Tag Archives: Greater Cedar Valley Alliance &Chamber

Succession Planning Workshop is Nov. 9

RSVP by Nov 2 to Learn to Transition Leadership, Ownership of Business

Speakers will answer questions such as:

Who will take over when I leave?
What does business transition look like?
How do I plan for succession?

CEDAR VALLEY OF IOWA, October 10, 2017 – Learn the process of identifying and developing new leaders of your business to replace yourself or other leaders who retire leave at an Advance Iowa Succession Planning Workshop on November 9 in Waterloo.

The workshop will be from 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. on November 9 at Waterloo Center for the Arts, Rotary Room, 225 Commercial Street, Waterloo. It is an event of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber.

The workshop is designed for owners and partners of small- to medium-size companies who are considering retirement or selling their business within the next five to 10 years.

The idea is to get them to start thinking of an exit strategy, said Lisa Skubal, Vice President for Economic Development, Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber. The transition doesn’t only affect owners and senior leadership, it also affects employees.

Lisa Skubal

“It takes years to be able to plan out what that succession plan is,” Skubal said. “We want those businesses to continue to grow and thrive where they are in the Cedar Valley.”

Because almost every seat was filled in at a similar April workshop, the Alliance & Chamber scheduled this second session.

“We introduce those opportunities and give them the resources so they start having those conversations,” Skubal said.

Speakers will answer questions such as

Who will take over when I leave?
What does business transition look like?
How do I plan for succession?

Speakers are Paul Kinghorn, Director of the Center for Business Growth and Innovation at the University of Northern Iowa, and Dan Beenken, Program Director and Lead Consultant for Advance Iowa.

Register for the workshop by November 2 online at www.cedarvalleyalliance.com, by emailing info@cedarvalleyalliance.com, or by calling the Alliance & Chamber at 319-232-1156.

About Advance Iowa

Advance Iowa is the State of Iowa’s comprehensive consulting program designed to work with mid-sized companies to enhance their growth. It is often lonely at the top for business owners, we are here to be a third party sounding board and trusted advisor. Advance Iowa assists firms in overcoming their obstacles and helps to identify new opportunities. Advance Iowa is a program at the Center for Business Growth and Innovation at the University of Northern Iowa. Learn more at www.advanceiowa.com or call 319-273-4322.

About Paul Kinghorn

Paul Kinghorn, Advance Iowa

Paul Kinghorn is the Director of the Center for Business Growth and Innovation at the University of Northern Iowa. Kinghorn has held ownership and key management positions within public and private organizations including a variety of startups and early stage business ventures. He has experienced the complexities inherent in commercializing technology and innovation and in bringing improvement into organizations and has over 20 years’ experience consulting with businesses of various sizes in all aspects of their operations. Paul has an interest and passion in the areas of ideation, startup development, strategy, leadership development and process efficiency particularly as each pertains to enhancing sustainability and maximizing shareholder value. Kinghorn received his bachelor’s degree from Franklin University and MBA from Ohio University.

About Dan Beenken

Dan Beenken, Advance Iowa

Dan Beenken serves as the Program Director and Lead Consultant for Advance Iowa. Prior to his current roles, his experience was in the asset management, venture capital and investment banking industries, most recently in business development and product management for RBC Dain Rauscher. Beenken has extensive experience working with early-stage firms on capital formation and exit strategies. He has also served as a business consultant at the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University. Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and entrepreneurial management from Iowa State University and an MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business.

7 Habits Cedar Valley Two-Day Workshop Helps Businesses Achieve Results

Leadership Training Event is November 28-29 in Cedar Falls

WATERLOO, IOWA (October 27, 2017) – Principles and practices taught during the 7 Habits Cedar Valley two-day leadership workshop help businesses and organizations achieve and sustain superior results by increasing the effectiveness of individual employees.

7 Habits Cedar Valley will be held 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 pm. on November 28 and 29 at Cedar Falls Public Works, 2200 Technology Parkway, Cedar Falls. Lunch and snacks are provided both days.

Participants will gain hands-on experience, applying sound principles that yield higher productivity, improved communication, strengthened relationships, increased influence, and laser-like focus on critical priorities.

7 Habits Cedar Valley is sponsored by Leader Valley, a talent development initiative of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber. The workshop is based on Dr. Stephen Covey’s best-seller, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

Cost is $375 for one Alliance & Chamber investor or $1,875 for a table of six. Non-investors pay $450 for one participants or $2,700 for a table of six.

Reservation deadline is November 15. Reserve your seat online at cedarvalleyalliance.com or by calling 319-232-1156.

Alliance & Chamber Hosts Business After Hours November 9 at Renovated Community Bank & Trust

RSVP by Nov. 1

WATERLOO, IOWA (October 26, 2017) – Investors of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber can tour the recently renovated Community Bank & Trust building in downtown Waterloo during Business After Hours on November 9.

The event will be 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. on November 9 at Community Bank & Trust, 422 Commercial Street, Waterloo.

Business After Hours is an opportunity for 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. Each event attracts more than 125 investors.

There is no cost to attend the event. Investors may RSVP by November 1 by contacting Bette Wubbena at bwubbena@cedarvalleyalliance.com or by calling 319-232-1156.

Premier Sponsor is Community Bank & Trust. Gold Sponsors are CenturyLink and KWWL.

5 on Friday: Fuel for Thought

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

image Fuel for thought graphic What's Steve Dust Reading this Week? October 20, 2017

John Deere Waterloo TV ad

John Deere has begun showing a terrific 30-second ad on TV in the Cedar Valley area. You have to watch it. Send it along to your colleagues and friends.

Building the best large tractors :30 TV spot

And here’s a nearly eight-minute version

Building the best large tractors

When Should The Firm Adopt Additive Manufacturing

The University of Northern Iowa’s amazing Additive Manufacturing Center and Design Lab in our TechWorks Tech 1 building continues to expand in size, industrial production scale equipment, and Iowa clients served. We know that additive manufacturing in the industrial setting will be an important growth sector for the Cedar Valley, in terms of our firms’ investment in the technology, as well as the opportunity to recruit the makers of the equipment. I am trying to learn more about how the firm makes that investment decision, as well as be better informed about the technology. Here’s a good article with a process and opinion on how the evaluation should be structured.

Courtesy of Supply Chain Management Review.

Is Your Supply Chain Ready for Additive Manufacturing? André Kieviet and Suraj M. Alexander, Supply Chain Management Review, October 16, 2017

Zappos Hsieh on Business Organization

Zappos’ top guy has been famous for risks and successes in e-commerce and flaming failures. Still, he has more than1,500 employees in one of the attention-grabbing e-commerce firms. And he’s a damned good organizational thinker. Here’s an interview he did with the McKinsey firm to make sense out of his “holocracy” approach to organizational management. It is a good, and thought-provoking read.

Safe enough to try: An interview with Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, McKinsey Quarterly, October 2017

China Strategy

This week, China commenced a session of its National Congress of the Communist Party. This Congress is held every five years. George Friedman, one of the best, objective observers of global geo-political/economic issues, republished a report with his analysis of the “grand strategy” employed by China. This nation that has seen extraordinary economic activity and growth, according to Friedman, may be operating in a different strategic framework than we might think.

In China, a Strategy Born of Weakness, Geopolitical Futures, October 18, 2017

Surviving the Merger

We haven’t merged again, but many of your firms are acquiring new operations or creating strategic partnerships of various kinds. No matter how small, these moves require thoughtful communications to all involved to ease anxieties about the post-agreement workplace. This is a good Harvard Business Review article on the topic that would be a good tool for individuals engaged in your growth program.

Surviving M&A: How to thrive amid the turmoil, Harvard Business Review, by Mitchell Lee Marks, Philip Mirvis, and Ron Ashkenas, March-April 2017

Letter of Support for Convention Center, Hotel Agreement

In a letter to Mayor Quentin Hart and Waterloo Council Members, Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber CEO Steve Dust outlines several reasons why the city should approve an agreement with developer Leslie Hospitality Company. “This agreement is beneficial to the city’s taxpayers, and should be seen as enabling a significant benefit to the Cedar Valley economy and your city’s image,” Dust writes.

Waterloo City Council members approved selling the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center to Leslie Hospitality Company on July 17.

Read Dust’s letter of support.

Jim Schaefer joins the Alliance & Chamber as Director of Investor Relations

Cedar Valley of Iowa (April 12, 2017) – The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is pleased
that Jim Schaefer has joined its’ professional team as Director of Investor Relations.

The Director of Investor Relations is primarily responsible for investor-member recruitment and retention.

“Jim is a strong advocate for the Cedar Valley,” says Steve Dust, Alliance & Chamber CEO, “He brings 25 years of experience in sales and marketing in business-to-business transactions, as well as a history of volunteering to make the Cedar Valley a stronger place. Jim will be an integral part of delivering value to our existing and not-yet investors, and all businesses and institutions in the Cedar Valley economic area.”

Most recently, Schaefer was a Regional Territory Manager at Professional Office Services, Inc. (POS). He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa, earning his B.A. in Political Science. He resides in Waterloo with his wife, Kristin, and three children. He will begin his work with the Alliance & Chamber on April 17, 2017.

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is a private, not-for-profit corporation working to increase wealth and economic vitality through collaborative economic and community development throughout the Cedar Valley economic area. Details about the many programs and initiatives of the Alliance & Chamber can be found at www.cedarvalleyalliance.com or by calling Steve Dust, CEO at (319) 232-1156.

ALLIANCE & CHAMBER PREPARES TO MOVE TO TECHWORKS CAMPUS

Cedar Valley of Iowa – “It only makes sense that our offices are located in TechWorks”, emphasizes Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber CEO Steve Dust, “we are inseparable partners in Cedar Valley economic development, and TechWorks is attracting tenants that we want to be near.” Dust shows his enthusiasm when talking about the new offices under construction, and to be occupied by the organizations he leads. The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is moving their office to the second floor of the Tech 1 Building on the campus operated by the Alliance & Chamber subsidiary, TechWorks Campus.

The 6,000 square feet of space will be occupied by the professional staff of 15 full-time, part-time, and contracted team members. The organizations located there include the Alliance & Chamber and its subsidiaries TechWorks and Leader Valley Foundation, as well as affiliated Cedar Valley Manufacturers Network and Cedar Valley Innovation Network.

Occupying space in TechWorks makes a lot of sense from a number of angles, and supports the work of the regional development, business promotion, and civic leadership organization. The Alliance & Chamber moves to space they have been deeply involved in for over a decade. The new space is immediately above the growing UNI Additive Manufacturing Center and the Design Lab collaboratively managed by Hawkeye Community College and UNI. The Alliance & Chamber space is one floor below the Cedar Valley Makerspace and offices available. And it is immediately next door to the new mixed-use Green@TechWorks project, opening a Courtyard by Marriott, conference center, and themed restaurant during mid-year. John Deere will open its new training center in The Green during the same time frame.

The growth of the riverfront and US 63 corridor fits nicely in the decision to build in Tech 1. “A decade ago when TechWorks began its redevelopment work,” Dust said, “the Campus was in the middle of nothing. Now, it’s central to one of the most active development districts in the Midwest.” He continues, “in addition to everything happening and about to happen on-campus, we’re next to the new Grand Crossing mixed-use project on the former Grand Hotel site, down the street from the new SingleSpeed brewery and restaurant; near all the riverfront amenities and new housing. We’re also right next to the new Hawkeye Urban Campus building. There will be as much collaboration between Tech 1 building users and the Urban Campus as there will be between the Marriott and nearby Cedar Valley SportsPlex, in my view.” concludes Dust.

The new space itself is a fresh change for the Alliance & Chamber. It’s designed in an open style, with minimal enclosed offices and a maximum of collaboration spaces. “We toured a lot of office layouts in new and old structures,” says Alliance & Chamber Vice President of Operations & General Manager Sandi Sommerfelt, “and it gave us a lot of guidance on best practices.” The new space includes huddle spaces for 2 to 5 people to congregate and meeting rooms of various sizes. It also includes some quiet spaces. “Sometimes, people do need to have a minimum of noise and privacy. For those not assigned to an office, we have provided small rooms for crunch time concentration and communications, and small, confidential meetings”, continued Sommerfelt.

The space features a lot of large windows, a part of the historical manufacturing building structure. “We designed the walls in such a way to use the natural light to its maximum,” says Sommerfelt. The project designers also worked to maintain the feel of the John Deere production environment that extended just into the 21^st Century in this building. Sealed concrete floors, exposed brick walls, and open ceilings in most locations provides not only a modern “loft” feel, but pays homage to its history. “We make things in the Cedar Valley, and it’s only natural that we’d celebrate that heritage in the place dedicated to economic growth and improving the business climate,” Dust adds.

“The move-in date has been set at April 24”, says Sommerfelt, who has been the Alliance & Chamber’s project manager. Dust notes, “Sandi has a done a terrific job. I asked her to take on a major project, one she’s not been involved with in the past. She jumped in, assembling the team, acquiring the financing and negotiating the lease.” And as construction began, she shared project management with TechWorks Vice President & General Manager Wes James, who has managed the construction and maintenance in the Tech 1 building since it opened. “His knowledge and experience in working with this construction team, and this building has been absolutely invaluable,” Sommerfelt adds.

The design of the space was led by StruXture Architects, and the general contractor is Cardinal Construction, who utilized Young Plumbing & Heating, Shaw Electric, Hawkeye Alarm & Signal, Budget Blinds of Waterloo, Lindgren Glass Products, and Blackhawk Automatic Sprinklers. The furnishings contractor is Kirk Gross Company. It’s no accident that all of the building team operate in the Cedar Valley. “It’s imperative”, says Sommerfelt, “It’s the point we make with our Value in the Valley initiative. We promote doing business in the Cedar Valley, and our work is funded by membership investments of our businesses. It’s our practice to do business with our investor-members, while watching the costs through competitive proposals in each area of cost”, says Sommerfelt. “We encourage everyone to do the same,” she concludes.

But they’re still not finished even when the group moves in. “We have a large meeting room that we’d like to finish adjacent to our offices.” It is designed to hold about 60 people in a classroom setting. It would be used by the Alliance & Chamber for board meetings, Leader Valley training seminars, and regional collaboration sessions, such as for the Manufacturers Network and Cedar Valley Regional Partnership. It would also be available to other tenants of the Tech 1 building. “We invite businesses and individuals who would like to help make that happen through sponsorship to contact Steve or me. It’s a terrific way to recognize your family or business while providing a meeting room where thousands will meet each year,” encouraged Sommerfelt.

The TechWorks Campus is a 30-acre advanced manufacturing, research and development, innovation, education, commercial and manufacturing center. Located in downtown Waterloo adjacent to the John Deere Drive Train Operations, the campus is comprised of sites for new development and 300,000 square feet space in two historic John Deere manufacturing buildings. More information about TechWorks Campus can be found at www.techworkscampus.com or by calling Cary Darrah, President at (319) 232-1156.

The Leader Valley Foundation, born out of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber’s priority to develop a strong workforce and to strengthen business and education collaboration, has been formed to lead a business-education partnership to develop the leadership skills of Cedar Valley students to improve and close the skills gap over time, and prepare our students for a career, college and citizenship. More information about Leader Valley can be found at www.leadervalley.org or by calling Dr. Melissa Reade, Director at (319) 232-1156.

Steve Dust receives ABI’s Advocacy in Action Award

The Alliance & Chamber congratulates Steve Dust on being honored with the 2016 Advocacy in Action Award by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry.

The Iowa Association of Business and Industry is pleased to present its 2016 Advocacy in Action award to Steve Dust for his work to advance ABI’s public policy agenda. The award was presented during the Advanced Manufacturing Conference on Oct. 4.

Dust is the president and CEO of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber. Dust has been a chief advocate and architect of the new Cedar Valley TechWorks campus, a 30-acre advanced manufacturing, research and development, innovation, education, commercial and manufacturing center in downtown Waterloo.

The Advocacy in Action award was created in 2014 to recognize ABI members’ commitment to ABI advocacy efforts.

Dust serves on the ABI Board of Directors and has been a vocal advocate for Iowa business issues. He frequently meets with area legislators and members of Iowa’s congressional delegation about issues important to companies in the Cedar Valley. In addition to his leadership at the Alliance, he takes part in ABI’s public policy committee process, hosts ABI members at his facility, attends ABI’s biennial Washington D.C. fly-in and many other ABI public policy events. He is a platinum level contributor to ABI’s Iowa Industry PAC.

“Steve Dust is the epitome of an advocate,” ABI President Mike Ralston said. “He tirelessly represents the greater Cedar Valley, his investors and all Iowa businesses to make Iowa a better place to live and work. We are grateful for Steve’s leadership and appreciate his collaboration with ABI.”

Dust ABI award 2016

Wubbena Business & Professional Women Woman of the Year

The Alliance & Chamber congratulates Bette Wubbena for being named the Cedar Valley Woman of the Year by the Cedar Falls chapter of Business & Professional Women.

This year’s Cedar Valley Woman of the Year was awarded to Bette Wubenna at the 11th Annual Salute To Women event held on Tuesday, October 18th at the Park Place Event Center and hosted by The Business and Professional Women’s Club of Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Bette grew up in Allison, Iowa and graduated from Allison-Bristow High School. She has been employed with the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber for over 26 years and currently serves as the Events Director. Bette has also been involved with numerous volunteer activities including the My Waterloo Days Parade Committee, the Waterloo School Foundation Trick or Trot Committee, the Waterloo Schools Foundation Breakfast Committee, the Family YWCO Capital Campaign Steering Committee, the Allen Foundation Development Committee, the Unity Point/Allen Capital Campaign Steering Committee and the American Heart Association Go Red Luncheon Committee. Bette is also a member of the Waterloo Downtown Rotary Club.

Each year, nominations from all over the Cedar Valley are submitted to the BPW of Cedar Falls women’s club to be voted on. Past winners of the prestigious Cedar Valley Woman of the Year award include Jean Trainor (2006), Heather Predergast (2007), Kathy Lee (2008), Maureen Collins-Williams (2009), Doris Kelley (2010), Jan Anderson (2011), Velda Philips (2012), Susan Whitson (2013), Kim Manning (2014), and Joyce Coil (2015). The BPW of Cedar Falls holds the annual Salute to Women event to honor professional women in the Cedar Valley as well as to raise scholarship funds for non-traditional students.