Greater Iowa City, Inc. serves as both the region’s Chamber of Commerce and its Economic Development Organization. Its work centers on supporting businesses while strengthening the regional economy through relationships, collaboration, and shared leadership. Rather than operating as a closed network, Greater IC is structured around invitation: bringing employers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders into circles, councils, task forces, and events that shape regional priorities and foster long-term growth.
When DCI Group opened its Iowa City office in early 2022, the Des Moines–headquartered firm was expanding its footprint. What followed was not just physical growth, but deeper integration into a regional business community designed to welcome participation. DCI is now expanding its presence to from downtown Iowa City to the expanding N. Dodge Street former Pearson campus, home to a new Shive Hattery office and the Geifman Group.
In just a few years, DCI has grown its local team, strengthened its presence, and recently moved into a larger, strategic space that reflects its next chapter. That trajectory reflects a broader pattern in Greater Iowa City, one shaped by engagement, connection, and intentional economic development work.
How the Work Happens
Councils and peer groups that connect leaders across industries to share insight and solve challenges together
- Task forces and councils focused on issues such as talent, growth, and regional opportunity
- Events and convenings that create space for relationship-building and collaboration, including industry circles.
- Milestone celebrations, including ribbon cuttings, unveilings, and expansions, that recognize investment in the region
Participation is not limited to long-established organizations. Companies new to the region are invited into the same spaces and conversations, with the expectation that engagement strengthens both individual businesses and the broader ecosystem.
DCI Group as an Example of Engagement in Practice
DCI Group’s experience illustrates how this model works.
After establishing its Iowa City office, the firm engaged with the Greater IC network, participating in peer conversations, building relationships, and opening its doors to others. Greater IC supported that engagement through strategic introductions, public milestone celebrations, and opportunities to connect through shared spaces such as MERGE.
That involvement coincided with steady growth and increasing investment in the region, culminating in DCI’s move to a larger, purpose-built space positioned for future expansion. While each organization’s path is different, DCI’s story reflects a familiar pattern: companies that engage early and often tend to find momentum more quickly.
Why Invitation Matters
Economic development in Greater Iowa City is built on the idea that growth accelerates when people are connected. Circles, councils, task forces, and events are not peripheral to the work — they are the work.
By inviting businesses and leaders into those spaces, Greater IC creates opportunities for shared learning, collaboration, and leadership. In turn, participants help shape the region’s future while building stronger foundations for their own organizations.
A Norm, Not an Exception
Growth stories like DCI Group’s are not treated as anomalies in Greater Iowa City. They are viewed as outcomes of a system designed around participation.
Organizations that choose to engage – to join a circle, serve on a council, contribute to a task force, or simply show up—are not turned away. They are welcomed into the work, because connection is not a bonus, and is the foundation on which growth is built.
