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MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 | IN THIS ISSUE
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Transamerica is proposing a $40 million investment in the company's south campus as it consolidates operations from its north campus on Edgewood Road to the company's south location at 6250 and 6300 C Street SW.
The plans include renovation of the 160,000-square-foot former HIBU facility, which is currently vacant, and renovation of the existing 320,000-square-foot Transamerica building. They also include a new 51,300-square-foot addition to connect the two buildings.
All Transamerica employees will be relocated to the campus, according to a staff memo to Cedar Rapids City Council members, who will consider a request from Transamerica for tax incentives under the city's Community Benefit-Economic Development program. Th
e $40 million investment planned by Transamerica would add about $30 million to the assessed valuation of the properties, which are currently assessed at $49.3 million. The city's assistance program would provide a tax exemption that would begin at 80 percent of the added valuation, declining gradually to a 20 percent exemption over a 10-year period. About $4.7 million in taxes would be exempted over a 10-year period, while about $23.5 million in taxes would be paid over the same period.
City staff say the project will qualify for the program because it will provide for the retention of existing Transamerica employees and represents a long-term commitment by the city to the community. At a meeting of the Iowa Department of Transportation last year, former Mayor Ron Corbett also asked the state to support intersection improvements at C Street SW and Highway 30 to support the traffic generated by Transamerica.
The financial assistance for Transamerica's south campus improvements will be discussed at the city council's meeting at noon Tuesday.
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Joe Johnson
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The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation has named Joe Johnson its new executive director and secretary-treasurer of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.
Mr. Johnson assumes his new position on April 20. He succeeds Denny Presnall who will retire after 36 years with Farm Bureau.
"As a long-time leader in our organization, Joe is passionate about Farm Bureau and brings in-depth knowledge of the organization and agriculture that will be a tremendous asset to us," IFBF President Craig Hill stated in a press release. "The IFBF Board of Directors believes his integrity, proven leadership experience and ability to build solid relationships will help lead IFBF into the next century and we look forward to working with him."
Mr. Johnson, a 33-year veteran of the Iowa Farm Bureau, has served since 2010 as director of Field Service, where he oversees and guides the activities of the regional managers and 100 county Farm Bureaus, as well as the leadership and farm business development areas. Mr. Johnson was instrumental in spearheading the creation of a new farm transition program, Take Root, which has assisted over 5,000 members in 99 counties and helped increase participation in the Young Farmer program to a record high.
Prior to that, he served as senior state policy advisor in government relations for 13 years, working with the Iowa legislature to guide policy efforts on behalf of members. From 1985 to 1997, he also served as regional manager for six counties in southeast Iowa.
Mr. Johnson is a graduate of Wartburg College. He and his wife, Karen, have two grown children and six grandchildren.
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The Iowa District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration has named the city of Waterloo as the recipient of its 2018 SBA Iowa Small Business Community of the Year Award.
This is the fourth year for the award, which highlights community efforts to support small business. The city of Waterloo was recognized by the SBA's Iowa District Office based on the following criteria:
- Key programs and incentives implemented to attract and retain small businesses.
- Leveraging of community resources with other federal, state, county and local programs to benefit the small business community.
- Examples of how the community directly contributed to the success of local small businesses.
"This recognition of Waterloo is long overdue," Jayne Armstrong, district director of the SBA's Iowa District Office, said in a press release. "Under Mayor Quentin Hart's leadership, Waterloo has made small business a major focus of its economic development strategy. By collaborating with other economic development partners at the federal, state and regional levels, Waterloo is creating an ideal environment for small business start-ups and expansions."
Armstrong cited key successes as Waterloo's ongoing partnership with neighboring communities, especially Cedar Falls, and its support of regional economic development initiatives, such as the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber, TechWorks Campus and the University of Northern Iowa's wide range of economic development programs like the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center.
The city also supports a strong Main Street program and SBA resources such as America's Small Business Development Center at UNI and local SCORE mentors. Its ongoing partnership with the SBA has contributed to SBA's loan volume doubling from nine to 18 loans in the past year. In addition, Waterloo-based Blackhawk Economic Development Corporation was recently honored as SBA's Top Certified Development Company in Iowa.
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A crosswalk design project
CREDIT: BETTER BLOCK FOUNDATION
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Czech Village-New Bohemia Main Street District will be hosting a series of events April 19 and 20 to generate ideas and excitement for local projects that combine arts, culture, and creativity in Cedar Rapids.
The events will be led by the Better Block Foundation and supported by Main Street Iowa and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Czech Village-New Bohemia Main Street District was one of five Iowa communities selected through a competitive process to participate in this onsite technical service opportunity.
The Better Block Foundation, an urban design nonprofit based in Dallas, has worked with communities throughout the United States from Aberdeen, South Dakota, to Charlotte, North Carolina, and internationally from Sydney, Australia to Copenhagen, Denmark. Better Block recently led an interactive training in Ottumwa, Iowa, with Main Street leaders from across the state demonstrating the partnership and implementation of creative placemaking initiatives.
The visit will kick off on Thursday evening at 6pm at CSPS Hall, 1103 3rd St SE, with a public presentation by Jason Roberts, Founder of the Better Block Foundation and recently named one of the 100 "Most Influential Urbanists."
Mr. Roberts' will provide examples of revitalization projects utilizing short-term, high-impact approaches. Following the presentation, Better Block will lead a mini-build project to demonstrate the transformative effects of creative placemaking elements shared in the presentation and plant the seed for larger scale project ideas.
On Friday morning from 8-11 a.m.at NewBo City Market, 1100 Third St. SE, the Better Block team will facilitate a series of targeted discussions to generate locally-driven ideas to engage people in downtown revitalization efforts. Participation in the presentation and visioning session are free. To register for the Better Block presentation and mini-build, click here. To register for the Better Block Community visioning session, click here.
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Lena Hill
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Lena Hill,
senior associate to the president, interim chief diversity officer, and associate vice president at the University of Iowa, has been named dean of the College at Washington and Lee University in Virginia.
Washington & Lee Provost Marc Conner announced Ms. Hill's appointment, which is effective July 1.
"I am delighted that Lena Hill has accepted the position of dean of the college," Mr Conner said in a press release. "Lena brings impressive administrative and leadership experience from a major national university. She is an accomplished scholar and dedicated teacher who understands what a great liberal arts college is all about. She knows W&L well and appreciates what makes us distinctive. Her perspective and skill set will be of great benefit to our community."
Ms. Hill has been a professor of English and African-American studies at Iowa since 2006, and received tenure as an associate professor in 2013. She has served as director of undergraduate studies for the English department, and in 2016 was appointed senior associate to the president before assuming the role of interim chief diversity officer and associate vice president in 2017. In that role she leads three major units of the university - the Center for Diversity and Enrichment, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, and the Diversity Resources Team - and supervises 35 staff members, while overseeing a budget of $3 million.
At W&L, the dean of the college has responsibility for 21 departments, four interdepartmental majors, and seven interdepartmental programs. The dean serves as chair of the Committee on Courses and Degrees and belongs to the Faculty Executive Committee. The dean reports to the provost and serves on the Provost's Academic Council.
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 Short-Term Event Planner
April 9
Coralville Roundtable, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, noon-1 p.m., Gus' Food and Spirits, 2421 Coral Court, Coralville. Roundtables are social lunches over the noon hour. All are invited to network and keep up-to-date with chamber and community events. Free for members. Call the chamber at (319) 337-9637 if interested and not a member.
IIG Monthly Meeting, by Iowa Investors Group, 7 p.m., Community Savings Bank, 101 Robins Square Court, Robins. Charlie Sauer will speak over Skype about his efforts on patent reform and the Inventors Groups of America. Free. For more information, visit iowainventorsgroup.org.
April 10
EIHRA Membership Meeting, by EIHRA, 7:30-9 a.m., The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids. Join for a membership meeting featuring Rob Lapota of MRA. Cost: Free for members, $15 for non-members. For more information or to register, visit bit.ly/2DLEkEu.
TechBrew AM, by Technology Association of Iowa and Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, 8-9 a.m., Economic Alliance, 501 First St. SE, Cedar Rapids. TAI President Brian Waller will conduct a casual interview with a local executive as part of this informal networking event. Free. Register at technologyiowa.org/events.
April 11
Veterans Breakfast, by ISU CIRAS, 7:30-8:45 a.m., The Kirkwood Hotel, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids. Hear from Dennis Clark about his experiences providing prosthetic care to wounded soldiers. Free. To register, visit
bit.ly/2G62S8h.
Go Big and Come Home, by Corridor Area Leadership Live, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., The Early Bird, 333 First St. SE, Cedar Rapids. Join other community-minded leaders and hear from an accomplished lineup of speakers with "boomerang" success stories. Cost: $16 for lunch. For more information, visit
bit.ly/2uyu1jb.
Corridor Business Development Expo, by Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, 8:15 a.m.-1 p.m., The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids. Expand your network by making connections with local businesses, contractors and government agencies while learning from local and national experts in government contracting. Free. To register, visit
bit.ly/2IfKCLi
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Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
Johnson County has hired its first aging specialst in the county's history. Jeff Kellbach joins the county's social services department to help older adults navigate resources. In this role, Mr. Kellbach plans to provide a number of services such as helping find affordable housing, filling out paperwork, and using public transportation.
"The population of individuals over the age of 65 in this county has grown dramatically over the last 8 years," said Jeff Kellbach, the Johnson County Aging Specialist.
It's for this very reason Mr. Kellbach was hired.
"Dealing with aging issues, they really wanted to have that individual that they could go through to be able to address those issues; help connect them with different services that are available in the community," said Mr. Kellbach.
As of 2017, more than 13,000 people over the age of 65 live in Johnson County.
The annual Independence Day celebration is being held on Tuesday, July 3 this year.
The 1980's pop star has sold 25 million albums and has several Top 40 hits, including "Jesse's Girl" and "Love Somebody." The festival
is held in Coralville's
S.T. Morrison Park and Rick Springfield will take the stage at 8:00 pm. An unnamed opening act will begin at 6:30 pm.
T
hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
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CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast
It is going to be a wild week of weather in Eastern Iowa going from winter to spring... and back to winter.
Flurries will wind down this morning and snow will begin to melt away. It will be mostly cloudy this afternoon but temperatures will warm into the mid to upper 30s. Temperatures will be below normal but warmer on Tuesday with highs in the 40s.
Then we'll start to see some signs of spring. Temperatures will be in the low 60s Wednesday with a chance for scattered showers in the late afternoon. Wednesday will be the warmest day we've had since February 27th. And it gets warmer! Sunshine and warmth Thursday with temperatures in the upper 60s... then many of us could crack 70 Friday afternoon.
A strong storm will move in Friday and will send temperatures into the 60s and 70s. Showers and thunderstorms will break out across the state and there's the potential for some strong storms as well. Behind the storm cold air will move in and there may be a transition to snow showers on Saturday. It will then be a chilly weekend with temperatures back in the 30s and 40s.
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