Eight economic impact awards were presented in the four county region which makes up the regional alliance.

The City of Webster City received the award for the site certification of the new industrial park. As stated in the award presentation, this is a critical economic development tool, signaling to site selectors and expanding businesses that a community has completed extensive due diligence related to infrastructure, environmental considerations, zoning, transportation access and overall development readiness.

The industrial site, at 450 acres is one of the largest in Iowa in recent years.

Mary Ann’s Specialty Foods, a family owned company in Webster City also received an economic impact award. In presenting the award, the Alliance recognized their growth and investment.

“Mary Ann’s Specialty Foods is a family owned company with deep roots in central Iowa and a longstanding commitment to quality, craftsmanship and community. They are currently in the midst of a 30,000 square foot expansion, which broke ground in April 2025, and should be completed in March 2026.

The project includes new ready-to-eat and bacon packaging rooms, a shipping warehouse, upgraded employee facilities and new slicing and packaging equipment, which will enhance operational efficiency and positioning the company for continued growth.

Ottie Maxey, executive director of the Hamilton County Growth Alliance, said both the awards were well deserved.

“I was not surprised, these are both very impactful in different ways,” said Maxey. “Mary Ann’s is a legacy company that continues to do great business in Webster City on a national level that has been around for a long time. They are making a great investment in the community.”

Even though both are Economic Impact awards, they are very different projects. Mary Ann’s Specialty Foods is a privately owned business making a large investment into Webster City. The City award is for making a large investment into infrastructure that will allow other businesses to invest into Webster City with new industry.

According to Maxey, these projects were selected by the senior leadership team at the Ames Regional Alliance. There were eight economic impact awards given in the four county region: Hamilton, Story, Boone, and Greene counties.

“The city has made a great investment in the community by creating a very large shovel ready for industry recruitment, and both of them will pay off for generations to come.”

The Ames Regional Economic Alliance has recognized individuals and businesses who have shown exemplary service and commitment in their procession or in the community. The Annual Awards represent the combined efforts of the Ames Regional Economic Alliance, it’s affiliate organizations and regional economic development partners.

The other Economic Impact Awards were given to American Packaging Corporation in Story City, Critical Materials Recycling in Boone, Dakota Supply Group in Ames, Lincolnway Energy, LLC, in Nevada, Strand Associations, Inc. in Ames and United Equipment Accessories, Inc. located in Boone County.

The awards were presented at the Ames Regional Economic Development Annual Awards night held at the Iowa Memorial Union earlier this month.