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The Place for Innovation
Apr 23 2024The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation has a few key program areas that make up a majority of what we do: Business Attraction, Business Retention & Expansion, Entrepreneurship, Community Development, and Administration. Today, we’d like to expand more on Entrepreneurship.The Backbone of our CommunitiesSmall businesses and entrepreneurs that bring new...
Three Corridor-made products were nominated in the ABI Coolest Thing Made in Iowa contest! Make sure to go and vote for AERO Race Wheel's AERO 59 Series NASCAR Wheel, Century Farms Distillery's Single Barrel Straight Bourbon, and Merrill Manufacturing's Yard Hydrant Any Flow! You can make one vote per device...
National Small Business Week 2024
Apr 16 2024National Small Business Week (NSBW) is coming up fast! This year, we will be joining the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in celebrating our small businesses during the week of April 28th through May 4th.The SBA has been celebrating NSBW for over 60 years. The week is a celebration of...
The Place for Growth
Apr 9 2024The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation has a few key program areas that make up a majority of what we do: Business Attraction, Business Retention & Expansion, Entrepreneurship, Community Development, and Administration. Today, we’d like to expand more on Business Retention & Expansion.What is Business Retention & Expansion (BRE)?Simply, Business...
March Lunch & Learn Recap
Apr 1 2024March Lunch & Learn RecapWHY SHOULD YOU START YOUR BUSINESS TRANSITION PLANS NOW AND HOW TO DO ITOn March 20th, the Corridor hosted a Lunch & Learn panel of experts with business succession and transition experience at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake. In attendance were approximately 35 business owners,...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress ReleaseMarch 25, 2024FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACTKelsey O’Connor, Marketing and Communications DirectorIowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI)515.235.0571 | koconnor@iowaabi.orgNominations Are Open for ABI's Coolest Thing Made in Iowa CompetitionDES MOINES – The Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) and MidWestOne are partnering for the first annual Coolest Thing Made...
CORRIDOR RELEASES 2023 BUSINESS RETENTION & EXPANSION REPORTThe Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) has released the 2023 Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) Report summarizing findings from 74 business and industry visits within the four-county Corridor region of Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson, and Emmet.BRE interviews are vital to identify expansion...
The Place for Business
Mar 19 2024The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation has a few key program areas that make up a majority of what we do: Business Attraction, Business Retention & Expansion, Entrepreneurship, Community Development, and Administration. Today, we’d like to expand more on Business Attraction.What is Business Attraction?Business Attraction includes efforts to bring new...
Maximizing Succession Planning and Business Transitions with the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation
Mar 13 2024As a business owner, you will eventually want to transition away from the day-to-day responsibilities of running your business. You may be considering selling your company and starting a new business, looking to retire, or simply looking to find someone else to take the reins of the company you’ve built...
Governor Reynolds visits the Iowa Lakes Corridor
Mar 12 2024Last month, Governor Reynolds visited the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation to talk with staff about development and projects happening in the Iowa Lakes Corridor region. In addition to Corridor staff, Board Chair Brad Beck and State Representative Megan Jones were also in attendance.Among topics of discussion were:Iowa Lakes Corridor’s...
The Corridor’s 2024 Large Business of the Year is Merrill Manufacturing, manufacturer and distributor of well water system products like hydrants, faucets, well parts, and other rural water parts. Celebrating 75 years in business, most of which have been in Storm Lake, Merrill is a third-generation Iowa business.“We’ve gone through...
My Town, My Community
Mar 4 2024A few weeks ago Trevor and I got the distinct pleasure to tag along with Cory Hepola and Micah & Jenna Kvidt of Kvidt Creative as they filmed for the Corridor episode of the My Town docu-series.It was fun to see the region from Cory & the Kvidts’ fresh perspective...
Matt and Lisa Carstensen purchased the Lake Park grocery store in early 2020, right before the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the shutdown of businesses across the country, Carstensen’s Meat & Grocery was able to quickly reopen at the end of March 2020 to ensure that Lake Park residents had access to...
Nate Kraft: 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year
Feb 28 2024Nate & Tina Kraft opened Krafty’s Meat Market in 2021 as a premier meat market in the Iowa Great Lakes area. Krafty’s provides a variety of fresh and frozen meat options including beef, pork, chicken, and seafood products. They also have a bake shop to provide fresh-baked buns, breads, rolls,...
Lunch & Learn Panelists: Business Succession
Feb 28 2024Corridor Lunch & learnBusiness Succession PanelistsJoin the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation for a Lunch & Learn panel discussion on March 20th at BVU about resources available to ensure a smooth transition of business to new ownership. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and we want to keep...
Throughout this Congress, Ranking Member Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.RED OAK, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ranking Member of the Senate Small Business Committee, today announced her Small Business of the Week: Merrill Manufacturing of Buena Vista County. Throughout...
Corridor to host Business Succession Panel
Feb 26 2024CORRIDOR TO HOST BUSINESS SUCCESSION PANELThe Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) will be hosting a Lunch & Learn on Wednesday, March 20, from noon to 1:00 p.m. at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake. This event will include a panel discussion about resources available for business succession.Business succession refers...
The Place for...Okoboji Brewing Co.
Feb 22 2024Okoboji Brewing Company started in Spirit Lake in 2011. They have grown from 10 taps to 20 taps in the last 13 years. Four of the taps are reserved for OBC’s own brews including a vanilla stout, a Scottish wheat heavy, a pale ale, and a coffee porter. In addition...
Sara Taylor: 2024 Young Professional of the Year
Feb 21 2024Sara Taylor is currently the Executive Director of the Spencer Regional Healthcare Foundation. Sara was born and raised in Spirit Lake. She attended Wartburg College where she earned her Bachelor’s in Biology and then Allen College where she received her Bachelor’s in Nursing. She then returned home to the Corridor...
Corridor releases 2023 Annual Report
Feb 19 2024IOWA LAKES CORRIDOR RELEASES 2023 ANNUAL REPORTThe Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) unveiled their 2023 Annual Report of Activities at their recent Business Recognition Luncheon. The theme of the report is “The Place for You,” emphasizing why the four-county Corridor region is the place to locate for businesses and individuals...
Outgoing Board Member: Doug Benjamin
Feb 15 2024Doug Benjamin served on the Corridor Board of Directors for six and a half years, from July 2017 through December 2023 representing Northwest Bank in Clay County. During his time on the Board, Doug was on the executive committee for three years, acting as Board Treasurer from 2020 to 2022,...
Outgoing Board Member: Scott Berglund
Feb 14 2024Scott is the Plant Manager of Safco Products in Milford. He served on the board from October 2021 through December 2023. When asked what he learned about the Corridor or region by being on the board, he said “the opportunities for economic growth in the area.”One of his favorite parts...
Alyssa Petersen has been a part of the Corridor team since she graduated from Buena Vista University in 2018. In her role as Coordinator of Administration & Communication, she performs marketing, communications, bookkeeping, event planning, and general administration activities. Contact her for general inquiries, website and social media, investor relations,...
Joanne Follon is the Business Retention & Workforce Partnership Coordinator for the Corridor and has been a part of the team since 2008. Joanne leads the Corridor's business retention and expansion (BRE) efforts through existing industry surveys and business relations. She is also the contact for workforce development, expansion projects,...