FORT DODGE — A sprawling 720-acre industrial park on the west side of Fort Dodge has earned the state’s development-ready stamp, giving local economic development officials another tool to pursue major manufacturing, bioscience and renewable-energy projects.
The Iowa Economic Development Authority announced August 20, 2026, that Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation has received designation as an Iowa Certified Site.
The industrial park sits in Webster County near the existing CJ Bio, Valero and Cargill operations and contains approximately 700 acres considered developable.
State officials say certification is important because much of the expensive and time-consuming homework that can slow a major industrial development has already been completed before a company begins seriously considering the property.
Environmental reviews, infrastructure evaluations and other due-diligence work have been conducted to identify potential development obstacles and give prospective businesses a clearer picture of what it would take to build at the site.
“Site certification shows that a community has done key preparation upfront to compete for new investment and jobs when opportunities arise,” Iowa Economic Development Authority and Iowa Finance Authority Director Debi Durham said.
“That can make all the difference when a company is looking for a place to grow. Fort Dodge has built a strong foundation for future growth, and this certification reflects the commitment it takes to be ready when the right project comes along.”
Durham joined Fort Dodge-area officials and economic development leaders Thursday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony recognizing the designation.
The site has direct access to Iowa Highway 7, with four-lane U.S. Highway 20 about six miles to the south.
Rail infrastructure operated by both Canadian National Railway and Union Pacific is also adjacent to the industrial area, creating the potential to extend rail service to large development parcels.
Utilities are located adjacent to or near the property.
The designation adds another chapter to a long-running effort to develop the Fort Dodge industrial corridor.
NIT reported in 2014 that Fort Dodge was among the first Iowa communities to receive certified “shovel-ready” industrial-site status when the state’s Certified Sites Program was still in its infancy.
That earlier Fort Dodge designation involved the Webster County Ag Center and 447 developable acres.
The state certification program had been launched in 2012 to give Iowa communities a way to show companies and site-selection consultants that proposed industrial locations had already undergone substantial review before being placed on the market.
Fort Dodge’s industrial corridor was already gaining international attention around that same period.
NIT reported in 2011 on plans by South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang to develop a roughly $324 million amino-acid manufacturing operation in Fort Dodge, a project state leaders at the time viewed as part of an emerging biorefinery complex.
CJ Bio America would become one of the major industrial operations now located near the newly certified acreage.
The company has continued investing in its Fort Dodge operation. In 2023, NIT reported that CJ Bio received a nearly $1.86 million state water infrastructure grant for a large-scale purification system projected to substantially reduce water use and wastewater discharge from the plant.
Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance CEO Astra Ferris said the new 720-acre certification reflects years of preparation by local governments, landowners, utilities, schools and economic development organizations.
“Earning Iowa Certified Site designation is more than a milestone; it’s a statement that the Fort Dodge region is ready and open for business,” Ferris said.
She said the goal is to use the industrial park to attract and expand businesses while building on the existing concentration of agriculture, bioscience, manufacturing and energy operations in the area.
The Fort Dodge project also received assistance through the Iowa Rural Certified Site Initiative, which lawmakers created during the 2024 legislative session to help smaller communities pay for some of the studies and technical work needed to earn certification.
The Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance, acting on behalf of Webster County, was one of five recipients selected for assistance in the program’s first funding round in 2025.
The state awarded the organization $1,603.75 toward certification work for what was then described as an approximately 765-acre industrial area west of Fort Dodge.
Iowa’s Certified Sites Program has now operated for more than a decade. According to IEDA, certified sites around the state have attracted more than $2.3 billion in capital investment since the program launched in 2012.
The Fort Dodge site’s certification was independently reviewed by Quest Site Solutions, a Greenville, South Carolina-based site-selection firm. Quest lists Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation as having completed certification in June 2026.
The certification does not mean a specific new company has committed to the 720-acre park.
Instead, it means Fort Dodge and Webster County can now market the property to prospective employers as land that has already cleared a detailed site-readiness review — potentially shaving valuable time from the process when a company is deciding where to invest hundreds of millions of dollars and create new jobs.