Economic Development

In late September staff from Iowa's electric cooperatives met with Iowa’s Congressional offices to discuss issues facing co-ops and the communities we serve.

Electric cooperatives are receiving regular requests from companies seeking to build large data centers within their service territories. These requests bring both significant opportunities and major challenges.

Three of this year’s Iowa Venture Award recipients were honored in early April. These winners join an impressive list of 293 entities who have been honored with this award.

At the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (IAEC), the start of a new year also means the start of a new legislative session as we advocate for our member cooperatives and the member-consumers they serve. Protecting electric service territory is our top legislative priority this session.

Iowa's 2025 Legislative Session will begin on Jan. 13, 
and IAEC electric cooperatives will prioritize efforts to ensure Iowa’s law regarding defined service areas is not undermined. Learn why this law has been so crucial to our mission to serve co-op member-consumers.

The Iowa Venture Awards, presented by the Iowa Area Development Group, spotlight entrepreneurs and organizations for their leadership, capital investment and the job opportunities they create. The following businesses were honored on Dec. 7 at a luncheon held as a part of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives’ annual meeting.

For more than 80 years, electric co-ops have maintained reliable and affordable electric service, provided stable career opportunities and paid taxes, which have vast ripple effects throughout the regions we serve. 

Cooperatives are more than businesses; they are pillars of empowerment, resilience and sustainable development that are shaping Iowa’s local economies.

At the heart of the principles that guide Iowa’s electric cooperatives is the desire to improve the lives of the people and communities they serve. Learn how electric co-ops support growth of rural Iowa hospitals and clinics.

At the end of 2022, CoBank – one of the largest private providers of credit to the U.S. rural economy – released its 2023 Year Ahead report, “Forces that will Shape the U.S. Rural Economy.” The report examines several key factors that will shape agriculture and market sectors that serve rural communities throughout the U.S.