Billi Hunt grew up on a farm on the edge of Diagonal in southern Iowa but thought she’d never work in agriculture. But she worked for 20 years on government affairs at Pioneer and later DuPont in Johnston. And now she’s the new executive director of the Cultivation Corridor, a regional play to make Central Iowa and other parts of the state a biotech center that attracts the top talent and businesses in the field. She took the job Feb. 19. 

Why the change in jobs? Was it because of the Dow-DuPont merger?
I had full confidence in the merger. I had such a great opportunity there. When I took the job, it was for three years (and she stayed 20). All of a sudden I thought, “Can I do something else?”

How did you find out about the Cultivation Corridor job?
I served on the delegate board (for the organization). I was familiar with the Corridor because I started serving in that capacity in August. I had worked with the Corridor before, like on the biochemical tax credit and the (Iowa AgriTech Accelerator). So I was familiar with it. When Brent (Willett) left, there wasn’t an obvious replacement and they were doing a search. In early January, I asked if it was still open. They asked if I was interested. I said I might be, and it moved very quickly from there. 

What appealed to you about the job?
Anyone who knows me knows I’m an Iowa girl. I’ve lived here my entire life. During the farm crisis I had the dream of moving to the big city. That was Des Moines. I thought it would be Chicago, you know, something huge, but I ended up living in Des Moines. I grew up on a farm. I loved Iowa State (University). So you have Iowa, agriculture and Iowa State — the trifecta. Why not try it? 

How did that play with the family?
I have great support from my husband — he said, “Go for it.” And my son says, “Don’t fail.” And my husband says, “Don’t worry. She’ll be good at this.”  How can an Iowan not want to promote Iowa? How can someone who grew up in ag not want to promote agriculture? 

You previously worked for what is now the Greater Des Moines Partnership but you mention you haven’t been an “economic developer” in the sense that your predecessor was. How does your skill set match this job?
My No. 1 strength (from Gallup’s Strengths Finder test) is relationship-building, second is connecting, and No. 3 is competitive. That fits in with this very well. 

I think it’s all about believing in what we are trying to do. 

 With the momentum of Ames and Des Moines and Iowa overall right now, this is the time to make this happen. It’s the time to put my whole self into it and see if we can make this as prominent as the (Research Triangle in North Carolina). It can be done, I think. It’s going to take work. 

I think it would be fun to be sitting on a plane sometime, and someone is coming to Des Moines for the first time and a Des Moines resident is sitting there and they say, “Oh, you’re coming to the Corridor. You are coming because this is where entrepreneurs and startups want to be.”

That will be success, in my mind. When someone you don’t know is selling the area like that. 

I’ve been shocked at how many people even in the business community don’t know about the Corridor. There is a lot of work to be done. 

What will you be working on this first year?
I’m going to be working on the 100-day plan. (The Corridor board members) have a really good strategy that was completed in 2017. Focusing on economic development, branding, fostering innovation. My personal goal is getting more ag-interested businesses at the table on this. 

Are there things in particular about your DuPont experience that will help?
Prior to working at Pioneer and DuPont, I worked for what was known as the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce Federation. I know the community and I know the state and this industry very well. I think that knowledge is going to be helpful. But at the end of the day, you can’t do any of this without building community and partnerships. I am truly looking forward to focusing my relationships, and new ones I build, on getting excitement around this. I am not an early morning person but there are probably going to be a lot of Rotary and chamber breakfasts. We need to get out there, in Central Iowa and around the state.

How are you wired? 
I am a very visual thinker. I was sitting in the office at Iowa State (there’s another office at the Partnership Building) and I was thinking, can I put flip-chart paper on the wall? I have to draw it out. Even when I’m doing brainstorming at home for work, there is flip-chart paper all over the dining room, written on with different color markers. My husband hates the flip-chart paper. I’m not proud that I do that. But you lay it out there, you think about it and you funnel it in. 

I love to develop strategies and implement them. 

I grew up during the farm crisis of the ’80s. I had no desire to do anything in agriculture. At Iowa State, I got my degree in resident design and housing. You have to understand people, and motives. You have to understand what they are trying to do and boil it down to something. 

What did you work on in government affairs at DuPont in Johnston? 
We would work on everything from tax reform to acceptance of biotechnology, gene editing, biologicals — that’s the new wave coming, that organisms in the ground can serve as pesticides. Approvals. Regulatory issues. Working with city councils. I can remember going to meetings and have people rip me to shreds over (genetically modified organisms, or GMOs). I would think, which country do you want not to eat?

Do you ever stop thinking about corn? 
Yes, I stop thinking about corn when I think about our wonderful pork, cattle, and soy — and kids.