Advance Southwest Iowa: 45 active projects, 158 jobs and a confidential major investment in Council Bluffs pipeline

Paula Hazelwood, head of Advance Southwest Iowa, told the Council Bluffs City Council that Advance had 45 active projects in its pipeline as of Nov. 30 and that the organization landed 10 projects in 2025 that represent creation or retention of 158 full-time-equivalent positions.

"So ending on November 30, we 45 active projects in the pipeline," Hazelwood said. She later summarized job impacts as "the creation and or retention of 158 full time equivalent positions."

Hazelwood outlined a set of specific projects the organization supported in 2025, including a warehouse/distribution relocation (Canan Tires), Project Tallgrass (a CO2 pipeline-adjacent renewable-energy facility), Project Edge (a large data center on 90 acres east of Iowa Western Community College that is already under construction and carries a public-record minimum assessment to the city of $200,000,000), and small professional relocations such as McClure Engineering and a Hillcrest Health office.

She said one major project that would represent the largest capital investment Advance has landed in her nine years with the organization remains under a nondisclosure agreement and therefore she could not disclose the investment amount without violating that agreement.

Hazelwood also described Advance’s ongoing work to support entrepreneurs and small businesses, noting the organization had engaged with 72 food entrepreneurs and ran a regional pitch competition that awarded $20,000 in prize funding this year.

Council members and staff were acknowledged in the presentation; Hazelwood thanked Mayor Walsh and noted new and returning staff at Advance, including Connor Mallory, who started in October as manager of entrepreneurial development.

The presentation was informational; no council action was taken on the items Hazelwood described during the meeting.