Economic development award winners were recently announced by the Business Expansion and Strategic Trends of Iowa (BEST of Iowa). This year, the BEST of Iowa Excellence Awards went to Marion County Development Commission, Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, Kossuth/Palo Alto Economic Development Corporation and Montgomery County Development Corporation for their work to support Iowa’s existing businesses. BEST of Iowa is a unique collaboration of local economic development groups working with Iowa’s utilities and the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA); its mission is to strengthen relationships with Iowa companies to provide a better understanding of issues impacting the ability to do business in the state.

The 2019 BEST of Iowa key findings and conclusions identified trend information from more than 800 interviews completed with companies across 66 counties in 165 communities. One of the study’s key findings revealed that Iowa’s workforce needs to be enhanced and grown.