Iowa

More than 153,000 customers
More than 180 employees
5,246 total natural gas transmission and distribution miles
132 communities served

Major Communities Served

Council Bluffs
Decorah
Denison
Dubuque
Manchester
Newton
Spencer
Webster City

Black Hills Energy recognizes the importance of being a strong partner for your business’s future growth. We continually strive to provide your business the energy necessary to conduct business effectively and efficiently, because only in your continued success and growth will we find ours.

We serve as your one stop shop to connect you with the State of Iowa and our local communities to ensure that you have timely and accurate information to make your business site location or expansion decisions. Our work with you as always is strictly confidential allowing your decision- making process to be unobstructed with bothersome and many instances unrelated outside intrusions. We bring the proper parties together that enable you to make a fully informed decision on your business project.

Iowa Business Climate

Iowa is a Right-To-Work State

Under Iowa law, an employee must not be required to join a union or pay dues or fees to any labor union, association or organization, as a condition of employment.

Unemployment Insurance

Iowa has one of the lowest new employer Unemployment Insurance rates in the nation. The 2014 standard new employer rate for all non-construction businesses for a three-year period is 1.0 percent on a $26,800 wage base. The average unemployment insurance rate for Iowa businesses is expected to fall from 1.6 percent to 1.2 percent in 2015.

Workers' Compensation

Iowa's comparative workers' compensation costs continue to rank among the nation's lowest-cost third of states with the average premium rate 11% lower than the median U.S. rate.

National Rankings

Black Hills Energy is proud of the Iowa communities we belong to and serve. Read of the recent national awards and recognitions our Iowa communities and the state have received:

Dubuque has climbed Forbes Magazine’s ranking of Best Small Places for Business and Careers. In 2014, Dubuque ranked #8 in the United States; moving up from #14 in 2013.
Dubuque was rated 8th by Area Development Magazine in Top Small Cities rankings of U.S. Leading Locations for 2014. Dubuque was 21st overall in the Top 100 Leading Locations.
Council Bluffs – Omaha MSA was ranked #1 by Site Selection Magazine for business growth and expansion in 2013 in the category of metro areas between 200,000 and one million population.
The Milken Institute cited Dubuque as the 10th Best- Performing Small Metro for 2013. The Index ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth.
For 2014, Iowa has been highlighted as being in the Top 5 of the nation in having the least burdensome Regulatory Environment, at # 3 by Freedom in the 50 States survey conducted by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

TAX ENVIRONMENT

Iowa‘s corporate income tax rate is a single-factor, non-unitary tax based on the percentage of net sales income within the state (A company selling all its product outside Iowa pays no Iowa corporate income tax).

Iowa allows a business to deduct fifty percent of federal taxes from Iowa’s corporate income.

Iowa has no personal property tax on corporate inventories of raw material, goods-in-process or salable goods. There is no property tax on industrial machinery, equipment or computers in Iowa.

Purchases of machinery and equipment used for manufacturing or data processing are not subject to sales taxes. In addition sales tax does not apply to the purchase of natural gas or electricity used in the manufacturing process.

www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/WhyIowa

Cost of Energy

You will find Iowa natural gas prices are consistently well below the national average cost according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

www.eia.gov/state/?sid=IA#tabs-5
www.eia.gov/state/rankings/?sid=IA#series/28

We would welcome the opportunity to discuss in greater detail your specific needs and our services given the variety of options and requirements that can be contemplated when providing a natural gas service. In doing so, we can ensure to put the best package forward to serve your business’s energy needs.

State Business Incentives and Assistance

Iowa extends an array of financial assistance programs to assist qualifying businesses in locating, expanding or modernizing their facility in the state. Assistance is flexible to meet the specific needs of a business to mitigate the costs associated with their growth opportunity. Included may be direct financial assistance, tax credits, tax exemptions, refunds and/or employee training.

Here is overview what is available:

High Quality Jobs Program – Provides incentives to offset costs incurred by a business expanding or locating in Iowa. The incentive is based upon qualifying jobs, wages and investment of the project.

Refundable Research Activities Tax Credit – Iowa sets itself apart as one of only a few states to offer a refundable tax credit for qualified research and development expenditures whether or not the business has an Iowa income tax liability. This can be equal to 6.5% of qualified program research expenses and if the business is participating in Enterprise Zone or High Quality Jobs programs a supplemental credit may be available.

Iowa New Jobs Training Program. Iowa’s job training programs are the envy of the nation. They are flexible and customized to meet the specific training needs of your business. Provided through Iowa’s fifteen Community Colleges, a training program is built with you to meet the specific job skills required by your employees.

Allow us to aid you in navigating the state and local assistance available. Further information can be found at:

www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/BusinessDev/Finance
www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/BusinessDev/WorkforceTraining

Iowa Workforce

Iowa's workforce is highly educated and productive. Iowa leads the nation in public high school graduation rates with an estimated 89% of students receiving a high school diploma. Iowa student scores on the ACT and SAT college entrance exams consistently rank among the best in the country. Combined with our training incentives and excellent post educational institutions, Iowa's workforce provides a profitable advantage to businesses located in Iowa. www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/WhyIowa/WhyIowaWorkforce

We are so firmly convinced that you will find Iowa to be perfectly positioned as the right location to undertake your business growth opportunities that we have provided a link to compare Iowa against any of the remaining 49 states on numerous business factors. www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/aspx/WhyIowa/50StatesComparison.aspx?navid=266&pnavid=15