TUESDAY, FEB. 11, 2020 | IN THIS ISSUE

• Casey's General Stores begins CFO search
• Finkenauer explores childcare shortage
• Mister Car Wash sets two grand openings in CR
• In the CBJ: Diamond V growing cleaner
• IC's Restaurant Week kicks off Saturday with Foodie Fest
Casey's General Stores announces retirement of longtime CFO
Casey’s General Stores Senior Vice President and CFO Bill Walljasper will retire from the company later this year, the Ankeny-based convenience store chain announced this week.

Mr. Walljasper plans to continue as CFO through the completion of the company’s fiscal 2020 year-end reporting and oversee a transition period with his successor.

“Bill’s leadership and service spent building this company, its finance organization and investor relations has helped Casey’s grow and deliver value to our shareholders,” said Darren Rebelez, Casey's president and CEO, in a news release. “We are deeply appreciative of Bill’s dedication and the positive, long-lasting impact he’s made on Casey’s, our team members and in the communities we serve.”

During his 30-year tenure, Mr. Walljasper led the organization through accelerated store count and revenue growth and played a leading role in developing Casey’s HR, IT, accounting and finance departments. He joined the company in 1990 as a risk manager, and progressed to leadership roles in risk management and HR. In 2003, he was named vice president of finance, and senior vice president and CFO in 2004.

“I am humbled and honored to be part of Casey’s 52-year history, and am proud of what we’ve accomplished. Looking ahead, I am focused on helping make this a seamless transition, and I am excited for the opportunities that lie ahead for Casey’s and our team members,” Mr. Walljasper said.

A search for the company's next CFO will begin immediately.

IMAGE: Bill Walljasper. CREDIT Casey's
Finkenauer's subcommittee examines childcare shortage
U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer, chair of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship, gathered small business owners and an education expert last week to examine the impact that childcare has on small business and regional economies.
 
“When parents can’t access affordable childcare, the effects are felt across our economy,” said Ms. Finkenauer, who represents Iowa's First District. “In Iowa, more than a third of rural residents are living in areas considered childcare deserts - places where demand for childcare exceeds supply by more than three to one. For our rural businesses that already struggle to attract talented employees, access to childcare is another challenge they have to overcome when it comes to recruitment and retention.”

Disruptions to employment due to issues with childcare arrangements cost the U.S. economy more than $57 billion in lost revenues, wages and productivity annually, the U.S. Small Business Administration said in a release. Studies show that every year small businesses lose over $4 billion related to issues with childcare arrangements, while small business employees lose $8 billion in wages from the same cause. 

The hearing also examined the state of small businesses in the childcare industry. A typical childcare provider employs an average of about 12 people. From 2010-2016, there was a 20% decline in the number of home-based childcare providers, most of which are considered small businesses. Factores in the decline include increased cost of providing care, lack of subsidy growth and low-net earnings of running a home-based childcare business.

During the hearing, members explored the current environment for small businesses impacted by and operating in the childcare industry and what Congress can do to ensure access to affordable childcare.

“Adequate, affordable child care allows parents to feel confident their child is being nurtured in a safe environment and enables them to be more productive at work and absent less,” said Dan Levi, president of Levi Architecture and co-chair of the Black Hawk County Child Care Coalition in Cedar Falls. “Child care is an economic driver. When a community has child care available it is able to recruit and retain businesses, employees, and families.”

IMAGE: U.S. Rep Abby Finkenauer. CREDIT Wikipedia
Mister Car Wash plans CR grand openings Feb. 21-22
Mister Car Wash will celebrate grand openings at its two newest Cedar Rapids locations at 5520 Edgewood Road NE and 3405 Williams Blvd. SW, starting Friday, Feb. 21.

The grand opening will feature free Platinum Express car washes from 7 a.m.-noon, and $10 Platinum Express car washes from noon to 7 p.m.. Additional premiums throughout the two-day celebration will include $5 off per month for the first three months of new Unlimited Wash Club Platinum memberships and free car care kits will be offered to the first 1,000 customers each day.

Headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, Mister Car Wash operates 326 car washes and 31 express lubes in 21 states. The company opened its first location in Cedar Rapids in 1999. The addition of the two new stores brings the total local employee count to nearly 70.

"We can't imagine a better time to expand our footprint in Cedar Rapids than in the winter, when cars are at their dirtiest and when we're offering free washes," said Pete Nani, Mister Car Wash's director of operations for the Midwest, in a news release. "We truly love this community and have felt so welcome since the day we opened our first store here, and we're honored to be among the many people and businesses working every single day to make Cedar Rapids shine."

Additional information on the grand opening can be found at www.mistercarwash.com
In the CBJ: Diamond V is growing cleaner
Although animal nutritional health products maker Diamond V closed one old plant in Cedar Rapids last month as it opened another, it’s far from an equal trade.

“We will be transferring products from our North Plant to the new south manufacturing facility, which has state-of-the-art emissions equipment, and is more sustainable and environmentally friendly,” Diamond V Global Managing Director Mike Goble said at a ribbon-cutting event on Jan. 24.

Demand for Diamond V’s products is on a strong upswing, as livestock producers look to reduce their reliance on antibiotics to keep animals healthy. Diamond V’s products are mixed with animal feed and specifically designed to bolster the “gut health” of animals, boosting their immunity, reproductive health, productivity and digestive efficiency.

The new south facility, known as Plant Two, began production on Feb. 2 at 2525 60th Ave. SW, supplying 6-7% more product than the old North Plant. However, Plant Two has room for seven more production units and, over time, will house equipment to nearly double production, according to Operations & Supply Chain Director Lori Flugum, who led the expansion project.

Four nutritional health products for animals will be made at the plant. They include NaturSafe, a natural, non-antibiotic product for addition to feeds used in beef cattle production, and Nutritek, for dairy animals.

XPC Ultra and Original XP, two other products manufactured at the plants, can be used in all types of animal diets. Most of the products are designed to be mixed with feed, or can be fed on top of traditional animal feed.

The proprietary products are made through a continuous process that begins as a liquid in the fermentation phase, giving the air in the plant a yeasty odor reminiscent of a bakery. It concludes with a drying stage intended to stabilize the products, most of which are packaged for customers in bagged form.

Read the full members-only story in this week’s print and digital editions of the CBJ.
Foodie Fest to kick off Think Iowa City Restaurant Week
The inaugural Think Iowa City Restaurant Week kicks off this Saturday with the Foodie Festival at the Coralville Marriott.

The Foodie Festival is a tasting event featuring 14 local restaurants with proceeds benefiting local food banks.

Participating restaurants at the Foodie Festival will include Marquee, La Vecina, Clinton Street Social Club, Vue Rooftop, Pullman, Tin Roost, Saint Burch Tavern, Reds Alehouse, Blackstone, Edgewater Grille, 30hop, Mellow Mushroom and Big Grove Brewery. Cedar Ridge Winery & Distillery will be sampling drinks and have a signature cocktail special.

The festival runs from 6-9 p.m. on Feb. 15. Tickets are $55 each and can be purchased online at  FoodieFebruary.com . CommUnity Food Bank, Coralville Community Food Pantry, and the North Liberty Community Food Pantry will receive the proceeds.

A restaurant week featuring 28 participating restaurants follows the festival.

“Restaurant Week is a great way to expose locals to restaurants they haven’t been to yet. Restaurants are offering a prix fixe menu as set prices. This is the opportunity to step out and try something new with no risk and all reward,” said Monica Nieves, vice president of special events at Think Iowa City, in a release.

Using a passport punch card system, anyone who attends the Foodie Festival on Feb. 15 and dines at three or more participating restaurants during Restaurant Week will be entered to win a grand prize: a pack of gift cards donated by each of the 28 participating restaurants.

Restaurant Week concludes with the Iowa City Downtown District’s sold-out Top Chef: Downtown event.
Short Term Event Planner

Feb. 11
Small Business Lunch Roundtable , by SCORE of East Central Iowa, noon-1 p.m., Granite City Food & Brewery, 4755 First Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Join this networking opportunity for those in business and those thinking about starting a business. Free. To register, visit  conta.cc/35XjMCm .
 
VERV Auto Ribbon Cutting , by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, 4 p.m., VERV Auto, 230 Sugar Creek Lane, Ste. 200, North Liberty. Free. For more information, visit  bit.ly/2FUzqE2 .
 
Feb. 12
1 Million Cups , by 1MC Cedar Rapids, 8:15-9:15 a.m., Geonetric, 415 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Join for community connections, free coffee and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more. Free. For more information, visit  facebook.com/1MCICR .
 
1 Million Cups , by 1MC Iowa City, 9-10 a.m., MERGE, 136 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Join for community connections, free coffee and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more. Free. For more information, visit  facebook.com/1MillionCupsIC/ .

Feb. 13
Project Management Institute, by PMI Eastern Iowa Chapter, 7:15-9 a.m., Comfort Inn & Suite Airport CID, 710 America Drive SW, Cedar Rapids. Jessi McQuerrey, director of programs at the Iowa Association of Business and Industry Foundation, will present “Cultivating Iowa’s Talent Continuum.” Cost: $13 for members, $20 for guests. To register, visit pmieasterniowa.org .

How Not to Fail at Business, by SCORE of East Central Iowa, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Hills Bank, 3905 Blairs Ferry Road NE, Cedar Rapids. Learn to understand fear and how it holds you back, how to develop key relationships and how gratitude will help you focus. Free. To register, visit conta.cc/2RB47o4 .

Annual Banquet 2020, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, 5-8 p.m., Coralville Marriott, 300 E. Ninth St. Akwi Nji, an award-winning speaker and writer, will tell stories that motivate, inspire and empower. Cost: $75 for members, $95 for non-members. To register, visit bit.ly/2RWddL9 .
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Headlines from KCRG-TV9
These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9  
 
Lawmakers in Iowa are set to introduce the End-of-Life Options Act today. Some lawmakers say a person facing a painful, terminal disease should have the right to ask for a doctor's help to end their own life. The bill would allow terminally ill Iowans, who have six months or less to live, to be able to request medication to die peacefully in their sleep. Rep. Mary Mascher (D-Iowa City) and Sen. Joe Bolkcom (D-Iowa City) are expected to introduce the bill, which is modeled after Oregon's Death with Dignity Act.
Nine states, as well as Washington, D.C., have similar legislation.

The second day of jury selection is underway in the trial for the man accused of killing Cedar Rapids teenager Michelle Martinko more than 40 years ago. Jerry Burns, 66, faces a first-degree murder charge in the case. Police say Burns fatally stabbed Martinko in her parents' car outside Westdale Mall in December 1979. The case remained unsolved for 39 years until police obtained DNA from a straw that Burns left at a Manchester restaurant. Investigators say DNA from the straw linked him to bloodstains at the murder scene. Burns' attorneys argued the DNA evidence should be thrown out because police didn't use a warrant to get the straw. A judge later ruled it could be included. The trial started at 9 a.m. Tuesday, as legal teams began searching for potential jurors. A judge moved it out of Linn County, due to pre-trial publicity. The trial is expected to last two weeks following jury selection.

These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
Your KCRG-TV9 First Alert Forecast
Plan on another quiet day with highs into the upper 20s to lower 30s. Tomorrow, our next system is set to move in, mainly in the afternoon and evening hours. This system will bring snow to our area with a general 1-3" of accumulation by the time it wraps up Thursday morning. As the temperatures drop during the night, the consistency of the snow will be lighter and fluffy, which may lead to blowing snow issues Thursday morning as the wind kicks in. Wind chills will be well below zero both Thursday and Friday. This weekend, temperatures will return to the mild side with 30s and 40s anticipated.