Friday’s announcement of a $200,000 award from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) to the Carroll County Growth Partnership marks a major milestone for a proposed, first-of-its-kind rural business resource center known as HUB 712. According to CCGP Executive Director Kimberly Tiefenthaler, HUB 712 has been in the works for quite some time, and once up and running, it will provide entrepreneurs with resources to assist with starting their business, expanding existing facilities, and continuity planning. Tiefenthaler says the $200,000 grant through the IEDA’s Entrepreneurial Investment Award (EIA) is exciting, as services that HUB 712 will provide are much needed in west-central Iowa.
The $200,000 award will be used to cover some of the initial costs of the project like outreach efforts, contract specialists, and hiring personnel. Tiefenthaler says HUB 712 will centralize resources in a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs in Carroll, Calhoun, Sac, Crawford, Shelby, Audubon, Guthrie, and Greene Counties.
In addition to the entrepreneurial assistance tools at the site, HUB 712 will also offer co-working spaces, cubicles, and other office-related resources. Now that the $200,000 grant has been secured, Tiefenthaler says the project’s pace will really start to pick up.
She expects CCGP will be ready for a soft launch sometime in the next few months with a full launch planned for later this summer. HUB 712 was one of five significant IEDA awards announced on Friday, including business expansion and economic development projects in Clinton, Norwalk, Rock Valley, and Sioux City.
