Reflecting on the news, Harrenstein said, “this puts us on the map of potential sites for business locating to Iowa.”

And businesses are coming to Iowa. In 2023, Rilco Inc., a lubricants distributor, moved its headquarters, and 80 jobs from Illinois to Eldridge, Iowa. Gov. Kim Reynolds said Rilco will “create 201 new jobs in Eldridge and Story City.”

According to its website, Amazon has built new warehouses in Davenport, Bondurant, Ankeny, Mason City and Fort Dodge in the last five years, creating 4,500 new jobs in the process.

Closer to home, in April, 2024, Daisy Brand announced it would build a $625 million dairy foods plant in Boone, creating 100 new jobs initially, with potential for 150 more.

Iowa’s current success in attracting relocating and expanding businesses dates to 2012, when it began certifying land slated for development.

According to the Iowa Economic Development Authority, Iowa had 7,000 certified acres available for immediate development as of January 1, 2026.

With 478 acres certified, Webster City Gateway is similar in size to Fort Dodge’s 500-acre Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation and bigger than Hardin County Industrial Rail Site in Iowa Falls, at 246 acres. Often the biggest relocation projects seek certified parcels, not only for immediate needs, but future expansion, so Gateway’s size works in its favor.

Certified land at Gateway guarantees a company seeking land a number of things, including:

• parcels of 25+ contiguous acres are immediately available for sale or lease

• land will be sold or leased at documented prices and terms

• land is zoned for development, or can be rezoned within 90 days, if required

• land at Gateway is outside documented 100 & 500-year flood zones

• land is free of environmental hazards or regulations that would impede development

• soil is suitable for industrial development

• electricity, water, wastewater, gas and telecommunications utilities are available

• land is free from wetlands or a wetland mitigation plan is available

• land is free of federal threatened and endangered species or a mitigation plan is available

• land is free of areas of archaeological or historic significance or a mitigation plan is available

• roads allowing tractor-trailers access with minimum 16′ overhead clearance serve the park

Such guarantees reduce a company’s need for extensive due diligence and can speed-up land acquisition and development. Speaking of such advantages, Governor Reynolds recently said, “Iowa’s Certified Sites program leverages nationally recognized standards and provides developers with shovel-ready sites that are well-suited for fast-tracked projects.”

Certification took about nine months, and cost about $220,000. IEDA ultimately awarded two grants for the project, one for $37,500, and another for $50,000. Corn Belt Power Co-Op, the city’s electricity supplier, chipped in $45,000, leaving the city to fund the rest.

Now that certification is complete, marketing of the site will begin in earnest. In addition to a listing on the IEDA’s website, the Ames Alliance, Hamilton County, the city, and Corn Belt will all add marketing muscle to selling lots at Gateway. Each has a stake in its success.

Iowa has other advantages for a prospective company looking to locate. The state legislature has worked to reduce both individual and corporate income taxes for the last 10 years, making the state more competitive nationally. The Bureau of Economic Analysis, an agency of the US government, found, in early 2026, the most expensive states to live in are California, Hawaii and New Jersey, respectively. Iowa is the third least expensive state, with only slightly lower overall costs of living in Arkansas and Mississippi.