| In This Issue |
| Stronger Together: A Unified Message |
| AirCover Considers Cedar Rapids for Expansion |
| Business Development Sales Trips |
| MyTernNow Sponsoring STEM Event |
| Fiscal Year 2011 Project Achievements |
| Activity Update |
| Project Pipeline |
| Stronger Together: A Unified Message |
| As announced last week, the boards of directors for the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, Priority One and the Downtown District have approved and signed a letter of intent to unite under one new organization. A nine-member “Unification Council” has been appointed with equal representation from each board to begin formalizing the new organization, including name, bylaws and mission. Per the letter of intent, Dee Baird, president of Priority One and president/CEO of the Chamber, is expected to serve as the CEO of the new combined organization. Doug Neumann, president/CEO of the Downtown District, is expected to serve as executive vice president.
A series of business input sessions have been scheduled to share ideas, take questions and gather input from investors, members, partners and other stakeholders from each organization. For more information and to register for one of the sessions, please visit the Chamber’s calendar of events.
|
| AirCover Considers Cedar Rapids for Expansion |
| California-based AirCover Integrated Solutionshas applied for funds to assist with establishing operations in Cedar Rapids. The company is looking to lease space in the Cherry Building, located downtown at 329 10th Ave SE, to manufacture, assemble, test, and sell their QuadRotor unmanned surveillance systems.
The project represents $5 million in capital investment and will create 15 to 25 jobs over the next three years.
“We are very excited to establish operations in Cedar Rapids” said James Hill, president of AirCover Integrated Solutions. “The talented and technically skilled workforce, network of like-technology companies, and access to the University of Iowa made Cedar Rapids a natural fit for our company. We appreciate the efforts of Priority One, the EDC, and the city in helping us find a location that meets our needs.”
Click here to read the complete story. |
| Business Development Sales Trips |
| This week, representatives from Priority One and the Iowa City Area Development Group are attending AFCOM’s Data Center World, the leading conference for the data center industry. Priority One and ICAD have identified potential growth opportunities in this industry for the Corridor, and feel our area has much to offer. Our region has low latency and high speed access direct to the interconnection center in Chicago, low risk factors for natural disasters, and a technically skilled workforce capable of serving the data center industry. IBM, Microsoft and Google have all located data centers in Iowa in the last three years, demonstrating the growth potential for this industry and the natural fit for our community.
Earlier this week, Priority One attended the American Wind Energy Association’s Wind Power Supply Chain Workshop in Des Moines. The conference provided strategies and best practices for communities to enter, advance, and thrive in the wind energy industry supply chain.
|
| MyTernNow Sponsoring STEM Event |
| MyTernNow is proud to be a sponsor of iExploreSTEM, a hands-on, science, technology, engineering and math festival for Iowa’s kids and families this Sunday, September 18, from 1pm to 5pm at the State Hygienic Laboratory in the University of Iowa’s Research Park. iExploreSTEM is a collaboration between the State Hygienic Laboratory (SHL) and the Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership (IMSEP) to bring science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to life for elementary and middle school students. A team of experienced scientists, engineers, teachers, and education experts will offer over 40 free and fun activities. For more information about the event, visit iExploreSTEM.org. |
| Fiscal Year 2011 Project Achievements |
| August 31st marked the end of Priority One’s fiscal year. Successful projects included locating two new companies to the area, AgSugar International and mCube, and assisting 15 existing businesses with expansions, including Diamond V, Raining Rose, Intermec, Rockwell Collins and Genencor. In total, Priority One facilitated the creation of 714 new jobs in our area, and over $218 million in capital investment.
|
| Activity Update |
| Fiscal Year 2012 Completed ProjectsBusiness Jobs Capital Investment
AirCover Integrated Solutions 15 $5,000,000
TOTAL 15 $5,000,000
|
| Project Pipeline |
| The following is a list of projects Priority One is currently working on with location decisions expected to be made within the next six months:
Jobs Avg Wage Capital Investment
New Prospects:
BioProcessing (3) 205 $20.85 $190,000,000
Adv. Manufacturing (7) 418 $21.17 $28,500,000
Professional Office (4) 192 $15.56 $2,000,000
New Business Total 815 $20.54 $220,500,000
Existing Businesses:
Engineering (1) 0 N/A $10,000,000
BioProcessing (1) 22 $29.32 $24,745,000
Adv. Manufacturing (6) 126 $13.79 $21,220,000
Food Processing (2) 43 $14.44 $11,300,000
Assembly (1) 15 $14.00 $2,500,000
Professional Office (3) 90 $20.07 $2,800,000
Existing Business Total 296 $17.14 $72,565,000
GRAND TOTAL 1,111 $18.60 $293,065,000 |
|
