Wilton History Essays
Read Anita Hartley's Wilton history essays Did You Hear What Happened in Wilton (Jct.)?
History of Wilton Chamber & Development Alliance
The businesspeople of Wilton, Iowa, joined together to form a Chamber of Commerce, and in November of 1965, the Wilton Industrial Development Corporation (WDC) was formed from a Chamber of Commerce committee.
Wilton was fortunate to have Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative here from the beginning as they were our largest employer for many years. They have a new facility in the Industrial Park and employ 105 people. They have been close partners with WDC as well as the City of Wilton, Wilton Municipal Light & Power, Wilton Chamber of Commerce, WTC Communications and Wilton Community School District, Eastern Iowa Community College, Muscatine County Supervisors, Cedar County Supervisors and MidAmerican Energy as we continue to work with business and industry prospects.
$500 loans from 33 businesspeople provided the $16,500 operating capital to get started and the WDC purchased 11.2 acres along the Rock Island double-track mainline. Five local businesses expanded into the tract. Their moves enabled repayment of the $16,500 loan, with interest, by 1967. WDC retained part of the original site and in 1969 obtained more land.
The decade of the 1970's was a fruitful one for Wilton industry, with MISCO (now CDS Global), Johns-Manville Corporation (now JM Eagle), Iowa Steel Corporation aka North Star Steel (now Gerdau), Predco, Inc. (which was bought by Wilton Precision Steel), and HWH Corporation all locating in Wilton; and since the 1970's, we have had many more businesses join our illustrious industrial lineup.
Along with industrial development of existing and recruiting new businesses, WDC’s strategy includes downtown revitalization and developing a skilled workforce. We look back and appreciate those community leaders who had the vision and determination to answer the call to action so that our Iowa city of fewer than 3,000 inhabitants could boast a wide range of world-class industries.
In 2023, WDC and Wilton Chamber of Commerce joined back together to become Wilton Chamber & Development Alliance (WCDA).