MONDAY, JAN. 8, 2018  |  IN THIS ISSUE  
 
Thomas L. Cardella & Associates was temporarily forced out of its call center in Ottumwa over the weekend by a fire that destroyed an adjacent historic building.

Fire was reported at 5:06 p.m. in the Bridal Cottage at 214 E. Second St., Ottumwa, eventually consuming that building.
 
"We had some water damage, and smoke damage, and we are without electricity," TLC President Tom Cardella said in an e-mail after the fire was extinguished. "The fire department told us that they were very doubtful that they would be able to save our building at some points during the evening."

Mr. Cardella said no one was hurt in the fire, but the call center is expected to be closed until at least the middle of the week. 
 
"We are transporting our staff in Ottumwa to our call centers in Keokuk and in Cedar Rapids until we can get back up and running," he said. 

The 85-year-old Bridal Cottage building was a strong example of Tudor revival architecture and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.    

Andy Diep at Northside Bistro
Northside Bistro has ended a two-and-a-half year run at 203 N. Linn St., Iowa City.
 
The restaurant's closing was announced by owner Andy Diep in a post on Northside Bistro's Facebook page on Friday, with a message of support for Iowa farmers and small businesses.
 
"To all Northside Bistro supporters. I must inform you that Northside Bistro in Downtown District, Iowa City, is now closed. Being part of this community and having an opportunity to meet and work with Iowa farmers is blessing," Mr. Diep wrote. "I am hoping the community continues to support Iowa farmers and small businesses for years to come. Cheers!"
 
Mr. Diep is co-owner of Konomi, a Japanese restaurant in Coralville's Iowa River Landing. He introduced Northside Bistro in mid-2015 as a "open menu" restaurant concept, emphasizing local fresh and local ingredients.

A new book,
Von Maur: How an American Department Store Dared to Do Things Differently, has been released in stores and online nationwide.
 
The book, authored by Iowa native and Iowa City resident Melinda Pradarelli, offers an inside look at one of America's last independent department stores. The company, which is based in Davenport, has more than 30 stores in 15 states.

Von Maur opened its first shop (named Harned & Von Maur Boston Store) in downtown Davenport in 1878. Just before the Great Depression, it merged with Petersen's department store (circa 1872) to create a combined history of 145 years. The book explores the fourth-generation company that today is led by President Jim Von Maur. It shares the story of how Von Maur grew from a small dry goods establishment to a popular downtown department store to a successful national retail chain - all the while keeping its headquarters in the state of Iowa.

To write the book, Ms. Pradarelli was given access to boxes of raw historic information collected at the company headquarters. She also conducted personal interviews, worked with local libraries and museums, and infused historic information about nationwide trends in department stores that follow the arc of the Von Maur story.
 
Ms. Pradarelli is the author of Von Maur and Brenton Banks and a contributing author to The New York Times Circuits: How Electronic Things Work. A native of Cedar Rapids, she graduated from Iowa State University, earned a Pulliam Fellowship from The Arizona Republic and became a journalist for a New York Times group newspaper in South Carolina. In 2016, she launched Meld, a full service marketing firm in Coralville.

Collective Data CEO Jason Wonase demonstrates one of the company's mobile interfaces
Customers keep finding more uses for Collective Data, a family of flexible database products developed in the Corridor that are used by clients to track and maintain everything from truck parts to Tasers.

While the tech world bubbles over apps that can do new and exciting things, Cedar Rapids-based Collective Data offers an example of platform that takes on mundane administrative work, helping users save time and money.

"Businesses and government agencies once kept track of their vehicle fleets and inventories on paper-based systems, and as technology evolved, spreadsheets," explained CEO Jason Wonase. Collective Data got started about 20 years ago by bringing the power of modern database software to bear on the problems, and making it easy to use on multiple devices.

Fleet managers were the original customers. They included organizations such as public works departments and transit authorities with hundreds of pieces of equipment. Not only did they need to keep track of what was in their fleets, but things like how many parts they had in stock to service them.

The platform does much more, however. It provides users with alerts when it's time to bring in a vehicle for service such as oil or tire changes, or when a warranty expiration is looming, potentially saving thousands of dollars. It can also provide a window into patterns in the data that can generate even more savings and fewer failures, showing, for instance, that a vehicle has had an unusual number of accidents or breakdowns when used by specific operators.

"It keeps track of recalls, even implements awareness for traffic violations," Mr. Wonase said. "You could see, "this driver's had three accidents at in the last two years."

To see the full members-first story in this week's CBJ Digital Edition, click here.

Cedar Rapids-based Converge Consulting recently expanded its team with two strategic hires and a new office in Raleigh, North Carolina. 
 
Michael Schinelli joined the agency as chief strategy officer, leading strategic planning, product development, business intelligence and market expansion initiatives from the Raleigh office.

Mr. Schinelli has spent the past nine years in the education marketplace. As chief marketing officer at UNC Kenan-Flagler,  he led a multi-year digital transformation effort and built an integrated marketing team. Prior to his role in Chapel Hill, Mr. Schinelli served as AVP of communications at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.
 
Before venturing into education, Schinelli spent more than a decade in the private sector, including serving as director of creative operations and director of communications at Macy's Inc. in New York City.
 
"Converge has seen incredible growth over the past five years and is poised to continue that growth," Mr. Schinelli stated in a press release. "I look forward to contributing my knowledge and insights to the leading digital agency for education."
 
GiaPhu Dao joins the Raleigh office as the agency's new director of data and analytics. He comes to Converge from Merkle, a global marketing agency, where he integrated analytics and technology to deliver high-performing client marketing solutions. Prior to Merkle, Mr. Dao led similar initiatives at Fidelity Investments, Ingersoll Rand and Accenture. At Converge, he will work closely with colleges and universities to harness digital campaign data for industry-leading reporting and marketing analytics solutions.

In 2017, Converge was named to the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies List for a second consecutive year.
EventHeadlinesShort-Term Event Planner

Jan. 9 
TechBrew AM, by Technology Association of Iowa and ICAD Group, 8-9 a.m., MERGE, 136 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. TAI President Brian Waller will conduct a casual interview with a CIO who will share their favorite music, discuss their career path, and share what's most important for Iowa's technology community moving forward. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/2Ax0pVI

Jan. 10 
1 Million Cups, by 1 Million Cups, 9-10 a.m., Geonetric, 415 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Join for community connections, startup pitches and free coffee. Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MCICR

Ribbon Cutting: Hotka Construction, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, 4 p.m., 2058 Grindstone Dr., Iowa City. Join the Chamber Ambassadors for this ribbon-cutting. Free. 

Jan. 11 
PMI January Meeting, by PMI Eastern Iowa Chapter, 7:15-9 a.m., The Hotel at Kirkwood, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids. Terri Riegel of Transamerica will present the ball flow game, a simulation that teaches teams about the concept of flow and metrics that can be used to assess the impacts of changes. Cost: $15 members, $20 guests. To register, visit bit.ly/2BhXRua.
Don't be left out

Forward the FREE CBJ Business Daily newsletter to your friends and colleagues, and share the feeling of being informed! Use our fast, one-minute subscription to the CBJ's newsletters here, or check out our other subscription options here.

See something we missed? Send tips, leads, corrections, etc. to news@corridorbusiness.com.
Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  
 
One person is dead after a single vehicle accident early Monday morning on I-380 southbound near Highway 30.  Cedar Rapids police were dispatched at 2:38 a.m. today. Officers saw the accident and the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.  The identity of the driver has not yet been released. An investigation is ongoing.

The Iowa City Police Department is investigating an armed robbery that happened early Sunday morning. According to a press release, police responded to Romantix at 1:06 a.m. for an armed robbery.  Police say the suspect was in the store browsing merchandise when he then approached the cashier, as if he was going to buy something, showed a weapon, got an undisclosed amount of money and merchandise, then fled the store. Police say the employee wasn't hurt, but the suspect is still on the lose.  Police say the suspect is described as a white male, approximately 5'9", wearing a black and yellow striped sweater, and a beanie.
 
T hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28 
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast

A January thaw is underway. Temperatures today will be near and above the freezing mark across eastern Iowa. This will mark the first time above freezing since December 22. There will be plenty of sunshine today, then later on tonight clouds are going to move back in. Even though there will be more clouds Tuesday, a southeasterly flow will raise temperatures into the mid 30s.  Then a strong winter storm will move through the state Wednesday into Thursday. Out ahead of the storm, temperatures will be close to 40 degrees Wednesday afternoon and rain showers will be scattered about. Temperatures will be close to 40 early Thursday and then colder air will start to move in. As temperatures drop, there will be a transition to a wintry mix and snow on Thursday afternoon.