February 10, 2011 Guest opinion: What Iowa needs: Infrastructure, capital and PR STANLEY R. WALK is a member of the Mitchell County Board of Supervisors. Contact: supervisors@mitchellcoia.us.

Gov. Terry Branstad has made job creation the centerpiece of his administration for the next four years. Branstad promises over 200,000 new, good-paying jobs during this time frame. Branstad believes by lowering the commercial property-tax rate at least 40 percent and also lowering the corporate income-tax rate, corporate America will sit up, take notice and relocate to the heartland. Lowering these taxes may help, but this is not the area of concern for industry. CNBC ranks the American states for their overall benefits and assistance to business and industry. In the 2010 ranking released this past July, Iowa came in sixth overall, down two places from its fourth-place ranking in 2009. Iowa led all other states in the Midwest as a top state for business. Here is how CNBC defined "cost of doing business": "Cost is a major consideration when a company chooses a state. We looked at the tax burden, including individual income and property taxes, business taxes, even the gasoline tax. Utility costs can add up to a huge expense for business, and they vary widely by state. We also looked at the cost of wages and state workers' compensation insurance, as well as rental costs for office and industrial space." According to CNBC, Iowa ranks No. 1 when it comes to the cost of doing business. Yet industry is not flocking to Iowa. Making reduced commercial property and income taxes the main concern appears to be a misplaced priority. Iowa at No. 32 just missed being at the bottom third of the 50 states for good transportation and infrastructure. CNBC defined transportation and infrastructure as: "Access to transportation in all its modes is key to getting your products to market and your people on the move. We measured the vitality of each state's transportation system by the value of goods shipped by air, land and water. We looked at the availability of air travel in each state, and the quality of the roads." Excellent transportation is the key to marketing, yet Branstad refuses to consider raising the gas tax. If manufacturers cannot get goods to market in a timely and economical fashion, everything else is immaterial. A third category where Iowa falters miserably is access to capital. According to CNBC, "Companies go where the money is, and venture capital - an increasingly important source of funding - flows to some states more than others." Here Iowa ranks in the bottom third of states, No. 36. But even if Iowa could improve its transportation and access to capital, Iowa has another problem that was not ranked by CNBC. This unpublished category is: Selling the benefits of your state to industry. Why are other states that can and do offer fewer benefits to industry beating Iowa when it comes to job creation and retention? These states are effectively marketing themselves. Iowa has failed to sell its positive benefits. The Iowa Legislature needs to concentrate on a three-point program to improve industrial growth and relocation: First: Substantially increase the monies flowing into the transportation and infrastructure funds of Iowa and its political subdivisions. Second: Provide financial incentives to those with access to substantial amounts of capital to invest in new initiatives. The best ideas in the world will never go forward without a viable means to make it happen. Third: Iowa needs to market itself. Iowa has been the best-kept secret for business incentives. Businesses in states such as Illinois and on the coasts may consider a move if provided accurate information on Iowa's advantages and incentives. They will not move here if they never learn about us. If Iowa refocuses in these three key areas, Governor Branstad's goal of 200,000 good-paying jobs can become a reality.