An economic development group in southwest Iowa has received a grant from the U-S Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration. Senator Tom Harkin late last week announced that four Iowa regional planning commissions and councils of government received a total of $243,000 in grants to update their comprehensive economic development strategies. The grants cover Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Montgomery, Page, and Shelby counties.

SWIPCO – the Southwest Iowa Planning Council — based in Atlantic, will receive $60,000 from the U-S DOC. The grants will establish an economic development planning framework, process and strategy that supports private capital investment and job creation in local communities in Iowa.

Harkin says the grants “Will help to initiate private and public investment to help develop new jobs and give a needed boost to local communities.“ He says also “Strong development strategies are imperative to increasing job and career opportunities across the state.”