NewBo receives $200K state grant for new aviation technology center

DES MOINES — A $200,000 state grant will help support the New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative’s development of the Iowa Aviation Technology Center, the state’s economic development agency announced Friday.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority awarded the grant through its Entrepreneurial Investment Award program.

NewBoCo, according to an IEDA press release, plans to lead the development of the Iowa Aviation Technology Center as part of a statewide effort to strengthen the state’s aviation sector.

NewBoCo will conduct training and startup training to help establish Iowa as a competitive hub for aviation technology and talent, the IEDA press release said.

The IEDA grant will support program staff, events and administration for two years, IEDA said.

Iowa’s Entrepreneurial Investment Awards program, according to IEDA, provides financial assistance to Iowa-based organizations that directly support entrepreneurs and early-stage startups. Applicants can apply for awards up to $200,000. The program is capped annually at $1 million.

Pathfinders RC&D in Fairfield also received a $200,000 Iowa’s Entrepreneurial Investment Awards grant Friday, and The Iowa Center in Des Moines received a $150,000 grant.

The IEDA also on Friday awarded a total of $2 million in tax benefits — from the state’s expiring High Quality Jobs program — to three companies, including Morrison Weighing Systems, which is relocating from Illinois to Coralville.

Morrison manufactures high-speed weighing and labeling systems, according to IEDA. The agency said Morrison plans to purchase and expand an existing facility in the University of Iowa Research Park and relocate its operations from Illinois. The project will total nearly $1.5 million in capital investment and is expected to create 11 jobs, five of which are incented at a program qualifying wage of $33.05 per hour, IEDA said.

Sioux City Honey, which is expanding in Sioux City, and Electro Freeze, which is moving from Illinois to Davenport, also received High Quality Jobs tax credits, IEDA said.

Four projects received Community Action and Tourism grants, totaling more than $2.8 million, from IEDA on Friday. The cities of Lake Park, Maquoketa and Pella, along with the Des Moines Children’s Museum, received project grants from the CAT program, which helps communities fund recreational, cultural, educational or entertainment facilities.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau

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