Nationally Recognized Industrial Park Location.
Cedar Valley’s industrial parks, including West Viking Road, are nationally recognized for readiness, infrastructure, and strategic location, making them among the best in the USA.
National Recognition and Certifications
The West Viking Road Industrial Park in Cedar Falls has earned Platinum designation from the Site Selectors Guild (SSG) through the REDI Sites program, placing it among only six Platinum REDI Sites nationwide cedarfalls.com. This designation reflects rigorous evaluation of site readiness, infrastructure, and development potential. Both West Viking Road and the South Waterloo Business Park are also certified under Iowa’s Certified Site Program, ensuring all due diligence is completed and sites are “shovel-ready” for immediate development.
Infrastructure and Utilities
Cedar Falls industrial parks offer comprehensive utilities, including water, sewer, natural gas, electricity, and fiber-optic broadband up to 10 gigabits, supporting technology-driven businesses and rapid operational scaling selectcedarfallsia.com+1. Sites range from 2 to 15+ acres, with zoning for light industrial, manufacturing, logistics, and distribution operations opportunityiowa.gov. The parks are designed to accommodate both large and small businesses, including engineering, IT, and R&D firms.
Transportation and Market Access
The parks are strategically located near U.S. Highway 20, divided highways 27/218, and Waterloo Regional Airport, with rail spurs connecting to the Canadian National mainline, enabling multimodal transportation selectcedarfallsia.com+2. This allows companies to reach major markets such as Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Detroit, and Winnipeg within a day’s truck travel selectcedarfallsia.com. The combination of highway, rail, and air access makes the parks highly competitive for logistics and distribution operations.
Workforce and Community Advantages
Cedar Valley benefits from a skilled workforce of over 320,000, supported by local universities like the University of Northern Iowa and career education programs in advanced manufacturing, robotics, IT, and engineering selectcedarfallsia.com. The region’s labor pool draws from a population of over 240,000, with nearly 395,000 potential workers commuting from surrounding counties growcedarvalley.com. The community offers a low cost of living, a supportive business environment, and amenities such as restaurants, hotels, and financial services.
Strategic Advantages
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Shovel-ready sites with all due diligence completed growcedarvalley.com
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Nationally recognized REDI Platinum status for rapid development cedarfalls.com
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High-speed broadband and modern utilities for technology and manufacturing firms opportunityiowa.gov
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Extensive multimodal transportation access for logistics efficiency selectcedarfallsia.com+1
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Proximity to major markets within a day’s truck drive.
Summary
With Platinum REDI designation, certified shovel-ready sites, advanced infrastructure, strategic transportation access, and a skilled workforce, Cedar Valley’s industrial parks are nationally competitive and among the best industrial parks in the United States, making them highly attractive for companies seeking rapid expansion or relocation.
Sources include: cedarfalls.com, selectcedarfallsia.com, opportunityiowa.gov, growcedarvalley.com