Iowa Business Council

What Iowa Business Council does

Iowa Business Council (IBC) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1985 during Iowa's Farm Crisis to serve as a catalyst for economic growth in the state. It functions as a membership-based association of chief decision-makers from approximately 22-23 of Iowa's largest employers across diverse industries, including energy, retail, agriculture, manufacturing, banking, healthcare, and transportation. Member companies collectively employ more than 163,000 Iowans, distribute a combined payroll exceeding $7.5 billion, and operate in all 99 Iowa counties. The organization is governed by an officer slate elected from its membership and led by an Executive Director (Joe Murphy) supported by a small professional staff of 1-10 employees headquartered at 100 East Grand Avenue, Suite 220, Des Moines, Iowa.

IBC's core deliverables are research products and policy advocacy initiatives rather than technology products. Its research franchise includes the Quarterly Economic Outlook Survey (conducted continuously since 2004) measuring member expectations for sales, capital spending, and employment, and the annual Competitive Dashboard (published since 2011) benchmarking Iowa's national standing across economic growth, workforce and education, governance, health and wellness, and demographics and diversity. The organization also operates the Business Education Alliance (BEA), a stakeholder program connecting K-12, postsecondary education, and employers around workforce alignment, and runs three standing policy initiatives: Career Ready Workforce, Population Growth and Inclusion, and Economic Climate. Engagement channels include Vision to Vitality community forums held across the state, the Iowa Biz Cast video series, and active social media presence.

The organization's revenue model is subscription-recurring membership contributions from its enterprise members; specific dues are not publicly disclosed. IBC's go-to-market is by-invite and relationship-driven, targeting chief executives of major Iowa employers, and the value proposition centers on collective advocacy, exclusive benchmarking data, peer convening, and direct engagement with the Governor's office, Iowa Legislature, and state agencies on workforce, tax, housing, broadband, and childcare policy. The organization holds no venture capital or private equity ownership and is independent of any parent company.

Name

Iowa Business Council

Legal name

Iowa Business Council, Inc.

Website

https://iowabusinesscouncil.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Iowa Business Council is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association founded in 1985, representing chief decision-makers of approximately 22-23 of Iowa's largest employers. It provides statewide economic research, policy advocacy, workforce development, and benchmarking across Iowa's 99 counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Contributions: The IBC operates as a nonprofit organization funded through membership dues from Iowa's largest employers. Member companies pay contributions to participate in the council's research, advocacy, and policy initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Iowa Business Council is a nonpartisan, nonprofit membership organization that provides economic research, policy advocacy, and workforce development on behalf of Iowa's largest employers. Its core offerings include the quarterly Economic Outlook Survey, the annual Competitive Dashboard benchmarking Iowa's national standing, the Business Education Alliance connecting business and education stakeholders, Vision to Vitality community forums, the Iowa Biz Cast video series, and three policy initiatives covering career-ready workforce, population growth, and economic climate. These offerings are produced for and funded by the chief decision-makers of Iowa's largest employers.

Product overview

Iowa Business Council is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization representing chief decision-makers of Iowa's largest employers. The organization offers a portfolio of research and advocacy products including the quarterly Economic Outlook Survey (conducted since 2004) measuring member expectations for sales, capital spending, and employment; the annual Iowa's Competitive Dashboard analyzing the state's national competitiveness across five categories; and the Business Education Alliance workforce initiative connecting business and education stakeholders. Additional offerings include Vision to Vitality community forums, the Iowa Biz Cast video series, and three policy initiatives focused on Career Ready Workforce, Population Growth & Inclusion, and Economic Climate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Economic Outlook Survey Quarterly survey conducted since 2004 measuring IBC member expectations for sales, capital spending, and employment for the next six months. Provides insight regarding projected trends for the state of Iowa, used for business and economic planning by members, media, and policymakers.
• Iowa's Competitive Dashboard Annual nonpartisan review measuring Iowa's standing nationally in five categories: economic growth; workforce & education; governance; health & wellness; and demographics & diversity. Each category receives a ranking of outperforming, competitive, or underperforming.
• Vision to Vitality Community Forums Community forums featuring candid discussions with CEOs from Iowa's largest employers about the state economy, providing insight into regional, state, and local business climates, and examining how communities are approaching business challenges.
• Business Education Alliance (BEA) Initiative operated by IBC comprised of stakeholders representing business community, K-12 education, and postsecondary education. Goal is to align stakeholders in business and education to meet current and future workforce needs of Iowa through work-based learning promotion, educator-business roundtables, and BEA symposia.
• Iowa Biz Cast Video series showcasing the work Iowa's largest companies are doing to serve their communities, employees, and bring new technologies, innovations, and talent to Iowa.
• Career Ready Workforce Initiative Policy initiative focused on professional and soft skills that can be applied throughout the labor force, addressing workforce development needs identified by IBC members.
• Population Growth & Inclusion Initiative Policy initiative addressing population growth challenges and promoting inclusion to strengthen Iowa's workforce and economic vitality.
• Economic Climate Initiative Policy initiative focused on creating a strong and competitive economic climate through tax policy, mental health investment, housing stock initiatives, and Major Economic Growth Attraction (MEGA) legislation support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 163,000+ Iowans employed by member companies
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MercyOne and Corteva AgriscienceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2020During COVID-19 response, MercyOne and Corteva Agriscience formed an innovative partnership where MercyOne providers collected COVID-19 samples and Corteva's team processed them using genetic screening capabilities to address testing needs in Iowa.
• Future Ready Iowa AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBC is a key participant in the Future Ready Iowa Alliance, a state initiative to ensure 70 percent of Iowa workers have education or training beyond high school by 2025. Eight IBC members participated in the alliance, and IBC member Dan Houston of Principal co-chaired the alliance. The initiative includes Last-Dollar Scholarships and Employer Innovation Fund programs. IBC members pledged to create 30,000 internships, externships, and apprenticeships by 2025.
• Business Education AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperated by IBC, the Business Education Alliance (BEA) comprises stakeholders from business community, K-12 education, and postsecondary education. The goal is to align stakeholders to meet current and future workforce needs through work-based learning promotion, educator-business roundtables, and BEA symposia.
• Habitat for HumanityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeere & Company committed to helping improve Iowa's housing stock with volunteer labor through Habitat for Humanity organizations, with a goal of building 100 homes in 100 weeks across the state.
• State of Iowa GovernmentcoreOthersIBC works closely with the Governor's office, Iowa Legislature, Iowa Economic Development Authority, Iowa Workforce Development, and other state agencies on economic policy, workforce development, and business climate initiatives. The organization regularly advocates for legislative priorities and participates in advisory boards.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Indiana Business Council: Statewide organization representing major Indiana employers on policy and economic competitiveness. Direct functional peer to IBC with similar membership composition and advocacy mission.
• Tennessee Business Roundtable: Nonpartisan association of Tennessee's top business leaders focused on economic and education policy. Mirrors IBC's CEO-driven, state-focused advocacy and research model.
• Minnesota Business Partnership: Membership organization of CEOs from Minnesota's largest employers focused on public policy advocacy and economic competitiveness. Closely mirrors IBC's model of convening chief decision-makers of major in-state employers to drive policy outcomes.
• Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI): Iowa's largest statewide business trade association, representing employers across the state on policy advocacy. Directly comparable to IBC as a statewide business membership organization in Iowa, though ABI draws a broader employer base while IBC focuses on the largest 22-23 employers.
• Ohio Business Roundtable: CEO-led statewide organization advocating for policies that support Ohio's economic growth and competitiveness. Comparable in structure and mission to IBC: membership of top employers, research publication, and state-level policy advocacy.
• Illinois Business Roundtable: State-level organization of leading Illinois employers advocating for pro-growth policy. Functionally analogous to IBC, scaling the same large-employer convening and advocacy model to a different state.

Regional players

• Greater Des Moines Partnership: Regional economic and community development organization for the Des Moines metro and central Iowa. Comparable as an Iowa-focused business advocacy and economic development entity, though geographically narrower than IBC's statewide remit.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM): National industry association representing U.S. manufacturers on policy, with significant state-federation infrastructure. Adjacent to IBC given manufacturing's prominence among its members, though NAM operates at industry rather than state level.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: National federation representing businesses of all sizes on policy advocacy and economic competitiveness. Broad incumbent in the same business-advocacy category as IBC, operating at federal scale with a wider membership base.
• Business Roundtable (national): National association of CEOs of major U.S. corporations focused on policy advocacy. Operates in the same advocacy space as IBC but at a national scale and with much larger corporate members; useful as the federal-level analog to IBC's state-level role.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IowaBizCouncil
• Facebookfacebook.com/iowabusinesscouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iowabusinesscouncil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Iowa Business Council