In 1985, the University of Northern Iowa began a new collaboration. It was recognized that businesses across the state were in need of knowledgeable assistance in starting, maintaining and growing their businesses. With this basis in mind, business development programs were developed with a mission to provide outreach across Iowa. Over the next decade, UNI leadership and outreach programs devoted considerable time to better understanding local level economic development needs across the state. The outcome resulted in the development of programs addressing specific needs such as community and economic development, entrepreneurship and the environment. BCS created a single point of contact for outreach; a place for businesses, citizens and entrepreneurs to reach out. Currently, 13 programs are housed under the umbrella of BCS and assistance is delivered to the door of clients in all 99 Iowa counties. BCS works with businesses, entrepreneurs, communities and governments, providing a wide array of services from marketing research and business incubation, to environmental compliance assistance and economic development. The BCS brand continues to grow to cater to the needs of Iowa businesses providing unsurpassed expertise and knowledge.