The state has handed two central Iowa businesses 140-thousand dollars to help finance expansion plans. Profile Foods in West Des Moines received a 50-thousand dollar grant and a 50-thousand dollar forgivable, low-interestloan. Ken Boyd of the Iowa Department of Economic Development says the company has 15 employees today, but will add 51 jobs for a new project.Profile is working with Hormel and another company to develop a new line of “rice bowl” frozen foods. Profile already makes salsa, sauces and gravies for commercial customers. Boyd says Hy-Vee, Mrs. Clark’s and Valentino’s Restaurants in Nebraska are some of Profile’s customers. Hicklin Engineering of Urbandale’s also getting a 20-thousand dollar state grant and a 20-thousand dollar loan to help relocate to Des Moines, and move a division of the company from Wisconsin to the Capital City. Hicklin makes sensitive equipment that measures the performance of transmissions.The company will double its Des Moines-metro payroll to 40 employees by moving the Wisconsin operation to Iowa..
