Debi Durham says improving Iowa’s tax and regulatory climate has been the “North Star” during her tenure as the state’s top economic development official. “But it’s equally or, in many cases, more important that we focus on the community development side of economic development and that’s about creating communities where people want to live,” Durham says, “and that’s around housing and quality of life and placemaking and water trails and all of those incredible amenities and we want those opportunities in which our citizens can thrive.”
Durham, who’s been director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority since 2011, says she’s focused on selling Iowa as home base to businesses and well as young professionals in their 20s, 30s and 40s, “so if you go to ThisIsIowa.com, there’s a cost of living calculator that actually shows, you know, here’s where you live today and if you move to Iowa, this is what you would need to live that same standard of living and then it’s all kinds of inspirational stories of people who have actually made the move.”
In the past year 3300 people interested in moving have responded on the website and those leads are being passed on to officials in Iowa cities and communities that match their interests. Durham said it’s part of talent recruitment efforts to address workforce concerns. In early 2020, more than 70 percent of Iowans above the age of 15 who were able to work were working, but nearly six years after the pandemic started, Durham says Iowa’s labor participation rate hasn’t fully recovered.
“Retirees, you know, left in record numbers. We’re seeing some of them coming back, but we’re certainly not prepared for a massive wave of Baby Boomers exiting,” Durham says. “…The group nationally that’s not completely come back is those young men, still, 24 through 35. And I always like to say if any of you have them living in your basement, you need to launch them into the world because we need them for our labor participation.”
Durham’s agency will launch new talent recruitment efforts next year focused on sectors like health care that need more workers.