Description: Annual visits with prime employers identify trends and opportunities for growth. Data from these visits are used to produce an Annual Business Report & direct economic development strategy.
Economic Development District
Focus: Infrastructure Development
Description: Marion County has worked with regional partners to establish an Economic Development District (EDD) called the MidIowa Planning Alliance. An EDD is a multi-jurisdictional organization, commonly composed of multiple counties. They help lead the locally based, regionally driven economic development planning process that leverages the involvement of the public, private and non-profit sectors to establish a strategic blueprint for regional collaboration and access to public funding sources.
Economic Gardening Pilot
Focus: Stage 2 Growth Company Expansion
Description: Economic Gardening® is the oldest and best tested entrepreneurial economic development program in the country. This pilot program is directed by the National Center for Economic Gardening. The program focuses on helping local Stage 2 entrepreneurs grow their companies (economic gardening) by providing research on competitors, markets, and product.
Exit Planning
Focus: Assisting businesses with exit planning and continuity planning
Description: MCDC is working with UNI's Advance Iowa to bring tools for business continuity planning to the area. This is critical not only for the end of a business ownership, but also to plan for unexpected events such as sickness and death of a business owner.
Leadership Red Rock
Focus: Workforce Retention & Upskilling
Description: Leadership Red Rock is a multi-session program focused on elevating knowledge on key trends as well as building leadership skills. Applications are accepted from August 1 to September 11. Sessions are held once per month at various locations from October to April.
Placemaking
Focus: Resident Attraction & Retention
Description: Marion County Development is in initial stages to determine priorities for placemaking throughout the county and at Lake Red Rock.
Regional Broadband Study
Focus: Business & Workforce Attraction & Retention
Description: Marion County is part of an eleven-county group in Central Iowa within the Greater Des Moines Partnership to complete a regional broadband study. This project includes surveys to gather actual internet speeds which will assist in the attraction of providers as well as access to funding.
Targeted Industry Attraction Study
Focus: Business Attraction
Description: Marion County Development has contracted with AdyAdvantage to complete a Targeted Business Attraction Strategy & Marketing Plan. This project will work to build on Marion County’s manufacturing sector as well as diversify Marion County’s employment base.
Top 10 Under 40
Focus: Workforce Attraction & Retention
Description: Each year, Marion County Development recognizes ten outstanding young professional who live and work in Marion County. This program shares their stories via digital marketing and honors their accomplishments at an announcement event.
Website
Focus: County Promotion for Business, Tourism & Workforce
Description: During 2021, Marion County Development will be working with Neapolitan Labs in redesigning both the economic development web section and the tourism web section in collaboration with the redesign of the Marion County government website.
