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Economic Development & Workforce

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January 28, 2022 | Public Policy

Public Policy Priorities Revealed

​In December, the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and Iowa City Area Business Partnership announced our 2022 public policy priorities for the ICR region. After months o...

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Left to Right: Nicole Hubbell, Courtney Hubbell and Allison Hubbell

January 28, 2022 | Business Support

LFS: All in the Family

​The Economic Alliance’s Leadership for Five Seasons (LFS) program runs in the family for some. Over the years, different generations of families have enrolled in various ...

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January 28, 2022 | Economic Development & Workforce

A Transformational Project Breaks Ground in Downtown After Years of Anticipation

On December 15, 2021, City leaders and national real estate developer, TWG, took a sledgehammer to a project they’ve been working to get started on for many years. 515 Fourt...

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December 16, 2021 | Economic Development & Workforce

Iowa’s Child Care Initiatives Take Shape

​Child care has long been an issue for Iowa’s working families. Some businesses are now seeing their growth impeded or impacted by a lack of workforce, which once again hi...

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Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance

December 16, 2021 | Economic Development & Workforce

Workforce: The Great Reshuffle

​In a noisy digital world, it’s easy to get caught up in headlines and begin noticing common themes when scrolling through our feeds. Themes that seem to be trending inclu...

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November 23, 2021 | Economic Development & Workforce

$20M Community Betterment Project Breaks Ground in Cedar Rapids

Work has officially begun on a community project that many believe will spur economic development in downtown Cedar Rapids. The project called ConnectCR broke ground at Cedar ...

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November 23, 2021 | Economic Development & Workforce

$1.5M in State Money Awarded to Cedar Rapids Downtown Housing Projects

​Two downtown housing projects received a major funding boost from the State of Iowa when the Iowa Economic Development Authority awarded redevelopment tax credits last mont...

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November 23, 2021 | Economic Development & Workforce

A Major Capital Investment and Hundreds of New Jobs Headed to Williamsburg

​Williamsburg Manufacturing, which produces numerous high quality vehicle components, is adding a new product line and making a $46 million capital facility upgrade in the p...

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October 18, 2021 | Economic Development & Workforce

Workforce: Ideas to Navigate This Challenging Landscape

​Workforce is the hot topic these days with businesses struggling to find qualified workers to fill many open positions. Recently, Dr. Kim Becicka, retired Vice President o...

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September 30, 2021 | Economic Development & Workforce

Celebrating the Expansion of a Long-Standing International Business in Our Community

​It’s easy to take for granted at times our long-standing history with international manufacturing and forget the important legacy we have right here in Cedar Rapids that ...

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July 28, 2021 | Community Development

Cedar Rapids Lights Up With Façade Improvements

​Each year, the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance facilitates a façade improvement program intended to encourage property and business owners within the Downtown Self-Su...

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July 28, 2021 | Economic Development & Workforce

Leadership for Five Seasons Class of 2021 Built and Delivered Beds for Kids in Need as Part of Their Final Project

The Leadership For Five Seasons (LFS) Adult Class of 2021 completed their class project by assisting with a “build and deliver day” for Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Sleep in H...

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July 28, 2021 | Community Development

Stronger Together: “We Are CR” Mural

​Our community and nation have been through much tragedy and tumult over the past 18 months, but during these tough times our community put its differences aside so that we ...

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July 28, 2021 | Economic Development & Workforce

Renewable Energy Considerations Impact Economic Development

​On a global level, the business debate over environmental responsibility or ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) is becoming readily visible on Wall Street. Recent ne...

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June 30, 2021 | Economic Development & Workforce

Analysis on Iowa’s Population Growth

​The recent 2020 Census figures show Iowa’s population at 3,190,369, having grown 4.7% over the last decade. At first glance this seems like a reasonable rate of growth fo...

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