The metropolitan area is exploding with new growth. Located at the crossroads of America, Council Bluffs has the advantage of a prime location in the heart of our country. The area serves as an important center to many businesses which include: finance, health care, retail, trade, transportation and tourism.

A combination of insurance, telecommunications, agriculture and manufacturing industries helps create a diversified employment base. This diversity offers strength to the area, decreasing the impact of cyclical economic changes.

The city's dynamic growth is evidenced by the construction of new single- and multiple-family, housing units. For the year 2000, permits for new residential construction inside the city limits of Council Bluffs were valued at more than $41 million, a 52 percent increase from the previous year. Housing construction during the last five years is up 184 percent from the previous five years, indicating a continuing, strong housing market.

WORK FORCE

The Council Bluffs laborshed is an approximate 40-mile radius around the Council Bluffs/Omaha metro area and includes the communities of Glenwood, Missouri Valley, Red Oak, Oakland and Harlan, Iowa. The metro work force totals more than 400,000 and expands to more than 600,000 within a 60-mile radius.

Since 1990, Council Bluffs has increased its work force by more than 7,300 to 36,400. That represents a 25 percent increase in employment growth in just one decade. The primary drivers of new job creation have been the city's tourism, retail and agricultural industry employers.

Council Bluffs is also keenly aware of the need to build and enhance its work force. The city provides comprehensive, integrated manufacturing assistance through job training for all areas of high-tech manufacturing and service industries.

Innovative programs available to local companies include the Iowa Manufacturing Extension Partnership (IMEP) and the Center for Industrial Research and Services (CIRAS). More than $10.8 million has been invested in Council Bluffs providing 5,072 workers with the latest in job skills.

The city's business advantages include no property tax or sales tax on machinery and equipment, a single-factor, corporate, income tax based on sales only within the state and one of the lowest, new-employer unemployment insurance rates in the country. Iowa also has the fourth-lowest cost of doing business in the United States, according to the Business Index of Regional Financial Associates.

TAXABLE RETAIL SALES

Council Bluffs has become a major retail center for southwest Iowa and southeast Nebraska. Council Bluffs' retail trade area extends 90 miles into southwest and western Iowa and along the eastern border of Nebraska.

Council Bluffs, a leader in Iowa's retail sales growth, has become an important retail destination for southwest Iowa and portions of Omaha. Development of Mall of the Bluffs in the 1980s and the Manawa Power Centre area during the 1990s has resulted in substantial retail growth - moving the city from exporting to importing consumer dollars.

Sales for fiscal year 2000 (April 1999-March 2000) grew by more than 6.4 percent from the year earlier to a total of $756.27 million. That's almost double the 3.5 percent statewide growth in retail sales. Between 1990 and 2000, taxable retail sales have grown by about 107.5 percent.

Business/Industrial Parks

Council Bluffs offers a variety of quality, available buildings as well as excellent opportunities for new construction. If we are unable to find you an existing building which meets your needs, the Pottawattamie County Growth Alliance would be happy to spearhead a build-to-suit building matching your exact specifications. A variety of incentive programs are available to assist expanding companies create jobs and make capital investments in the community.

30,000-Square-Foot Speculative Building

The Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation's 30,000-square-foot speculative building is strategically designed to be utilized for either light manufacturing or as a distribution/warehouse facility. The building has been very successful in attracting prospective companies to the community.

Manawa Business Park

The Manawa Business Park is located in southwestern Council Bluffs. The park has more than 50 acres available in lots ranging from one to five acres and is owned by the Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation. This fully serviced park is conveniently located at the east convergence of Interstates 29 and 80.

Southwest Iowa Industrial Park

The Southwest Iowa Industrial Park is a 477-acre industrial park located just south of Council Bluffs, along Interstate 29. On-site amenities include electric power, natural gas, steam, water, sewer and accessibility for barge transportation on the Missouri River.

Major Regional/National Companies

Acceptance Insurance Co.
American Agrisurance
American Games, Inc.
Automated Concepts
Bunge Corp.
Cresline Plastic Pipe Co., Inc.
Farnam Cos.
Frito-Lay, Inc.
ConAgra Frozen Foods
Griffin Pipe Products
Home Depot
Hy-Vee Food Stores, Inc.
IBP Inc.
MidAmerican Energy Co.
Menards, Inc.
Omaha Standard, Inc.
Telmar Network Technologies
Union Pacific Railroad
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Weyerhaeuser

Recent Expansions

During the past three years, the Pottawattamie County Growth Alliance has worked with many expanding companies resulting in the creation of more than 1,100 jobs and more than $68 million in capital investment.

Farnam Cos. - an equine product manufacturer and distributor: A $2.5 million, 110,000-square-foot manufacturing/warehouse addition.

IBP, Inc. - beef processors: A $26 million expansion to its case-ready meats facility and a $25 million, 85,000-square-foot, new cooked-meats facility.

Omaha Standard - truck bodies and equipment: A $2.2 million expansion to its east manufacturing facility.

ConAgra Frozen Foods: A $6.3 million expansion.

Other industrial expansions include: McCollister and Co., a lubricant manufacturer and distributor; Midwest Walnut, a lumber company; and PLUMROSE USA, ham and bacon producers.

Two recent additions to the Council Bluffs business community are Crescent Systems and Customer Access Point.

Crescent Systems is an electronic payment services company, providing bill payment products for companies across the country.

Customer Access Point is a customer contact service bureau, providing live operator, interactive voice response, e-mail and live-chat based customer service.

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