For Dr. Byron Ezeugo Nwonye (“Dr. EZ”), a late-night notification about a newly-available office space gave a rush of anticipation and a chance to fulfill his lifelong dream of owning his own business – Royal Family Chiropractic.
“It was really late at night,” he explained. “This email came through about this space in North Liberty becoming available. I looked at the details and knew it was perfect for the kind of chiropractic firm I wanted to run.”
Next came the waiting game. Dr. EZ had never owned a business before, and the number of renovations needed to transform the space from an insurance office into a burgeoning chiropractic office off Sugar Creek Lane in North Liberty made it impossible for him to open immediately.
WATCH: Dr. EZ’s Story here
“With the finances I had saved up, I knew it was just going to be kind of difficult at the time to move forward with the ideas and renovations that I had in mind,” Dr. EZ said.
Enter the City of North Liberty and Greater Iowa City, Inc.
In December 2025, Greater IC and the City of North Liberty announced the North Liberty Targeted Economic Development Grant Program, offering grants of up to $10,000 to locally-owned and operated small businesses in North Liberty. As part of the program, Greater IC facilitated the application and selection processes for businesses that met the criteria for the grant.
Spurring Business Growth
The grant was designed with business owners like Dr. EZ in mind. Through targeted financial assistance, streamlined processes, and strategic incentives, the program aimed to attract local businesses, enhance tenant spaces, and support workforce and economic development.
This program also caught the attention of Sihyung Lee, who aspired to complete the move of his business, Gani Barbershop, to North Liberty.
“I was in the middle of doing a rebuild,” Lee explained while sitting in one of his barber chairs, and a black and white barber pole rotating over his shoulder. “I’m 23 years old and don’t have all the cash in the world. The grant program helped me redo my floors. Before these floors were done there were huge cracks in the concrete. It also allowed me to get two new signs. At my old business, there was no signage and all just social media marketing.”
Learn More About Gani Barbershop
Royal Family Chiropractic had similar needs to make the space feel like “home.”
“I was able to help fund getting walls built in order to create two more treatment rooms,” Dr. EZ said. “I repainted the walls [yellow] to give that nice warmer color and then the grant also helped pay for my signage outside.”
Royal Family Chiropractic hosted its Official Ribbon Cutting with Greater IC in June and Gani Barbershop opened May 1st.
Supporting Business as North Liberty Expands
The City of North Liberty has grown exponentially in the last quarter century. In 2000, the city had just over 5,000 people according to the U.S. Census. That has more than quadrupled today to over 21,000 (July 2025 population estimate). North Liberty’s population has grown by roughly 7.3% since the 2020 census.
As North Liberty grows, so do its businesses. KCRG reported last month that the year-old University of Iowa Health Care North Liberty campus now employs over 700 people. Large employers like GreenState Credit Union also support North Liberty’s economy and growth.
Small businesses like Royal Family Chiropractic and Gani Barbershop are also a vital part of the equation to a healthy economy. Dr. EZ and the businesses near him off Highway 965 have supported each other like family.
“I have a photography place right next to me, and all I did was ask, ‘can you take a picture of me outside in front of my building and my sign?’” Dr. EZ said. “And they gave me professional photos and headshots. I also have an accounting office two doors down and I asked them for some information, and they sat down with me and walked me through taxes and bookkeeping. A lot of [small] businesses in North Liberty are looking out for each other.”
Lee echoed Dr. EZ’s thoughts.
“We’re surrounded by a bunch of businesses here [at the corner of Penn Street and Highway 965],” he said. “That gives us motivation because we are not just by ourselves. Most of my friends graduated and moved to North Liberty. The people overall here are super supportive of us.”
Business Resource Center Plays Strong Role
As part of this grant process, businesses awarded funding are required to participate in at least ten hours of education and support from Greater IC at the Business Resource Center at MERGE in downtown Iowa City.
Dr. EZ, Lee, and other businesses awarded funding have benefitted from this valuable resource, which is complimentary to entrepreneurs and business owners in the area seeking access to resources necessary to start and strengthen their business.
Grant recipients received one-on-one mentoring from coaches with expertise in financial management, legal compliance, marketing, and business planning.
What’s Next?
The North Liberty Targeted Economic Development Grant Program is a great example of Greater Iowa City, Inc. bringing together government funding and private investment to elevate business and create economic resiliency in our communities.
Royal Family Chiropractic and Gani Barbershop are the first two businesses we plan on highlighting that show how this program has spurred business in North Liberty. In total, ten businesses in North Liberty will benefit from the Grant Program.
“It’s one of those things where North Liberty really took the understanding of knowing how fast of a community they were building, not just residentially, but on the business side,” Dr. EZ said. “By providing this generous grant, it just shows that North Liberty really cares about all businesses big or small, but especially those small businesses that are looking for that little extra push. I just hope to continue to make people’s lives better and make our city better each and every day.”
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