Homegrown Talent Grants Aim to Bring Back Corridor Graduates

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation announced on April 28, 2025 that it had selected the inaugural recipients of its Homegrown Talent Initiative, a new program designed to attract former students back to the four county Corridor of Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson and Emmet. Two recipients, Callan Hinn and Taylor Krager, will each receive $6,000 in total, distributed over four years, to use toward student loan repayment, mortgage assistance or childcare reimbursement.

Program leaders reviewed 22 applications and conducted interviews with top candidates before naming Hinn and Krager as the first awardees. The grants were funded by proceeds from a Corridor fundraising event called the Homegrown Talent Initiative Golf Tournament. One of the recipients, Taylor Krager, is now working in Storm Lake, demonstrating the program intent to convert outreach into local employment.

Officials framed the initiative as a targeted step to reduce financial barriers that often deter early career workers from settling in rural communities. By offering modest direct support for housing costs, loan burdens and childcare expenses, the Corridor aims to enhance retention and recruitment for employers across multiple sectors that depend on a steady pipeline of qualified workers.

For Buena Vista County residents the program matters because it addresses two linked challenges. First, it lowers upfront costs for young adults who might otherwise move to larger labor markets. Second, it creates a mechanism for employers and community leaders to signal investment in returning talent. The selection of two awardees from 22 applicants suggests both interest among former students and room for program growth in future funding cycles.

The Homegrown Talent Initiative represents an early example of place based workforce development that pairs community fundraising with direct financial support for individuals. If expanded, the model could help stabilize the Corridor labor market by making it easier for recent graduates to establish roots locally, support families and contribute to the county tax base.