Sid Juwarker travels a lot for his job at the Greater Des Moines Partnership. The farthest has been a trip to India as part of the Partnership’s delegation on Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ trade mission in September.

 Juwarker was named the Partnership’s vice president of economic development in May 2024. The trade mission, meant to expand and secure business ties between Iowa and the world’s most populous country, was a homecoming of sorts for the 46-year-old. 

Juwarker is originally from Mumbai and grew up across the street from the hotel where he stayed during the trip.

During an interview Jan. 21 in the Partnership’s boardroom, Juwarker said stepping into that hotel was “an experience unlike any other.” 

“I’d never physically been into that hotel, because I was not in that economic bracket. I’ve always seen it,” he said. 

“… I got to experience Iowa as an Indian when I first moved here, and then somehow, through a weird series of events, I got to experience India as an Iowan,” Juwarker said. “And so just a very strange, surreal experience.”

He left Mumbai when he was 15 years old, bound for Singapore, where he would finish junior college on a scholarship. There Juwarker met an academic recruiter for Drake University looking for prospective students in the area. Juwarker soon moved to Des Moines and became part of the first Drake class in environmental science, he said.

Calling Des Moines home for three decades, Juwarker said witnessing and participating in downtown’s economic transformation and the growth of Central Iowa gives him energy. 

Juwarker’s role at the Partnership is business attraction — working with companies nationwide that are interested in relocating or expanding in Central Iowa.

Before joining the Partnership last year, Juwarker worked in planning as vice president and regional leader for the Central Iowa division at Graham Construction Co. For almost nine years, he was client development manager and principal for Terracon. He also spent time as a project manager for Barker Lemar Engineering Consultants in West Des Moines.

Juwarker has also worked as an entrepreneur as a former owner of Teehee’s Comedy Club, an adjunct instructor at Drake and a past board president of the Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce. 

Now, instead of building someone else’s project and vision, Jukwarker said he’s helping develop the vision for the Partnership’s 12-county territory.

“That’s one of the beauties of the job. I get to talk about a region from the perspective of having complete understanding of what it’s like to have moved here almost 30 years ago, seeing its changes, but also loving it so much where it almost doesn’t feel like a job,” he said. 

“That’s the reason I stayed, that’s the reason, over 30 years of evolution, that I’ve seen it grow. I want to be part of that growth. To me, it’s almost like second nature where I had to almost tone down how much I communicate how much I love it, so it sounds professional.”

This Q&A has been lightly edited for clarity.

You mentioned seeing the growth of Des Moines over the last three decades. Does seeing that growth lead you to the position you’re in now? Can you talk a little bit about how you got interested in economic development and how your path led you here at the Partnership?

Absolutely. From a community involvement process, I may be working at the Partnership, but I’ve been involved with some level of the Partnership, either through subcommittees or things like the downtown chamber, for the better half of two decades. Most people in Greater Des Moines see the growth that our region has had and assume that it just sort of happened. But there’s a strong strategic plan and vision that has existed in our region for decades that has got us to this point, through getting stakeholders, communities, that collaborative aspect of building the region that has spurred on all this growth and success that we’ve had as a region. None of it’s been certain — it didn’t just fall out of the sky. But to the general population, great. But there’ve been years and years and years of meticulous planning to get us to this point. And being involved in some of those meetings and part of those subcommittees in whatever aspect of it has helped me realize that growth, that strategic planning, that collaboration, is something that’s just very energizing and very fulfilling. When I worked on the engineering and the construction side before that, I always built somebody else’s dream. I implemented that vision, if you will, and now I’ve got the opportunity to bring that vision to this region, as opposed to just executing on somebody else’s work. 

How did growing up in India and living in Des Moines affect your perspective on the trade mission? 

In a certain way, because I had some perspective on Indian culture and people, but I think it further reinforced after 30 years how long I’ve worked and loved working in this region. And so to me, as part of that delegation from Iowa to India, while I might have had a perspective unique as being born in India, I think it helped bridge the gap between what the similarities are with Iowa and India, especially from the agricultural side, the business side, the culture, the work ethic, how Iowans are like Indians in most regard and understanding those perspectives. I wasn’t prepared for that. These were all things I was figuring out myself, because it was very clear how there’s so much synergy between the two cultures that it’s almost made some level of collaboration.

Just to step back for a second, what got you interested in environmental engineering? What drew you to that?

I knew I was always interested in the science and math field, and when I came to Drake University, I had a chance to be in the first-ever environmental science class, which they were just starting as a program at Drake. And so that sort of grew from there. I got to be an adjunct instructor for environmental science at Drake, so that was kind of fun to go back to my alma mater and teach a class. However, it was just one of those things where it grew into more of an understanding of the built environment, as opposed to the natural sciences part of it, and I enjoyed more of the how things are built and how things happen, versus the birds and trees. I love that part of it. I like nature, but I loved studying and understanding how to build things. So that’s probably what led me down that path. 

How would you describe your leadership style?

I like building people up in the sense of motivating people, but also making sure that I get people to collaborate and work together to build something awesome. I also like to make sure that it’s always goal-oriented in the sense of getting multiple people together to form a single vision, one plan, executing on that plan, and then celebrating the success of that plan. I like to be in those rooms with those people doing those things.

How did your career in engineering translate into a career in economic development and doing business attraction?

One hundred percent of it is creative problem-solving. There’s nothing that you can’t just Google if you just want to know X, Y and Z about tax incentives or economic development. But two things that come across with economic development that I enjoy are creative problem-solving — why are you trying to move or grow or be somewhere else or be anywhere? Why is this the right region for you? Understand how I can communicate to you effectively why this would be a good decision. But also understand that, because of the engineering background, there are parameters in place that I’m not going to promise you a floating castle in the clouds. It has to be grounded in reality, and also make sure that those meet your requirements and are not empty promises. I think people enjoy that aspect of it because then they know this is something that’s going to see through to the end, and not just, “This was great, until I actually got the paper in front of me, and then it’s not going to work and we wasted a whole bunch of time.” But also the collaborative part of that. My background on the engineering side helps me understand that when I have to work with site selectors and companies on their construction side, they’re looking to put up a new factory or building, I know how those things are built. I know what sites are good for those, I know how they came to that decision on what site to use, having worked on that side of it. So I’m able to effectively communicate to them with some level of trust that’s built through the understanding of that process, that this is a good decision, and also, if you make that good decision, here’s why it’s going to happen. 

You mentioned tax incentives. The Iowa Economic Development Authority is currently doing some cleanup work on some of its incentive programs, sunsetting certain ones and starting new ones. What are you watching for when it comes to how our state incentivizes companies trying to come here? 

To me, Iowa has always been a very pro-business state, and so I don’t think that’s going to change. It’s one of our top selling points right there with intellectual capital. So as long as our incentives, which already do focus on being a pro-business state and also making sure that we secure that intellectual capital — which is what those incentives are designed to do, between sort of the job trainings, the collaboration between the educational institutions, the state and generating that intellectual capital — we’re always going to have an amazing workforce that is highly educated. We’re going to continue to invest in our future as a state. While there might be changes to how it’s structured, I think we’re in a good place for economic development for years to come. 

When you’re having conversations with companies that are considering relocating or expanding into Iowa, what are they saying right now are their top needs?

It all depends on the industry. But right now, if you’re looking at just overarching, not industry-specific things, there’s always the workforce. If we decide to move here, are we going to have the right kind of people to do the jobs that we need them to do to ultimately be successful? If people move here with a company, are they going to like being here? And that’s why we have a great quality of life story and talking about the amenities that we have as a community. And again, it’s the ease of the process for some companies, because the ease of the process to make that determination lets them understand what it’s going to be like to do business here. There are other macroeconomic things that I can’t control, but from the standpoint of what I can communicate is this is a community that once you’re here, you will call it home, and there’s no other way to look at it. 

The state right now has a low unemployment rate hovering around 3.1%, one of the lowest in the country. How do you bridge that gap with companies that are saying, “I like how educated your workforce is. I like the quality of workers here, but do we have enough of them?” 

If you look at metrics of the last 10 years — there are some outliers because of the pandemic — but if you look at anything from 2012 to 2022 and beyond, you’re going to see that we have a steady employment rate. We have a steady population growth. That means people are coming here and they’re staying gainfully employed, and that outperforms all major metros in the Midwest. By that I mean Chicago, Milwaukee, St Louis, Kansas City, Omaha and Minneapolis. My point being is take everything around us, the curve is not even close. We’ve outperformed them in population growth. That means we’ve got more people moving here. We’ve outperformed them in employment growth, which means that everyone who’s moved here has stayed gainfully employed. And so as that trend continues, there’s no reason to expect anything different. We’re growing as a community, we’re growing as a region, and the people that are moving here are moving here for jobs, great jobs, good jobs, staying employed. Our real gross domestic product has also increased more than that of other metros.

What’s your pitch to companies that are considering Iowa as well as other states in the region?

I don’t have a standard pitch, and that’s because I cater every conversation to the actual company and the need. When you represent a region it’s a collective voice, but there are certain elements to certain industries and certain areas where they need to be that you have to cater to that specific need, to give them the solution to their specific problem. But overarching, I would say that you’re going to have a very easy collaborative process that involves all our communities, our people, our private industry, our public-private partnerships. That ease of just getting to that point is going to be second to none. We’re going to have a strong sense of regional support, which means that no matter what you choose, how you choose, we’re all collectively in this for your successes as much as ours. And ultimately, you’re going to have the best people that you will not be able to find anywhere else in the country, and that’s a fact. And anyone who has been and worked in Iowa, and the beauty of that collaborative spirit is — I’ve actually said this and people have actually taken me up on it and then thinking it’s a pitch — I will find you the company in my region, put you on a call with them, whether you’re collaborators or competitors or whatever, and they will tell you how great it is. And other communities won’t have that option. 

Gov. Kim Reynolds has mentioned researching the feasibility of nuclear power in Iowa. Other states and cities are talking about different forms of energy production. With all of these data centers that are moving to Iowa and manufacturing being our top sector, what does the state need to do to keep the grid strong and to make sure energy prices are an incentive for businesses, as well as cost-effective for residents?

We have strong relationships at the Partnership with companies like Alliant Energy, MidAmerican Energy, who are constantly at the table doing the studies and working on it. No company just gets to come here and say, “Build me a facility and give me the energy.” They do a meticulous study on the energy needs of such a business, whether or not they can meet it, how it affects the grid and the customers, and the timeline for that. And the beauty of that collaborative approach, too, is we work on making sure that the needs of both the business to succeed are met as well as the community as it exists. There are new and alternative energy uses. I don’t assume to be an expert on them, but the point of it is, they’re constantly reworking it, looking at it, but not just from a pie-in-the-sky approach. What do they have currently on the table? What are the industries that I am getting direction on what to focus on? And again, our incentives will align with those as well. What do we want to see more of here? What does our community need? And how are we going to make sure that those things exist as well as succeed? Because the last thing I want to do is attract a business here and then not be able to provide the energy for them to succeed. I think it’s constantly evolving, especially in the energy sector. The one thing I can say for our region, as far as its success goes, is there’s so much collaboration between the partners, between communities, the cities, the utility companies, and the state, that there’s complete harmony in how those decisions get made. And I think that, to me, is the important part.

What economic challenges does Iowa have when you are pitching the state as a good place to land your company as far as environmental resiliency?

I don’t think there are really that many challenges as there are opportunities. One of the things that Iowa has, that other areas may not, is that we have a relatively low cost of energy and utility. That’s something that businesses look to when they want to locate here and relocate here. But again, it depends on the industry. If it’s something agricultural, agricultural manufacturing, there’s a sort of ecosystem, to use an environmental engineering term. I think we have a collaborative ecosystem. That’s part of the regional communication and collaboration. So when it comes to working with the local communities, the practitioners, the government officials, everyone works together for the collective good of the community as well as what’s needed for that business to succeed. And in some areas, environmental doesn’t become as contentious here because of that collaborative approach.

How important has the Partnership’s role become as the Central Iowa region continues to grow, and how does that role evolve over the next few years? What’s your prediction?

One thing that sticks out to me is I was fortunate to be at the Partnership when they had their first Regional Summit. To me, the level of collaboration, and again, it was the first one so my perspective was as good as everybody else’s, but there was such a strong feeling of camaraderie, collaboration and communication. To me, it’s the Partnership’s responsibility to promote regionalism, create an opportunity for people to collaborate and get that consensus building. Like I mentioned earlier, none of this stuff over the last 20 years has happened by accident. It has taken meticulous, strategic planning, collaboration and communication. The other part of the Partnership’s role, in addition to all of those, is amplifying the success stories that we’ve had as a region, and that’s where we do our best work, too. Not just create the success, but take that success and make sure that everyone knows about it, it’s celebrated. And we don’t celebrate the Partnership. We celebrate all the people that made it happen. And so it was one of those things where, as a region, to celebrate a region’s collective successes, as well as the successes of the individual elements of that region together without any sort of disharmony, that’s a beautiful thing. And I think that’s where the Partnership succeeds the most is making sure that people see that as not just an aspirational thing, but as something that truly does exist. The reason I come to work in the morning is because I truly believe that whatever Kool-Aid I’m drinking, everyone else is too. 

Other than what we’ve discussed here today, can you describe one challenge that Central Iowa has in economic development and one attribute?

Again, I don’t see challenges, just opportunities. We are, in economic development specifically, trending toward a very data-driven aspect, like most things in our world right now. And the beauty of that is the Partnership has been very proactive about how we collect, research and use data. And as we’re working toward that, we’re building our own RFI-ready sites page. We promote sites, and we have to make sure that, in the old, traditional way, it was like the movie “Tommy Boy.” There are only so many things I can visit in a car. But at some point, when people pull the data without having talked to someone like me, they are pulling good data that makes our region look good. And as we start to see the trend, people are starting to do a lot more in the data world that are making decisions based on that data without having a conversation with anyone about it. While it helps to effectively communicate the success in our region, we have to make sure that our data matches what we’re saying. And so we’ve done a really good job and been proactive about that. But that is a trend in the industry, and I think the good thing about that is our data speaks for itself. We’re pretty good.