Clear Lake continues to impress industry prospects

(Pictured Above) CHAD SCHRECK

The decision of a Fortune 100 company to locate in Clear Lake may be positively influencing others to consider North Iowa as a possible site for their business.

North Iowa Corridor Economic Development Corporation President Chad Schreck told the Clear Lake City Council Monday an industry prospect was in Clear Lake recently.  A medical supply manufacturer has made a site in southwest Mason City a finalist on its list of potential locations.

Schreck explained sites under consideration by the undisclosed firm had to be “certified,” meaning they are shovel ready with infrastructure, such as water and sewer, already in place.  Currently, Clear Lake has no certified sites available, he noted.  The recently-opened 380,000 square foot McKesson pharmaceutical distribution center occupied the last available certified sites in Clear Lake’s Larry Luker Memorial Industrial Park.

Still, Schreck said company officials were impressed with the North Iowa area.

“We just show incredibly well and it gives us a leg up,” Schreck told the Council.  “It was fun to watch their eyes light up when they saw Clear Lake and the area.  If we can get people here and we can show them what we have to offer, it’s a powerful story.”

Schreck added that he feels McKesson’s decision to locate in Clear Lake opened the eyes of business leaders worldwide to take a look at North Iowa’s many assets, including transportation advantages and skilled workforce.

Schreck said he expects to learn of a preliminary decision from the industry prospect this fall.  The manufacturer would employ 70 to 80 persons in “high-pay, high-skill” jobs in a 100,000 square foot plant, according to Schreck.