When people think of entrepreneurship, thriving business communities, and booming corporations, the usual suspects come to mind. New York, Chicago, San Francisco top the list, with a wide array of others falling in line behind them spanning the country. Cities in Iowa, or any of these “fly over states,” don’t typically cross peoples’ minds. That’s fair, however if you’re considering where you want to start and grow a business, you should consider growing your business in Cedar Rapids.
But what makes it a great place to grow your business, and more importantly – to live? Well, we’ll name a few:
1.The Business Resources
The great thing about growing your business in Cedar Rapids is that you’re not alone. There is a thriving entrepreneurial and corporate business community in Cedar Rapids, and being able to interact and meet with other great business minds and kindred spirits is such an incredible resource for any business owner. With things like NewBoCo, the Entrepreneurial Development Center, and the Cedar Rapids Economic Alliance, there are enough events and gatherings to keep you shaking hands and rubbing elbows with some of the areas top business leaders all year long! I encourage you to visit each of their websites to see the different opportunities they have to get involved in the community.
2. The Work Force
Cedar Rapids is the second-highest populated city in Iowa, and with 142,700 people in the workforce, you’re bound to find employees for whatever industry you might be in. With the University of Iowa right down the road to the south, University of Northern Iowa to the north, and 6 colleges right here in the city of Cedar Rapids alone, you’re presented with a large pool of educated young workers who are anxious to get their career started. If you’re in a more manual labor-intensive industry, see how the likes of Quaker Oats, General Mills, and Whirlpool have kept a steady flow of factory workers employed for decades. Cedar Rapids clearly boasts a large blue collar workforce as well as the more educated, white collar workers.
3. The Successful Pioneers
Here’s the thing – if you’re looking to grow your business in Cedar Rapids, you’re far from the first one to do so. There’s an impressive pedigree of successful corporations that got there start, or made major strides here in Cedar Rapids. If you want to see some examples of these businesses that really struck grew (or continued to grow) in Cedar Rapids, check out this list of employers from the Cedar Rapids Economic Alliance. It covers both Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, but it still shows the amazing growth and stability that the area has provided to other major businesses and corporations. As any good business person knows, there are a variety of other factors that determine a business’s success, but having an economy and workforce that supports viable growth is certainly an important piece of the puzzle.
Growing your business in Cedar Rapids is a great idea – if you need further convincing, reach out to someone, anyone, who has grown their business there. They’ll rave about the thriving business community and the quality of life and work you can enjoy in Cedar Rapids. It really is a great place to be!
Big Imprint is a web design agency that serves the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City area.
