DAVENPORT, IOWA (March 18, 2021) — Recent investment in the six counties represented by the Quad Cities metro region has been recognized by Site Selection Magazine as part of its 2020 Governor’s Cup Awards. The economic-development publication annually ranks metropolitan and micropolitan areas by number of projects per capita and total number of projects.
The Quad Cities metropolitan and Clinton, Iowa, micropolitan areas achieved high rankings for project-growth in the Mississippi River Corridor, awarded to the top metro area by both number of and per-capita corporate facility projects along the Mississippi River calculated over an 18-month period ending December 2020. In that division, the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, Iowa-Illinois metropolitan area ranked N° 6 in the Top Metros by Total Projects (13). For the 2020 rankings, Clinton achieved the top ranking in Top Metros by Projects per Capita.
Clinton’s economic development activity was fueled by a number of company locations and expansions, including “Japan’s Spiber Inc, a biotech start-up that produces “brewed proteins,” such as spider silk for use in clothing and other consumer products. The plant announced in December it would invest $101.4 million to expand production of its plant-based polymers to Clinton, its first US facility, through a partnership with ADM,” according to the magazine.
Data from 33 separate metropolitans and micropolitans along the Mississippi River corridor were analyzed for the rankings.
“While the pandemic impacted numerous sectors in 2020, the Quad Cities region’s diversity of industry helped it to make positive gains,” said Julie Forsythe, Senior Vice President, Business and Economic Growth, at the Quad Cities Chamber. “Strong anchor industries, such as manufacturing and logistics, keep us at the forefront of competing communities in terms of corporate investments, jobs, and talent.”
In 2020, there were 10 construction projects in our five target industries totaling $297.55M in investment, 342,500 constructed square feet and 265 new jobs in the six-county region of Scott, Clinton, and Muscatine in Iowa, and Rock Island, Mercer, and Henry in Illinois.
Awards are based on growth in the industries of manufacturing, call centers, headquarters, data centers, distribution warehouse, office, and research and development. To qualify toward the project-count, expansions must include new construction and meet one or more of the following: 20 or more new jobs created, 20,000 square feet or more in new square footage, and an investment of $1 million or more in construction cost, land, building or employees.
