Jobs
A wide variety of job opportunities exist and Shelby County needs good employees to fill them.  The Shelby County DevelopSource’s website has a list of major employers or call us to discuss the career you seek.

New & Expanding Businesses
The Entrepreneurial and Technology Center, managed by Shelby County DevelopSource, has business incubation space and offers assistance, mentoring, and financing for business start-ups and expansions. Stop for a tour.

Education
Harlan Community School students annually test in the top percentiles of national scores and have unprecedented success in co-curricular activities with 12 football state championships as well as championships in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, track, and wrestling. Marching Band earned 41 consecutive Division I ratings and the Jazz Band won state five times. FHA continually earns top scores. The outstanding facilities were capped off with a $12 million primary school in 2008. Elk Horn-Kimballton Community School and Shelby County Catholic School also provide excellent educational opportunities. Iowa Western Community College constructed an 8,000 sq. ft attendance center in Harlan, which is equipped with the newest technology and lab equipment.



Health & Wellness
Myrtue Medical Center's nine doctors and 21 specialty clinics provide a full range of services. A $16.3 million expansion is underway for surgery, outpatient clinics, lab, radiology, and its birthing center. The community combined resources to construct a 44,000 sq. ft. Wellness Center that features fitness, basketball, racquetball, aquatic, and physical therapy centers. A 2011 report by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute identified Shelby County as one of Iowa's healthiest counties.

Housing and Community Infrastructure
A new Harlan housing development is the site for a $4.2 million, 27 unit workforce housing project. Homes will be completed in 2012 and additional lots are available. There is ample rental and owner-occupied housing across the county. Harlan and Shelby County offer high-speed cable and fiber internet. The utility companies continue to upgrade infrastructure for excellent utility services.



Recreation
Over 1,770 acres of parks and trails, 400 acres of public access hunting, wide range of athletic facilities, a new Wellness Center, two nine-hole golf courses, bowling alley, movie theatre, museums, and ethnic celebrations.  If Shelby County doesn’t have it, we are located within an easy drive of two metro areas.

Chris & Ann
Chris and I grew up in Shelby County and graduated from Harlan Community Schools. We both earned degrees at Iowa State University and started our careers in Des Moines. We enjoyed the experience of living in a smaller ‘city’ and gained good work experiences. We always thought that when it came time to start a family we wanted to be close to our families and the familiarity of the small town, the great people and good values in Shelby County was a big draw for us.

When we found out that Chris’ job could be done from anywhere in his territory, we started to look at houses in Shelby County. Then it all started to fall in place, as we found a home and I found a job. Now we have two daughters and there is no place we would rather be! We love that our girls are close to their grandparents and cousins, but we also love the atmosphere. The people are kind and generous, and that is the kind of people we grew up around and want the same for our girls.

We have great schools in Shelby County with a choice between public and Catholic schools; all provide a high quality education. We have great local health care - no driving an hour to see a doctor. In addition, we live in a community that strives to be better. There are ongoing initiatives to keep us strong and sustainable.

If you want to make a choice that puts your family first, this is the place to be. By calling Shelby County home we choose to give our family a great foundation and surround them with a community that teaches them solid values for their future.

Doug & Krista
Doug and I are originally from Shelby County and graduated from Harlan Community Schools. The college credits offered at HCS are fabulous and beneficial to students and I graduated three credit hours short of being a sophomore. I then earned my BS degree from Iowa State University and continued my schooling to earn a MBA. After ISU, I moved back to Harlan and worked six years as the Business Manager for Pauley Jones Funeral Home before moving to Des Moines where I worked at Principal Financial Group. While in Des Moines, I lost the customer interaction that I was used to and also the community feeling that is such a part of Shelby County. I missed knowing who to take my car to and which doctor I could visit and knowing that I could trust them. Most of all, I missed walking down the street and feeling accepted as part of the community.

I had an opportunity to start my own business in Harlan where I knew I would have more support than if I opened in a city. Doug and I also love that we don't have to worry about rush hour here! Shelby County is home for us. We love the support in my business. It is a great place to raise children and offers wonderful school districts. We also love living in the country and the peace and quiet we have there. The scenery is beautiful as the seasons change.

We love to frequent different restaurants in the county. We've played in a mixed bowling league and are members of the Harlan Golf and Country Club where we participate in many of their events. As a business owner, we are members of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and also participate in the Women in Networking events sponsored by DevelopSource. We also enjoy participating in the area church picnics and other festivities and fundraisers throughout the year.

If you are thinking about a move to Shelby County, we say "do it!" It is a great move for everyone in the family. There are so many activities for children, there are so many community services that save a trip to the city, and this is the type of place where you know your neighbors and feel comfortable letting children play outside or walk to a friend's house.

Brent & Molly
Molly is from Harlan and graduated from Harlan Community Schools. After college, we met at Allied Insurance in Des Moines where we lived for five years. We wanted to raise a family in a quality small/mid-size community and Shelby County has everything we were looking for. Being closer to family is important to us, along with great schools for our children. And, we are only 45 minutes from Omaha for easy access to anything we can't get here.

Our move was assisted by Molly's employer allowing her to work from home and having great help locating a house. I work in the family insurance business in Harlan. We utilize the Wellness Center frequently and our son loves the swimming pool. Everyone visiting us from out-of-town think the Wellness Center is the greatest. We also enjoy golfing and are members at Harlan Golf and County Club. We've met many wonderful friends through events/gatherings there.

Our advice to anyone thinking about a move to Shelby County is to dive in head first and get involved. There are so many wonderful welcoming people that you'll meet. The first six months for me were hard as I didn't know anyone. After I took the initiative to get involved in a variety of things, it was a very comfortable experience.