Accomplishments

Mental Health: Mind Matters, a new traveling exhibit at the Science Center of Iowa presented by HealthPartners UnityPoint Health, will use hands-on interactives and immersive multimedia experiences to help visitors explore mental illness and its prevalence in society. The exhibit will build awareness and understanding by giving visitors the opportunity to see how mental illness has been treated in the past and to better understand what it’s like to live with mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Central Iowa stands 4 Equity. To build a more equitable and inclusive region we are beginning with a focus on racial equity. We ask leaders to commit to using this tool when presented with a decision-making moment for plans and activities. This is the first step in creating an inclusive Central Iowa.

The Transit Future Work Group ventured to Kansas City to learn about their transit efforts.

The Transit Future Work Group made an exploratory trip to Grand Rapids to learn about the Bus Rapid Transit route as well as their advocacy efforts.

Loans through NFC’s Front Porch Program are available to homeowners in NFC lending areas seeking repairs to the exterior of their homes.

Seize the City is a series of events for interns spending their summer in Greater Des Moines. The series contains various networking events designed to engage summer interns with business and community leaders, young professionals, and other interns while incorporating exposure to many of the quality of life amenities and professional development opportunities in the region.

Business and civic leaders from across Des Moines held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Iowa Events Center hotel. The end result will be a 330-room hotel connected to the Iowa Events Center downtown.

Through Healthy Homes Des Moines, households with children suffering from asthma will receive home repairs to address asthma triggers, and families will receive tailored health education to self-manage asthma and maintain a healthy home.

Could improving your well-being really be just a dentist appointment away? Studies have shown that adults who visit the dentist once a year are 37 percent more likely to report good or better dental health, and adults who report good dental health are almost twice as likely to report good or better overall well-being.

Kemin Industries kicked off construction of a $17 million manufacturing plant Wednesday, part of the nutrition and personal care company’s $125.5 million, five-year expansion plan.

The Teaching Employees Accountability Matters (TEAM) program is a comprehensive training curriculum that sets the stage for employees and supervisors to exemplify and promote a “can do” workplace environment. No matter where you work or what you do, TEAM can help improve your workplace culture.

When most people think about startups, the first two places that come to mind are Silicon Valley and New York City. Not only have some of the country’s biggest success stories come out of these two locations, the areas are also saturated with money from venture capitalists. What most people don’t know is that there are other areas in the United States that have become very attractive for startups. Let’s take a look five of the country’s hottest startup cities for 2015.

Your company can do its part to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation, and this toolkit can remove your barriers to entry. Each month, businesses can download a new one-page poster that lays out wellness tips, facts, and resources that will give employees immediate takeaways that they can implement in their daily lives. Employers can also download information packets that contain more health facts, suggestions for activities to implement in the workplace, and daily health tips that they can email to employees. Each month will feature a specific themes. For more information on strategies to roll out and implement a formal wellness program in your workplace, see this Healthy Iowa Worksites toolkit from the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Located in the northern tier of the Cultivation Corridor, Sheffield-based Sukup Manufacturing Company on November 14 celebrated the completion of a major company expansion which includes a new $8 million headquarters and innovation facility and the addition of more than 200,000 square feet of new production space.

In a day marked by three major growth announcements at the Iowa State University Research Park, state and university officials today gathered to mark the groundbreaking of a new Economic Development Core Facility. The $12 million, 50,000 square foot facility’s groundbreaking also served to formally announce a major park expansion which is expected to create nearly 5,000 new jobs and create an additional $100 million in annual payroll within 15 years.

The Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce (FICC) and the Cultivation Corridor signed a Memorandum of Understanding that highlights a growing momentum for local companies to export goods to Israel, as well as for Israel-based companies to invest in and partner with Corridor companies.

Through a collaboration between education, business, and the community, Waukee Aspiring Professional Experience (APEX) develops highly skilled, adaptable, global innovators and leaders. Waukee APEX draws on the expertise of business partners to bring real-world experience to high schoolers. Through passion-based learning, authentic projects, and experiences, students add value to business partners while exploring career possibilities identified by economic trends within our metro area and state.

The Cultivation Corridor has partnered with the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Biotechnology Association to attend the Bio Industry Organization’s International Convention to be held in San Diego, California on June 23-26, 2014.

The Cultivation Corridor partnered with the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Biotechnology Association in attending the Bio Industry Organization’s 11th annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 12-15, 2014.

After 30 years of helping establish Iowa’s extensive trail system, INHF launched Iowa By Trail, an interactive mobile app that connects Iowans to trails and surrounding natural areas.

The Global Insurance Symposium features a powerhouse agenda of renowned industry keynote and panel speakers, as well as numerous opportunities for attendees to participate in roundtable and breakout discussion sessions with global insurance leaders. Speakers include state insurance commissioners, industry leaders, regulatory representatives from various states, national offices and international organizations, and other experts in the insurance industry from around the world.

Nearly 200 of Central Iowa’s business, civic, and regional community leaders traveled to our nation’s capital and presented a federal public policy agenda to promote regional policy priorities and economic development projects during the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s annual advocacy trip to Washington, D.C.

When you Seize Des Moines, you are empowered to take charge of your personal and professional journey and shape the direction of the region’s future. With a growing population, world class amenities and national recognition as a great city to advance a career, now is the time to live life in Central Iowa and tell the world how you Seize Des Moines.

Adopt a Stream connects us directly to our streams – so we can clean them, enjoy them and celebrate the improvements in our water quality and soil erosion over time. As we become ever better water and soil stewards, we’ll see improvements in the health of our lands and people.

The Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families helps families and individuals improve their financial position and connecting them with their work and career goals. From its location in the heart of Des Moines, Iowa, the state’s capital city, the Evelyn K. Davis Center is helping many Central Iowans build their educational and job dreams. This first-of-its-kind center is a beacon for those looking for educational, job training and career opportunities by delivering these workforce services.

The Plains Angels are a group of Iowa-based Midwest angel investors dedicated to providing outstanding financial returns to accredited angel investors while assisting early-stage growth companies by being an excellent source of funding and advice.

The Smart City Task Force was formed in 2018 as a joint effort between the Des Moines Area MPO and Capital Crossroads. The roundtable explores how technology could be used to enhance urban systems, service delivery, and citizen engagement in order to address community challenges identified in regional strategies such as The Tomorrow Plan, Capital Crossroads, and the United Way OpportUNITY plan.