CommunityLink

Decorah, IA

“The Decorah/Winneshiek County area is a vibrant regional commercial center situated in scenic northeast Iowa,” says Randy Uhl, director of Winneshiek County Development, Inc. (WCDI). “A balanced, diverse combination of natural, cultural, business, and educational resources and a well-educated workforce make the area an ideal location solution for creative-thinking businesses, entrepreneurs, and knowledge workers.” According to Uhl, this is the core business message behind a county-wide economic development effort called “Roadmap to Success.”

As a result of this planning effort, led by WCDI, the community is targeting marketing efforts to light manufacturers with an emphasis on firms that complement and build upon the existing industry base operating in the area. The target businesses may include technical support and administrative service centers; data backup and disaster recovery centers; and computer/Internet-related, information-technology-driven businesses. Uhl explains that WCDI will also continue to focus on encouraging small, entrepreneurial businesses with an emphasis on creative enterprises/knowledge-driven businesses.

WCDI is working diligently to ensure that existing and prospective businesses are accommodated within the city of Decorah and throughout the county, as evidenced through the development of the Decorah Business Park. The 154-acre park along Highway 9 and adjacent to Decorah Municipal Airport offers room for growth.

“Decorah’s Comprehensive Plan Update in the early 1990s called for creation of about 220 acres of business/industrial space to meet the community’s needs for the future,” Uhl explains. “To date, there are seven businesses situated in the park, which offers both retail and manufacturer spaces. The park’s wooded, eastern edge is particularly well suited for office-type businesses.” Examples of these include a software firm, Ortivus-North America, and a benefits company, Midwest Group Benefits, Inc., both of which have located within the new park. WCDI plans to continue marketing the park, particularly to small, technology-driven companies.

The area offers a wealth of opportunity for retail businesses. Decorah and the surrounding communities have vibrant, diverse shopping areas. Decorah has an active downtown with unique shops that extend from the center of the community outward. Communities around Winneshiek County also have dedicated merchants that attract new businesses and encourage growth of the current business environment.

“Communities like Calmar, Ossian, and Decorah have strong commercial groups where citizens are active in planning and cooperating to make a strong business environment,” explains Nikki Brevig, executive director of the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce. “Businesses take the initiative to keep the commercial districts of their communities strong.”

Uhl says agriculture also remains a huge factor in the county’s economy. “The largest manufacturer in Winneshiek County is Textron Fastening Systems (TFS), which employs close to 600 workers. TFS is also instrumental in providing off-farm jobs for many of the area’s small-farm operators.”

Decorah/Winneshiek County Top Employers
• Luther College, a four-year liberal arts college, employs about 600.
• Textron Fastening Systems, a manufacturer of drill screws and fasteners, employs 590.
• The retail powerhouse Wal-Mart employs about 350.
• Decorah Community Schools, serving kindergarten through 12th grade, employs around 350 individuals.
• Winneshiek Medical Center’s hospital and clinic employ 350.
• Fred Carlson Company, a concrete and general construction company, employs 330.
• Deco Products, which offers electrical and mechanical assembly, employs about 275.
• Northeast Iowa Community College employs 248.
• Rockwell Collins, specializing in electronic communications, employs 210.
• Pinnacle Financial Group, a collections firm, employs 183.

A variety of incentives are available to aid in business expansion efforts. “Both the city of Decorah and Winneshiek County offer tax abatement in select situations to assist a new or expanding business in making improvements to their property,” Uhl notes. “When taxes are abated, the property owner continues to pay taxes on the property at the rate before improvements are made to that property. The increased amount of taxes is abated for a set period of time.”

In addition, the Decorah Small Business Revolving Loan program is designed to assist small businesses in or near Decorah. A typical loan amount can be as much as $25,000, and interest rates may range from 3 to 5 percent. “Funding is also offered to new or expanding businesses via the Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) and the Intermediary Relending Program (IRP) offered through Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission in Postville,” Uhl says. “These loans are available to businesses for which credit is not otherwise available on terms and conditions that permit completion of proposed business activities.”