Tag Archives: Waterloo Iowa

A Message from the CEO: Why we decided to Rebrand

We are now two weeks into our new name and brand, and the response has been affirming and positive!

I would like to thank the Cedar Valley community, our investors and the many constructive conversations that we had to move the rebranding process forward – the Grow Cedar Valley team is grateful for your support!

For some, this rebranding may have come as a surprise. Some wondering where the rebranding came from, what was the why behind this decision. The rebranding process began last spring after several focus groups were facilitated by Randy Pilkington and Drew Conrad from UNI’s Institute for Decision Making (IDM). Through those conversations, it was clear that it was time to refresh, re-focus and renew our mission, vision and goals.

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber retained the services of Amperage Marketing & Fundraising to help implement the process. From the beginning, we were determined to listen to the Cedar Valley business community and leadership to understand the needs moving forward.

Listening included several forms of research. In addition to the focus groups with IDM, there were one-on-one interviews with stakeholders, surveys to current and former investors, and team assessment exercises with staff. Through the research we learned several key points:

We needed to strengthen our brand
Economic and Community development (Chamber) are equally important and need to be woven together to accurately represent and celebrate the Cedar Valley
GCVAC should be the convener and connector
Be the voice of the Business community and tell the Cedar Valley story

So the rebranding process began!

After listening to positive and constructive conversations on where our organization should be moving toward, numerous meetings were scheduled to create the message, brand, name and logo. Through the many discussions there was one descriptor that was repeated throughout, “Grow”. Grow is an action word, strong steady growth is a bellwether of any successful business and organization. When we look toward the future as an organization and the Cedar Valley community we are looking for growth – personal, professional and community growth; strengthening the Cedar Valley as a whole. Growth is how we’ll guide all future decisions.

Our “Grow Cedar Valley” brand is our promise to the community and you can expect that we will create and optimize resources to help grow and leverage the best outcomes. Our team is working diligently to bringing business and community together to create opportunities for the Cedar Valley to thrive. We encourage all to reach out and ask about current projects, initiatives, resources available or get involved with Grow Cedar Valley!

-Cary Darrah, CEO Grow Cedar Valley

Alliance & Chamber Partners with Iowa Workforce

CEDAR FALLS/WATERLOO, IA – The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is partnering with Iowa Workforce Development and Iowa Economic Development Authority to complete a Laborshed employment study for the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area. This study is being conducted because talent availability is a main concern for Cedar Valley and Iowa businesses. The study will geographically define which communities contribute to Cedar Falls/Waterloo’s workforce. This defined area is called a Laborshed area and is based upon commuting patterns. The results from this support the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber’s talent development efforts.

For the success of this study, Iowa Workforce Development will be sending letters to employers in Cedar Falls/Waterloo starting Monday, October 22, asking that they provide them with aggregate counts of their employees’ residential ZIP codes. This will allow them to determine what the scope and scale of Cedar Falls/Waterloo’s Laborshed area is and better understand where Cedar Falls/Waterloo’s workforce resides.

Once that Laborshed area is determined, a confidential residential telephone survey will be conducted to collect workforce characteristic information specific to the area. The survey call originates out of eastern IA, therefore, the incoming number will have the 319 area code. It is possible that you may receive a text message from their 888 number as well, alerting you to expect a call from them to take the survey. Survey questions will cover topics such as: employment status, current and desired wages, current and desired benefits, education level, and type of occupation among other things. However, Iowa Workforce Development will not be asking survey takers identifiable information such as: name, social security number, or date of birth.

Every year Iowa Workforce Development conducts Laborshed studies across the State. The results of each analysis are publicly available online at www.iowalmi.gov/laborshed. If you have any questions about the Laborshed project, please contact Katie Lippold, Iowa Workforce Development Project Manager, at 515-281-3035 or Cassie Grimsman, Alliance & Chamber Director of Talent Development, at cgrimsman@cedarvalleyalliance.com.

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Alliance & Chamber Host Business After Hours November 8 at Lincoln Savings Bank

WATERLOO,IA – The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber will be hosting Business After Hours at Lincoln Savings Bank, 242 Tower Park Ln., Waterloo. The event will be held on Thursday, November 8 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Business After Hours is a unique opportunity for Alliance & Chamber investors to network and experience various business locations throughout the Cedar Valley. Attendees learn special information and insight about the sponsoring business while socializing and enjoying complimentary hors d’oeuvres.

There is no cost for Alliance & Chamber members to attend. Deadline to register is Thursday, November 1. For more information or to register for this event contact Bette Wubbena at bwubbena@cedarvalleyalliance.com or call 319.232.1156

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Making the Cedar Valley one of the Best Job Markets in the U.S.

Waterloo, Iowa – Sept. 28, 2018—Joel Robinson can still remember his first day at Advanced Heat Treat (AHT). “I was the 50^th employee hired in 1999.” Fast forward 19 years, and Robinson is now the continuous improvement manager at one of the best heat-treating companies in the country, and he couldn’t imagine working anywhere else. Robinson says the people and culture at AHT are what make coming to work every day, “We have a lot of external people that come in and visit, and they frequently comment about our people and the services that we provide.”

Galya Hoppenworth has worked at AHT for 15 years, and says the people in the Cedar Valley are the key to the company’s success, “Our CEO, Gary Sharp, chose to have the business here (Waterloo) and continues to keep it here. I think that says a lot about the Cedar Valley and the people that we have working for us.”

In a recent national survey done by Zippia, a San Mateo, Calif.–based job search site, the Cedar Falls-Waterloo area was ranked ninth in the country for job markets in the U.S. The site used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to rank the top job markets in the U.S. based on how much local wages rose, unemployment dipped and the current jobless rate. While the national unemployment rate is 3.8 percent (May 2018), the Cedar Falls-Waterloo metro stands at 2.7 percent.

One important aspect of business in the Cedar Valley that stands out from the rest of the state is the company culture and people here.

“Our mission really is one reason why I love what I do; creating those fulfilling lifestyles,” explained Amanda Lynch. Lynch is a Cedar Valley native and has been the wellness coordinator at Western Home Communities for the past six years. “It’s not just for our residents, but it is also for our employees and their families. We have flexible schedules. I have an amazing boss who, if I have something come up or have a sick kid, they understand that, they make it work, they work around that, and not every boss is like that.”

Having a company that understands the realities of life and having a true work-life balance is exactly why Therese Stevens was drawn to a career at BraceAbility, now serving as the chief operations officer/COO.

“I was definitely in a higher pressure, high stress, high expectation, fast-paced position previously, taken its toll on me,” says Stevens. “I think our culture, attitude and whole approach is genuine, honest and adult. We have realized that we live and work in a 24/7 world, so no one here is really worried about which hours you choose to work, it’s more about getting the work done, and that’s a breath of fresh air to know when you show up every day.”

For Waterloo-based VGM Group, highlighting a unique company culture, non-traditional benefits and workplace amenities are key factors in employee recruitment and retention efforts. Along with being employee-owned, offering a free health clinic for employees and their families and other work perks, VGM’s recent expansions in the Cedar Valley have included distinct amenities to enhance the work environment for its employees.

Renovations to its annex building located at 4024 Alexandria Drive in Waterloo included redesign of 8,200 square feet of workspace to accommodate VGM’s programmers. The new Tech Center includes collaboration rooms, treadmill desks, a Lego wall, custom built bar and a four-player video game console with more than 2,000 games. The break area offers strength and fitness equipment, golf simulator, ping-pong, pool table and a lactation room.

“We’ve made substantial investments in our business to position us for future success,” said Mike Mallaro, CEO of VGM Group, Inc. “The Tech Center serves as a central hub for all things related to data and programming for VGM’s companies. The new workspace creates an environment that fosters idea creation and promotes collaboration for our programmers – all in a non-traditional, comfortable space designed to serve any generation of worker.”

As businesses in the Cedar Valley compete for new talent, it’s no secret that catering to today’s workforce is key in drawing new recruits through the front doors. Today’s employee looks for flexibility, a relaxed work environment and opportunities to connect with the community they call home. With Zippia’s ranking of Waterloo-Cedar Falls as #9 on its Top Job Markets list, coupled with Iowa ranked best state by U.S. News & World Report, the opportunity to recruit talent to the Cedar Valley has never been more attractive.

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Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber Names Cary Darrah CEO

WATERLOO, Iowa—The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber’s (GCVAC) board of directors names Cary Darrah CEO after she led the organization as interim CEO the past seven months.

“Cary is a very well-liked, qualified and tenured economic development professional who has done an excellent job in re-energizing the nearly 15-year-old organization as the interim CEO,” said GCVAC Board Chairman Eric Johnson of Beecher Law Firm. “As we went through the research and goal-setting process, we received positive feedback from investors, community leaders and staff of Cary’s collaborative approach and visionary leadership. In a short timeframe, she has made changes to stabilize, strengthen and position the Alliance & Chamber to grow in the right direction. It became very apparent to the board that Cary is the right fit at the right time to lead GCVAC through the next phase and accomplish our 2020 vision and goals.”

The board of directors named Darrah interim director in February after the departure of Steve Dust, who was CEO since the Alliance was founded in 2004. According to Johnson, the board sought proposals from companies to conduct a national executive search for the CEO position. After seeing research results and Darrah’s accomplishments as interim CEO, the board unanimously decided it was not necessary to conduct a search.

“Cary was the best candidate for the job, and we’re very pleased to drop the interim from her CEO title,” said Johnson. “Not only is she qualified, she’s a bridge-building collaborator. Cary knows the Cedar Valley and has relationships with many of the players in local, state and national economic development and government. Considering diversity and inclusion are important factors in building the best workforce, it’s an added benefit to have a female CEO leading our economic and workforce development initiatives.”

Darrah is the first woman to head the Alliance or any of its predecessor organizations since Kristi Ray headed the Cedar Falls Chamber of Commerce from 1997 to 2002.

Darrah was named general manager of Techworks, an Alliance subsidiary, in 2007. She was then promoted to GCVAC executive vice president of community development in 2012 and TechWorks president in 2016. Prior to joining the Alliance & Chamber, Darrah was director of Cedar Falls Community Main Street from 1997 to 2007.

“I am honored to be named CEO of the Alliance & Chamber and ready to share our story of why the Cedar Valley is the best place to run a business, raise a family, live a fun and enriching life, and retire,” said Darrah. “I commend the board for pushing the pause button to conduct research before hitting the reset button to develop a new mission, vision and three-year plan. It was very important to be introspective, take the time to really listen to our chamber and alliance investors, and realign our focus to meet our investors’ and community’s greatest needs.”

For a concentrated focus on economic and talent development with limited resources, Darrah said the Alliance may need to revisit some of its programs and subsidiaries to determine which have been “properly incubated and ready to be spun off” into their own entities.

“Our staff is made up of a fantastic team of experts who are laser-focused on recruiting and retaining talent for area businesses and implementing the community and economic development initiatives that contribute the greatest value to the Cedar Valley’s economic health,” said Darrah. “You’ll see us out in the community celebrating our businesses at ribbon cuttings, working alongside government officials and community leaders as trusted partners on important issues, and being the loudest cheerleaders and strongest advocates for the Cedar Valley in Des Moines and Washington.”

Darrah will be the first to tell you she strongly believes in collaboration, building long-term relationships and trust, and that the best successes are credited to a meaningful mission and team efforts. She is particularly fond of the Alliance’s new mission to: “Elevate the economic vitality of our businesses and communities.”

“In order to elevate, positive changes need to be made to raise our community up to the next level,” said Darrah, “And, we need to breathe new life into our organization for the economic vitality of our businesses and communities. Our board and staff are all really engaged in this revisioning, cultural realignment and brand repositioning process. It’s such an exciting time to be the CEO of the Alliance & Chamber, and I look forward to working with all our partners to ultimately help create a shared vision for the Cedar Valley. We are ready to get to work to make the greater Cedar Valley even greater.”

About the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is a private, not-for-profit corporation working to elevate the economic vitality of our businesses and communities through collaborative economic and community development. Learn more at www.cedarvalleyalliance.com

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ALLIANCE & CHAMBER TO HOST INVESTOR LEGISLATIVE FORUM SEPTEMBER 13

WATERLOO, IOWA (September 4, 2018) – The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber will host an Investor Legislative Forum to gain input from investors (members) on legislative issues important to Cedar Valley businesses.

The Investor Legislative Forum will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 13, 2018, at Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, 3117 Greenhill Circle, Cedar Falls.

Investors in the Alliance & Chamber are invited and encouraged to help shape the Cedar Valley Legislative Agenda for Economic Progress by participating in this event.

Before the start of each Iowa legislative session, the Alliance & Chamber establishes the agenda which actions that will improve the Cedar Valley business climate and quality of life, and address specific issues for business. Then, throughout the year, the Alliance & Chamber tracks and brings it to the attention of its investors issues that have an impact on their bottom line.

The Alliance & Chamber advocates for economic growth policies and business climate improvement at the local, state, and federal levels.

There is no cost to attend the forum. Investors may RSVP by September 6 by contacting Bette Wubbena at bwubbena@cedarvalleyalliance.com or by calling 319-232-1156.

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ALLIANCE & CHAMBER TO HOST BUSINESS AFTER HOURS

WATERLOO, IA – The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber will be hosting Business After Hours at the Hampton Inn by Hilton, 2034 LaPorte Rd., Waterloo. The event will be hend on Thursday, August 30 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

There is no cost for Alliance & Chamber members to attend. Deadline to register is Thursday, August 23. For more information or to register for this event contact Bette Wubbena at bwubbena@cedarvalleralliance.com or call 319.232.1156.

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ALLIANCE & CHAMBER ADVANCES CEDAR VALLEY ECONOMY WITH NEW STAFF & ROLES

(WATERLOO,IA) – The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is excited to announce the addition of two new individuals, as well as new roles for several existing staff. Over the past six months, the Executive Committee of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber has gathered feedback from community members and stakeholders on the organization’s future strategic goals. That input has resulted in placing high priority on talent and workforce initiatives, economic development (business recruitment and existing business expansion), and organization communications. Based on that feedback, the Alliance & Chamber has added two new staff members and adjusted existing roles to align with those goals.

Aubree Taylor started her role as Communications Assistant on May 1. Her responsibilities include graphic design, social media and website management, event promotion, and electronic and print communications. Aubree graduated in May 2018 from Wartburg College with a B.A. in Journalism and Communication and minor in Business Marketing and Leadership.

Aaron Jarnagin began as the Talent Solutions Marketing Intern on May 23. He assists with digital media, social media, and research for initiatives related to workforce recruitment and retention. Aaron works specifically on content for the Live the Valley website and social media platforms. His internship also includes economic-related data research and support for business recruitment and retention projects and publications. Aaron plans to graduate from the University of Northern Iowa in December 2018 with a degree in Marketing: Advertising and Digital Media.

Cassie Grimsman was promoted to the role of Director of Talent Development effective July 1. Cassie began at the Alliance & Chamber in May 2017 as the Business Services Coordinator after graduating from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Financial Management and Organizational Leadership. In her new role, Cassie will advocate for Cedar Valley employer’s interests in relation to workforce and education, as well as helping to support and coordinate regional strategy to address both present and future workforce needs.

Johanna Kneedler was promoted to the role of Office Coordinator starting May 1. Johanna began at the Alliance & Chamber in 2016 as Administrative Assistant – Receptionist and has since assumed more responsibilities in overall office coordination to ensure efficient day-to-day work flow.

Lisa Skubal, Vice President of Economic Development, will assume execution of the business retention and expansion initiatives, previously performed by the Business Services Coordinator. She will continue to lead new business recruitment and prospect identification in collaboration with the Cedar Valley Regional Partnership. Lisa will also be creating and leading an Economic Development Advisory Council with input from regional partners, city officials, and other stakeholders.

Sandi Sommerfelt, Vice President of Operations and General Manager, continues to oversee general operations, while deepening her role in financial management of the organization, as well as oversight of organization communications.

Cary Darrah continues in her role as Acting CEO, which she was named by the Alliance & Chamber’s Executive Committee earlier this year. Part of Cary’s role as Acting CEO includes the reorganization of the Alliance & Chamber to support the strategic goals of the organization. The Executive Committee of the Alliance & Chamber plans to roll out its new strategic plan in the coming months alongside research, messaging and branding efforts.

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GREATER CEDAR VALLEY ALLIANCE & CHAMBER ELECTS NEW LEADERSHIP

CEDAR FALLS, IOWA – Eric Johnson, Partner at Beecher, Field, Walker, Morris, Hoffman & Johnson, P.C., was elected to lead the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber Board of Directors during its annual meeting held July 17 at Courier Communications. Johnson will chair the regional economic and community development organization through its 2019 fiscal year.

Other officers elected to lead the organization with Johnson are: Vice Chair Bryan Earnest, AMPERAGE Marketing & Fundraising; Treasurer Jim McKernan, KWWL; and Past Chair Bob Smith Jr., Lockard Companies. The officers are joined by TechWorks Campus Chair Tim Hurley; Chamber Council Chair Pete Meehan, Financial Decisions Group; Sue Armbrecht, MidWestOne Bank; and Dave DeVault, John Deere Waterloo Works to form the Alliance & Chamber’s Executive Committee.

The newly elected at-large members of the board include: Pam Delagardelle, CEO UnityPoint Health – Allen Hospital; Jim Walsh, JSA Development; Ty Kimble, Community Main Street Board chair; Mike Mallaro, VGM Group, Inc.; and Leslie Prideaux University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls Tourism & Visitor’s Center Board member.

Retiring from the board are Steve Brewer, U.S. Bank; Dave Bowling, Hy-Vee Food Stores; Brent Johnson, Bike Tech; Mike Butler, retired; Jack Dusenbery, Covenant Medical Center; and Dharmendra Patel, Days Inn.

Work is already in process for the new organization leaders through extensive strategic planning, research and branding efforts, including a community perception survey.

“The Alliance is energized and excited for the immediate future, telling the story of our great community and the people that live and work here,” said acting CEO Cary Darrah, “As part of our strategic planning process, we are taking a deep look into our messaging and branding, continuing to create ways for the whole Cedar Valley to be part of something greater.”

The complete Alliance & Chamber Board of Directors as well as details about the many programs and initiatives of the Alliance & Chamber can be found on their website at www.cedarvalleyalliance.com or by calling Cary Darrah, Acting CEO at (319) 232-1156.

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