The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) was established in 1975 to undertake programs to assist in the attainment of housing for low- and moderate-income Iowans. Since then, IFA’s role has expanded considerably and includes four primary areas of responsibility.

The Iowa Small Business Development Center (SBDC) conducts research, counsels, and trains business people in management, financing, and operating small businesses, and provides comprehensive information services and access to experts in a variety of fields.

Each SBDC regional center encourages unique local efforts, region to region, state to state, and community to community, to meet small business needs in its area. Each of these SBDC offices subcontracts with other universities, community colleges, and other institutions to provide a network of 15 regional assistance centers in Iowa, and over 1,100 full service assistance centers nationally, to the small business community.

The SBDC is the only nationally accredited entrepreneurial development program in Iowa.

Northwest Iowa can offer your company affordable building sites, qualified workers, excellent training programs, world class education and a can-do attitude. Let us show you how we can provide a low cost place to do business. Beyond Expectations.

Northwest Iowa will deliver a strategic advantage to logistics-sensitive firms by offering a location on the Iowa 60 Expressway which links this 4-lane distribution expressway to transcontinental, border-to-border, coast-to-coast Interstate Highways; accessible rail and nearby major airports. Beyond Expectations.

Northwest Iowa is home to leaders in agriculture which includes successful biotechnology companies, the largest family owned dairy and numerous livestock facilities. Beyond Expectations. Northwest Iowa communities possess a pro-business attitude characterized by lower taxes anda fair and balanced regulatory approach and demonstrated by creative and innovative approaches to expansion and new location projects…Beyond Expectations.

The region served by the NWIPDC includes the counties of Lyon, Sioux, Osceola, O’Brien, Dickinson, Clay, Buena Vista, Emmet and Palo Alto. Membership is voluntary and currently includes all nine counties and 79 municipalities.

The NWIPDC’s policy council is made up of one city, one county, and one private representation from each county. This representative is designed to help keep the agency aware and responsive to its members’ needs and concerns.

The NWIPDC also serves as the regional planning affiliate for the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. This designation means that agency staff assists area governments with the complexities of region transportation planning.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation. We recognize that small business is critical to our economic recovery and strength, to building America’s future, and to helping the United States compete in today’s global marketplace.

Although SBA has grown and evolved in the years since it was established in 1953, the bottom line mission remains the same. The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands and Guam.

Welcome to USDA Rural Development. We are committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in rural America. Through our programs, we touch rural America in many ways.

Our financial programs support such essential public facilities and services as water and sewer systems, housing, health clinics, emergency service facilities and electric and telephone service. We promote economic development by supporting loans to businesses through banks , credit unions and community-managed lending pools. We offer technical assistance and information to help agricultural producers and cooperatives get started and improve the effectiveness of their operations. We provide technical assistance to help communities undertake community empowerment programs.

USDA Rural Development has a $155 billion portfolio of loans and will administer $20 billion in loans, loan guarantees and grants through our programs in the current fiscal year. We achieve our mission by helping rural individuals, communities and businesses obtain the financial and technical assistance needed to address their diverse and unique needs.