How much of Cedar Rapids’ growth comes from existing businesses?

In a competitive four-way race to be Cedar Rapids’ next mayor, candidates have pitched their visions for strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Iowa’s second-largest city.

At a Sept. 22 mayoral candidate forum hosted by the Cedar Rapids nonprofit NewBoCo, Women Lead Change Chief Executive Officer Tiffany O’Donnell said she wanted to explore ways to recruit new businesses to the city.

O’Donnell highlighted companies such as Collins Aerospace, Van Meter Inc. and United Fire Group as companies that started here and “continue to be successful and make us who we are today.”

“We know that 80 percent of our growth in Cedar Rapids comes from existing businesses,” O’Donnell said.

On the campaign trail, she has at times criticized the city’s business growth climate — saying it “has come to a halt” in recent years.

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This episode of the Fact Checker podcast was researched and hosted by The Gazette's Marissa Payne and features The Gazette's Erin Jordan and Michaela Ramm. The Fact Checker Podcast is produced by Stephen M. Colbert, and music is Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod.

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