Business Expansion & Strategic Trends (BEST) of Iowa is a business retention and expansion program. The program is a collaborative effort between local economic developers, MidAmerican Energy, Alliant Energy, Black Hills Energy, Iowa Area Development Group, and the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
Corridor Business Retention and Workforce Partnership Coordinator Joanne Follon conducts multiple interviews each year to identify growth opportunities or potential issues that could lead to business downsizing or closure. The data collected is aggregated and analyzed to show local and statewide trends in a confidential manner.
From FY 2017 to FY 2020, Follon conducted 81 interviews with businesses in our region. From those interviews, the Corridor identified strengths, weaknesses, and barriers to growth in our region. See the graphics below to find out more information about the results from FY 2017-FY 2020 BEST interviews.
Note: These statistics all come from interviews completed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.