Blog
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Quad Cities Chamber Blog
QC, That's Where the Quad Cities Chamber and area businesses in our family of communities are advancing regional prosperity and advocating for economic growth along the Mississippi River.
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Weekly Economic Trends and Indicators
February 18, 2026
Jobs were up in the U.S. in January, but the downward revisions to 2025 data were quite large. What sectors saw the largest gains and losses? Why was there such a discrepancy between early numbers and the revisions? This week we consider recent commentary on the contribution of demographic shifts to changes in labor supply.
Weekly Economic Trends and Indicators
February 11, 2026
The Quad Cities region experienced solid GDP growth in 2025 according to the latest data, but growth for previous years was revised downward. How can we put early data and revisions into perspective? This week, we consider that question and look at the implications for the year ahead.
Advocating for QC in Des Moines
February 11, 2026
QC Chamber leaders joined forces with business and community leaders at the Iowa Capitol this week to advocate for the QC. We connected with Senate and House leadership, our local legislators, and key departments to discuss property taxes, workforce training, passenger rail compact and other issues.
Grow Quad Cities: Connecting students, educators and employers
February 4, 2026
Grow Quad Cities continues to advance work-based learning as a key strategy for increasing students’ awareness of career opportunities across the region. A recent visit to Oertel Metal Works (a McCarthy-Bush Corporation company) in Davenport and the Blong Technology Center highlighted how strong industry partnerships can make those connections real for local students.
Twelve business become Chamber members in January
February 4, 2026
The Chamber extends a warm welcome to the 12 businesses that became members in January.
Weekly Economic Trends and Indicators
February 3, 2026
State-level GDP and personal income growth was strong on both sides of the river in the third quarter of 2025. This week, we look at which sectors contributed the most to GDP in each state and why the trends are encouraging.
Chamber commends Moline Mayor Rayapati’s future-focused State of the City address
February 3, 2026
The Quad Cities Chamber commends Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati for a future-focused State of the City address.
Millions appropriated for Rock Island Arsenal in defense appropriations bill
January 30, 2026
The Rock Island Arsenal Defense Alliance (RIADA) worked hard to advocate for funding for Rock Island Arsenal and the Quad Cities region.
Chamber applauds Rock Island Mayor Harris for visionary State of the City address
January 29, 2026
Mayor Harris touched upon several important topics in his State of the City address that align with the QC Chamber's Local Legislative Agenda
Weekly Economic Trends and Indicators
January 28, 2026
According to new data from the Department of Commerce, the Quad Cities metro area ranked 66th out of 390 U.S. metro areas in the value of exports. This week, we look at recent export data and explain why the numbers were down in 2024--and why that trend may be in the process of reversing.
R&D options in the QC just got better
January 28, 2026
Most Quad Cities manufacturers may not realize they have direct access to one of the region’s most advanced research and development assets, an Iowa State University–operated laboratory designed specifically to help businesses innovate, test new ideas and solve complex production challenges.
Riverbend FAME partnership represents long-term investment in the Quad Cities workforce pipeline
January 27, 2026
A long-term investment in the Quad Cities’ workforce pipeline for maintenance technicians is being made thanks to the new Riverbend Federation for Advanced Manufacturing (FAME) partnership. The program is made possible through a regional partnership led by the Manufacturing Institute, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC), Grow Quad Cities and a coalition of regional employers
City of Davenport roundtable discusses issues including property tax changes, homelessness
January 21, 2026
The Quad Cities Chamber convened a roundtable on January 21, bringing together 29 members of the regional business community with City of Davenport officials for a focused, productive discussion on issues shaping the City’s future.
Personal stories make Business Exchange a different way to network
January 21, 2026
Since 2018, business professionals have been introducing themselves at the Chamber’s Business Exchange event. “We want to bring people together to make personal connections first,” said Rick Davis, facilitator and emcee for the past 8 years. “Because we know that if you get to know someone personally, you’re more likely to do business with them,” he said.
Weekly Economic Trends and Indicators
January 21, 2026
Last Friday, we got our first look at regional labor market data since the federal government shutdown. The news was mixed, but overall there was marginal improvement in October and November. This week, we look at the areas of strength and weakness in the Quad Cities job market and what they can tell us about the year ahead.
Chamber statement on Governor Reynolds’ Condition of State
January 14, 2026
On Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2025, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds presented her last Condition of the State, touching on several issues that are top priorities for the Quad Cities business community including property tax reform, unemployment insurance, energy & infrastructure and business attraction.
Weekly Economic Trends and Indicators
January 13, 2026
The slowdown in the U.S. labor market continues as weak December job growth and downward revisions of previous data led to 2025 being the worst non-recessionary year for job growth in over twenty years. However, the economy, as measured by GDP, continues to grow. This week we look at the details behind the headlines to see where job growth is happening and where jobs are declining.
Weekly Economic Trends and Indicators
January 7, 2026
U.S. economic performance in 2025 was mostly positive, with a slowing labor market at year's end. Locally, the labor slowdown started earlier. Will it end sooner? What can we expect for the regional economy in the Quad Cities in 2026?
Chamber welcomes 5 new members in December
January 6, 2026
The Chamber welcomes 5 new members in December.
Electro Freeze announces relocation to support growing customer demand
December 22, 2025
Electro Freeze®, a Welbilt® company and a global leader in frozen treat machine innovation and manufacturing, announced its intent to relocate its operations from East Moline to a new facility in Davenport. The estimated capital investment for the project is $16.3 million with 169 jobs retained and approximately 83 future jobs created.
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