Awards & Accolades

Dubuque Recognized for Outstanding Economic Development

2013
Area Development Magazine has recognized the Greater Dubuque region for excellence in economic performance and a strong, healthy business climate. In the 2013 Leading Location Report, Dubuque’s ranking in the Top 100 Overall Cities climbed to 12th best in the United States, up from 16th in 2012. Dubuque was the only city in Iowa to place in the top 20.

Dubuque was also highly ranked in six of the other categories. The rankings included:

• Top 20 Midwest Cities: Dubuque ranked 3rd;
• Top 20 Midwest Cities – “Now” Cities: Dubuque ranked 6th;
• Top 30 Small Cities: Dubuque ranked 5th; up from 12th in 2012;
• Top 20 Small Cities in Economic Strength: Dubuque ranked 5th;
• Top 20 Small Cities in Recovery Cities: Dubuque ranked 4th;
• Top 20 Small Cities – “Now” Cities: Dubuque ranked 6th.

“This recognition serves as a reminder of Dubuque’s commitment to growth,” Rick Dickinson, President and CEO of Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, said. “With strong public-private partnerships and a highly skilled workforce, our community continues to be one of the premier economic regions in the United States with other cities striving to emulate our successes. The investors, Board of Directors, and staff at Greater Dubuque Development continue the good work of bringing What’s NEXT for Dubuque,” added Dickinson.   

Opportunity Dubuque Wins Impact Award

2013
Opportunity Dubuque was awarded the 365 Impact Award for Economic Development. Impact Awards recognize those who choose to make an everyday effort to impact the world around them 365 days a year -those who believe in our community and are willing to do something to make it better for everyone.

Opportunity Dubuque is a collaborative effort of Dubuque Works, Northeast Iowa Community College, Dubuque Community Schools, Iowa Works, East Central Intergovernmental Association, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, and Project Hope. The initiative was launched with the goal of upgrading workers’ skills, creating non-credit to credit career pathways, and ultimately filling local employer demand for talent in high-wage advanced manufacturing careers.

Opportunity Dubuque Wins Top Workforce Honors

2012
Opportunity Dubuque was awarded the top workforce honor by MAEDC, Mid-America Economic Development Council at the Competitiveness Conference & Site Selector Forum on December
2-4.

Opportunity Dubuque is a collaborative effort of Dubuque Works, Northeast Iowa Community College, Dubuque Community Schools, Iowa Works, East Central Intergovernmental Association, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, and Project Hope. The initiative was launched with the goal of upgrading workers’ skills, creating non-credit to credit career pathways, and ultimately filling local employer demand for talent in high-wage advanced manufacturing careers.

100 Best Communities for Youth

2012
Because of its commitment to provide healthy, safe and caring environments for young people, Dubuque was named as one of the 100 best communities for youth. Dubuque was one of 37 communities to win the award five times.

"The 100 Best Communities for Young People are taking bold and effective steps to help their youth graduate and lead healthy, productive lives," said Alma J. Powell, Chair, America's Promise Alliance. "Each community has proven that they are developing programs and implementing initiatives to provide young people with the essential resources they need to graduate from high school and succeed in college and a 21st century career."

Dubuque Named All-America City

2012
Dubuque was named an All-America City by the National Civic League.  Dubuque received this award based on its ambitious plan to ensure that more children are reading at grade level criteria by the end of third grade. The community was one of 14 awardees selected from 32 finalists. This is the nation’s most prestigious and oldest civic recognition program.

In addition to being named an All-America City, Dubuque was also named a Community Solutions PaceSetter by the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading for its exemplary leadership and innovation in addressing the vexing challenges that keep many low-income students from learning to read proficiently. 

Dubuque Recognized for Outstanding Economic Development

2012
The greater Dubuque area has once again been ranked among the best of the best in economic development by Area Development Magazine, a leading executive publication covering corporate site selection and facility planning. The 2012 Leading Locations report ranked Dubuque in five categories. Rankings include:

• Top 100 Overall Cities: Dubuque ranked 16th; the only city in Iowa ranking in the top 25
• Top 20 Midwest Cities: Dubuque ranked 3rd
• Top 50 Small Cities: Dubuque ranked 7th
• Top 25 Small Cities – Economic Strength Factors: Dubuque ranked 6th 
• Top 25 Small Cities – “Recession Busting” Factors: Dubuque ranked 8th

Greater Dubuque Development Business Retention & Expansion Program Scores Top Honors

2012
Greater Dubuque Development received first place honors in the category for “Best Overall Business Retention and Expansion Program” from the Professional Developers of Iowa (PDI).  

Greater Dubuque Development’s business retention and expansion program, InfoAction, has been active for more than 10 years with staff conducting over 250 on-site visits per year.  During this time, Greater Dubuque Development Corporation has had a direct role with 83 private-sector expansion projects, totaling more than $311.5 million in capital investment, 3,289,480 square feet of construction, and at least 2,546 direct new jobs. 

Additionally, Greater Dubuque staff has provided direct assistance, on issues from A to Z, on more than 1,450 occasions, including 474 instances last year alone.  This latest recognition represents the 7th award given to Greater Dubuque’s InfoAction program in the past 3 years.  

Dubuque Honored Nationally for Cultural Diversity Efforts

2012
The National League of Cities’ National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials has awarded the City of Dubuque second-place honors in its 2012 City Cultural Diversity Awards. The City of Dubuque received second place honors specifically for a community engagement program that is a collaborative effort between City staff, leaders, and residents designed to ensure that: 1) City staff and programs are effectively meeting the needs of a growing multicultural community, 2) residents of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds are acknowledged and engaged in community life, and 3) City policy decisions include the perspectives of the range of cultures represented in our community. Over the past three years in particular, the City has allocated staff and resources to expand cultural programming in the community, to bring people of various cultural backgrounds together to solve community problems, and to develop cultural community groups to enhance involvement and communication between residents and staff.

“We appreciate this national recognition of the hard work we, as a community, have done toward creating a more inclusive city,” said Dubuque Mayor Roy D. Buol. “We continue to see demographic changes and growth in our community, and we acknowledge that there is an ever-present need to continue in our efforts.”

The awards honor community leadership in developing creative and effective programs to improve cultural diversity through a collaborative process with city officials, community leaders, and residents.

Dubuque Ranks Second in Nation for Health System Performance

2012
The Commonwealth Fund has ranked Dubuque second in the nation for overall health system performance. The second place ranking was behind only St. Paul, Minnesota. This survey comparing 306 communities tracked 43 indicators spanning four dimensions of health system performance: access, prevention and treatment, costs and potentially avoidable hospital use, and health outcomes.

Dubuque Named 15th “Best-Performing” Small Metro

2011
The Milken Institute’s 2011 Best-Performing Cities Index ranks the Dubuque metropolitan area 15th out of 179 small U.S. metropolitan areas. Dubuque moved up 40 spots from 2010’s 55th place ranking.

Greater Dubuque Development Wins Top Honors

2011
Greater Dubuque Development’s Dubuque Works and AccessDubuqueJobs.com were awarded top honors by MAEDC, Mid-America Economic Development Council for their workforce development programs.

Dubuque Works was awarded first place for the collaborative effects of its seven local partners; Greater Dubuque Development, Telegraph Herald, Chamber of Commerce, Iowa Workforce, Northeast Iowa Community College, Dubuque Area Labor Management Council, and Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, in successfully addressing workforce challenges and developing solutions to overcome the challenges. Our cutting-edge website, AccessDubuqueJobs.com, received second place honors as it assists millions of job seekers nationwide search for local jobs while allowing local employers the ability to attract a qualified workforce.

Existing Business Program Cited for Excellence and Innovation

2011
Greater Dubuque Development was recognized by Blane, Canada, Ltd. for its business retention and expansion efforts and was recognized as one of the best in the industry being awarded the Critical Business Partner award. This top honor was awarded to Greater Dubuque Development for the key role it plays with the region’s existing business base.

Dubuque in the U.S. Top 20 for Job Growth

100 Best Communities for Youth

2011
Because of its commitment to provide healthy, safe and caring environments for young people, Dubuque was named as one of the 100 best communities for youth.

"The 100 Best Communities for Young People are taking bold and effective steps to help their youth graduate and lead healthy, productive lives," said Alma J. Powell, Chair, America's Promise Alliance. "Each community has proven that they are developing programs and implementing initiatives to provide young people with the essential resources they need to graduate from high school and succeed in college and a 21st century career."

Dubuque Ranks #5 for Resiliency

2011
Dubuque was named one of the most resilient cities in the nation. The city was ranked fifth out of 361 cities nationwide in a study of resiliency capacity that evaluates a community's economic capacity to bounce back from adversity, strength of demographics, and community connectivity.

Dubuque Works Wins Impact Award

2011
Dubuque Works was awarded the 365 Impact Award for Economic Development. Impact Awards recognize those who choose to make an everyday effort to impact the world around them 365 days a year - those who believe in our community and are willing to do something to make it better for everyone.

Grantors of the award commented, "Yes, Dubuque Works quite well but that isn’t just an accident. As a unique multi-organizational approach to training and workforce development, this award winner is making a real and lasting difference in the future of the greater Dubuque region. For helping Dubuque "Work" better than ever, even in this economically challenging time, the 2010 365 Impact Award for Economic Development goes to Dubuque Works."

Dubuque Named One of the Ten Smartest Cities on the Planet

2011
Fast Company, a business magazine, recently named Dubuque among their Top 10 Smartest Cities on the Planet. The magazine focused on IBM's impact on the city and the 2009 declaration that Dubuque would become the "first integrated, smart city" in America, with interlocking systems watching the interplay between water, electricity and transportation.

Greater Dubuque Development Garners Awards

2010
Greater Dubuque Development was recognized by the Mid-American Economic Development Council for its programs in Business Retention and Expansion and Workforce Development.

In the category of Business Retention and Expansion, Greater Dubuque scored the top vote of the judges for the Dubuque Sustainability Innovation Consortium, a new, private-sector driven initiative comprised of Dubuque businesses from manufacturing, technology, service, wholesale, and other industry sectors. Consortium companies represent 1,250 employees and are currently engaged in both the sales and production of green related services/products. Although a work in progress, the goal of the consortium is to connect Dubuque businesses with new market opportunities and possible sales. Greater Dubuque Development, along with the City of Dubuque, organizes and coordinates activities on behalf of the consortium.

Dubuque Named Best Small City to Raise a Family

2010
Citing solid average incomes, good educational prospects, low costs, short commute times, and high rates of home ownership, Forbes.com named Dubuque, Iowa, as The Best Small City to Raise a Family.

"Dubuque's size puts it in a kind of sweet spot: large enough to be a center of industry, small enough to not be overcrowded. An economy that successfully diversified after the collapse of the local manufacturing industry contributes to an unemployment rate that's nearly half the national average, at 6.5%, and a median household income of $48,779. That means most families have the jobs they need. They also don't have to spend a lot of time getting there: Only 2.6% of the population spends an hour or more getting to work," according to the article issued by Forbes.com

Dubuque Honored as World's 3rd Most Livable Community

2010
Dubuque, Iowa, was named a third-place finalist and gold-standard community at the International Awards for Livable Communities. The city competed against communities spanning the globe.

The LivCom Awards is the world's only competition for local communities that focuses on environmental management and the creation of livable communities. The objective of the awards is to encourage best practice, innovation, and leadership in providing a vibrant, environmentally sustainable community that improves the quality of life.

The LivCom Awards were launched internationally in 1997 and are endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme and the scheme is run as a UK Registered Charity. A new country has been represented at the LivCom Awards in each of the past eleven years, and now more 50 countries are regularly represented.

Dubuque Works Cited for Excellence in Economic Development

2010
Greater Dubuque Development was recognized for Excellence in Economic Development for their Dubuque Works - A Workforce Initiative in the category of Human Capital for communities with populations of 25,000-200,000 from the International Economic Development Council.

"We recognize the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation for providing successful strategies to promote new paradigms in economic development in this period of global recovery," said William Best, IEDC chair. "Our awards honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in communities. The Greater Dubuque Development Corporation is showing that they are at the forefront of the economic development profession and are using innovative and effective practices that can be replicated in other communities."

Through the collaborative partnership of seven community partners - Greater Dubuque Development, Telegraph Herald, Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce, Iowa Works, Northeast Iowa Community College, Dubuque Area Labor Management Council, and Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque - and funding support from the City of Dubuque, Dubuque Racing Association, and Dubuque County, Dubuque Works addresses workforce needs through unparalleled innovation and unprecedented cooperation.

100 Best Communities for Youth

2010
Because of its commitment to provide healthy, safe and caring environments for young people, Dubuque was named as one of the 100 best communities for youth.

"The 100 Best Communities for Young People are taking bold and effective steps to help their youth graduate and lead healthy, productive lives," said Alma J. Powell, Chair, America's Promise Alliance. "Each community has proven that they are developing programs and implementing initiatives to provide young people with the essential resources they need to graduate from high school and succeed in college and a 21st century career."

Dubuque Named All-Star Community

2010
The Iowa League of Cities recognized Dubuque as a 2010 All-Star Community, one of the most prestigious honors presented by the League to cities.

Innovative efforts in areas such as urban renewal, development, preservation, service sharing and quality of life improvements determine the annual award winners. Dubuque was recognized specifically for its ongoing programs and models for sustainability.

Dubuque's Economic Growth Potential 7th Best in U.S.

2010
Business Facilities magazine gave Dubuque the nod as a Top Metro for Economic Growth Potential (under 200,000 population) in their 2010 Rankings Report.

The key metric for the 2010 Rankings Report was growth. Special emphasis was given to the growth potential of each location's economic development strategy. The Economic Growth Potential category rewards the most effective overall strategy and its successful execution, identifying those who not only have survived the economic downturn but are poised to dominate the emerging New Economy.

"Top Deals of 2009"

2010
IBM’s selection of Dubuque, Iowa, as the site for its new Global Services Technology Delivery Center has again garnered national attention as Site Selection Magazine honored the project as a "Top Deal of 2009."

Site Selection Magazine’s Top Deals are determined by the level of private-sector capital investment, degree of high-value jobs, creativity in negotiations and incentives, regional economic impact, competition for the project and speed to market. But most of all, the "Top Deals" are determined by the companies themselves – the businesses that continue to deploy major capital around the globe despite the difficult financing environment.

Dubuque Ranks #1 in Projected Job Growth

2010
Dubuque surged ahead 156 places in the 2010 Forbes.com rankings, garnering the top spot as the #1 Best Smaller Metro for Projected Job Growth. The ranking is based on three-year annualized figures and compares 184 smaller metro areas with populations ranging from 55,000 to 245,000. Only 15 communities making the grade have smaller populations than Dubuque.

Dubuque also pushed ahead to a 15th place overall ranking on the Best Small Places for Business and Careers, moving up 25 places from its 2009 ranking of 40th.

Dubuque Honored for "Deal of the Year"

2010
Business Facilities magazine has included the IBM-Dubuque Global Technology Services Delivery Center project in their 2009 Economic Development Deal of the Year Awards.

In selecting "IBM Searches the World and Finds Dubuque, Iowa," the projected direct, indirect, and induced economic impact for output, employment, and income was heavily considered by a panel of expert, independent judges, along with a subjective analysis of the overall economic development efforts.

Dubuque 3rd Best in U.S. for Job Growth

2010
Dubuque's job growth has been cited as among the best in the entire U.S. by Careerbuilder.com. In comparing the 281 largest metros in the U.S., Dubuque's job growth of 2.1% ranked as third best in the nation. Of the 77 metros that saw job gains, Dubuque was one of just three that saw growth of better than 2%.