Cedar Rapids ranked 11th on Forbes' Best Places for Business and Careers

Cedar Rapids might not be as big as some of the nation's major economic hubs, and it might still be recovering from the devastating 2008 flood, but its job market and industrious spirit have it competing with the top U.S. markets, according to Forbes' 13list of the Best Places for Business and Careers.

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Cedar Rapids came just shy of cracking the top 10, landing at 11 on the list, which ranked the 200 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the United States based on 12 metrics related to job growth, costs to operate a business and live, income growth, educational attainment and projected economic growth.

Jennifer Pickar, spokeswoman for the Cedar Rapids Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the ranking is “wonderful,” and she's pleased to see the community recognized for all its assets.

“This is letting the country know that Cedar Rapids is a great place to live and work and visit,” she said. “We have a great industry here.”

Pickar said Cedar Rapids' high ranking is even more notable because it's still recovering from the 2008 flood.

“We went through a terrible disaster, but we are bouncing back better than ever, and people are taking notice,” she said.

According to Forbes' profile of Cedar Rapids, which has an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent, it is the “largest corn-processing city in the world” and produces more ethanol than any other city.

Forbes mentioned aviation communications company Rockwell Collins as Cedar Rapids' biggest employer, making $4.6 billion in sales, and praised Cedar Rapids' “flourishing center for arts and culture.”

Mayor Ron Corbett said it's the big players and the resilience of the small companies that make Cedar Rapids' business community what it is.

“This shows that we have been working hard since the flood to recover,” Corbett said. “Sometimes communities can get mired down in a disaster, but Cedar Rapids has been able to navigate through the disaster, and I think our future is pretty bright.”

Raining Rose, which produces all natural lip balm and other products in Cedar Rapids, is among the smaller businesses that has found this community an ideal place to grow roots.

“(The city) continues to go above and beyond to make it work for us,” said company president Chuck Hammond. “The people have a great work ethic, and the city government is really trying to create opportunities.”