Commercial Landscaping
- Retail stores444
- Ambulatory health care offices and clinics176
- Commercial building owners and lessors89
- Apartment property management firms81
- Senior living and skilled nursing79
Commercial trades market · Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Appointment setting for commercial contractors in Des Moines
Des Moines-West Des Moines has 1,950 businesses with 20 or more people on site across the categories commercial trades sell to, and it leans toward colleges and universities and wholesale distributors more than the U.S. as a whole. Here is how each trade's market looks, where the buildings are and when to call.
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Trades in Des Moines
How each commercial trade's market looks in Des Moines-West Des Moines
Ranked by larger buildings per contractor against up to 100 markets (only markets with 10 or more contractors in a trade are ranked; n/r means not ranked). A higher rank means more buildings worth calling for every competitor working them.
| Trade | Contractors | 1-yr change | Larger buildings | Per contractor | Rank | Eligible targets | Push months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Landscaping Largest buyer group: retail stores | 282 | 0 | 1,018 | 3.6 | #51 | · | Feb–Apr |
| Fire Protection Largest buyer group: restaurants | 23 | +5 | 937 | 40.7 | #54 | · | Year-round |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial Largest buyer group: ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care | 186 | -1 | 680 | 3.7 | #57 | 691 | Year-round |
| Commercial Electrical Largest buyer group: retail stores | 107 | -4 | 885 | 8.3 | #80 | · | Year-round |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical Largest buyer group: medical and dental office buildings | 76 | -8 | 561 | 7.4 | #81 | 900 | Apr–May, Sep–Nov |
| Commercial Construction Largest buyer group: manufacturing companies | 167 | +16 | 532 | 3.2 | #82 | 2,194 | Year-round |
| Commercial Roofing Largest buyer group: retail stores | 21 | +2 | 979 | 46.6 | #78 | 2,194 | Feb–Apr |
| Paving & Asphalt Largest buyer group: retail stores | 38 | +1 | 1,037 | 27.3 | #89 | · | Feb–Apr |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings Largest buyer group: retail stores | 24 | -1 | 1,018 | 42.4 | #83 | · | Feb–Apr |
| Commercial Flooring Largest buyer group: ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care | 14 | 0 | 548 | 39.1 | #63 | · | Year-round |
Who each program calls
The industries each Des Moines trade program prospects into
Every trade has its own target list. Here are the five largest target industries for each program in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro, with local location counts; each guide lists all ten and who your SDR asks for.
Fire Protection
- Restaurants481
- Manufacturing plants154
- Apartment management companies81
- Senior living and skilled nursing79
- Hotels61
Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial
- Ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care176
- Manufacturing plants154
- Owner-occupied and owner-managed commercial buildings89
- Senior living and skilled nursing79
- Bank and credit union branches and offices73
Commercial Electrical
- Retail stores444
- Manufacturing plants154
- Commercial building owners89
- Senior living and skilled nursing79
- Auto dealerships42
Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- Medical and dental office buildings176
- Manufacturing plants154
- Senior living and skilled nursing79
- Hotels61
- Commercial property management firms40
Commercial Construction
- Manufacturing companies154
- Commercial building owners and developers89
- Senior living operators79
- Hotel owners and management groups61
- Auto dealership groups42
Commercial Roofing
- Retail stores444
- Manufacturing plants154
- Commercial building owners and lessors89
- Apartment property management firms81
- Hotels61
Paving & Asphalt
- Retail stores444
- Ambulatory health care offices and clinics176
- Commercial building owners and lessors89
- Apartment property management firms81
- Hotels61
Commercial Painting & Coatings
- Retail stores444
- Manufacturing plants154
- Owner-occupied and owner-managed commercial buildings89
- Apartment and multifamily management companies81
- Senior living and skilled nursing79
Commercial Flooring
- Ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care176
- Owner-occupied and owner-managed commercial buildings89
- Apartment and multifamily management companies81
- Senior living and skilled nursing79
- Auto dealerships42
Locations with 20 or more employees, U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. Property management and similar categories count every company, whatever its size.
What's being built
The projects shaping Des Moines-West Des Moines
Named, sourced projects current as of 2026-09, and the trades each one puts to work.
Des Moines International Airport new terminal
$557 millionUnder construction; opening January 2027
A new terminal at Des Moines International Airport opening in January 2027 with six new gates, with more gates phased in through 2030 for a total of 19.
Final 2026 months concentrate electrical, flooring and finish work, and the later gate phases in 2027, 2028 and 2030 bring more construction plus a much larger terminal to clean and maintain.
Business Record, 2026-02-06 →Microsoft sixth West Des Moines data center campus (Project Ruthenium)
$210 millionConstruction starting 2026
Microsoft's sixth data center campus in West Des Moines, at Veterans Parkway and Woodland Avenue on the Madison County side of the city, with a 245,000-square-foot first building and room for up to four.
Each data center building is a large electrical and mechanical cooling job, and Microsoft typically builds three to four buildings per campus over several years, so this is repeat work.
WPR, 2025-05-15 →Des Moines Christian High School
$32.7 millionPermitted
A 133,670-square-foot high school near Northwest 42nd Avenue and 136th Street in Urbandale, permitted in November 2025 along with a separate $6 million early education center.
A new high school this size needs roofing, mechanical, electrical and parking lot work during construction, then ongoing custodial and grounds contracts.
Business Record, 2026-01-07 → Where the buyers cluster
The owners that anchor Des Moines-West Des Moines
Health systems, campuses, large employers and industrial parks hold the biggest concentrations of commercial buildings here. Each fact links to its source, checked 2026-10.
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center
Des Moines, Polk County
MercyOne says its Des Moines Medical Center, founded in 1893, is Iowa's largest medical center with 802 beds available, and MercyOne Central Iowa has more than 7,000 colleagues.
A large downtown hospital campus plus Central Iowa clinic sites carry steady HVAC, life-safety, cleaning and flooring work.
MercyOne →UnityPoint Health - Iowa Methodist Medical Center
Des Moines, Polk County
UnityPoint Health says Iowa Methodist was established in 1901 and is one of two Level I Trauma Centers in the State of Iowa.
A teaching hospital campus that has grown from a single 1901 building needs ongoing mechanical, roofing, painting and life-safety work.
UnityPoint Health →Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC)
Ankeny, Polk County
DMACC's total spring 2025 enrollment stood at 20,788 students, including dual-enrolled high school students, according to Carroll Broadcasting.
Multiple campuses and career centers around the metro run classrooms, trade labs and parking lots that need cleaning, HVAC and grounds work.
Carroll Broadcasting Company (KCIM) →Principal Financial Group headquarters
Des Moines, Polk County
Business Record reports Principal's corporate campus on the northern part of downtown Des Moines includes four office buildings, parking garages and a child development center, and the company also owns the office tower at 801 Grand Ave.
Downtown office towers and parking garages need janitorial, HVAC, electrical, painting and parking-structure work.
Business Record →Meta Altoona Data Center
Altoona, Polk County
Meta said its seventh Altoona expansion brings the campus to more than 5 million square feet, its largest operational data center, with more than 400 people working on-site in operations each day.
Data halls and support buildings this large run heavy electrical, mechanical, fire protection and roofing systems that need service.
Meta Data Centers →Amazon fulfillment center, Bondurant
Bondurant, Polk County
KCCI reports the 645,000 square-foot fulfillment center, previously called Project Bluejay, will create 1,000 full-time jobs, according to Amazon.
A large distribution building with truck courts and employee parking needs roofing, paving, electrical and fire sprinkler service.
KCCI →SE Des Moines Industrial Park
Des Moines, Polk County
The City of Des Moines says the nearly 300-acre site near East Army Post Road and U.S. Highway 65 was certified development-ready by the Iowa Economic Development Authority in April 2025, with Ryan Companies as development partner.
A certified, industrially zoned site means new buildings to bid on: site work, paving, electrical and building shells for manufacturing and logistics users.
City of Des Moines → The local business base
Who the buyers are in Des Moines-West Des Moines
Compared with the national mix, Des Moines-West Des Moines over-indexes on colleges and universities, wholesale distributors and commercial property managers. The fastest-growing categories over the past year: medical, dental and outpatient offices (+15), restaurants (+11) and churches and religious organizations (+7).
| Category | Sites with 20+ | All establishments | vs. U.S. mix | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 481 | 1,525 | 0.94x | +11 |
| Retail stores | 444 | 2,187 | 0.94x | -45 |
| Wholesale distributors | 213 | 958 | 1.49x | -2 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 176 | 1,438 | 0.91x | +15 |
| Manufacturing plants | 154 | 458 | 0.75x | +5 |
| Senior living and nursing | 79 | 150 | 1.01x | +2 |
| Bank and credit union offices | 73 | 449 | 1.43x | -6 |
| Grocery stores | 68 | 209 | 0.60x | 0 |
| Hotels | 61 | 143 | 0.98x | -14 |
| Trucking companies | 50 | 369 | 0.89x | -26 |
| Auto dealerships | 42 | 132 | 1.04x | -6 |
| Churches and religious organizations | 40 | 464 | 0.59x | +7 |
| Warehousing and distribution | 14 | 51 | 1.37x | +1 |
| Private K-12 schools | 14 | 28 | 0.82x | +1 |
| Hospitals | 10 | 15 | 0.85x | -3 |
| Hosting and data processing companies | 10 | 46 | 1.40x | -12 |
| Apartment and residential property managers | 8 | 81 | 1.23x | -3 |
| Nonresidential building owners | 5 | 89 | 1.26x | -2 |
| Golf courses and country clubs | 5 | 28 | 1.39x | +2 |
| Colleges and universities | 3 | 10 | 1.53x | +5 |
| Commercial property managers | 0 | 40 | 1.44x | +3 |
Territory
Where the business sites are
Polk County, Dallas County and Warren County hold 97% of the metro's larger business sites. Most programs start in those counties and add the outer 3 counties for larger accounts, depending on how far your crews travel.
| County | Larger business sites |
|---|---|
| Polk County | 1,525 |
| Dallas County | 211 |
| Warren County | 52 |
| Jasper County | 33 |
| Guthrie County | 15 |
| Madison County | 4 |
Climate and timing
Des Moines's year, month by month
Outdoor trades (roofing, paving, landscaping, exterior painting) work the months with lows of 40°F or above and sell in the months before. HVAC sells ahead of its heating and cooling peaks. Each trade page has its own calendar.
- Jan30° / 12°Off-season
- Feb35° / 17°Off-season
- Mar48° / 28°Off-season
- Apr62° / 39°Off-season
- May72° / 50°Outdoor season
- Jun81° / 60°Outdoor season
- Jul85° / 64°Outdoor season
- Aug83° / 61°Outdoor season
- Sep76° / 53°Outdoor season
- Oct64° / 41°Outdoor season
- Nov48° / 29°Off-season
- Dec35° / 18°Off-season
Working in Iowa
Contractor licensing in Iowa
Iowa requires all construction contractors earning $2,000 or more a year from construction to register with the state, which is a compliance registration rather than a competency license. Electrical, mechanical/HVAC, and fire protection contractors also need trade-specific state licenses.
Trade-by-trade rules are on each trade page. Confirm with Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL). Checked 2026-09-30.
Hiring locally
What an in-house SDR costs in Des Moines
Before you hire a sales development rep in Des Moines, price the whole job, not just the salary. Here is the local pay for sales representatives, and what a first year really costs once you add commission, payroll taxes and benefits, tools, recruiting and the manager time it takes to coach them.
- $65,510median pay for a sales rep in the Des Moines metro
- $46,390 to $92,290middle half of local pay (25th to 75th percentile)
- 2,400people in the role locally, all competing for the same hires
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091).
In-house SDR, first year$127,238
Abstrakt Growth program, full-time SDR, 12 months$102,000
In-house adds $15,000 commission, 25% payroll taxes and benefits, $500/month tools, $5,000 recruiting and 4 manager hours a week at $75/hour, before ramp time or turnover. Abstrakt includes the SDR, management, tools and data.
How Abstrakt works in Des Moines
Outsourced appointment setting, one trade per market
Abstrakt's U.S.-based business development reps build a Des Moines target list around your trade, service area and ideal buildings, work it by phone, email, LinkedIn and direct mail, and book meetings with the people who sign. We will not run the same program for a direct competitor in your territory.
Selling into Iowa? See the Iowa outbound calling rules: do-not-call lists, calling hours and registration, so you know what a program here has to handle.
Des Moines commercial trades, answered
Does Abstrakt set appointments for commercial contractors in Des Moines?
Yes. Abstrakt runs outsourced appointment setting for commercial trades across the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro: our U.S.-based business development reps call the buildings, qualify the opportunity and book meetings with the person who signs. We run one program per trade per market.
Which commercial trades have the most room to grow in Des Moines?
Measured by larger buildings per contractor against the 100 markets we track (where a trade has at least 10 local contractors), commercial Landscaping (#51), fire Protection (#54) and commercial Cleaning & Janitorial (#57) rank best in Des Moines.
What kinds of businesses are concentrated in Des Moines?
Compared with the national mix, Des Moines-West Des Moines has more colleges and universities (1.53x), wholesale distributors (1.49x) and commercial property managers (1.44x). Those industries are the best-represented buyers for trades that serve them.
Which counties make up the Des Moines market?
The metro covers 6 counties. Polk County, Dallas County and Warren County hold 97% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Sources and method
- Contractors and business-category change and concentration: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA.
- Business sites by size and county: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. Suppressed size classes count as zero.
- Climate: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county monthly series, 1991-2020 averages.
- Projects: sources linked on each project card.
- Anchor owners: sources linked on each card, read 2026-10.
- Eligible targets: Abstrakt territory record counts, 2026-10; estimated decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect per program, shown for HVAC, roofing, construction and cleaning.
- Photo: Downtown Des Moines buildings, by Niko Vassios on Unsplash.
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