Liberty View Wine & Spirits is set to open at a strip mall developed by Lien Vu at W. Penn Street and Country View Lane in North Liberty within the next two weeks.
When Lien Vu came to this country from Viet Nam as a boat person in 1981, she was hungry, jobless and desperate.
"I asked Jesus to help me," Ms. Vu recalled. "I said, 'When I have power in my hands, I will help them - I will help people get jobs, help poor people get money.' And now I can help them."
Ms. Vu eventually found work at the University of Iowa in accounting, a job she held for 20 years. She also operated the Corridor Convenience store in North Liberty for about 13 years, later expanding into the wine and spirits, before selling the business to The Station LLC.
Now Ms. Vu is preparing to open the first shop in the recently completed 14,000-square-foot Liberty View Mall on North Liberty's Penn Street, a project she also developed - with the help, she is quick to say, of a loan from Solon State Bank. Liberty View Wine & Spirits is set to begin selling liquor and wines from the shopping center's 6,500-square-foot anchor location in about a week and a half.
"Let me tell you the truth. I want to help people who have occasions to socialize and I want to provide good, good drinking," Ms. Vu said of her motivations for opening a liquor store. "But the real, real one is to provide people a job."
Ms. Vu says at least six employees will staff the store and she's willing to train them.
"Even if they don't know everything, I want them to learn," she said, adding that some of her friends and family were surprised with her decision to both develop a strip mall and open a wine and spirits shop.
"God told me what to do. Jesus," she said. "When I came here, I had no food. I was hungry. But God was always blessing me."
With her new store, Ms. Vu hopes she can give some blessings back: "I love to help people and I want to give them good jobs."
Jeri Frank, of Stratfolio, presenting at the ISA's Launch Day event in 2016.
Seven Iowa startups, including two based in the Corridor, received innovation funding from the Iowa Economic Development Authority late last week.
New Sharon-based
SwineTech Inc. received a $100,000 loan from the IEDA's Demonstration Fund for the hiring of key personnel, market planning and market entry activities.
The Demonstration Fund provides financial and technical assistance to small and medium-sized companies encourage high-technology prototype and concept development activities that have a clear potential to lead to commercially viable products or services within a reasonable period of time.
SwineTech, led by University of Iowa students Matthew Rooda and Abraham Espinoza, has developed a sensor-based system that uses advanced acoustic technologies to detect when piglets are getting crushed under their mothers. It then delivers an electrical impulse designed to move the sow off the piglet. It also continuously acquires and analyzes real-time data on a sow's vital signs and behaviors 24/7, and offers insight on-demand through mobile devices and an online dashboard.
Mr. Rooda and Mr. Espinoza were named the American Farm Bureau Federation's Entrepreneurs of the Year back in January, beating out three other ag-tech startups from across the country. The company has already won about $300,000 in prize grants and raised $1.3 million in Series A funding.
Cedar Rapids-based Stratafolio received a $25,000 loan from the IEDA's Proof of Commercial Relevance fund for product refinement, proof of concept work and market analysis.
Stratafolio, founded by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Jeri Frank and Uriel Barillas, provides online tools to automate the process of analyzing real estate investments. The couple entered the Iowa Startup Accelerator in 2016 as AssetRover, an online service providing tools for investing in residential real estate, but pivoted to focus on the needs of commercial real estate investors based on their findings.
"The data has a story to tell," Mr. Barillas previously told the CBJ. "We're trying to provide a platform to help them [investors] understand what that data means."
Other Iowa startups receiving funding included Accelerated Ag Technologies, of Ankeny; InfraDrone LLC, of Des Moines;
Insulights.com Inc., of Des Moines; Optimum Fleet Health, of Davenport; and StemBox Inc., of Des Moines.
Old Capitol Food Company is positioning itself for future growth, but co-founder Jake Gratzon said growth will never come at the expense of quality or customer relationships.
As the nation's second-highest soybean producing state, Iowa farmers grew about 10.1 million acres of the crop in 2017, according to the USDA. Yet despite swimming in a veritable sea of soy, many Iowans have largely proved resistant to its culinary charms.
"We're proud to grow it, but not proud to eat it," said Jake Gratzon, who co-founded Old Capitol Food Company with partner Matthew Mesaros nearly three years ago in hopes of turning one of the state's most abundant resources into silken, firm and extra firm gold, while also changing minds and diets in the process.
Mr. Gratzon, who was raised eating fresh tofu made in his hometown of Fairfield, said the company's product is unlike the tofu most consumers have tried before - smoother, sweeter and 100 percent fresh-made from just three ingredients: USDA organic soybeans, Japanese nigari (magnesium chloride) and water run through a reverse osmosis filtration system.
"Tofu doesn't need a salesman, it needs an advocate," Mr. Gratzon said, adding that not only does the soy-based product improve health and reduce greenhouse gases, it can be a valuable addition to even the most devout meateater's diet.
Mr. Gratzon and his team have been strong advocates so far. Since making their first batch of fresh tofu in their built-from-scratch production and distribution headquarters on the far east side of Iowa City in July 2015, the company has grown to the point where it now puts out about 2,250 pounds a week.
Read the full, members-first story in this week's print or digital edition of the CBJ.
Older entrepreneurs less optimistic than their younger cohort
Though American entrepreneurs are feeling good about the future overall, a new survey suggests older business owners are more pessimistic than younger ones.
According to a Kauffman Foundation study, 77 percent of those who've been in business more than five years and 67 percent of newer business owners rated their 2017 performance positively as did 70 percent of owners under age 45. But only 59 percent of entrepreneurs 45 and older said their businesses did well last year.
In a similar finding, 91 percent of entrepreneurs under 45 said they expected their businesses to perform well this year, while just 81 percent of those 45 and up agreed.
"These findings are consistent with previous research we conducted, where older entrepreneurs tended to cite practical concerns around making money and meeting family obligations," said Larry Jacobs, vice president of public affairs for the Kauffman Foundation, in a release. "They are likely harsher critics of themselves and their business if they aren't meeting or exceeding those expectations."
By contrast, Mr. Jacobs said, "younger entrepreneurs tended to be more driven by passion, motivated by the idea. Money, although important, was a secondary consideration."
On a more hopeful note, the Kauffman researchers found that most older entrepreneurs had support from family and friends to start their businesses, just as younger ones did. In fact, they were slightly more likely to get the encouragement: 82 percent of those older than 45 had support compared with 80 percent under 45.
Older entrepreneurs also reported having less difficulty starting their businesses than younger ones, in a variety of ways. For example, while 32 percent of startup owners under 45 said obtaining the necessary licenses to operate their business was difficult, only 23 percent of older ones did. Also, 23 percent of owners under 45 said registering their business for a state tax ID was difficult, but just 14 percent of those over 45 felt that way. And 21 percent of those under 45 said applying for loans was difficult, but a mere 14 percent of those 45 and up agreed.
Consulting: Is the bottom falling out for digital marketing?
In this week's consulting spotlight, Molly Altorfer of The Common Sense Collective, warns we might be on the verge of a digital bust - and that has major implications for businesses large and small.
Fortune 500 companies and most B2B companies remain bullish on the advertising industry as a way to reach consumers and build brands. One only needs to tune in or log on to be inundated by a rush of consumer advertising.
In 2017, total media ad spending was estimated to exceed $205.06 billion. That's a ton of intrusive media (radio and television) advertising, with a great deal of the total spent - almost 40 percent - directed to digital platforms like Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and YouTube.
These digital behemoths continue to refine their platforms and monetization strategies as even more users turn to their mobile devices for web search and video streaming. According to eMarketer, "by 2021, digital's share [of the advertising pot] will climb to 51.3 percent as advertisers continue to reduce outlays on traditional media."
That's a lot of dollars allocated to digital advertising.
But, as we've witnessed in the recent past with the financial markets, bubbles burst. Could the digital advertising bubble burst? It's an interesting concept to consider for companies in the United States.
Short answer: Yes, the digital ad bubble could burst.
But will it? And, relying on our financial analogy, will companies be able to call the "high" and the "low"?
There are several indicators of who may precipitate the bursting of the digital ad bubble. Recently, Fortune 500 company Procter & Gamble - home to brands Tide, Crest and Pampers - eliminated at least $200 million of its digital advertising last year. The reason: the lack of transparency in digital advertising.
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Corridor Stocks
Short-Term Event Planner
April 2
Networking Night Out, by Professional Women's Network, 5:30-7 p.m., WineStyles, 4201 42nd St. NE, Cedar Rapids. Enjoy light appetizers and wine during this casual networking night out. Tickets: $20. To RSVP, email
[email protected].
April 3 Introduction to Innovation, by Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, 8-9:15 a.m., 501 First St. SE, Cedar Rapids. Learn from Mandy Webber about how to implement more innovative practices in your organization. Free. To register, visit
bit.ly/2pm2w7e.
April 4 Wisdom Wednesday, by ICAD Group, 9-10 a.m., MERGE, 136 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Hear from ConnectFive about journey mapping and the user experience. Free. For more information, visit
bit.ly/2DD8K70.
Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
Unanimous city council support is pushing one of Coralville's most ambitious construction projects forward, as the five-member council approved up to $50 million in loans to secure the 5,716-seat
Iowa Arena. The $71 million project will house multiple athletic teams for practice and games, with developers aiming to attract a junior level hockey team. The space will also serve as an arts and entertainment venue. City leaders are committed to expanding the Iowa River Landing's footprint with the 180-acre arena, with 100 percent of the cost being covered upfront and excluding arena operations. Private contributions, naming rights, new market tax credits, and a $12 million grant from the Iowa Reinvestment District will help cover the bulk of construction costs, with plans to break ground in mid-April. Council member Jill Dodds has served the city since 2012, saying the arena has been in the works since before she arrived. "This goes back clear to the 1990s," Ms. Dodds said.
Crews are eager to start the project, already ordering most of the steel for construction as President Trump attempts to impose tariffs. The rapidly expanding neighborhood has seen restaurants and new businesses move into nearby spaces, hoping to leverage the location for increased traffic once the arena is open.
One person was hurt Wednesday evening after being shot in Washington, Iowa. The Washington County Communications Center tells CBS2 News it happened at 106 South Avenue B at 6:50 PM.
The person shot was transported by the ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Information about the victim, what led to the shooting, or their condition has not been released.
Officials in Washington County declined to comment when CBS2 News asked if anyone has been arrested or if a suspect has been identified. The Washington Police Department, Washington County Sheriff's Office and the Division of Criminal Investigation are working together on the investigation.
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast
As we head closer to April we're still searching for spring weather. Today will be partly sunny and cool. Temperatures will climb into the low to mid 40s and it will be breezy. This will mark the ninth straight day in a row of below normal temperatures. And that streak will likely get longer...There will be more sunshine Friday but temperatures will still be held in the 40s and near 50. Clouds will build late Friday in advance of our next system. This storm will track north of the state, keeping temperatures above freezing and leading to scattered rain showers. Rain will move in overnight Friday into Saturday and move out by midday Saturday. Cooler air moves in Saturday and will lead to a very chilly Easter Sunday. Temperatures will be in the 30s on Easter, which will be the coldest Easter we've had since 2008.
From boat person to developer, a businesswoman's journey 
