Food Processing

Location
Located in the Heartland of the United States, Siouxland is a region that includes parts of northwest Iowa, northeast Nebraska, and southeast South Dakota. The hub of this region is Sioux City, Iowa. Siouxland is noted for its agriculture resources and major food processing operations. It has also had one of the strongest business climates in the nation over the past ten years as employment has grown by nearly 40%.

Major Benefits
A Siouxland location offers significant benefits to companies in Food Processing.

• Availability of agricultural resources
• Well-educated, productive workforce
• Interstate highway, rail, air & barge
• Low operating costs
• Available buildings, industrial parks & large sites
• Attractive economic incentives
• Affordable tax structures

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.

Affordable Tax Structure
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.

Proximity to Markets

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 and to and from St. Louis by TWExpress, an affiliate of TWA.

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.

Utilities
Electric power is provided in Siouxland by MidAmerican Energy, Nebraska Public Power, or Woodbury Rural Electric Co-operative depending upon the location of the facility. Electrical rates in Siouxland have generally been below the national average for many years. MidAmerican Energy is the largest provider of natural gas in the area.

Buildings & Sites
The Siouxland region offers a variety of industrial parks and large building sites for Food Processing. 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.

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.

Food Processors in Siouxland

• Ag Processing
• American Pop Corn (Jolly Time)
• Beef Products, Inc.
• Cargill
• Chesterman Company
• Con Agra
• Curly's Foods
• Earthgrains
• Global Foods
• IAMS
• Tyson
• Interbake Foods
• John Morrell & Co.
• GELITA
• Palmer Candy
• Sioux Honey Association (Sue Bee Honey)
• Verschoor Meats
• Wells' Blue Bunny