MSP appointment setting in Des Moines: who to call first

8 things to know before prospecting MSP in Des Moines

1. 01711 IT services firms work the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro (-2 in a year), 44% more concentrated than the U.S. as a whole.
2. 021.5 target businesses per IT firm ranks Des Moines #89 of 100 markets.
3. 03The biggest buyer group is construction contractors: 237 sites with 20 to 499 employees.
4. 04Des Moines-West Des Moines over-indexes on insurance agencies and brokerages at 2.02x the national mix, so build references inside that group.
5. 05Insurance agencies and brokerages added 38 establishments in a year: new sites without a managed service provider relationship.
6. 06Tier 1 is 217 sites with 50 to 499 employees among construction contractors and wholesale distributors; those deserve two or three contacts each.
7. 07Polk County holds 89% of the target businesses across 5 counties.
8. 08Omaha (92 miles) has more target businesses per IT firm, if your engineers can cover it.

These are the 12 industries Abstrakt's SDRs call for MSP work, with how many of each are in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro and who to ask for. Compared with the U.S. as a whole, Des Moines-West Des Moines leans toward insurance agencies and brokerages (2.02x), wholesale distributors (1.49x) and nonprofits and member organizations (1.44x). Build the list around those categories. Manufacturers is thinner than the national mix, so treat it as selective targets.

1. 01
   Construction contractors237

   Ask for: Owner or president 95 with 50 to 499 employees 0.97x U.S. mix -34 in a year
2. 02
   Wholesale distributors213

   Ask for: Owner or president 69 with 50 to 499 employees 1.49x U.S. mix -2 in a year
3. 03
   Medical, dental and outpatient practices173

   Ask for: Practice administrator 53 with 50 to 499 employees 0.91x U.S. mix +15 in a year
4. 04
   Manufacturers145

   Ask for: Owner or president 76 with 50 to 499 employees 0.75x U.S. mix +5 in a year
5. 05
   Nonprofits and member organizations67

   Ask for: Executive director 16 with 50 to 499 employees 1.44x U.S. mix +2 in a year
6. 06
   Architecture and engineering firms49

   Ask for: Principal or owner 10 with 50 to 499 employees 1.02x U.S. mix +10 in a year
7. 07
   Private schools and education providers43

   Ask for: Head of school or director 12 with 50 to 499 employees 1.16x U.S. mix +4 in a year
8. 08
   Real estate brokerages and property management offices36

   Ask for: Broker-owner 9 with 50 to 499 employees 1.10x U.S. mix -18 in a year
9. 09
   Accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms31

   Ask for: Managing partner 12 with 50 to 499 employees 1.05x U.S. mix -2 in a year
10. 10
    Insurance agencies and brokerages26

    Ask for: Agency principal or owner 11 with 50 to 499 employees 2.02x U.S. mix +38 in a year
11. 11
    Law firms25

    Ask for: Managing partner 9 with 50 to 499 employees 0.93x U.S. mix +7 in a year
12. 12
    Wealth management and investment firms13

    Ask for: Firm principal 3 with 50 to 499 employees 1.42x U.S. mix +14 in a year

Businesses are establishments with 20 to 499 employees (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023), the small and mid-sized range MSPs sell to; the SBA Office of Advocacy counts firms under 500 employees as small businesses. Change and concentration: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2.

Insurance agencies and brokerages run larger in Des Moines than across our 100 metros, which puts more of them in Tier 1. Nonprofits and member organizations, architecture and engineering firms and private schools and education providers run smaller, so those groups need a seat-count question before a meeting is booked.

• Construction contractors are the largest group in Des Moines with 237 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, fewer than Omaha has (336): close to the national mix, down 34 establishments in a year, and typical in size (21% with 50 or more employees).

• Wholesale distributors are the second-largest group in Des Moines with 213 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, fewer than Omaha has (241): more concentrated than nationally (1.49x), down 2 establishments in a year, and typical in size (19% with 50 or more employees).

• Medical, dental and outpatient practices are the third-largest group in Des Moines with 173 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, fewer than Omaha has (245): close to the national mix, up 15 establishments in a year, and typical in size (14% with 50 or more employees).

• Manufacturers are the fourth-largest group in Des Moines with 145 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, fewer than Omaha has (225): less concentrated than nationally (0.75x), up 5 establishments in a year, and typical in size (34% with 50 or more employees).

• Nonprofits and member organizations are the fifth-largest group in Des Moines with 67 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, fewer than Omaha has (91): more concentrated than nationally (1.44x), up 2 establishments in a year, and smaller than across our 100 metros (10% have 50 or more employees, against 15%), so confirm the seat count early on the call.

• Architecture and engineering firms are the sixth-largest group in Des Moines with 49 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Omaha has (47): close to the national mix, up 10 establishments in a year, and smaller than across our 100 metros (12% have 50 or more employees, against 22%), so confirm the seat count early on the call.

After those six come private schools and education providers (43), real estate brokerages and property management offices (36), accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (31), insurance agencies and brokerages (26), law firms (25) and wealth management and investment firms (13), smaller groups to work by fit rather than volume.

Where a rule or a client review puts a date on security work in Des Moines: medical, dental and outpatient practices (173, HIPAA), manufacturers (145, CMMC where they supply defense work), accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (31, the FTC Safeguards Rule), insurance agencies and brokerages (26, carrier and state insurance data security requirements), law firms (25, client security questionnaires) and wealth management and investment firms (13, SEC and FINRA exams); together, 413 businesses where the first message can lead with the requirement instead of the service.

What leads in each core county

• Polk County: construction contractors (199), wholesale distributors (191) and medical, dental and outpatient practices (144) lead its 890 target businesses.
• Dallas County: medical, dental and outpatient practices (22), construction contractors (17) and manufacturers (10) lead its 78 target businesses.
• Jasper County: manufacturers (7), construction contractors (4) and wholesale distributors (3) lead its 14 target businesses.
• Warren County: construction contractors (8) and manufacturers (5) lead its 13 target businesses.

Employee bands: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, establishments with 10 to 499 employees; suppressed size classes count as zero. Concentration and one-year change: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2. The 100-metro average is the same share summed across every market we publish.

711 IT services firms are based in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro. That is 2 fewer than a year ago. When an IT firm closes or sells, its customers go looking for a new one. The IT services industry is 44% more concentrated than the U.S. as a whole. Business owners and office managers here already hear from managed service providers, and a specific reason to talk beats a generic pitch. 1.5 target businesses per IT firm puts Des Moines 89 of 100 markets. That is toward the crowded end, so growth here comes mostly from displacing incumbents at renewal. If you can serve Omaha and Kansas City, they have more target businesses per IT firm than Des Moines.

Tier 1 covers construction contractors, wholesale distributors and medical, dental and outpatient practices with 50 to 499 employees.

Polk County holds 89% of the target businesses across the 5-county metro. The other 4 counties split the remaining 11%, which is where Tier 1 accounts justify the drive and smaller sites do not.

A new office or location needs network, devices and security set up before people move in, and the provider who does that work is in the best position to support it after.

• Insurance agencies and brokerages: 38 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a carrier or state cybersecurity requirement, an acquisition by a larger agency, a management system change.

• Medical, dental and outpatient practices: 15 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a new location, a HIPAA risk assessment, an EHR or practice management change, a security incident.

• Wealth management and investment firms: 14 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a regulatory exam, a custodian or broker-dealer requirement, a firm breakaway or merger, a security incident.

• Construction contractors: 34 fewer establishments than a year ago

  An acquisition puts a business under new owners, who usually review who runs IT and fold it into their own systems.

• 2 fewer managed service providers than a year ago

  Clients of an IT firm that closed, retired or sold have to decide who supports them next.

More questions for every prospect type, and how to follow up after the meeting, are in the MSP prospecting playbook.

If your engineers travel, Omaha, Kansas City, Minneapolis and Madison are the closest metros we track. Here are the same counts used above for Des Moines.

• Omaha, NE

  92 miles away, with 1,426 target businesses and 440 IT services firms, or 3.2 businesses per IT firm (#40 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is construction contractors, and it over-indexes on insurance agencies and brokerages at 1.63x the national mix.

• Kansas City, MO

  198 miles away, with 3,289 target businesses and 1,655 IT services firms, or 2.0 businesses per IT firm (#76 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is construction contractors, and it over-indexes on insurance agencies and brokerages at 1.44x the national mix.

• Minneapolis, MN

  251 miles away, with 6,276 target businesses and 1,400 IT services firms, or 4.5 businesses per IT firm (#19 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is manufacturers, and it over-indexes on nonprofits and member organizations at 1.35x the national mix.

• Madison, WI

  270 miles away, with 1,080 target businesses and 418 IT services firms, or 2.6 businesses per IT firm (#57 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is manufacturers, and it over-indexes on nonprofits and member organizations at 1.37x the national mix.