List your properties on the LOIS lane

By Kiley Miller
Iowa Lakes Corridor CEO

As the designated regional partner for the Iowa Economic Development Authority and our state’s electric utilities, the Corridor has a seldom-discussed obligation. We are required to list available industrial properties through the Location One Information Service, an online real estate platform. This represents opportunity for property owners in our region.

For folks in the know, LOIS, as the site is commonly called, is similar to CoStar/Loopnet. Head to http://lakescorridor.com/ilcdc/site-location/available-sites-and-buildings  and you’ll see what I mean. You’ll get the goods on buildings from Estherville to Storm Lake. Greenfield sites are included, too.

Why is this important? When a company interested in Iowa rings up the economic development authority, project managers there immediately search LOIS for relevant properties. If a property is not on LOIS, it doesn’t get a mention.

IEDA also requires LOIS be up to date before awarding its biannual marketing grants, the only money local economic development groups get from the state.

So, do you own or are you representing a residential or large commercial property? (The site does not cover residential.) Then shoot an email with the location and basic description to me or Tim Weideman. We’ll send back a spreadsheet for you to complete with details about the building. It’s a lengthy document, but don’t worry. A lot of information is the same from property to property.

Within two weeks of receiving the completed spreadsheet—and photos if you have them—we promise to have the property on LOIS.

If the property becomes leased or sold, please let us know. There’s just something embarrassing about bragging about a building to a prospect company only to find out too late that it’s occupied.