Every year a collaboration between local developers, utilities, and the Iowa Economic Development Authority results in a BEST of Iowa annual report. BEST stands for Business Expansion and Strategic Trends, which is a statewide business retention and expansion program. BEST is a national model for using existing business data collected through interviews with local employers. By using a standardized survey, the data is aggregated and analyzed by local and regional users to determine statewide trends. Once statewide data is compiled it is then benchmarked with national data collected from more than 30 other states.

The 2020 BEST of Iowa Report was recently published and can be viewed by clicking here.

MEDCO’s business retention and expansion strategy, led by Brady Quinn supports the BEST program. Brady and the MEDCO team meet with businesses throughout the year to identify needs, opportunities, and barriers facing our local business community. The survey tool is the first step in creating a benchmarking process across our investor group and will ensure we are able to align resources appropriately to support retention and expansion across the community. Please feel free to reach out to Brady at [email protected] or 319-551-3763 to learn more about MEDCO’s BRE strategy.