Cedar Rapids Companies Play Global Roles

From spacesuit development and corn processing to recycled paper, Cedar Rapids companies fulfill vital tasks.

By Rebecca Deurlein on January 10, 2024

Courtesy Lesaffre

Cedar Rapids companies may be located in Middle America, but their touch is felt across the world. 

A hub of innovative technology, Cedar Rapids is where well-known brands are created, packaged and distributed to the rest of the world. The region’s manufacturing industry is a who’s who of big-name brands, including Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Quaker Oats, Biospringer and Red Star Yeast.

According to the Bureau of Land Management, this city – which is also a location for companies like Cargill and ADM Corn Processing Division – is the largest corn-processing city in the world. 

Corn Capital 

The first Cargill corn milling plant opened in 1967. Today, the wet corn milling operation, which has grown rapidly in the last 50 years, employs more than 200 people and 80 independent contractors. 

“It’s great to be a part of the largest corn-processing city,” says Dan Pulis, the facility plant manager. “We employ local people, buy corn from farmers in a 100-mile radius, buy parts and services, and hire contractors to work on the equipment. The economic impact is significant, and we couldn’t do what we do without the support of our local partners.”

Pulis says that community support will keep the business healthy and operating into the future. 

“Cedar Rapids is a great place to run a business,” he says. “The Economic Alliance and City of Cedar Rapids are willing to listen when we have a need, as well as give us seats at the table during policy discussions. They deeply care about employees and the health of the business.”

Recycle and Repurpose

Boasting the largest 100% recycled paper mill in the Americas, International Paper’s Cedar Rapids location is crucial to the company’s success.

“Our location in Cedar Rapids is essential for our operations,” says Brian Burmeister, manager of manufacturing excellence. “We bring in raw materials from several major Midwest cities, like Omaha, Chicago, Minneapolis and Kansas City. After turning it into product, we service internal and external customers within a 300- to 400-mile radius of the mill. The mill itself has a big impact on the entire area.”

Here, paper is converted into boxes that are then used to ship essential goods to consumers and other businesses. Those online shopping boxes you wait for? There’s a good chance they were manufactured in Cedar Rapids. And when you recycle those same boxes, they are then recovered and repurposed into new rolls of paper. Mill operations divert 1.1 million tons of scrap paper from landfills annually. 

International Paper broke ground on a $103 million project in May 2023 to generate an alternate steam supply and transition off coal-powered steam for its operations.

With 240 team members, the company brings business to the community but is also committed to giving back in other ways.

“We have called Cedar Rapids home for almost 30 years, and we are grateful to support local organizations in their efforts to make a difference,” says Derek Depuydt, mill manager. “Our company cannot succeed if our communities do not succeed. Our volunteer hours and monetary donations are an investment in our family, friends and neighbors.” 

Collins Aerospace

Next Gen Spacesuit 

In the high-tech arena, Collins Aerospace, a business of RTX, is constantly innovating. The largest aerospace and defense company in the world, the company was awarded a contract with partners ILC Dover and Oceaneering to design, develop and demonstrate the next-generation spacesuit for the International Space Station. 

Collins Aerospace is the city’s largest employer, with about 7,000 Cedar Rapids employees. In 2023, the company announced that it was further expanding its microelectronics production facility in the area. With over 50 years of space suit technology dating back to the Apollo missions, Collins is now designing a new space suit that can accommodate a wider array of body types and evolve as missions become more advanced.