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Economic Development

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SBA guaranteed $168M in Iowa loans in FY2019

The U.S. Small Business Administration guaranteed more than $28 billion in loans to entrepreneurs in the year ended Sept. 30, including $168.1 million in Iowa.

Here are highlights from the Iowa data:

There were 406…
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Employer roundtable on Nov. 6 to highlight recruiting of former inmates

Gov. Kim Reynolds is encouraging employers and human resources managers to attend the Employer and Reentry Breakfast Roundtable on Nov. 6 to learn about the employment opportunities available with formerly incarcerated individuals. The half-day event …

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SBA backs $4.6M in Central Iowa loans

The U.S. Small Business Administration in September backed $4.6 million in private loans to Central Iowa businesses that plan to create a combined 98 jobs and to retain 141.

The 18 loans backed by the …

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SBA backed $2.6M in Central Iowa loans in August

The U.S. Small Business Administration in August backed seven private loans totaling $2.6 million, one of the least active months this year.

Only in May had the number of loans been that small. And the …

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Iowa supply managers see below-growth index

Creighton University’s monthly survey of business supply managers found Iowa’s index below growth neutral for a second straight month and the nine-state region fighting an economic slump. 

The September Mid-America Business Conditions survey found Iowa …

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Another Iowa business group reports weaker confidence

The Iowa Business Council’s third quarter survey found economic confidence has weakened among Iowa business leaders representing some of the largest employers in the state. 

That news comes a few days after a survey of the manufacturing-heavy Iowa Association of …

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Iowa ethanol industry warns of economic crisis due to RFS waivers

Radio Iowa: Ethanol industry leaders say there will be price, storage and political ramifications if President Donald Trump fails to act within the next two weeks and force oil refineries to blend more ethanol into gasoline. …

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IEDA offers grants for rehab or demolition of buildings

The Iowa Economic Development Authority has two new funds to help pay for the restoration or demolition of dilapidated state-owned buildings. The state has $3 million in the forgivable loans fund for rehabilitation work, and …

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NOTEBOOK: Workers leaving big cities for smaller ones, taking jobs with them

I was talking with Jackie Johansen, principal of Shattered Glass Development, about coworking space. She mentioned that it’s not just startups or one-person shops using the space but that there were corporate users as well. …

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Study: Nearly 120,000 working families in Iowa can’t make ends meet

The Iowa Policy Project has issued a report saying nearly 120,000 working households in Iowa don’t make enough money to support even a basic standard of living without public support beyond health insurance. 

“One in …