Remote worker campaign nets first new resident to C.R. area

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CEDAR RAPIDS — The Collaborative Growth Initiative's remote worker campaign has netted its first new resident.

Hunter Baldus, 30, is the first mover through the Greater Cedar Rapids MakeMyMove program, which aims to draw remote workers to the area by offering upward of $5,000 in relocation incentives. A Cedar Rapids native, he is moving from Denver with his wife and young son.

“Whether it was (places like) Chicago or Des Moines, we were already contemplating moving closer to home,” Baldus said. “This program really put Cedar Rapids over the top.”

The MakeMyMove program is part of the broader Collaborative Growth Initiative, a public-private partnership to bolster resident recruitment and