---
title: Looking for a new gig? Consider rural Iowa
description: An Iowa window and door manufacturer is investing big bucks into its hometown to attract talent.
---

[Hustle News ](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news)

# [Looking for a new gig? Consider rural Iowa](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/08112022-pella-iowa)

 Written by [Mia Sullivan](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/mia-sullivan) | Aug 11, 2022 9:59:39 AM

Pella, Iowa — home to 10k residents, two bars, and over two dozen churches — may not sound that exciting to a city slicker.

But local window and door manufacturer Pella Corporation is hoping a $30m upgrade will attract new talent and turn Pella into a company town, [per](https://www.wsj.com/articles/labor-shortage-unemployment-pella-iowa-11659364081) *The Wall Street Journal*.

Pella’s investments include:

- Housing
- Child care facilities
- Restaurants
- An indoor entertainment center

Another $6m will help fund a rec center with swimming pools, three gyms, and a rock-climbing wall.

#### **Pella fits the trend…**

… of underappreciated cities — like [Tulsa](https://thehustle.co/07262022-tulsa/) and Topeka — attempting to lure millennials from “sexier” cities.

With median American home prices at [~$429k](https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/median-home-price-by-state), more affordable cities may appeal to the generation with the fastest-growing [debt](https://www.cnbc.com/select/how-much-debt-do-millennials-have/) load.

The median home price in Pella is [~$340k](https://www.redfin.com/city/15949/IA/Pella/housing-market), but there’s one problem:

#### **There isn’t enough housing**

Currently, only ~25% of Pella Corp.’s ~2.5k local employees live* in* Pella, and available homes get snatched up quickly.

To help, the family that owns controlling shares in Pella Corp. recently purchased 160 acres of farmland to build affordable housing — though locals aren’t keen on any modern construction that clashes with the town’s Dutch aesthetic.

**Fun fact:** Pella boasts the [tallest](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/vermeer-windmill) working Dutch windmill in North America.

[View full post](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/08112022-pella-iowa)

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