The State of North Iowa

The State of North Iowa is an opportunity to hear directly from city and county leadership from Mason City, Clear Lake, and Greater North Iowa as they highlight recent accomplishments, outline future goals, and offer ideas about current business and community issues. This event complements the Vision North Iowa strategic planning efforts.

The 2024 State of North Iowa was held at NIACC on Thursday, January 18, 2024.

Key takeaways:

New projects in North Iowa are energy intensive and the City of Mason City continues to make investments which allow us the opportunity to continue hosting new renewable energy projects in our region.

Staffing shortages and historically low wages have had a major impact on local childcare access nationwide. The Child Care Works Initiative aims to resolve these issues in North Iowa.

Iowa’s economy is on track for prosperity in 2024 and beyond, thanks to advances in major industries like advanced manufacturing, agriculture, and more.

“It’s all about building a business climate in which our businesses can prosper.” - Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham