In 2014, Perry Industrial Park became one of Iowa’s first certified sites, a recognition that parcels in the park were ready to be developed.

Officials worked to obtain the designation because they believed it would spur development and bring new jobs to the Dallas County community.

Until recently, development has been slow. Now, though, construction is expected to soon begin on two large production facilities, prompting economic development officials to pursue an expansion of the park and additional certification that they believe will attract even more investment.

“This has been a long time coming,” Perry Mayor Dirk Cavanaugh said. “We’ve tried promoting the park to get things going in it but nothing ever took. I think it took Tyson closing down to motivate everybody to start pushing the park.”

In March 2024, long-time Perry employer Tyson Foods announced it would close its pork processing plant in June, leaving over 1,250 people without jobs. The announcement came just weeks after a shooting at Perry High School that left three people dead and six injured.

“2024 was rough,” Cavanaugh said. “Seeing what’s happening now [in the industrial park] is good for the community.”

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday for ADR Axles USA Inc.’s $14.3 million North American headquarters and production facility. Ten days earlier, JBS USA Inc. held a similar celebration for its $135 million sausage production facility that will be built across the road and a little south of ADR Axles. The two projects are expected to generate over 550 jobs.

The remainder of the 150-acre park is getting close to being sold out, said Matt McDivitt, a member of Perry Economic Development, an organization that works to attract businesses to Perry and support existing ones. The group has a buyer interested in purchasing a 30,000-square-foot speculative warehouse shell in the park and purchase agreements have been signed for other parcels, he said.

The uptick in interest in the park has prompted Perry Economic Development to begin assembling an additional 150 acres that would go through Iowa Economic Development Authority’s site certification process, McDivitt said. The group hopes to submit an application in 2026, he said.

“Getting all of this developed would be huge for Perry,” McDivitt said. “We’ve been patient and now things are lining up and we’re getting opportunities like [ADR Axles]. … Perry has a long history of having blue-collar agribusinesses here. These new businesses will fit in great.”

Perry Industrial Park, located south of Iowa Highway 141 on the east side of Perry, was developed over two decades ago, Cavanaugh said. To help spur development, the city and Perry Economic Development took steps to get the park certified through the Iowa Certified Site Program. Park tenants now include Percival Scientific, ITC Midwest, Hy-Line International and TCB Cos.

“Getting the certification is important because it lets interested companies know that there won’t be any surprises when they start developing,” Cavanaugh said. “All of the environmental testing is done. There’s water and sewer. Companies can start building right away and get it done quickly and efficiently.”

The site’s shovel-readiness attracted owners of ADR Axles to Perry, Chiara Radizzani, vice president of ADR Group, said during Thursday’s ceremony. The company is headquartered in Italy.

“The site meets all the national certification standards,” Radizzani said. “We had the ability to save a lot of time and start construction as soon as possible. … We evaluated other development sites and for several strategic reasons, this site” met the company’s needs.

ADR makes axles, braking systems and suspensions for agricultural and industrial machinery. It began operating in the U.S. about seven years ago when it opened a warehouse in Atlanta. The company’s customer base was not growing and a decision was made to build a production facility in the U.S., Radizzani has said.

Production is expected to begin at the Perry plant in January 2027, she said.

After Tyson closed, many of the company’s former workers remained in Perry, Cavanaugh said. Some have taken jobs that pay less than they earned at the processing plants; others commute long distances to work, he said.

“We are excited about both [ADR and JBS],” Cavanaugh said. “We are hoping that we can continue the momentum and get everybody back to full employment and maybe even grow a little bit.”

Related: Read more about manufacturing in Iowa in a recent three-part series. Part one examines Iowa’s manufacturing economy and workforce; part two looks at the ties between manufacturing and agriculture; and part three explores what Iowa and its communities need to do to attract new companies to Iowa and keep its existing manufacturers.