Financial Services and General Government
Business Innovation Zone
Amount: $215,000
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Recipient: Greater Des Moines Partnership
Description: The Central Iowa Business Innovation Zone (BIZ) is focused on creating business growth by growing and cultivating regional, national, and international scale businesses. The primary function of the BIZ is to provide guided professional business mentoring and direction and to connect entrepreneurial needs with qualified community and state resources. The BIZ helps entrepreneurs maximize their success by assisting them in navigating resources, strengthening knowledge, improving skills, forming strategic alliances, and securing proper capitalization. The BIZ provides acceleration level support for start-up entrepreneurs as well as those with long-term established businesses. This request is in the interest of the taxpayers because the beginning and expansion of businesses and the creation of jobs in the economy is an important need.
Cedar Rapids Courthouse Square and Parking
Amount: $10,900,000
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Recipient: General Services Administration
Description: This request is to include a provision that would allow funds already appropriated for this project to be used to help construct a parking facility and a courthouse square adjacent to the new US Courthouse in Cedar Rapids. The development of an adequate US Courthouse is essential to the smooth functioning of the federal courts and law enforcement and is thus in the interest of the taxpayer.
Des Moines Courthouse
Amount: $43,055,000
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Recipient: General Services Administration
Description: These funds will be used for design and acquisition costs for a site for a new US Courthouse in the downtown area of Des Moines. The development of an adequate US Courthouse is essential to the smooth functioning of the federal courts and law enforcement and is thus in the interest of the taxpayer.
MyEntre.Net - A National Entrepreneurship Support Network
Amount: $1,000,000
Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
Recipient: University of Northern Iowa
Description: MyEntre.Net is a successful entrepreneurial development system begun by the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). MyEntre.Net recruits, engages entrepreneurs in Iowa, and links them with the resources they need to be successful throughout the life of their business. These funds will allow UNI to expand this program nationally. This request is in the interest of the taxpayers because the beginning and expansion of businesses and the creation of jobs in the economy is an important need.
Regional Economic Commerce Center
Amount: $934,000
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Recipient: Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce
Description: These funds will allow the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce to operate a small business incubator and development center. This regional economic commerce center will include 17,000 square feet of incubator space that will be used to cultivate entrepreneurs, especially those most affected by the floods of 2008. This project is in the interest of the taxpayer because the beginning and expansion of business and the creation of jobs in the economy is an important need.
Rural Entrepreneurship Incubator: Phase II
Amount: $1,000,000
Location: Marshalltown, Iowa
Recipient: Iowa Valley Community College
Description: The Rural Entrepreneurship Incubator project will help to establish small agriculture-based businesses. Phase II of this project will construct and equip a commercially licensed kitchen, storage area, dock, and classroom. These facilities will be used to instruct students on value-adding processing of diversified agricultural products and by entrepreneurs to establish small agriculture-related businesses. This project is in the interest of the taxpayer because the beginning and expansion of business and the creation of jobs in the economy is an important need.