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Economic Development

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Rural Mainstreet Index down for second month; Iowa index up

The Creighton University Heider College of Business Rural Mainstreet Index for September fell from August’s weak reading, according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture …

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VIDEO: Ignite Des Moines – Why brain drain is awesome for Iowa

Geoff Wood, founder of Gravitate, makes the case that despite the common perception, perhaps brain drain can in fact be good for Iowa.

Want more? The Business Record’s next Power Breakfast is titled “Ignite Des …

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Survey: Central Iowa faces construction worker shortage

Construction firms in Iowa and nationwide are struggling to find workers, and most don’t expect the labor shortage to improve in the next year, a survey by the Associated General Contractors of America found. The Des …

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Lottery hits 30

Any business that survives 30 years has to think about what to do to stay relevant for the coming decades. The Iowa Lottery is no different.

CEO Terry Rich, not surprisingly, has a few ideas. …

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Applications sought for Warren County small business contest

The deadline for entries in the Warren County Small Business Grant Contest is midnight Sept. 14. Companies with fewer than 10 employees and entrepreneurs can enter. The awards are $6,000 for an existing small business …

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U.S. job openings rose in July

The number of job openings again rose 5.8 million at the end of July, the highest since December 2000, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The growth in job openings occurred mostly in …

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A Closer Look: Hollie Askey

As the child of a military man, Hollie Askey has made a lot of short stops across the country. But Iowa is where her heart is, and after owning and managing fitness centers in Florida, …

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Employers will pay higher unemployment tax rate in 2016

The estimated average contribution rate of Iowa employers to the state unemployment compensation fund will increase to 1.57 percent in 2016 from 1.24 percent this year, according to a release from Iowa Workforce Development (IWD). …

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Iowa lagged national economic growth average last year

A poor first quarter forced Iowa to play catch-up for most of 2014, and the state’s economic growth was below the national average, the Wall Street Journal reported, based on U.S. Commerce Department Data. Just 16 …

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Iowa Department of Revenue index foretells weakening of state economy

The Iowa Leading Indicators Index dropped for the seventh consecutive month in July, marking the fourth month this year in which the index has met the two key measures that signal a coming contraction: a …