Partnership Programs: Retention, Marketing & Recruitment

Program description: This program supports a wide variety of activities in the areas of local and regional retention, marketing & recruitment in the Alliant Energy service territory.

Program examples include, but are not limited to:

• Business Retention and Expansion
  Sponsorship of pre-approved industrial business appreciation events;  employer roundtables; the use of BRE consultants for projects; call trips to  headquarters of existing companies; and other innovative approaches to  retaining and expanding existing businesses.
• Impact Analysis
  In conjunction with the Institute for Decision Making (IDM) of the University  of Northern Iowa, a level one Economic Impact Analysis will calculate and  report changes in the local economy of your community resulting from a  specific industrial job creation project.  Maximum eligible amount is $350 per  analysis.
• Industrial Marketing Support
  Support for direct mail marketing and telemarketing campaigns, website development or update, marketing materials such as brochures, folders, letterheads, postcards, DVDs, industrial park signage, photos and aerial photos, marketing trips to out-of-state prospects, grant writing fees, print  advertising on available industrial buildings 5,000 sq. ft. or larger or improved  industrial sites 25 acres or larger.
• Regional Partnership Support
  Start-up costs associated with the formation and organization of regional partnerships within our service territory.  Maximum eligible amount is $3,000  per region.
• Trade Show Assistance
  Attend and/or exhibit at trade shows that fit your targeted marketing plan.   Alliant Energy will make its 10’ and 20’ trade show booths available to  economic developers in communities we serve to use for industrial trade show  marketing outside of the Alliant Energy service territory.

We encourage development organizations to have strong Business Retention and Expansion programs and to utilize business interviews and a database to track information.  Alliant Energy subscribes to the Synchronist Business Retention and Expansion database system.  Development organizations in our utility service territory can subscribe to a sub-license under our license free of charge.  The sub-license allows data entry access to the system and access to reports by request through Alliant Energy.  Discounts on full-system access are also available.  Ask your Economic and Community Development Manager for more information.

Conditions:

• Eligibility Guidelines must be met with one exception:  communities do not need an available industrial building or an improved site for Business retention and expansion, Grant writing, Impact analysis, and Web site development projects.
• Funding for recruitment activities can only be used for projects that target areas outside of the Alliant Energy service territory.
• Communities must involve an Alliant Energy Economic and Community Development Manager for follow-up on leads generated through recruitment activities.
• Regional organizations may only receive funding one time for regional partnership support.  Thereafter, the organization may apply under other partnership programs.
• Buildings and sites must be served by Alliant Energy and have at least 5,000 square feet of usable space or a minimum of 25 acres to be eligible for print advertising assistance. A schedule of the date(s) the ad(s) will run, a complete cost accounting and tear sheet must also be provided.
• Specific business-related travel expenses must be deemed "reasonable" by our economic development staff.

Award: Forty (40) percent of the cost of an industrial development marketing project up to a maximum of $5,000.  Applications for industrial marketing projects submitted by regional partnership programs are eligible to receive forty (40) percent of the cost up to a maximum of $10,000.

Click here to view a pdf of our Partnership Programs handbook.

Apply for Partnership Programs online