We are so thankful for the opportunity to support your business and employees in 2022. Together with you and our partners, we celebrate another strong year of new investment in the Marion community. We put more shovels in the ground, leading to $50M of new investment in Marion. Seventy-seven percent of you added new jobs. New technologies are positioning your businesses to offer new products and services in the years to come. Despite continued challenges with logistics and labor, Marion remains a resilient community focused on the future.
 
In this final message of the year, we are pleased to present the 2022 Business Retention & Expansion Report (BRE). It provides data points that we heard from you in 2022. Thank you for allowing us inside your business to understand how we can best stand alongside you in the new year. As we prepare for 2023, Marion Economic Development remains committed to driving competitive advantage for Marion. Each year the MEDCO board gives input and direction that influences our annual program of work. We call it our Playbook. In 2023, we’re excited to help you focus on employee retention, continue to explore ways to adopt new technology and equip your teams to accelerate through periods of uncertainty. We’ll share our full strategic plan with you in the new year.
 
Thank you for choosing Marion as a home for your business, your home as an employee, or a community where you look for new opportunity. Marion is the best place in Iowa to raise a family and grow a business because of you.
 
Thank you for your partnership!