The head of a biotech firm in Des Moines says the state should do more to ensure businesses keep and locate their headquarters in Iowa. Kemin Industries president Chris Nelson says he fears Iowa will become a state of “branch offices.” Nelson wants the state of Iowa to give special subsidies to companies that headquarter in Iowa, similar to what the country of Singapore did 10 years ago in an effort to encourage economic growth. Nelson says as a result, Singapore is now an economic powerhouse in Asia. Kemin Industries is in the “life science” business, discovering chemicals in plants that can be made into food supplements. Nelson made his tax appeal directly to the Governor as Tom Vilsack visited the company’s Des Moines facility on Friday.
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