Iowa Venture Awards Honor Achievement

Nine Companies Recognized for Entrepreneurial Leadership

Iowa Area Development Group (IADG) on behalf of Iowa’s rural electric cooperatives and member municipal electric systems has honored nine distinguished Iowa companies with the Iowa Venture Award.   The Iowa Venture Award business recognition event began in 1988 and has honored over 190 of Iowa’s finest business leaders and companies. 

The 2011 “Outstanding Business of the Year” Venture Award was presented to Valley of the Moon Commercial Poults, Inc. and Aviagen Turkeys, Inc., a global market leader in poultry genetics, for locating Valley of the Moon Commercial Poults in Osceola, Iowa.  The new 87,000 sq. ft. single-stage hatchery, with capacity to incubate over 50 million eggs per year and provide poults throughout the U.S., is the largest turkey hatchery in world.  Valley of the Moon Commercial Pouts was nominated for the Iowa Venture Award by Clarke Electric Cooperative.     

“The Iowa Venture Award honors the entrepreneurial spirit of individuals and organizations.  The luncheon ceremony is a celebration of the courage, contribution, innovation, social responsibility and vision of Iowa entrepreneurs.  IADG has recognized Iowa’s leading companies large and small and it has become evident that our honorees are among the most accomplished and successful companies in the state.  Together they help sustain and grow Iowa’s economy.  Iowa Area Development Group on behalf of our sponsors is grateful to have the opportunity to honor and recognize these outstanding Iowa companies,” said IADG president, Rand Fisher.  Since 1985 the Powerful Partnerships and economic development efforts of IADG and their sponsoring rural electric cooperatives and municipal electric utilities have helped generate over $6 billion dollars of capital investment and create or retain nearly 40,000 jobs for Iowa.   
   
The Iowa Venture Award was also presented to Delta Dental of Iowa for “Distinguished Leadership.”  Delta Dental of Iowa has provided leadership and resources to help attract and retain dentists in rural Iowa.  Since 2003 Delta Dental of Iowa has assisted 18 dentists and rural Iowa Communities by providing over $1 million dollars in debt reimbursement for dentists.  The program called FIND (Fulfilling Iowa’s Need for Dentists) is serving as a national model for helping communities address dental healthcare shortages.

Iowa Venture Awards were also presented to seven other businesses for their significant contributions in diversifying and strengthening Iowa’s economy.  The 2011 Iowa Venture Award recipients include:  Clickstop, Inc., Urbana; Golden Eagle Distributing Company, Mount Pleasant; Icon Ag & Turf, Le Mars; Interpower Corporation, Lamoni; Iowa Cage-free, Goldfield; Iowa Protein Solutions, Estherville; and Royal Oaks Development Corporation, Peosta & Bellevue.  Iowa Economic Development Authority, Director Debi Durham assisted IADG in presenting the Iowa Venture Awards and honoring the Iowa companies and their leaders.

IADG is the business and community development leader for Iowa’s rural electric cooperatives and member municipal electric utilities.  The 2011 Iowa Venture Awards luncheon ceremony was held at the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives’ annual meeting in West Des Moines.