Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Workforce And Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Corridor group touts business retention gains and launches 'Build My Future' career event for students
Summary
Iowa Lakes Corridor staff told the Dickinson County Board their 2025 business retention-and-expansion review showed increased outreach in the region and identified workforce shortages; the Corridor will host Build My Future, a hands-on career event bringing hundreds of area high-school students to Clay County this week.
Kurt Strath and staff from the Iowa Lakes Corridor updated the Dickinson County Board on regional business outreach and a new workforce initiative, telling supervisors the Corridor’s rebranded BRE/GROWTH program completed 117 business visits last year — 26 in Dickinson County — and that about 38% of local firms plan to expand in the next three years.
Joanne Fallen, who led the Business Retention and Expansion presentation, said the Corridor reports $62 million in capital investment tied to the firms identified for expansion and roughly 94 new jobs connected to those projects. Fallen summarized survey results on workforce: 63% of Dickinson County businesses reported recruitment difficulties in 2025 and respondents rated local workforce availability 2.29/5, quality 2.91/5 and stability 3.13/5.
“These visits tell us where the pinch points are,” Fallen said, summarizing why existing-industry outreach continues to be the corridor’s priority. She told the board that community services — police, fire and schools — scored highly in business ratings while housing, child care and workforce upskilling were top priorities for future investment.
Trevor Smith described Build My Future, a hands-on career event the Corridor is launching this week. Smith said the two-session event will host roughly 750 high-school students at the Clay County Regional Events Center, including more than 200 students from Dickinson County, with about 50 exhibits from regional employers offering practical demonstrations of jobs in manufacturing, trades, health care and public safety. “It’s not a typical job fair,” Smith said. “Every activity is hands-on so students get a real look at what these jobs are actually like.”
The board and Corridor staff also noted a recent IEDA-supported Manufacturing 4.0 award: Brown Med received a $25,000 grant to help pay for $165,000 in technology upgrades, an example supervisors cited as the kind of small-dollar assistance that supports local growth.
The Corridor asked supervisors to publicize the Build My Future event and to encourage local schools and chambers to participate. The board received the materials and had brief follow-up discussion about promoting businesses in smaller communities and leveraging state housing programs to reduce workforce recruitment pressure.
The Corridor’s presenters left event and BRE report materials with the board; supervisors were invited to attend Thursday’s Build My Future sessions at the Clay County Regional Events Center.
