Author Archives: Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber

Dr. Linda Allen Elected to National Council of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships Board

WATERLOO—The National Council of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships announced that Dr. Linda Allen, president of Hawkeye Community College, was recently elected to the Board of Directors. Dr. Allen will fill a 3-year at-large seat on the Executive Committee.

The National Council of Concurrent Enrollment Partnership or NACEP is the sole accrediting body for concurrent enrollment (also referred to as dual credit) partnerships. The NACEP accreditation helps to adhere to the highest standards for concurrent enrollments to provide students a seamless transition to college.

Concurrent enrollment partnerships enable qualified high school students to earn college credit prior to graduation. NACEP-accredited programs use college-approved instructors and are the same high quality courses as those offered on the campus of the college. Students are exposed to the same rigorous academic challenges. According to NACEP, students are better prepared for college by gaining exposure to college expectations and workload. Concurrent enrollment courses have grown in popularity and allow families to save on college tuition.

Currently, there are only 83 two-year and four- year institutions of higher education in the nation that have earned NACEP accreditation. Hawkeye Community College was one of the 15 Iowa community colleges to earn the coveted NACEP accreditation this year.

Hawkeye currently serves all 27 schools in its service area through its concurrent enrollment program known as CollegeNow. During the last year, Hawkeye had 1,804 high school students enrolled in CollegeNow courses with the average student taking two college-level courses. Approximately 25 percent of all of Iowa’s community college students are jointly enrolled in high school, making Iowa a leader in aligning secondary and postsecondary programs in the country.

UNI graduates fare well in today’s economy

The University of Northern Iowa hosted its annual fall Commencement Saturday, Dec. 15. As hundreds of UNI students graduate and begin to look for employment opportunities, the December job outlook is more important than ever.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook for 2012, the overall top B.A. degrees in demand by employers this year are finance, accounting, and computer and information sciences, followed by electrical and mechanical engineering. UNI has a number of majors that align with these needs.

According to Matt Nuese, associate director of UNI’s career services office, UNI graduates seem to be faring well in today’s economy. Nearly 84 percent of last year’s graduates secured jobs or were continuing their education upon graduation, according to the 2011 Career Services Graduate Report.

It appears that many UNI graduates are staying within the state. During the last three years, three-fourths of all UNI graduates were employed in Iowa. The top employers of UNI students include Wells Fargo, John Deere and Waterloo Community Schools.

For more information, contact Bob Frederick, director of career services, at 319-273-6857 or robert.frederick@uni.edu.

UNI to launch Iowa’s virtual food waste reduction center

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Through the University of Northern Iowa’s Business and Community Services, the Iowa Waste Reduction Center (IWRC) is set to launch a new food waste reduction project on Tuesday, Jan. 1. The goal of the project is to launch a new educational campaign and a website that will act as a virtual food waste reduction center.

The new campaign seeks to provide the public with new resources and educational materials. Project goals include educational workshops, materials and webinars on different food waste reduction topics. The project is funded through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Solid Waste Alternative Program.

The IWRC assists small businesses in complying with environmental regulations through free education and consultation. The center also conducts research and develops technologies for more efficient and environmentally friendly production processes.

For additional information, contact Joe Bolick, communications and grants specialist at the IWRC, at 319-273-6577 or mjbolick@uni.edu.

‘Dream Big Grow Here’ receives Mid-American EDC economic development award

‘Dream Big Grow Here’ receives MAEDC economic development award

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The University of Northern Iowa’s Dream Big Grow Here program received first place in the Mid-America Economic Development Council’s 2012 annual Economic Development Awards’ online marketing category in the small market division.

Dream Big Grow Here was started by the UNI Regional Business Center through MyEntre.Net, Iowa’s online community for Iowa entrepreneurs and small business. The contest is a way to award grants to deserving small businesses and entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses in Iowa. In 2012, hundreds of Iowa companies from nearly 60 different communities competed in one of 10 regional Dream Big Grow Here contests for $5,000. The regional award winners then compete for a $10,000 grand prize.

The Mid-America Economic Development Council is dedicated to enhancing economic developers’ knowledge, capabilities and opportunities through multi-state networking, education and site selector interaction. For many years, it has sponsored the annual Economic Development Awards competition to recognize and stimulate the creative use of quality marketing by economic development organizations throughout the 10-state Mid-America region in promoting their respective communities. MAEDC’s awards partner is Site Selection magazine, and all first-place winners will be highlighted in an ad in the January issue of Site Selection magazine.

For more information about MAEDC, please visit www.maedc.net.

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance, in partnership with UNI’s Small Business Incubator and Regional Partners, hosted the 2012 and 2013 Cedar Valley Dream Big Grow Here contests. More information can be found at http://cedarvalleyalliance.com/cms/238/Cedar_Valley_Innovation_Day.

GCVAC NOW ACCCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR ANNUAL AWARDS

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber announce nominations are open for a variety of business awards to be presented during the 2013 Annual Celebration on Thursday, March7^th at the 5 Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. “The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber Annual Celebration is one of my favorite events. It gives us the opportunity to thank all our investors and members for all they do to make the Cedar Valley a great place to do business. The businesses and individuals recognized always bring inspirational stories of success. It’s the high point of the evening,” said Bob Justis, Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber.

Do you know of an individual who should be recognized for their contributions in creating a strong business climate and enhancing the quality of life in the Cedar Valley by continued service and leadership? Has a business or organization, made an outstanding contribution to the Cedar Valley and its citizens on a continued basis or with a specific project? You are encouraged to nominate them for recognition of their contributions.

“The nominees and award winners demonstrate what a successful economy we have. It’s important and fun to recognize those who are investing capital, creating jobs and really making a difference,” said Alliance & Chamber CEO Steve Dust.

Nominations are being accepted through January 18^th for the following awards:

Business of the Year Award
Harold Brock Innovation Award
Treating Capital Well Award
Fulfilling the Vision of One Award
Cedar Valley Partner Award

Descriptions of the awards and nomination forms are available at the Alliance & Chamber offices or online at

www. cedarvalleyalliance.com/programsandevents . For additional information, please contact Bette Wubbena at bwubbena@cedarvalleyalliance.com or 232-1156.

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber works to increase wealth and economic vitality through collaborative economic and community development throughout The Cedar Valley economic area.

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GCVAC Work the Valley Talent Tells All Event to Help Employers See What They Are Missing.

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is bringing together a panel of recent college graduates and young professionals to share ideas for how the Cedar Valley employers can become more engaged with the local, YP population.

CEDAR VALLEY of IOWA (December 3, 2012)—On Friday, December 7^st from 10 am-12pm, the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber (GCVAC) will host a panel discussion to help Cedar Valley employers improve their recruitment practices. This event, titled Talent Tells All, part of the GCVAC’s “Work the Valley” program, will feature approximately six, young professionals who chose positions in communities outside the Cedar Valley. The goal of the event is to provide candid feedback in order to make Cedar Valley employers more competitive and attractive to college graduates and young professionals. All Cedar Valley business leaders and HR professionals are encouraged to attend the event to be held at Hilton Gardens Inn & Conference Center, 7213 Nordic Dr., Cedar Falls, IA.

“We are always looking for better ways to attract and retain talented young professionals. Work the Valley events help us highlight the outstanding opportunities the Cedar Valley has to offer. We believe the fresh perspectives and frankness of the Talent Tells All conversations will help Cedar Valley employers increase their competitiveness in the race to secure highly skilled talent,” said Steve Dust, CEO of GCVAC.

Talent Tells All, made possible by a partnership with UNI Career Services, is part of the GCVAC’s focus on workforce development for the Cedar Valley. Having more young professionals choose local opportunities over those in outside communities, is a key to business growth and innovation says Britt Jungck, Director of Business Services for the Alliance and Chamber, “Our goal is to increase the contact between our top employers and the emerging talent in this community. We want our young professionals to see the career opportunities and become inspired to get invested in our community, and we want our businesses to get access to fresh ideas through this impressive generation of rising professionals.”

Employers interested in attending the event or desiring more information on GCVAC workforce initiatives can contact Brittany Jungck, Director of Business Services at the GCVAC office: (319) 232-1156.

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Cedar Valley Talent Connect Job Fair Scheduled to Serve Former Hostess Employees

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is partnering with Cedar Valley IowaWORKS to host a job fair for former Hostess employees looking for opportunities for employment in industrial positions, logistics, and maintenance.

CEDAR VALLEY of IOWA (November 27, 2012)—On Friday, November 30st from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber (GCVAC) will host a job fair for former Hostess employees looking for new positions. This fair, a part of the GCVAC’s “Cedar Valley Talent Connect” program, will feature approximately twenty, local employers and will be held at Schoitz Room of the Waterloo Center for the Arts, 225 Commercial St. Waterloo, Iowa. Displaced workers with an interest in careers in industrial positions including production workers and material handlers, truck drivers, warehouse personnel, and maintenance will be the focus of this event. The GCVAC is partnering with Cedar Valley IowaWORKS to make direct connections with as many, former Hostess employees as possible. “Brittany Jungck and our entire Economic Development team, along with our partners at IowaWORKS and the Rapid Response team are committed to making unemployment a short-lived condition for former Hostess employees,” said Steve Dust, CEO of GCVAC. Employers interested in participating in the fair can contact Brittany Jungck, Director of Business Services at the GCVAC office: (319) 232-1156. A direct link with information about this event can also be found by clicking here.

Branstad to Visit Cedar Valley to Promote Local SkilledIowa Campaign

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is hosting Governor Terry Branstad and Teresa Wahlert, Director of Iowa Workforce Development to promote the local SkilledIowa campaign aimed at creating a robust talent pool for the 21^st century workforce.

Cedar Valley of Iowa (Nov. 8, 2012) All Cedar Valley businesses are encouraged to attend a SkilledIowa presentation featuring Governor Terry Branstad and Teresa Wahlert, Director of Iowa Workforce Development. They are in the Cedar Valley in support of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber and Hawkeye Community College’s partnership to develop a SkilledIowa Communities program and promoting involvement of local employers. The presentation will include information on how Cedar Valley business and industry can become a Featured Employer, the positive impact of the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) testing system and how to gain access to job profiling advice from workforce professionals.

The GCVAC is promoting the SkilledIowa program as a tool for our employers to attract and retain quality talent. Representatives from the GCVAC and Hawkeye Community College’s IowaWORKS division will be available to answer questions.

“The supply of high quality talent is a key component to economic growth,” states Steve Dust, CEO of the Alliance & Chamber, “Our role is to encourage and facilitate the participation of Cedar Valley companies and institutions so they can fill their positions with skilled job seekers.”

The event is free, but seating is limited. The program will begin at 3pm in the auditorium inside Barrett Forum Auditorium on the Allen College Campus (1990 Heath Street, 50703.

GCVAC Investor Company Far Reach Partner Kate Washut Wins Women of Innovation Award

Cedar Falls–Kate Washut, Partner at Cedar Falls-based Far Reach received a Dupont Pioneer Iowa Women of Innovation Award. Washut won the award in the category of “Entrepreneurial Innovation & Leadership.” The Iowa Women of Innovation Awards are presented annually by the Technology Association of Iowa and recognize women who are leaders in science, technology, engineering, or math.

Winners and finalists were honored at a dinner and ceremony in Des Moines on November 15. Washut was recognized for her accomplishments in technology, including starting her company Far Reach with four other partners in 2007. Far Reach is based in downtown Cedar Falls and offers web design and development services, custom software development, mobile technology solutions, and technology and marketing consulting. Washut was also instrumental in the development of two additional companies, Hired Hand Software and Nu Squared Software. Washut worked with other technology leaders in the Cedar Valley to establish the Cedar Valley TechBrew. This event attracts around 100 attendees each month for idea sharing, networking, and start-up promotion.

The Technology Association of Iowa (TAI) is a professional service organization that strives to strengthen Iowa’s technology ecosystem and enhance the state’s reputation as a technically advanced place where world-class technology firms and organizations thrive. TAI’s Women of Innovation Awards is in its fifth year of honoring Iowa women.

For more information contact Sue Munnik at 319.273.8060, ext. 112, or sue@farreachinc.com.

More info:

http://farreachinc.com

http://www.technologyiowa.org/en/events_services/iowa_women_of_innovation/2012_women_of_innovation/

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