The global headquarters for Vylor, an independent seed and plant genetics company being spun off from Corteva Agriscience, will be headquartered in central Iowa.
Johnston Mayor Paula Dierenfeld said her city is in a great position to support Vylor’s goals. “The seed company, Pioneer, was founded here in Johnston 100 years ago,” Dierenfeld said. “It’s been a major employer here for almost all of that time.”
DuPont acquired a stake in Pioneer in 1997. Dow and DuPont merged in 2011 and four years later Corteva was unveiled as the company’s agriculture division. Corteva, with about 3000 currently based in Iowa, announced in October it would split off its seed and crop protection businesses. Dierenfeld said a group of Iowa officials immediately began lobbying for Johnston to be Vylor’s home base.
“Worked very hard to put the best arguments forward for having them bring the seed company back home,” Dierenfeld said, “so we couldn’t be more excited about the news.”
State, Polk County and Johnston leaders will be offering incentives to Vylor, but Dierenfeld said what was already in place in Johnston was their strongest argument. “We have the facilities here. We have the workforce here. It’s something that we live and breathe every day….and we were so passionate about the seed company coming back home again,” Dierenfeld said during a Radio Iowa interview, “that all went a long way in convincing them that this is where it needed to be located.”
Governor Reynolds said Vylor’s “roots are in Iowa and our state will also be the foundation for its future.” The man who’s been tapped to lead Vylor said the company “is proud to build on the long history of innovation” in Iowa and “work alongside farmers to feed and fuel the world.”
State and local officials launched a “Plant the Headquarters Here” campaign last fall and nearly 300 people shared their personal stories. Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham that grassroots effort played a role in Corteva’s decision.
