Finance Authority. “We designed the Green Certifi cation criteria to meet the needs of natural features and recognizes the importance of environmentally sensitive design in o ce and industrial developments. In the last three years, Woodward Eco-Business Park and the Anderson 400 became the state’s fi rst two sites to be certifi ed 232 MAY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N manufacturing, as you would expect. We take our role to feed the world very seriously, and we value that proposition. COVID caught everyone by surprise. Did you learn any especially telling lessons over the past last year? Durham: We really did learn how resilient our economy is and how resilient our people are, fi rst and foremost. At the same time, I think that we also learned that there are some great opportunities for Iowa, particularly in the bioscience area. We have a really large vaccine and immunotherapy traded cluster, and I think you’re going to see that continue to grow, as we saw investments during COVID in that area. We also know that it has become an imperative for us to make larger investments in broadband, and so the governor is calling for a $ million investment in broadband over the next three years, because it touches all parts of our economy. Speaking of broadband, Iowa ranks No. 45 in the nation for broadband connectivity, according to Broadbandnow.com. Are you counting on the federal government to come through with an infrastructure program that will help you with that? Durham: First of all, we never count on the federal government in Iowa. We fi rst and foremost take care of our own infrastructure needs. If there’s an opportunity to partner with the federal government, we certainly do that. We were already down that path before the federal government responded on a potential infrastructure package. You are also out ahead on wind energy. With the Biden administration promising billions of dollars for renewables, you could come in for some of that, as well. Durham: We’ve been a leader in renewable energy. From our portfolio statewide, it’s about % renewable, and [organizations] like MidAmerican Energy have a goal of getting to %. So, we have wind and we’re also doing solar installations, and we’ve always been leading on that. Renewables are great, but the wind doesn’t always blow, the sun doesn’t always shine and there’s much more to do with battery technology. So personally, I believe it’s time for this country to have a conversation around nuclear again to get to carbon-zero. There’s a common lament that most of the venture capital in this country goes straight for the coasts. Is there anything the so-called fl yover states can do to try to break out of that conundrum? Durham: It is absolutely true. Over the years, we Midwestern states we have not fared well. But I can tell you that within the last couple of years that’s changing. And believe it or not, we saw a lot of We saw a lot of venture money ow into our startups in the ag space and in the ed-tech space last year.” —Debi Durham, Director, Iowa Economic Development Authority We saw a lot of venture money ow S I T E S E L E C T I O N MAY 2021 233 venture money flow into our startups in the ag space and in the ed-tech space last year. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was an anomaly, but so far this year it seems to be holding true. I think that in the next five years, you’re going to look back and see people are looking at the Midwestern states as a good value proposition. How much stock do you put into the idea that the pandemic sort of shuffled the deck, and maybe accelerated the growth of the notion that the coasts are losing their luster? Durham: I think there’s truth to it. Iowa, as I said, has always had a really strong economy. I think there’s an opportunity for not only Iowa but for all Midwestern states. Couple that with what happened with COVID, and then you couple that with the political unrest and the civil unrest in this country that has occurred, and I think people are seeing Mid America really does have a great value proposition. Conventional wisdom says the economy is poised for a boom. Is that what you see? Durham: I do. Obviously, the energy space is going to be very strong, and that’s a key player in our manufacturing sector. Agriculture is doing extremely well right now. If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that anything can happen. But regardless of the circumstances, Iowa has shown that it can perform very, very well. So yeah, I’m extremely optimistic about 2021. I think it’s going to be a very good year. Barilla invested $65 million in a pasta plant and integrated durum mill expansion in Ames, Iowa, in 2019. SOURCE: Barilla234 MAY 2021 S I T E SE L E C T I ON The Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan released in March immediately raised some hackles in some quarters because so many things were labeled “infrastructure.” But at its heart, even as negotiations ensue on its parts, were vast swaths of funding intended for good old hard-asset infrastructure, including $621 billion in transportation infrastructure and resilience. It comes in the wake of the traditionally poor grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers, whose 2021 “Report Card for America’s Infrastructure” actually raised the nation’s grade from its usual D to a C-. “For the first time in 20 years, our infrastructure is out of the D range,” the ASCE stated. “The 2021 grades range from a B in rail to a D- in transit. Five category grades — aviation, drinking water, energy, inland waterways, and ports — went up, while just one category — bridges — went down. And stormwater infrastructure received its first grade: a disappointing D. Overall, eleven category grades were stuck in the D range, a clear signal that our overdue bill on infrastructure is a long way from being paid off.” Among the planks in the American Jobs Plan that propose to pay by ADAM BRUNS adam.bruns@siteselection.com SP ECIAL AD VER TISING SECTION SHO VEL -READ Y SITES Will shovel-ready sites for industrial and supply chain investment follow? High-Priced Infrastructure Proposals Set the Stage for Big-Dollar Projects A new report from Americans for a Clean Energy Grid says the 22 shovel-ready, high- voltage transmission projects shown on this map would create more than 1.2 million jobs and lead to 60,000 megawatts (MW) of new renewable energy capacity. Map courtesy of Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (continued on page 238)236 MAY 2021 S I T E SE L E C T I ON SP ECIAL AD VER TISING SECTION SHO VEL -READ Y SITES PASCO READY SITES PROGRAMAs one of the fastest growing areas in the Tampa Bay region, Pasco County features a unique blend of undeveloped, open spaces in close proximity to modern, vibrant communities with ready access to major interstate highways, CSX Rail Line, Tampa International Airport, and Port Tampa Bay. Near the top of the site location business is the demand for project-ready industrial properties. The reason is simple: companies need ready access to buildable sites in order to efficiently begin and complete construction to get to the business of making money. Recognizing this trend, the Pasco EDC, in partnership with Pasco County, has implemented the Pasco Ready Sites Program. The Ready Sites Program accesses, evaluates, and certifies large tracts of land to prepare properties for industrial development and create a portfolio of project-ready sites for targeted industries. This program has allowed us to assess, evaluate and market over 2,000 acres of land. Each site features numerous digital tools for site selectors to utilize and tour the site. Interactive Maps and Property Videos: • Aerial imagery of the property • Utility mapping including location of all lines along with pipe sizes and capacity • Labor force and population within specified drive times • Mileage to nearby highways, interstates, Tampa International Airport and Port Tampa Bay • Consumer drive times • Site specific information: acreage, single or multiple owners, if it is divisible • Targeted land use • Utilities available • Benefits of doing business in Pasco County About the Ready Sites: • Sites ranging from 100 – 1,000+ acres • Access to industrial quality utilities • Contiguous and developable acreage outside the 100 & 500-year flood zones • Single & multiple users • Within 10 miles of an interstate or four-lane highway • Evaluated industrial land AVAILABLE TALENT When looking to relocate or start a company we also recognize the need for a strong, educated, and engaged workforce. Pasco County works hard to foster our future workforce starting in early childhood education through post-secondary and technical training programs. • Pasco’s A-rated schools include 40 pathways in Career and Technical Education programs through partnerships with local industry • Access to the University of South Florida which is the 7th largest public university in the U.S. and Florida’s Preeminent State Research University • Saint Leo University named No. 1 in the U.S. by Military Times Best Colleges 2020 Our award-winning workforceCONNECTpasco.com platform allows employers to find programs that produce talent that will thrive in their industries and explore resources that can help their business stand out to top candidates. Utilizing workforceCONNECT employers can also find available grants and training programs to continue upskilling their employees. The platform also allows job seekers to discover and explore various career pathways in a diverse economy of fast-growing industries. PASCO’S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Pasco County’s government leadership understands and supports the im- portance of a stable, pro-business atmosphere with local incentives in a right to work state in addition to low operating costs and no personal state income tax. We promote growth and prosperity through the development of a sustainable and diversified economy making Pasco County the perfect location to START, MOVE, and GROW your business. INDUSTRIAL READY SITES IN NORTH TAMPA BAY, FLORIDANext >