The Iowa Department of Economic Development approved financial incentives for a half-dozen Iowa businesses Friday. Department director C.J. Niles says they’ve approved what are called “Enterprise Zone” tax benefits for two companies.That gives the companies tax credits with the promise of new jobs. One zone was created for Natural Nutrients for a new ten-million-dollar glycerin refinery in Corning. The new plant will create 24 jobs at an average starting wage of 16-dollars-an-hour. They’ll us the waste from ethanol plants to refine natural glycerin for use by cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food, chemical and tobacco companies. The I-D-E-D also approved the Mastercraft Furniture Company’s move to Council Bluffs for Enterprise Zone tax benefits. The company’s new plant will employ 43 people at an average starting wage of 11-dollars-65-cents-an-hour. Niles says they also approved 60-thousand dollar investments from the Entrepreneurial Venture Assistance (EVA) fund for four businesses to help them grow. One of the businesses, AudioNet International of Iowa City, is working with the world’s top experts to develop a training network for healthcare and emergency management staff involved in homeland security.Another company, ProPlanner.Net of Ames was awarded the money to repackage process-design software for manufacturing to offer it to smaller companies as a web-based computer application. A Fairfield company is getting help in sprucing up doctors’ and dentists’ offices.Sky Factory of Fairfield makes ceiling tiles printed with colorful images of beautiful skies, clouds, flowers and prairie grasses to put patients more at ease than staring up at a blank ceiling. The other company, Viable Technologies of Des Moines, was awarded 60-thousand dollars to seek commercial uses for a new material developed at Iowa State University which is the second hardest substance next to diamonds. The material is an ultra-hard boride composed of boron, aluminum and magnesium and known as BAM.
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