Cedar Rapids Named A “Construction Boomtown” Despite COVID
The consistent growth of business in Cedar Rapids despite restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic has caught the attention of a major construction industry publication, as "Construction Dive" has named the City of Five Seasons one of its latest "construction boomtowns", according to a story from KWWL.
The designation was given based on several factors
Some of the factors at play were not only those lesser restrictions during the pandemic but the city's overall resilience and recovery over the years to disasters like floods and the derecho.
Strong recovery from the 2008 flood and tornadoes continues, years later
According to Construction Dive, the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared the 2008 flood its sixth-largest disaster on record, with property damage approaching $6 billion, and a cost to the agency of $848 million.
Former mayor Ron Corbett, who was at the helm in that position in the aftermath of the flood is now the Business Retention & Expansion Strategist for the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance. He bragged up Cedar Rapids as a "mega-city on the move", saying Cedar Rapids construction projects are also thriving despite the increasing costs and shortages of lumber.
It may prolong some of the projects that people want to get done when their supply chain is disrupted," Corbett said, "It may take a project a year to get done vs. 9 months."
The projects may take longer, Corbett says, but they're getting done as Cedar Rapids continues to thrive. $539 million in construction projects were undertaken, continued or completed in the Cedar Rapids metro area in 2020.
We're in good company
Other cities receiving this designation included Columbus, Ohio; Nashville, Omaha, and Rochester, Minnesota.