Posted 2 October, 2026
Some economic investments are easy to measure. Others are less tangible but just as substantial — stronger businesses, thriving downtowns, successful startups and communities better prepared for the future.
That’s the kind of return on investment UNI’s Business & Community Services delivers every day across Iowa. In all 99 counties and beyond, BCS helps organizations identify and solve problems, building a stronger Iowa in the process.
BCS functions as a statewide network of specialists. Its 12 programs connect communities, businesses and nonprofits with expertise they often couldn’t access otherwise, whether in succession planning, environmental compliance, entrepreneurship, manufacturing innovation or economic development.
“The communities and organizations we work with often don’t have the resources to hire large consulting firms,” said Drew Conrad, executive director of BCS and the Institute for Decision Making. “We’re able to bring that expertise to them at a scale that works, and we’ve built relationships that, in many cases, have lasted for decades.”
Those relationships have produced measurable results for the state.
Last year, BCS served 4,662 businesses, communities and local governments, reached more than 235,000 Iowans, and worked in all 99 counties for the 26th consecutive year. Every state dollar invested generated five additional dollars in outside funding, extending the organization’s reach even further.
But Conrad argues the numbers only tell part of the story.
“The phone keeps ringing,” he said. “We have communities, businesses and state agencies that continue to come back to us because they know we’ll help them solve problems.”
That problem-solving takes different forms depending on the need.
For the Iowa Waste Reduction Center, it may mean helping a manufacturer understand environmental regulations before costly fines become an issue or identifying simple operational changes that reduce waste and lower expenses.
“People don’t always think of waste as a business cost,” said Joe Bolick, director of the Iowa Waste Reduction Center. “But every dumpster that’s hauled away, every gallon of material that’s lost, every inefficiency has a cost attached to it. If we can reduce that, we’re helping businesses become stronger.”
For example, the Iowa Waste Reduction Center’s Green Brewery Certification program helps breweries reduce water use, energy consumption and waste, improving both environmental performance and the bottom line. The certification has expanded nationwide, with breweries across the country turning to UNI for expertise in sustainable operations.
The Family Business Center addresses a different challenge: keeping locally owned businesses rooted in the communities that helped build them.
Family-owned companies often become employers, civic leaders and philanthropic partners in their hometowns. As thousands of Iowa business owners near retirement, the UNI Family Business Center helps families navigate ownership transitions, increasing the likelihood that businesses — and the jobs, local investment and community leadership they provide — remain in Iowa.
“When businesses stay family-owned, the people making decisions are still living in those communities,” said Dan Beenken, director of the Family Business Center. “They’re investing in the schools, the parks and the organizations that make those places stronger.”
While each program specializes in a different area, collaboration is one of BCS’ greatest strengths. Clients often begin with one program and are connected to others as new needs emerge, creating a statewide network of expertise rather than a collection of individual services.
“There’s a lot of cross-pollination that can happen,” Beenken said. “We often hear needs from clients and can put them in touch with others within our spectrum of programs.”
Students benefit from that collaborative model as well.
More than 3,000 UNI students participated in BCS programming last year through internships, research projects, consulting work and classroom experiences, gaining practical experience while helping Iowa organizations tackle real challenges.
For Conrad, that represents another return on investment not captured by financial metrics alone.
“We’re helping businesses and communities today,” he said. “At the same time, we’re helping prepare the next generation of professionals who will continue building Iowa’s future.”