Author Archives: AllianceChamber

Alliance & Chamber Announces 2018 Annual Award Winners

Individual and Business Award Winners Honored March 27

WATERLOO, IOWA (March 27, 2018) – Individuals and businesses were honored for their ongoing commitment to making the Cedar Valley a better place to work, do business, and live on March 27 at the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber Annual Celebration.

More than 500 registered for the night of celebration and recognition held at the Waterloo Convention Center, downtown Waterloo.

The 2018 award winners are as follows:

Legacy Award: Tom Penaluna, Chairman of CBE Companies, Inc.

Tom Penaluna

This ward honors an individual for their continued leadership and noteworthy contributions to the Cedar Valley through philanthropy and volunteerism; working to create a positive environment for business expansion; and community growth and enhancing the quality of life for talent recruitment and retention.

Fulfilling the Vision of One Award: Sue Armbrecht, North Iowa Regional President, MidWestOne Bank

Sue Armbrecht

This award recognizes tan outstanding contribution by an individual in the private sector for leadership in creating and strengthening regional collaboration and cooperation for economic and community development.

Business of the Year (full-time equivalent employees 1-50): Bloom Manufacturing, Inc.

Business of the Year (full-time equivalent employees 51 or greater): Omega Cabinetry/MasterBrand Cabinets

These awards recognize the efforts of Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber investors in promoting the quality of life and offering leadership within the Cedar Valley, achieving a major business accomplishment, or making an outstanding contribution to the Cedar Valley community, economy, and residents.

John Deere Treating Capital Well Award: KWWL Television, Inc.

To recognize the efforts of a private sector firm for a significant investment in the Cedar Valley that most emphasize the attributes of the Cedar Valley.

Harold Brock Innovation Award: Talk to Me Technologies, LLC

This award recognizes the efforts of a private sector firm for innovation in technology, advanced manufacturing, or talent development.

Cedar Valley Partner Award: University of Northern Iowa Business & Community Services

This award recognizes the efforts of an educational institution, non-profit organization, service club or human service agency – must be a Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber investor – in promoting economic growth, employment, and quality of life and offering leadership or making an outstanding contribution to the Cedar Valley and its residents on a continuing basis or with a specific project.

Economic Inclusion Award: UnityPoint Health – Allen Hospital

This award honors employers in the Cedar Valley that have made significant achievements in championing economic inclusion and diversity in their businesses and organizations.

For more detail about and videos of the award winners, visit the Alliance & Chamber website at https://www.cedarvalleyalliance.com/cms/390/2018-Annual-Award-Winners

Nominations for 2019 awards will be accepted in early 2019. For a listing of past award winners, visit https://www.cedarvalleyalliance.com/cms/381/Annual-Awards

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Waterloo, IEDA Award Incentives for $4.9M Advanced Heat Treat Expansion

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WATERLOO, IOWA (March 23, 2018) –The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) today approved a tax credit award for Advanced Heat Treat Corporation. The Waterloo company qualified for a sales tax credit on construction materials and a 3 percent investment tax credit for a $4.9 million expansion project of its north Waterloo facility.

On Monday, Waterloo City Council had unanimously approved an industrial tax exemption for Advanced Heat Treat’s expansion and agreed to serve as a sponsor for the IEDA application.

As a part of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber’s business services, support was provided to help Advanced Heat Treat apply for the incentive through IEDA’s High Quality Jobs Program.

To assist Mike Woods, President, and Gary Sharp, CEO/Owner, of Advanced Heat Treat, Cassie Grimsman, Business Services Coordinator at the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber, worked with IEDA and Adrienne Miller, Planner and Economic Development Specialist with the City of Waterloo.

“Advanced Heat Treat is a great Waterloo entrepreneurial and advanced manufacturing success story,” said Mayor Quentin Hart, City of Waterloo. “We are proud to be the headquarters of a leader in heat treat technology serving manufacturers around the world and thrilled with their continued growth and creation of high-quality jobs.”

The IEDA incentive falls under its High Quality Jobs Program. That program offers businesses financial assistance to encourage businesses to locate and expand in Iowa. Advanced Heat Treat’s expansion will create an additional 12 positions at their Midport Blvd location, six of which will pay above the $17.29 qualifying wage rate.

To learn more about Alliance & Chamber services for existing and new businesses throughout the Cedar Valley, contact Cassie Grimsman via email at cgrimsman@cedarvalleyalliance.com or call the Alliance & Chamber office at 319-232-1156.

IEDA Director Durham says Cedar Valley is “doing a lot of the right things”

EDA Director Debi Durham with Cary Darrah in Cedar Falls with Carol Lilly Mill Race kitchen

IEDA Director Debi Durham speaks with Interim CEO Cary Darrah and others at Mill Race in Cedar Falls on Thursday, March 22, 2018

WATERLOO, IOWA (March 23, 2018) – After touring several sites throughout the Cedar Valley, the head of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) told a group of community leaders, “I think you’re doing a lot of the right things here.”

“I do not know where economic development and community development end because in my world they are one and the same,” Durham said. “As I drive through (the Cedar Valley), your community is doing that.”

But if she had one suggestion for the region, it would be this: “You just need to tell more people about (your community). You need to be bolder in your marketing.”

Debi Durham, IEDA Director, made those comments to the Board of Directors for the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber during a late Thursday afternoon presentation at the new Courtyard by Marriott Waterloo Cedar Falls on the TechWorks Campus in north downtown Waterloo.

Marketing Iowa, Cedar Valley

Durham claimed her number one role is to the state’s cheerleader – “sell Iowa to Iowans” – and she took to that role when she bragged about U.S. News & World Report’s recent Best State’s Ranking that placed Iowa in its No. 1 spot.

Showcasing what Iowa has to offer is necessary because Iowa’s population isn’t growing and there just aren’t enough workers to fill current and future jobs. Communities need to step up marketing to help workers elsewhere make the connection that Iowa is a great place to live and work, she said.

Standing in a renovated John Deere manufacturing site, Durham also talked about her passion for the historic preservation of buildings. “I consider myself a building-hugger,” she said borrowing and modifying a term for environmentalists. The return on investment for Historic Tax Credits used for projects such as SingleSpeed, the former Wonderbread factory turned-brewery, has a huge impact on revitalizing and transforming Iowa’s downtowns, she said.

“These are all the storylines that you should be telling people,” Durham said.

Manufacturing as a Strength

“We are relevant, and we are relevant on a global stage,” she said. “Iowa, regardless of administration, we manage our fiscal house.”

To grow the state’s economy, her office focuses on “playing to our strengths” of Financial Services, Biosciences, and Advanced Manufacturing. All three are mature platforms that need information technology’s innovation.

About advanced manufacturing, she referred to the Cedar Valley, “This is who we are. This is our DNA … When I think of manufacturing, I think of this area.”

She feels that TechWorks Campus could become Iowa, and the nation’s “go-to place” for additive manufacturing in the nation. “I think you have the ability to do that,” Durham said.

Manufacturing represents the largest industry type in IEDA’s portfolio, with 83 percent of those incentives going to existing companies that are expanding, she said.

With Durham on a day-long tour of the Cedar Valley was Beth Balzer, Team Leader for IEDA’s business development team. Balzer’s team has a goal to visit more than 400 mostly small to medium manufacturers throughout the state this year “connecting them with the resources Iowa has in this space.”

Resources for Startups, Existing Businesses

Durham and Balzer began their day at Mill Race Coworking where they learned about local efforts to provide support to startup and existing businesses, including storefronts on Main Street Cedar Falls.

“It’s interesting: I don’t think I see any other community making the connection with Main Street,” Durham said.

She also toured University of Northern Iowa’s Additive Manufacturing Center in Tech 1 on the TechWorks Campus before meeting with Hawkeye Community College’s Dr. Linda Allen and Brad Kinsinger in the Alliance & Chamber boardroom.

Durham spent the day in the Cedar Valley at the invitation of the Alliance & Chamber’s Interim CEO, Cary Darrah.

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Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018: Early Bird Pricing Through March 31

Leadercast Cedar Valley on May 4 is Part of the World’s Largest One-day Leadership Conference

CEDAR FALLS, IOWA (March 21, 2018) — Leadercast (live.leadercast.com) is the world’s largest one-day leadership conference, broadcast LIVE from Atlanta and simulcast to hundreds of locations around the world on May 4.

This year marks the eighteenth year of the annual leadership conference and the fourth year that the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber will be hosting the event. Leadercast Cedar Valley will be from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on May 4 at the Hilton Garden Inn, 7213 Nordic Drive, Cedar Falls.

Top leadership experts from around the world will inspire more than 100,000 people who will attend the event live in Atlanta or at hundreds of other simulcast locations in more than 20 countries – including more than 150 people attending Leadercast Cedar Valley.

In addition to the simulcast speakers, Leadercast Cedar Valley will feature emcees John Huff of KWWL and Nancy Newhoff of The Courier as well as a noon presentation by Teri Trask of Leader Valley.

Leadercast Live provides an opportunity for attendees and viewers to improve their leadership journey through tips for self-evaluation and self-growth. The theme of this year’s conference is “Lead Yourself.”

What does it look like to lead yourself?
How can you intentionally develop your own leadership skills and style?
What qualities do you hope to embody as a leader?

Continued Page 2

The Leadercast Live stage will highlight leaders who will answer these questions and explain the power and importance of leading yourself first so you can lead others well. Among the leadership experts speaking this year are:

Jen Bricker – Acrobat, Aerialist, Author, and Speaker
Ian Cron – Bestselling Author, Psychotherapist, Enneagram Teacher, and Speaker
Michael Hyatt – Author, Speaker, and CEO of Michael Hyatt & Company
Mae Jemison – NASA Astronaut, Engineer, and Physician
Jim Loehr – Co-founder of the Human Performance Institute
Carey Lohrenz – The First Female F-14 Pilot, Speaker, and Trainer
Andy Stanley – Leadership Author and Communicator

Pre-registration is required. The individual ticket price for Alliance & Chamber investors/members is $100 and $150 for all others. This price includes a light breakfast and lunch. Corporate tables are available at a discounted rate. Alliance & Chamber investors/members receive a reduced individual ticket price through March 31.

Gold sponsors for the Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018 include ACES, AMPERAGE Marketing & Fundraising, Hilton Garden Inn, KWWL, and VGM Group, Inc. and Technology Sponsors KWWL and Cedar Falls Utilities. A full list of sponsors is available on the Alliance & Chamber website.

For more information or to purchase tickets to the Leadercast Cedar Valley event, visit https://www.cedarvalleyalliance.com/template.php?preview=true&id=389www.cedarvalleyalliance.com.

The mission of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is to increase economic vitality and wealth by leading collaborative economic and community development. Learn details about the many programs and initiatives of the Alliance & Chamber at www.cedarvalleyalliance.com or by calling Cary Darrah, Interim CEO, at 319-232-1156.

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Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018: World’s Largest Simulcast

Cedar Valley of Iowa, IOWA (March 15, 2018) — Leadercast is the world’s largest one-day leadership conference, broadcast LIVE from Atlanta and simulcast to hundreds of locations around the world on May 4. This year marks the eighteenth year of the annual leadership conference and the fourth year that the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber will be at hosting the event, this year at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Early bird pricing for Alliance & Chamber investors/members ends March 31.

The theme of this year’s conference is, “Lead Yourself.” What does it look like to lead yourself? How can you intentionally develop your own leadership skills and style? What qualities do you hope to embody as a leader? In 2018, the Leadercast Live stage will highlight leaders who will answer these questions and explain the power and importance of leading yourself first so you can lead others well.

Leadercast Live will allow attendees and viewers to improve their own personal leadership journey with tips for self-evaluation and self-growth. Top leadership experts will inspire more than 150 people attending the local event, and the more than 100,000 people who will attend the event live in Atlanta or at hundreds of other simulcast locations in more than 20 countries.

Speakers

Among the leadership experts speaking this year are:

Mae Jemison – NASA Astronaut, Engineer & Physician
Ian Cron – Bestselling Author, Psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher and Speaker
Andy Stanley – Leadership Author & Communicator
Jim Loehr – Co-founder of the Human Performance Institute
Carey Lohrenz – The First Female F-14 Pilot, Speaker & Trainer

Pre-registration is required. The individual ticket price for Alliance & Chamber investors/members is $100 and $150 for all others. The ticket includes a light breakfast and lunch. Corporate tables are also available at a discounted rate.

For more information and to purchase your ticket or group tickets to the Leadercast Cedar Valley event, visit https://www.cedarvalleyalliance.com/template.php?preview=true&id=389www.cedarvalleyalliance.com.

Andy Stanley – Leadership Author & Communicator, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Carey Lohrenz, U.S. Navy Pilot, Speaker & Trainer, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Ian Morgan Cron, Bestselling Author, Psychotherapist, Enneagram Teacher and Speaker

Jen Bricker, Acrobat, Aerialist, Author, and Speaker, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Jim Loehr, Ed.D., Co-founder of the Human Performance Institute, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Joe Torre, Hall of Fame Baseball Manager, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Mae Jemison, Engineer, Physician and NASA Astronaut, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Michael Hyatt, Author, Speaker and CEO of Michael Hyatt & Company, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Tripp Crosby, Host of Leadercast Live 2018, Host, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

In the Media: Leader Valley is Creating tomorrow’s leaders today

“WATERLOO — Melissa Reade is passionate about creating leaders, and in her role as director of Leader Valley, that is exactly what she helps to do.

Under the auspices of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber, Leader Valley is a talent development initiative that “prepares pre-K-12 students for success by providing them with the essential soft skills needed for a life of effectiveness and competitive advantage in the workforce,” according to the Alliance’s website, cedarvalleyalliance.com.

Leader Valley’s priority is implementing the Leader in Me program in Cedar Valley Schools. North Cedar Elementary in Cedar Falls and Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence in Waterloo were the first area schools to implement the program in 2010. To date, 23 Cedar Valley schools are on board.

…

‘The big picture,’ Reade said, ‘is we want to implement Leader in Me in all Cedar Valley schools. We are in schools in Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Cedar Valley Catholic schools. We want to expand to the greater Cedar Valley and into the rural schools. Next will be Waverly-Shell Rock and Janesville.’

An impact study done by the University of Northern Iowa on Leader in Me schools shows increased student confidence.

‘They are more empowered, they are risk takers, they are more engaged in school,’ Reade said.

‘The students and staff feel safer, more cared about, more respected,’ she said. ‘There is less bullying and teasing.’

…

The local Leader in Me effort is unique for a few reasons.

‘We are the only multi-district region in the world,’ Reade said.

Additionally, Reade and Teri Trask, Leader Valley facilitator and coach, are piloting the district model with FranklinCovey for onsite certified facilitators.

‘We are the only two,’ Reade said. ‘We are building it with them. We are on the front end of innovation.’

Leader Valley: Creating tomorrow’s leaders today, by Holly Hudson, The Courier,February 21, 2018

In the Media: Darrah Is Alliance & Chamber Interim CEO

“WATERLOO — The head of the Cedar Valley TechWorks has been named interim CEO of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber.

Cary Darrah, who has been with TechWorks since 2007, was named interim leader of the GCVAC as the economic development and business organization finishes a goal-setting process in its search for a new executive director.

Darrah also served 10 years as director of Cedar Falls Community Main Street from 1997 to 2007. She 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.

The Alliance was created in 2004. The Waterloo and Cedar Falls chambers merged in 2007 and became part of the Alliance in 2008. TechWorks, a entrepreneurial campus of former John Deere buildings, is an Alliance subsidiary.

Darrah initially was TechWorks manager, then named Alliance executive vice president of community development in 2012 and TechWorks president in 2016.

‘Make no mistake, Cary is in the interim CEO position because she is very qualified,’ said Alliance board chairman Bob Smith Jr. of Lockard Cos.

Alliance and Chamber CEO Steve Dust announced last month he was stepping down after 14 years and would formally resign by June 30. His last day was Friday. Smith said it was easier to allow Dust to devote full attention to pursuing his next venture while the Alliance set its future course.

‘Cary was just the logical choice, very qualified,’ Smith said. ‘She’s well liked and trusted by the team there and the community.'”

Read the entire article here: Darrah named interim CEO as Alliance plans for future, by Pat Kinney, The Courier, February 22, 2018

Black Hawk County Supervisors Approve Resolution to Become Home Base Iowa Community

WATERLOO, IOWA (February 20, 2018) – The Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors this morning unanimously voted to approve a resolution supporting the county as a Home Base Iowa community.

The statewide Home Base Iowa initiative connects veterans and transitioning service members and their families with careers and resources available through partner organizations and businesses. The vision is to create Iowa as the veterans’ “State of Choice” for employment, education, or continued service.

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber has applied for the designation on behalf of the county.

“As a regional organization that has relationships with businesses throughout our county, applying for this designation made sense,” said Cassie Grimsman, Business Services Coordinator.

Grimsman has secured incentives for veterans who would choose to move to Black Hawk County for a job opening through the program.

The team at Iowa WORKS of Waterloo has been working to register businesses with Home Base Iowa. After a business is registered, it can post job openings to recruit transitioning service members and veterans. Those not yet on the list may apply on the initiative’s statewide website.

The Black Hawk County list includes 43 Home Base Iowa businesses, which is five above the minimum requirement of 38, or 10 percent of the county’s businesses that are currently hiring. Grimsman contacted the county Veterans Affairs office and learned of additional incentives to list.

Grimsman also worked with Iowa Department of Transportation to determine locations for signage. Signs noting the county’s Home Base Iowa Community designation will be placed at five regional locations: one each in or near Denver, New Hartford, Voorhies, and La Porte City and south of Waterloo on Highway 21.

The supervisor’s action on Tuesday morning put Black Hawk County one step closer to being designated as a Home Base Iowa Community. The next step in the process is for Home Base Iowa to approve Black Hawk County’s application at the state level. Then, a community event will be held this spring to recognize Black Hawk County as a new Home Base Iowa Community.

A benefit to partner businesses is the option to post available jobs on the Home Base Iowa site to attract veterans who are searching for work.

“It opens up another pool of qualified applicants who are looking for employment through Home Base Iowa’s site. Because we have an incentive package as a county, it gives our businesses a leg up to recruit veterans to work in Black Hawk County,” Grimsman said.

The public-private partnership began in 2014 after the Iowa Legislature passed the HBI Act which provides a variety of incentives including homeowner assistance and in-state tuition for eligible U.S. veterans and their families. For more information about Home Base Iowa, visit https://www.homebaseiowa.gov.

To learn more about the program in Black Hawk County, contact Cassie Grimsman via email at cgrimsman@cedarvalleyalliance.com or by calling the Alliance & Chamber office at 319-232-1156.

Download the Press Release.

5 on Friday: Fuel for Thought February 9, 2018

by Steve Dust, CEO, Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber

5 on Friday is a two-way street: please send me recommendations on books, reports, articles, blogs, videos, or anything you’re reading or watching that impacts business and the economy.

ONE What’s next? You Have an Amazing Opportunity

By now, most of you have heard that I’m leaving the Alliance & Chamber soon.

I am so very grateful for your leadership and financial capital used to build the Alliance and deliver meaningful economic growth, a stronger business climate, and civic change since I arrived in mid-2004.

I enjoyed leading the effort to establish and grow what has become today’s Alliance & Chamber group of organizations. Now, it really is time for new leadership to guide the Alliance forward, and for me to find the next challenge.

Usually, a guy finds his new gig before leaving, but in this instance you are literally on the cusp of amazing new opportunities in new directions, and you need to act on these now. New partnerships; new, sustainable revenue models; solidifying and expanding work of the Alliance group; and more. And you need to guide it.

Many of you have been invited to a meeting next week to begin that evolutionary process. I hope you will accept Bob Smith’s invitation if it arrives. And after working to get us all this far, I do not want what we have done to achieve this to be a barrier to what Alliance & Chamber needs to become.

I’m searching for what’s next. Donita and I would like to stay in the Cedar Valley, if possible. I’d like to join a Cedar Valley or Eastern Iowa firm that needs someone to start and grow a new business unit or grow through acquisitions, and I’m open to other opportunities, too. Like anyone, I’m looking for fun work, meaningful to the enterprise, which can support my family. Here are some very kind words sent my way.

Dust never settled for status quo, The Courier, January 28, 2018

TWO Future Ready Iowa: Create an Educated, Skilled Talent Pool

Quite a bit of info has been delivered to 5 On Friday followers about Iowa’s Future Ready Iowa Alliance initiative. Its goal: 70 percent of Iowans possess post-secondary credentials by 2025. Is that worth $18 million? I bet you’ll think so when you read what that expenditure will deliver to Iowa. Many of the recommendations of the Future Ready Iowa Alliance Board, of which eight members were from the Cedar Valley economic area, require legislative action. NFIB Iowa summarized the recommendations currently in the legislature. This initiative will test the legislators’ commitment to preparing Iowan’s to fuel your growth.

Gov. Reynolds’ Future Ready Iowa Alliance Proposes Spending $18 Million, National Federation of Independent Business, January 31, 2018

THREE Which Industries/Business Sectors Optimize Talent?

This is an interesting string of conversation in a blog that asks, “Which industries or trades identify and make the best use of talent?” The blogger, Tyler Cowen, answers, which is followed by a string of comments containing thoughts on the topic. It spills into a second post, as well. It’s a wide ranging discussion, so you have to stay with the string. Tyler Cowen is also the author of the book I recommended to you earlier, The Complacent Class.

Where is talent optimized? by Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution, January 27, 2018

FOUR Midwest Ag ties to Global Economy

Ok, I hear the collective, “duh!” as you read the title. I reacted that way, too. This reaction is because, as we know, one of the things that binds our Plains States together is that more than one-third of each state’s exports is ag and food products. The Fed’s publication does a good job of framing and quantifying the importance of open international trade. It’s important for all business and civic leaders to know the foundations and facts of this economic dynamic as the US begins a “renegotiation” of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Sorry , it’s all text– no graphs or charts.

Midwest Agriculture’s Ties to the Global Economy, by David Oppedahl, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, 2018

FIVE Future of Real Estate

Following in the same track as the last recommendation is this blog post by Michael Beckerman on Commercial Real Estate. Beckerman likely doesn’t say anything new in this post, but he crystalizes what has been floating around in your head as you observe what’s going on in your industry, business district, the Cedar Valley generally, etc. Real estate developers will not (usually) lead in creating demand for new space. Instead, you will define the spaces you need and the real estate development industry will produce it to fill demand. I don’t know how that’s any different than what has happened over the last several years, but Michael does help us see the forces shaping what’s coming at us because of the disrupters like Amazon and Air BnB.

To See the Future of Commercial Real Estate Development Don’t Look to Real Estate Developers, Michael Beckerman, Michael Beckerman blog, January 29, 2018