A new regional economic development partnership is bringing communities in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa together to market the region as a national hub for agriculture and food innovation.
The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Omaha Chamber have launched the AgWorks Corridor, a coalition spanning 11 counties designed to attract new businesses in agriculture, food processing, animal health, ag technology and manufacturing.
Lincoln Chamber President and CEO Jason Ball says presenting the region as a single economic powerhouse creates a stronger case for companies looking to expand or relocate. “It’s a more compelling vision when you get to sit down and say there’s this many businesses in this corridor, this much workforce and this much research,” Ball says
“It’s a lot easier to pitch than trying to market one community by itself.” The corridor includes Lancaster, Seward, Saunders, Dodge, Washington, Douglas, Sarpy, Cass and Otoe counties in Nebraska, along with Pottawattamie and Mills counties in Iowa.”
Ball says the combined region offers businesses access to nearly one million people, world-class agricultural research and a broad workforce. “When you’re coming into the AgWorks Corridor, you’re coming into an area with close to a million people within a 30-minute drive,” Ball says.
“We can point to a massive research base and multiple centers of excellence in ag technology, genomics and startup resources.” The initiative targets industries including animal health, agricultural equipment, food processing and biotechnology, while building on existing assets such as the University of Nebraska’s Innovation Campus and Food Processing Center.
Ball says the region’s location is another major selling point. “You can be in the middle of this corridor and metaphorically throw a rock in just about any direction and hit one of the major crops that’s produced nationally,” he says. “It’s a really compelling way to look at an economy.”
The AgWorks Corridor was officially introduced during the AgTech Connect conference at Nebraska Innovation Campus earlier this month, with chamber leaders hoping the partnership becomes a model for promoting additional industries across the region.