The story behind Poweshiek County’s talented workforce can be summed in two words: values and education. Workers in Poweshiek County have grown up in a place devoted to hard work and pride in accomplishment. They have graduated from top-notch schools and a world-class educational system. But they’re not done with their education when they leave high school. More than 80 percent of those who apply for manufacturing jobs have finished high school, many with sound post-secondary educations.

An educated workforce means a more motivated laborer, lower start-up costs, lower training costs, fewer job-related accidents, shorter training periods, and pride in quality and productivity.

Just ask Stuart Kintzinger of the JELD-WEN door and window plant in Grinnell about his workforce. That facility is among the most productive among the worldwide network of JELD-WEN plants, and Kintzinger says that’s due to the work ethic and pride his Iowa workers bring to the job.