About the Area
Downtown Market
Webster City Iowa, located in Hamilton County is taking a proactive approach to planning for the future prosperity of the traditional downtown business district. The efforts of the City of Webster City and its partners, along with investments made by the public and private sectors, are working to heighten the appeal of the downtown district among consumers, investors and entrepreneurs. Moving forward, it will be critical for the community to capitalize upon and leverage these investments and ongoing Webster City marketing efforts to position the downtown as a local economic engine and center for commerce.
This Market Snapshot, prepared as part of a more comprehensive technical assistance service provided by the Iowa Downtown Resource Center, highlights and summarizes demographic, lifestyle and retail data, characteristics and trends in the marketplace. The information, along with market insights gained through local survey data, provides groundwork, benchmarks and a basis for important decision-making processes that will help guide future business development strategies.
View Webster City Downtown Market Snapshot
Transportation
Webster City is located on a four-lane highway (US20) which runs from East to West across Iowa. This year the final section of two-lane in western Iowa will finally be converted to four lanes. The four-lane highway will provide an alternative cross-state four-lane route to I-80 and is expected to increase interstate traffic on US20. Webster City is also located only 12 miles away from the north/southbound I35. Automobiles are the dominant mode of transportation in the community. The mean commute time is 14 minutes. DART transportation service is available for seniors and residents with disabilities. Class 1 rail service also services Webster City by both Union Pacific and Canadian National.
Energy
Webster City owns its electric utility. We have 15MW of available capacity that comes through three different transmission routes. The system is fully looped with a 20mw backup generator. We have three substations. One of them has lived its useful life and will be taken out of commission and replaced with a new substation in our south industrial park. We offer energy efficiency rebates, loans, and incentive rates for new companies. For residents, we also offer rebates for LEDs, EnergyStar appliances, and energy efficient HVAC units.
Water
We have 2 million gallons per day of available water capacity. The City’s water source is three wells into the Jordan aquifer. The City’s rated water capacity is 4,500,000 gallons per day, and it can treat and pump 3.5 million gallons per day. The average daily peak demand on the system is 1,200,000 gallons per day. The City has aboveground storage capacity for 2,000,000 million gallons and currently pumps from its wells less than half the day.
The City has up to 1.5 million gallons per day of available sewer capacity depending on waste stream the operation provides. Our existing sewer plant has a rated capacity of 3,300,000 gallons per day with an average daily peak demand of 1,300,000 gallons. The City is in full compliance and has no pending orders or enforcement actions. City is in the preliminary stage of evaluating options to improve sewer services to position the community for short and long-term growth.
Leading Employers
Vantec, Inc.
As a premier manufacturer of plastic injection molded products, Vantec‘s global reach, focus on being a total manufacturing partner, and experience with green technologies makes it one of Webster City’s largest and most innovative employers. Occupying a 145,000 square foot facility in Webster City’s newest industrial park, Vantec calls Webster City, Iowa home. Van Diest Supply Company
Fifty years ago, Van Diest Supply Company was a one-man operation run out of a 5′ x 10′ room. Headquartered in Webster City, Iowa with more than 28 acres under roof, Van Diest Supply Company is a leading manufacturer and distributor of agricultural chemicals that employs more than 600 workers. With its many distribution centers, Van Diest Supply Company delivers its products to more than 3500 dealers in 16 states. While the Van Diest family was building a successful business, they were also building our community – creating hundreds of manufacturing jobs and donating more than $10 million to the construction of our new medical center, appropriately named for them. Seneca Foundry
One hundred years of hard work and dedication to quality have taken Seneca Foundry from a small supplier of cast iron farming parts to one of Webster City’s largest employers. As a ductile and gray iron foundry, they’ve become a leading parts manufacturer for agricultural equipment, tire changing machinery, radiator fan clutches and much more. Seneca Foundry continues to innovate and expand its value-added services.Tasler, Inc.
Over 100 employees and 600,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing and warehousing space enable Tasler, Inc. to provide standard and custom pallets to companies throughout the nation. Tasler is an ISO certified leader in Expanded Polystrene (EPS). Additional services include pallet repair, pallet recycling and wholesale lumber. Murray McMurray Hatchery
Murray McMurray Hatchery is the largest rare breed hatchery in the world and is expanding. From humble beginnings in 1917 selling baby chicks to local farmers, Murray McMurray Hatchery has built a reputation for the best, most sought after poultry in the United States. Today, they operate a +26,000 sq. ft. professional hatchery in Webster City and serve tens of thousands of clients around the U.S.Webster City Custom Meats
Formed here, grown here and thriving here, Webster City Custom Meats has been a high-quality producer of private label meats, including smoked ham, smoked bacon, smoked turkeys, fresh sausage, boneless ham roasts and smoked pork loins since 1973.Mary Ann’s Speciality Foods
Founded by Bill Korleski, Mary Ann’s Specialty Foods is the producer of the famous Kor-bert Brand Ham. And, with more than 40 years in the business, they are a leader in smoked pork, beef, turkey and chicken. From Los Angeles to New York, Mary Ann’s serves customers nationwide, producing more than a half million pounds of high quality meats every week.Van Diest Medical Center
With over 220 employees and 25 beds to serve the medical needs of the region, the Van Diest Medical Center‘s new $35 million-dollar critical access hospital is an industry leader. More importantly, they offer corporate health services that benefit Webster City’s many employers.Perin Machining Company
Perin Machining Company, formerly Automatic Machine Products, has been in the precision metal machining industry for nearly four decades, delivering quality parts to a loyal clientele. Our dedication to first-rate outputs, efficiency and innovative solutions places Perin Machining at the leading edge of complex machine work in the United States, and makes us consistently competitive in the global marketplace.Mertz Engineering
Mertz Engineering was started in the 1940’s by Harry J. Mertz and manufactures metal and plastic parts per customer specifications. In 1997 , a powder coat painting facility was added to paint cylinders produced by Multi-Line and also do custom painting jobs from outside. Customers range from manufacturers of athletic equipment, tire changers, loaders, cranes food machines, solid waste equipment and various farm equipment. The market area is mainly in the continentalUnited States with the majority of customers in Iowa and the surrounding states.