Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission
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325 Washington St, Decorah, IA 52101

Economic Development

Economic Development

UERPC serves as the Economic Development District for Northeast Iowa and has become the leader in stimulating economic growth.  UERPC provides the technical assistance necessary to develop comprehensive loan packages, business plans and financial packaging structured to meet the size and needs of each individual business.  UERPC has a $2,250,000 regional loan pool for business expansion and new start-up businesses.

Our services include:

For more information, contact Rachelle Howe or Diana Johnson.

EDA CEDS Reports

Annual EDA CEDS Report
Five Year EDA CEDS Report

Laborshed Studies for the NE Iowa Business Network Region (Cresco, Decorah, Elkader, Manchester, Oelwein, Waukon)

Laborshed studies are supply-side, labor availability studies. They provide community leaders, economic developers, site selectors and existing or prospective employers a flexible tool for understanding the workforce characteristics of their local labor market.

A Laborshed is defined as the area or region from which an employment center draws its commuting workers. It shows the distribution of these workers regardless of political boundaries.  Laborshed studies also address underemployment, availability of labor and likeliness of the employed or not employed to change or accept employment. Other topics covered within a Laborshed analysis include: current and desired occupations, wages, hours worked, job search resources and distance willing to commute to work. For more information regarding survey methodology please visit the Laborshed Survey Methodology or the Laborshed Studies Homepage.

Northeast Iowa Business Network Action Plan

Northeast Iowa Business Network (NIBN) is a five county economic development group comprised of the region’s economic development staff, educational institutions, SDBC, MiEnergy, Black Hills Energy, ITC, Alliant Energy, Allamakee Clayton Electric Cooperative, SBA, ISU Extension and Outreach, area chambers of commerce and other business leaders.

In Fiscal Year 2023-2024, NIBN hosted a series of five social media sessions for emerging and existing businesses. Over 64 businesses met in an intimate setting allowing both one-on-one and group instruction. Businesses owners were given individual feedback and were able to network with businesses from 5 counties and 2 states. The social media series stemmed from the R.E.S.E.T. ‘23 Business Conference that NIBN also sponsored. R.E.S.E.T. was held in October and hosted a dynamic speaker list that included a brand manager, best-selling author, and an aerospace & defense aftermarket director. A multitude of business leaders attended the energizing conference.

Over 100 cities, businesses, and leaders attended NIBN’s Regional Roundup in September. The Roundup hosted Iowa Economic Development Authority staff to discuss downtown development and various business development programs.

Daycare deserts populating the region and the state have pressed the need for a daycare study. This year, NIBN partnered with Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) and the Northeast Iowa Funder’s Network to synthesize local child care data, develop lunch and learns around daycare needs, and fill daycare gaps. Through the daycare study, two Wage Enhancement Programs emerged in Allamakee and Howard counties.

This year, NIBN updated their web directory, which feeds into the county economic development websites, https://northeastiowabusiness.com/. NIBN’s website expands our reach beyond local borders and our local audience.

The group’s goal to promote the region to existing businesses is still a priority. Housing, daycare deserts, workforce, and transportation are all still concerning elements of economic development. Within the 2024-2025 Action Plan, NIBN plans to host various workshops for business growth, QuickBooks trainings in September and October, a Regional Roundup partnering with IEDA’s downtown development specialist in July, Social Media Workshops in late 2024/early 2025, and sponsoring the R.E.S.E.T. Conference in Decorah this fall.

NIBN plans to continue working with UERPC to provide administration to the group and to lead programmatic and grant writing efforts to continue working within our scope of work priorities:

  • Promote the NIBN region to potential businesses by collaborating on marketing strategies and seeking grant funding.
  • Work to provide education to existing businesses to foster sustainability in the current business portfolio and labor force.
  • Collaborate with higher education partners.
  • Work with Economic Development Partners to identify opportunities for partnership, education, and collaboration.
NIBN Action Plan FY24