Bio Technology

Siouxland is a growing region in the Heartland of the U.S. that includes parts of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The region has a strong heritage of agriculture and manufacturing. The largest city in the region is Sioux City, Iowa.

Major Benefits
Siouxland's location offers significant benefits to companies in Biotechnology:

• Availability of agricultural resources
• Proximity to several universities and colleges
• Low operating costs
• Excellent transportation systems
• Affordable tax structures
• Available building sites
• Attractive economic incentives

Agricultural Resources
The Heartland of the U.S. is known for its supply of agricultural resources. Within 200 miles of Siouxland there is an abundant supply of hogs, cattle, poultry, eggs, corn, and soybeans. Leading processors of agricultural resources in the region are Tyson Fresh Meats, Cargill, John Morrell, Ag Processing, ADM, ConAgra, Beef Products, Inc., M.G. Waldbaum, and Wells' Dairy.

Universities and Colleges
Siouxland is located within a half day's drive of nine major universities that offer undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in biotechnology and/or medical technology: Iowa State University; University of Iowa, University of Nebraska ­ Lincoln; University of Nebraska ­ Omaha; South Dakota State University; University of South Dakota; University of Minnesota, Creighton University; and Drake University.

The Tri-State Graduate Center in Sioux City provides graduate degree programs from the universities in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. In Sioux City, Morningside College and Briar Cliff College offer four-year degree programs, and Western Iowa Tech Community College and St. Luke's College of Nursing and Health Sciences offer two-year degree programs and technical training programs.

Low Operating Costs
The average manufacturing wage in Siouxland is 16% below the national average. Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota are among the states with the highest high school graduation rates, and all three states rank high on the ACT and SAT college entrance examinations. As a result of the excellent educational systems, workers in these three states are ranked among the most productive in the nation. In addition, all three states have Right-to-Work laws.

Siouxland electric power rates are well below the U.S. average for industrial electric power. Transportation costs are relatively low because of the presence of four competing modes of transportation in the region: truck, rail, air, and barge

Transportation Systems
With its central North American location, Siouxland provides companies with a variety of transportation systems, which link the community to Midwest, U.S., and world destinations. Siouxland cities have excellent access to highway, rail, and barge transportation systems.

Highways
Interste 29, on the NAFTA Corridor, passes through Sioux City on its north-south route linking Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and connecting with Interstate 35 to the Mexican border. Less than 90 minutes from Sioux City, I-29 connects with two major east-west Interstate highways ­ I-90 to the north and I-80 to the south. Three U.S. highways pass through Siouxland ­ U.S. 20, 75, and 77.

Rail
Rail service is provided to the region by Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Union Pacific, and the Illinois Central.

Air
The Sioux Gateway Airport's 9,002 foot runway is the longest in the state of Iowa. Direct air service is provided to and from Minneapolis by Northwest Airlines.  Eppley Airfield in Omaha, NE is also only 90 miles from Siouxland, providing International air service as well.

Waterway
The Big Soo Terminal is the furthest northern barge terminal on the Missouri River. This diversified terminal is one of the largest on the inland waterway system, and Big Soo will direct transfer any type of product to and/or from barge, rail, or truck.

Buildings & Sites
The Siouxland region offers a variety of industrial parks and large building sites for biotechnology. The industrial parks include:

• The Yards, a Biotech, Business and Industrial Park in Sioux City , IA
• Expedition Business Park, which is adjacent to the Sioux Gateway Airport in Iowa
• Westside Technical Park in South Sioux City, NE
• Flynn Business Park in North Sioux City, SD

In addition to land in industrial parks, there are several large building sites of 25 to 600 acres available in the region.

Affordable Tax Structures
Effective corporate income tax rates in Siouxland are among the lowest in the nation. South Dakota does not have a corporate income tax. Iowa and Nebraska have a single-factor corporate income tax that is based only upon the profits from the sales of the corporation in their state. Many other states have a corporate income tax based upon weighting of three factors: sales, employment, and property. The three states do not have inventory or personal property taxes.

Economic Incentives
For qualified projects, financial incentives to attract companies to Siouxland and to assist in the expansion of Siouxland corporations are available from the states of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, as well as some of the local communities. The Siouxland Initiative, a regional economic development program, also provides incentives for qualified projects. The types of incentives available in Siouxland include grants, forgivable loans, low-interest loans, property tax abatements, tax increment financing, state income tax credits and refunds, discounts on land purchases, and industrial revenue bonds.