Tag Archives: iowa

Amanda Goodman Joins KWWL Family

Amanda Goodman will join Ron Steele next month as co-anchor of the KWWL News at Five, Six and Ten.

A native of Pennsylvania, Goodman has worked as a reporter and anchor for more than 10 years at stations in Texas and North Carolina. She also served as a journalism instructor at West Texas A&M University.

As an anchor and mother, Amanda is very much in tune with issues facing both parents and children. Her AnchorMOM blog, along with numerous stories she has produced over the past few years, focused on important matters for both groups. Goodman’s most significant effort has been “The Bully Project,” a social media- fueled initiative that gave voice to the victims, and held accountable those responsible. “Giving kids who are bullied a voice is the number one priority for me. No child should ever be afraid to ride a school bus, go to school or go out on the playground.”

Goodman looks forward to bringing her passion for news to the Midwest. “I’m incredibly excited to come to Eastern Iowa and be a part of a station and region with such rich history,” said Goodman. “I have been nothing but impressed by the quality and caliber of the people in this organization.”

“It’s not an easy position to fill,” said Dan Schillinger, KWWL News Director. “But Amanda has the skills and the qualities we look for in a lead anchor. Her style and stories fit well with what we do here.”

A mother of two, Amanda and her husband enjoy spending their free time playing sports in the backyard and coming together on Sunday for special family meals. An avid football fan, Goodman closely follows Notre Dame and the Philadelphia Eagles. “Both of my children were baptized wearing Fighting Irish booties. I look forward to having debates with Mark Schnackenberg about his Steelers.”

“Amanda is an excellent fit for our viewers.” Said Jim McKernan, V.P. and General Manager at KWWL. “She has a solid journalistic background and a level of dedication to causes that matter to so many in our viewing area.”

“As a mom, I have a “vision” of the ideal place my children would grow up in.” Goodman added. “I never truly thought it existed until coming to Eastern Iowa. The moment I stepped off the plane, it felt like home.”

Goodman begins at KWWL on July 8, and will take her place on the anchor desk on July 31.

QNI is a privately held family owned company with roots in the newspaper business dating back to 1835. Quincy Newspapers, Inc. was formed in 1926 with the merger of The Quincy Herald and The Quincy Whig-Journal.

The company owns and operates NBC affiliates in Quincy and Rockford Illinois, Waterloo and Sioux City, Iowa, Rochester, Minnesota and Bluefield, West Virginia. QNI also operates ABC affiliates in Madison, La Crosse, Eau Claire, Wausau and Eagle River, Wisconsin and a FOX affiliate in South Bend, Indiana. QNI operates another FOX affiliate in Rochester, Minnesota under a shared services agreement. QNI also owns and operates an AM-FM radio combination in Quincy and daily/Sunday newspapers in Quincy, Illinois and Newton, New Jersey.

Advanced Manufacturing Hub Step Closer with State Funding

The Cedar Valley TechWorks is one step closer to becoming the physical location of an Advanced Manufacturing Hub for the region and state thanks to legislation adopted this week. Nearly $4 million was included in Iowa Economic Development Authority appropriations for the project.

The IEDA’s Iowa Invocation Council, which will administer the funds, has been working closely with the Cedar Valley TechWorks and Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber to establish the Campus as the designated site for the Hub.

The bulk of the funds will construct improvements in the Tech 1 building on the Campus. A portion of the funds will be used for the University of Northern Iowa to purchase a 3-dimensional (3D) printer to fabricate on-demand molds for cast components to support advanced manufacturing , in collaboration with TechWorks.

“With this funding, we can make the capital and infrastructure improvements to the Tech 1 building needed to attract more technology and bio-products related industrial operations and partners to the campus. The investment in building improvements and equipment will prepare space for new businesses and educational programs, and bring tremendous momentum and excitement to the Campus as these projects move forward alongside the previously announced anchor projects,” states Cary Darrah, General Manager of the Cedar Valley TechWorks Campus. “ We are grateful to the entire Cedar Valley legislative delegation for its bi-partisan advocacy for this funding, especially Senator Bill Dotzler who really went to bat for the Cedar Valley and the TechWorks Campus. His work for this and other economic development issues this year is recognized by legislators from both sides of the isle.”

Jerry Thiel, Director of UNI’s Metal Casting Center is also optimistic about the impact of the collaboration on the industry statewide, “The capabilities of having technology like this will undoubtedly increase the overall competitiveness of Iowa manufacturers by allowing them to deliver products to the market at an unprecedented rate.”

Randy Pilkington, Executive Director, UNI Business and Community Services adds,
“This is a substantial investment in advanced manufacturing not just for the Cedar Valley, but for the entire state of Iowa. It also shows UNI’s commitment to advanced manufacturing statewide.”

What this means to the Cedar Valley

“The Cedar Valley is known as Iowa’s center of Advanced Manufacturing,” states Steve Dust, CEO of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber. “With the high concentration of manufacturing in our economic area, and the manufacturing technology -related resources of UNI and our higher education partners, the Cedar Valley is the prime location to establish the state’s hub of leading edge applied manufacturing technologies. As businesses and entrepreneurs from all over the Midwest access our equipment and facilities to improve and produce innovative products, we take another step in innovation led economic development in the Cedar Valley economy, and toward fulfilling the original vision for the Campus. We’re proud to be known as the Advanced Manufacturing Hub,” concludes Dust.

The Governor is expected to sign the bill into law before the end of June.

The Cedar Valley TechWorks is a 30-acre advanced manufacturing and biotechnology research, development and education center, and business and manufacturing cluster. The campus is located in downtown Waterloo, Iowa adjacent to the John Deere operations. The Cedar Valley TechWorks is owned and managed by the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber.

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Cedar Falls Community Main Street Receives Award from Main Street Iowa

Cedar Falls Community Main Street received the award for best Image Promotion for their 25^th Anniversary Celebration at the 27^th annual Main Street Iowa Awards celebration, which was held on Friday, May 17^th at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center at Veteran’s Auditorium in downtown Des Moines. Melissa Barber and Cary Darrah, co-chairs of the 25^th Anniversary Celebration Committee, accepted the award on behalf of the 25^th Anniversary Planning Committee at the event, which was attended by approximately 400 individuals representing communities across the state. Competitive nominations were submitted for 105 projects; 26 were selected for awards and six received honorable mention.

Governor Terry Branstad, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, and Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) presented the honors. Main Street Volunteer of the Year awards were presented to 47 individuals or couples who were selected by their community for outstanding dedication and volunteer service benefiting the local Main Street program.

“I am proud to have been part of the effort to bring the Main Street program to Iowa in 1985 as an economic development tool,” stated Governor Branstad. “It is gratifying to see the successes Iowa communities have had because of our Main Street program. As a result of the hard work of countless local leaders, Iowa’s Main Street districts in communities large and small are flourishing.”

As one of the oldest Main Street programs in the state, Community Main Street is extremely proud of our history and the success with which Cedar Falls has been blessed. For 25 years, this organization has faced challenges, built partnerships and championed economic revitalization downtown.

To celebrate their 25^th Anniversary, Community Main Street, along with a dedicated committee of volunteers, turned 2012 into an epic celebration that added three special anniversary events to an already-packed downtown schedule. The year kicked off in January with an 80’s Party on Main: Don’t Stop Believing, as a nod to the 1987 beginnings of Community Main Street. In June, a free, family-friendly outside music celebration called Getaway to Gateway was held as a thank-you to the community for ongoing support. In October, a 25^th Anniversary Gala, featuring unique auction items and live music, was held as the grand finale to the year.

None of this would have been possible without the hard work and commitment of the 25^th Anniversary Planning Committee. Community Main Street would like to thank Melissa Barber, Cary Darrah, Kim Abbas, Janelle Darst, Jodi Landau, Karen Oltman, Mike Reyhons, Julie Shimek & Jamie Wilson for their dedication and support in planning this wonderful year-long celebration that has now received state-wide recognition as the Best Image Promotion of the Main Street Iowa Program during 2012.

WESTERN HOME COMMUNITIES RECEIVE BLUE ZONES WORKSITE DESIGNATION

Cedar Falls – Instituting workplace exercise classes, stocking vending machines with healthier options and starting lunchtime walking groups helped Western Home Communities become a designated Blue Zones Worksite™ in May.

“We’re in the business of taking care of people, and we’ve always maintained that we must take care of ourselves so we can do that job well,” explains CEO Kris Hansen, who leads the non-profit organization of 500 employees. “The Blue Zones Project™ provided a terrific way to engage our employees toward that goal.”

More than 25% of employees completed a pledge action of their own choosing, designed to nudge them toward improved well-being. Those actions ranged from getting a bicycle or a dog, to attending a purpose workshop or regular church services.

The work toward becoming a certified Blue Zones worksite at Western Home Communities coincided with the hiring of a wellness coordinator, Amanda Lynch, who implemented a regular schedule of yoga and circuit exercise classes for employees, along with lunchtime walking groups and personal coaching.

Lynch and members of the dining services team also offer regular healthy cooking classes for employees of the continuing care retirement community that serves more than 800 residents.

Among the special events planned by the wellness team during the worksite certification process included an intuitive eating workshop and a meal featuring Blue Zones-approved foods. Efforts like that will continue.

“What I love about the Blue Zones Project is its focus on overall well-being, not just physical health,” Lynch explains. “It’s a perfect fit at Western Home Communities because we encourage our employees and our residents to strive for emotional, spiritual, social and intellectual wellness, too.”

Western Home Communities is the tenth of the designated Top 20 employers in Cedar Falls to become a designated Blue Zones Worksite. That fulfills the worksite requirement and puts the Blue Zones Project in Cedar Falls one step closer to its designation as a Blue Zones Community.

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CEDAR FALLS IS IOWA’S FIRST GIGABIT CITY

“CFU now offers 1-Gig service to every home and every business in the city making Cedar Falls Iowa’s first ‘Gigabit City.’ There are fewer than 50, 1-Gig cities in the nation. Of those that claim 1-Gig service, most only deliver it to a small area of the city or a certain class of customer. CFU offers true, city wide, 1-Gig to everyone.

The Cedar Valley is well on its way to becoming Gigabit Valley! With CFU’s product in place, undoubtedly 1-Gig will soon be offered by providers in Waterloo and other Cedar Valley cities. The Cedar Valley is the place for tech led industry, business and services to grow bigger and stronger. We have the fiber to prove it!” – Steve Dust, CEO Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber.

More information can be found at www.CFU.net

The following is CFU’s May 28th announcement

CFU launches state’s fastest internet service

CEDAR FALLS IS IOWA’S FIRST GIGABIT CITY

CEDAR FALLS, IA Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU) launches internet service at 1 gigabit per second (GBPS) today, making Cedar Falls the first and only Iowa community on the nation’s short list of gigabit cities.

CFU’s gigabit service is available now at any Cedar Falls business or home. The service is delivered through CFU’s city-wide fiber optic network, completed earlier this year. About 400 rural Cedar Falls properties also have access to the service.

“We can turn up a customer’s gigabit service on the same day they ask for it, if not the same hour,” said CFU General Manager Jim Krieg. “The facilities are already in place, so we can activate the service remotely from our network operations center.”

Cedar Falls Community Services Manager Robert Seymour says the “gigabit city” label will put Cedar Falls on the map for a broader list of business prospects.

“This is a great tool for promoting Cedar Falls as a place to locate or expand a business,” says Seymour. “It’s an important part of the complete infrastructure package we bring to the table, and it means we can compete with the best broadband communities anywhere in the country.”

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CFU’s high-speed internet service dates back to 1996, years before similar service became available in most of Iowa. “Back then, a 10 megabit connection easily met the needs of a high-demand business user,” Krieg recalls. “The service we’re launching today is 100 times as fast.”

“One of the biggest changes we’ve seen is the transformation of broadband access from an innovation back in the ‘90s, to a convenience that people want, to an essential service for businesses and families,” Krieg said. “Today customers are looking for more than speed. They demand the highest reliability for their broadband connections, just as they do for electric or water or gas service.”

To meet that need, CFU designed its city-wide network and external internet connections with diverse fiber paths and back-up capacity. “Our network is set up to maintain service to customers even when something breaks,” says Network Manager Rob Houlihan. “Say there’s a fiber cut between here and Chicago that takes one of our upstream providers out of service. Our other transport paths and bandwidth sources handle the traffic, without disruption for the customers.”

Krieg notes that CFU serves more than 600 businesses and 11,000 home internet customers today, and most will not immediately upgrade to gigabit service. “With this launch, we’re upgrading our top business tier customers from 200 MBPS to gigabit service at the same price,” he said.

Bandwidth demand from CFU’s internet customers has grown rapidly, and more than doubled in 2012. “Experience shows that when we deliver more bandwidth, customers find innovative ways to use it,” Krieg says. “We expect demand for gigabit service to start small, but grow fast.”

CFU continues to offer a range of home and business internet plans, starting at $30/month. Speeds and pricing for all of CFU’s broadband services are online at www.cfu.net/internet.

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Cedar Falls Utilities provides broadband communications, electricity, water and natural gas services to homes and businesses in Cedar Falls, Iowa, population 39,000. The Utilities are owned by the City of Cedar Falls and operated for public benefit under the governance of a citizen Board of Trustees. The Municipal Communications Utility was formed in 1994 by a citizen referendum, and launched internet and television services in January, 1996.

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Media resources: Visit CFU’s online newsroom for video news release, broadcast quality video clips, still images, logos and sidebar copy.

About CFU

Cedar Falls Utilities provides internet, electricity, water, natural gas and cable television services to homes and businesses in Cedar Falls, Iowa, population 39,000. Electric and broadband services are also provided to an 85-square-mile area of rural Cedar Falls. The rural service area is located mostly in Black Hawk County, Iowa, with limited overlap to adjacent Grundy and Butler Counties.

Internet and video services are provided through the Municipal Communications Utility, founded by citizen referendum in 1994. In 1996 the Utility was among nation’s first providers of high speed internet service. In 2013, CFU completed a three-year network upgrade, bringing a fiber optic connection to every Cedar Falls home and business.

CFU’s combination of reliable and economical broadband, electricity, natural gas and water services gives growing and relocating companies a single source for essential services that are immediately available and ready for business.

CFU’s business units are the Cedar Falls Municipal Communications, Electric, Gas and Water Utilities. All four entities are owned by the City of Cedar Falls and operated for public benefit under the governance of a citizen Board of Trustees

Clock Runs Out on Iowa Legislature

May Update from Professional Developers of Iowa Lobbiest

Friday, May 3rd was the 110th day of the 110-day 2013 legislative session. Pay for legislators officially stops after Friday. Any days spent doing legislative work after that are on their own dime.

This 16th week of the session has been the busiest in many ways as the final pieces of the legislative session are put into place. The goal of this past week for legislative leaders has been to move all remaining contentious issues – and there are a lot of them – into conference committees for further negotiation. Typically, legislation rarely advances to a conference committee, the format used when the House and Senate are not able to find compromise language through the typical amendment process. This year, they will have at least 9 bills in conference committee.

The beauty of the conference committee is that the final product that comes out is not amendable (unless it’s voted down, and then the process gets uglier). Each chamber will simply have a yes or no vote on each of the conference reports. In situations where the majority party in each chamber has a very small margin (like this year’s 26-24 in the Senate and 53-47 in the House), a small group of majority party members in a chamber could hold out for their own specific priorities. By using the conference committee process, they can bypass that possibility.

Currently in Conference Committee:

Education Reform, Property Tax Reform, Justice Appropriations,Economic Development Appropriations, Education Appropriations, Ag/Nat Res Appropriations, Admin/Reg Appropriations, Medicaid Expansion, Health Appropriations, Heading to Conference, Standing Appropriations, Infrastructure (RIIF) Appropriations.

Another benefit to using conference committees to enact legislation, and particularly the budget, is that a chamber cannot add a provision into a conference committee discussion that was not in either the House or the Senate’s bill. This year, the House and Senate each passed essentially their wish lists for each budget bill and will negotiate which portions of each bill to accept.

Unlike previous conference committees in previous sessions, this year’s conference committees will need to wait until the House, Senate and Governor can agree on an overall spending number for the next fiscal year. This will require first knowing whether property tax reform will advance to enactment or fall short like it has in so many sessions past, and whether or not Iowa will expand Medicaid or pursue a different option.

Once the legislative leadership and the Governor reach overall agreement, the conference committees will convene and each come to agreement on their individual bills. Then, at long last, the Legislature will adjourn sine die for the year.

IEDA Funding – Still In Jeopardy

As the Legislature officially starts the overtime period, it is absolutely critical that you don’t let up on your emails and phone calls. They are working! Whether final adjournment occurs this week (there IS a chance) or not for over a month, PDI members’ efforts to weigh in can greatly affect the outcome.

The Economic Development Budget is currently in conference committee. They will negotiate, among many other things, the IEDA Administration Budget and the IEDA Incentives Fund (which the House funded out of the Infrastructure Budget bill).

The Governor and the Senate provide roughly $18 million for IEDA Incentives and $16 million for IEDA Administration.
The House proposes $15.1 million for IEDA Incentives and $13.2 million for IEDA Administration.

In the days ahead, PDI members should CALL OR EMAIL legislators and ask them to support $18 Million for IEDA Incentives and $16 Million for IEDA Administration. Then, find 2 or 3 other people on your board, in your office or elsewhere in your work arena and ask them to email as well. If each legislator gets a handful of emails on this issue, it will make a HUGE difference. Do this TODAY!

A full update on all bills can be found using the BILL TRACKER

Dust Optimistic About Cedar Valley Economy – Part 2

View the three part video of Steve Dust, CEO of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber on KWWL’s Steele Report.

Click Here.

Dust Optimistic About Cedar Valley Economy – Part 1

View the three part video of Steve Dust, CEO of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber, on KWWL’s Steele Report here.

Click Here.

Keeping track of the bills that impact Cedar Valley business

We have posted the Iowa Chamber Alliance’s bill tracker for the week of March 11, 2013. This document shows all of the bills under consideration in the current legislative session that are important to business and are being followed by the Alliance. The Iowa Chamber Alliance is strong partner with the GCVAC in the Legislature; we work very closely with their lobbyists throughout the session. You will find the bill title, bill number, an abbreviated bill history and the ICA position on the bills. (Reference: FR= for; UK=undecided/monitoring. )

View ICA bill tracker here.

Grow Cedar Valley