The Iowa District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration has named the City of Manning as the recipient of its 2015 Iowa SBA Small Business Community of the Year. This is the inaugural year for the award, which highlights community efforts to support small business. Communities (defined as a city, town, county, regional economic development or planning district) were invited to submit nominations to the SBA’s Iowa District Office showcasing their efforts to support small businesses. Submissions were judged on the following criteria:

• Key programs and incentives implemented to attract and retain small businesses.

• Leveraging of community resources with other federal, state, county and local programs to benefit the small business community.

• Examples of how the community directly contributed to the success of a local small business.

Manning, a community with a population of about 1,500 in Carroll County, was selected for demonstrating an ideal collaborative environment for small business success, utilizing revolving loan funds, TIF financing, Main Street program, Iowa Challenge Grants, tax abatement policies, funding from local utilities, Community Block Grant Programs and local community foundations.

Manning’s leveraging of federal, state and local government, higher education and community resources was also recognized for helping the community create an ideal small business culture. The city also identified cultural, health care and education initiatives as critical resources for small business success.

Jayne Armstrong, district director of the SBA’s Iowa District Office, says “The SBA is honored to recognize Manning as the inaugural winner of the SBA Iowa Small Business Community of the Year. The city has leveraged a large number of programs and partners to create an ideal environment for small business.”

The award will be presented to Manning at the Iowa Smart Conference in Des Moines on May 7th. The SBA also plans to re-present the award at a special ceremony in Manning at a later date this spring. Manning was selected among 11 nominations from small towns, larger cities and regional economic corridors from throughout the state.