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THURSDAY, NOV. 16, 2017 | IN THIS ISSUE
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Cedar Rapids wine bar Della Viti is being toasted by the Iowa Small Business Development Center with its statewide Business of the Month Award.
The wine lounge with an industrial speakeasy sensibility opened this summer at 203 First Ave SE. Co-owner Sarah Rivera said she was inspired to open the lounge to give people a place to enjoy a glass of wine without having to go to a bar.
Located in an old 1920s-era speakeasy, Della Viti's decor showcases the building's history with 100-year-old black and white photos, exposed brick walls, stacks of history books and comfortable couches intended to promoted relaxed conversation. Della Viti also has locations in Ames and Des Moines.
"It was fun working with Sarah in planning this new and innovative twist to the wine bar industry," said Scott Swenson, regional director for the Kirkwood SBDC, which worked with Ms. Rivera on her business plan and financials. "Their attention to every aspect of creating a unique and social experience for customers is amazing. Cedar Rapids gained another cool attraction."
Della Viti customers can try a tasting, a half pour or a full pour of wine by purchasing a prepaid card. The lounge features 40 wines from around the world. In an interview with the CBJ in May, Ms. Rivera said she and her husband Scott pay special attention to the season and local palette when selecting wines for the lounge. Their "high level of flexibility" in obtaining wine from suppliers allow them to switch out wines often and keep selections fresh, she said.
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 IC to celebrate the season with unique pop-up shops
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IMAGE Iowa City Downtown District
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Iowa City's annual holiday market is getting a dramatic makeover this year in what organizers hope will become a new seasonal tradition.
This year, instead of a one-day event hosted in a heated tent, retailers will be hawking their wares for five straight weekends in unique shelters inspired by Iowa corn cribs and designed by Akar Architecture's Sanjay Jani.
The three shelters, stationed in Black Hawk Mini Park on the downtown pedestrian mall, will open Nov. 25 to coincide with Small Business Saturday and host new retailers every week from Thursday to Sunday until the weekend before Christmas. Fourteen downtown retailers, including RAYGUN, Textiles, Revival and Ten Thousand Villages have signed up for three-day stints in the shelters, which feature heating, lighting and built-in shelving.
"This is a concept that has become very popular, not just in the state, but nationally and internationally," said Betsy Potter, director of operations for the Iowa City Downtown District, adding that Iowa City put its own spin on the trend by commissioning originally-designed structures instead of using pre-fabricated buildings as other communities have done.
"It's a really unique and amazing design that highlights the retail focus in a way that is very unusual for these pop-up shops," she said.
During the week, while not housing merchants, the structures will host a variety of seasonal offerings, including a teddy bear room for kids and a "downtown gift expert" directing shoppers to the perfect gifts for friends and loved ones.
"We want this to be something that appeals to many different audiences," Ms. Potter said. "We want to give people a reason to come downtown week after week to see what's happening and lead them to other brick and mortar stores in the downtown area."
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A.E. Youngstrom Agency celebrates new office with open doors
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Amy-Elizabeth Youngstrom
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Not everyone can say they are living out their passion in the right place at the right time with the right career, but Amy Elizabeth Youngstrom says she is enjoying the perfect trifecta. Now, to celebrate her agency's new Marion location, she plans to open the doors of the A.E. Youngstrom Agency tomorrow for an open house and ribbon cutting celebration.
A.E. Youngstrom opened Nov. 17
at 5475 Dyer Ave, Ste 111 in Marion. A Farmers Insurance agency, A.E. Youngstrom offers policies of all kinds, including home, auto, life, rental, commercial, recreational and farmers financial solutions.
"My passion to serve, connect with people and give back to the community aligned well with the Farmers Insurance priorities," Ms. Youngstrom said in a statement. "I appreciate the opportunity to work with members of the community and provide a personalized service to fit their needs."
Ms. Youngstrom added she is excited to meet with members of the Marion community at the open house, which is scheduled from 4-6 p.m. on Nov. 17. The ribbon-cutting is set for 4:30 p.m.
"Marion is on the brink of crazy growth and development," she said. "I'm excited to welcome newcomers to the area and see my agency become a valuable member of the Marion community."
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Mount Vernon-Lisbon merchants plan Shop Small Saturday
To show their support for small business, the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group, a Main Street Iowa organization, has announced plans for
Shop Small Saturday in Mount Vernon and Lisbon Saturday, Nov. 25, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Shop Small Mount Vernon-Lisbon is part of the national Small Business Saturday campaign initiated by American Express, with similar events taking place throughout the region and country. As part of the local Mount Vernon-Lisbon event, volunteers will be at a Shop Small booth set up inside the former Right Frame of Mind building, 100 First St. SE. At the booth, shoppers will be encouraged to sign up using their name and cell phone number to win Community Cash gift certificates good at any business in Mount Vernon or Lisbon.
Every hour on the half-hour, a volunteer at the Shop Small booth will reach into a fish tank and draw out the name of one lucky shopper. That shopper will be notified by cell phone and will have 10 minutes to return to the booth to receive $25 in Community Cash good for any business in Mount Vernon or Lisbon.
If a winner is unable to get to the tank in time, the $25 will be added to the next hour's prize.
In addition, several community businesses and retailers will be offering gift certificates to individual stores that will be given away at the Shop Small booth every hour at the top of the hour. In both instances, shoppers 18 years or older must be present to win.
"Small businesses, like small Iowa towns, are the back-bone of our nation and our economy," Catherine Kennedy, chair of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon project, said in an announcement. "Support for small businesses and small towns is support for the growth of our families, our friends and our country."
More than 60 businesses in Mount Vernon and Lisbon have agreed to work together to support Small Business Saturday by offering special promotions, live music, specials and sales.
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Consulting: Following guidelines to effective advertising
In this week's consulting spotlight, Nancy Garberson of Marketing & Strategic Communication Strategies Inc. explains how to get the most bang for your advertising buck:
Marketing and advertising are critical to the goals of your organization. But with limited resources it is important to make the most of your advertising dollar. Just blasting your message out as widely and as often as possible is only marginally effective and a big waste of time and money.
Visibility is essential for any kind of business - that is why advertising is important. Once an organization advertises its products and services, it is able to perform in a competitive environment. But knowing who your perfect customer is means you can reach the right targeted audience with the least amount of effort, dollars and time.
The significant purpose of a business is to sell products and services to earn profits. Advertising helps a business to earn profits by allowing more people to know about the products and services, and then get more sales. Consumers, on the other hand, will never get to know about the products and services if they are not advertised.
Today, advertising has become a huge industry because of the large number of products and services being offered. As a result, the competition has also increased, requiring every business owner to promote his or her products and services in the best possible manner. This has further led to the development of new advertising techniques and an increase in the number of advertising agencies. The aim of every promotional campaign is to enable the products and services to reach the right people by increasing the awareness about the product or service and its benefits.
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From around the web:
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Entrepreneur magazine explains how Des Moines became a hotbed for up-and-coming entrepreneurs.
- Iowa City's tiny Hamburg Inn is winning over the Chinese - and helping seal deals, the Des Moines Register reports.
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Little things mean a lot
Forward the FREE, weekly CBJ on Small Business 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.
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Corridor Stocks
| NAME |
SYM |
PRICE |
CHG |
%CHG |
| AEGON |
AEG |
6.01 |
0.01 |
0.17% |
| Alliant Energy |
LNT |
44.63 |
-0.08 |
-0.18% |
| Deere & Company |
DE |
134.61 |
2.34 |
1.77% |
| Dow Jones |
^DJI |
23,458.36 |
187.08 |
0.80% |
| General Mills |
GIS |
53.67 |
1.14 |
2.17% |
| GoDaddy Inc. |
GDDY |
49.33 |
0.42 |
0.86% |
| Great Western Bank |
GWB |
39.65 |
0.34 |
0.86% |
| Heartland Express |
HTLD |
20.78 |
0.18 |
0.87% |
| KemPharm |
KMPH |
3.65 |
-0.10 |
-2.67% |
| Marsh & McLennan |
MMC |
82.91 |
-0.23 |
-0.28% |
| MidWestOne |
MOFG |
34.54 |
0.34 |
0.99% |
| Pearson |
PSO |
9.14 |
0.04 |
0.44% |
| Pepsico |
PEP |
115.23 |
0.13 |
0.11% |
| Principal Financial |
PFG |
68.39 |
-0.18 |
-0.26% |
| QCR Holdings |
QCRH |
43.05 |
0.00 |
0.00% |
| Rockwell Collins |
COL |
132.61 |
0.56 |
0.42% |
| S&P 500 |
^GSPC |
2,585.64 |
21.02 |
0.82% |
| Tanger Factory |
SKT |
24.93 |
0.42 |
1.71% |
| Procter & Gamble |
PG |
89.25 |
1.02 |
1.16% |
| United Fire Group |
UFCS |
46.62 |
-0.31 |
-0.66% |
| U.S. Bank |
USB |
51.81 |
-0.20 |
-0.38% |
| Wells Fargo |
WFC |
54.60 |
0.85 |
1.58% |
| West Bank |
WTBA |
24.65 |
0.25 |
1.02% |
| Whirlpool |
WHR |
162.88 |
2.41 |
1.50% |
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Short-Term Event Planner
Nov. 16-17
Train-the-Trainer Workshop, by the Hawkeye Chapter of the Association for Talent Development, Mount Mercy Graduate Center, 1650 Matterhorn Drive NE, Cedar Rapids. Learn to design and deliver a more effective learning experiences for participants during this two-day training session. Cost: $149 members, $199 non-members. For more information or to register, visit
hawkeyeastd.org.
Nov. 17
Labor and Employment Law Seminar, by Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, 7:15 a.m.-1 p.m., Elmcrest Country Club, 1 Zach Johnson Drive, Cedar Rapids. HR professionals and business owners are invited to discuss legal issues affecting local businesses at this half-day event. Topics may include issues such as workers' compensation laws, wage and hour issues and strategies for managing health insurance challenges. Free. For more information or to register, visit
bit.ly/2k6HjhB.
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 casual interviews with CIOs who share their favorite music, discuss their career path and share what's most important for Iowa's technology community. Free.
Corridor Job Club, by Iowa City Area Development Group, 9-10:30 a.m., Hiawatha Public Library, 150 W. Willman St., Hiawatha. Andrea Wagner of Corridor HR Solutions will join to discuss resumes, cover letters and interviews. Free.
Innovation Ecosystem Tour, by NewBoCo, 3-4 p.m., Geonetric, 415 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. NewBoCo representatives will offer a public tour of the Geonetric building and some of the innovative things occurring inside, including Vault Coworking, the Iowa Startup Accelerator and Iowa BIG. Free and open to the public. For more information or to register, visit
bit.ly/2wy4Auq.
Ribbon Cutting: SpringHill Suites, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, 4 p.m., SpringHill Suites Coralville, 1001 25th Ave., Coralville. Join the Chamber Ambassadors for this ribbon-cutting. Free.
Ribbon Cutting: Farmers Insurance, by Marion Chamber of Commerce and Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, 4:30-5 p.m., Farmers Insurance, 5475 Dyer Ave., Ste. 111, Marion. Celebrate the grand opening of Farmers Insurance, A.E. Youngstrom Agency. Free.
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Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
A Cedar Rapids house up for sale is getting a lot of interest, but not in the way the owner was hoping. Scammers posted the home along Old Marion Road for rent using Craigslist; that's when realtor Susan Eaton started getting calls. "They'll ask me questions about it and then I'll realize they're asking me rental-type questions," said Ms. Eaton. When it became clear scammers were using the property, the owner put up a sign in the front yard to warn that the rental ad was a fake. The scam even pulled pictures from Eaton's real-estate listing. Craigslist provides
information on how to spot scams and tries to weed them out by reminding users of what's not allowed. Out of about 50 calls to Ms. Eaton's phone, the truth came too late for two people. Each wired deposits of more that $650 through Western Union at a Walmart and then came looking for keys. Cedar Rapids Police say that's money they'll likely never get back.
T
hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
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CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails'
Weather First Forecast
Cooler air has settled in and temperatures are going to be 10 degrees colder this afternoon. Tonight clouds will start to move in as a warm front lifts north through the state. Clouds will be overhead tomorrow and temperatures will be warmer in the mid to upper 40s. Showers will develop late Friday afternoon and move through the area through the night ahead of a cold front. As the front passes through and cooler air moves in, there may be a wintry mix in parts of the area late Friday night and early Saturday.
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