THURSDAY, AUG. 20, 2020 | IN THIS ISSUE

• MSUITE completes $4M seed funding round
• In the CBJ: Floral entrepreneur takes a big risk
• Iowa jobless claims on the upswing
• Casey's General Stores expands leadership team
• ISU reports student COVID-19 testing findings
• Corridor events, KCRG-TV9 headlines and First Alert Forecast

Cast your votes for the Corridor's most influential business leaders and boards of directors as part of the CBJ's annual Most Influential survey. Polls close Aug. 21, so don't delay.
MSUITE completes $4M seed funding round
MSUITE has completed a $4 million seed funding round led by growth venture capital firms Next Level Ventures and Stanley Ventures, and a strategic investment from Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) technology firm, U.S. CAD.

Headquartered in Cedar Rapids, MSUITE offers a cloud-based solution that connects building information modeling to fabrication-to-field construction workflows with scalable, industry-focused software that provides automatic real time status updates, and tracking and estimating information. It is a finalist on the CBJ's 2020 Fastest Growing Companies list.

The new capital will help scale up all areas of the company and accelerate innovation of MSUITE's cloud-based platform.  

"Unlocking the door of communication between BIM, Fab, and Field teams has been a significant challenge for contractors, which led to the founding of MSUITE in 2015 (previously called FabPro)," MSUITE President Britton Langdon said in a news release. "Through our new partnership with our Investors, MSUITE is well-positioned to continue triple-digit growth and enhance our technology to meet the demands of MEP Contractors and Modular Builders worldwide." 

MSUITE targets the needs of mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors, which the company says have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on business, according to Chris Canter, director of virtual design construction and fabrication at Shapiro and Duncan.

"Post COVID-19, MEP Construction firms are pushing the envelope to increase productivity, reduce costs, and increase communications," Mr. Duncan said. "MSUITE allows our staff to manage pre-fabrication operations at a distance and build efficiently."
In the CBJ: Floral entrepreneur takes big risk 
Entrepreneur Allison Krivachek spent three years building her Tiffin-based floral operation from a one-woman shop into an Eastern Iowa wedding powerhouse, providing arrangements, bouquets and boutonnieres for up to 125 nuptials a year.

So, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and cancellations and postponements flooded in, she knew the business had to pivot and pivot fast.

“Honestly, we felt untouchable and then March 2020 came … and like a freight train we were blindsided and hit hard just like so many people,” said Ms. Krivachek, the founder and CEO of Hydrangea Bloom, who within just a few weeks transitioned the company into a national shipper of high-end hand cut floral bouquets, promoting the idea of “Sending Joy.”

“In the darkest and the happiest of times lives joy,” reads Hydrangea Bloom’s revamped website. “We believe that flowers have the power to spread joy, hope, bring unity, and heal.”

Since making the shift, Hydrangea Bloom has shipped premium bouquets from New York to California and all points in between. And while the expansion has not fully replaced the business’ lost revenue, it is still turning a profit, and all three full-time employees and several part-timers have been able to remain on the job.

“I said I would never do everyday bouquets because weddings were our brand,” said Ms. Krivachek. “I now know to never say ‘never’ because here I am today in love with spreading joy.”

Transitioning into the bouquet business is hardly the first risk Ms. Krivachek has taken in her entrepreneurial journey. Though her background was in edtech sales and she had no previous experience in floral arrangement, an experience with mediocre flowers at a friend’s wedding convinced her to learn everything she could from some of the region’s best floral artists and jump into the industry with both feet.

“Just being around flowers really brought me joy and I saw how happy they made other people,” she said. “It was one of those no-brainer instant things.”

Read the full members-only story in this week's print or digital editions of the CBJ.
Iowa unemployment claims rose in week ending August 9
Initial unemployment claims in Iowa for the week ending August 9 rose to 6,544 from 4,891 the previous week, Iowa Workforce Development reported.

The number of continuing weekly unemployment claims for Aug. 9-15 was 83,610, a decrease of 8,490 from the previous week. 
  
The U.S. Department of Labor had adjusted the previous week’s initial claim number down to 4,891 (a decrease of 391) and continuing claims to 92,100 (a decrease of 753 for a total decrease of 1,144).

The manufacturing sector had the highest number of new claims, at 1,664, followed by self-employed and independent contractors, with 887 new claims, health care and social assistance, with 608, construction, with 449 and accommodation & food services, with 429.

A total of $7,881,600 in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefits was paid during the week of Aug. 9-15, 2020, which were retroactive payments as the program ended July 25, 2020. Since April 4, a total of $1,580,831,143 in FPUC benefits has been paid.
Casey's General Stores expands leadership team
Casey’s General Stores Inc., the Ankeny-based convenience store retailer with more than 2,200 stores in 16 U.S. states, has expanded its leadership team with four new hires and one promotion, the Des Moines Business Record reports.

New employees include:

  • Carri Stojack, who will join Casey’s on Aug. 31 as vice president of guest insights. Ms. Stojack most recently was vice president of consumer insights at Dine Brands
.
  • Larry Carroll, who has joined the retailer as vice president of asset protection. Mr. Carroll, with more than 30 years in asset protection, most recently served as vice president of asset protection, inventory analytics and compliance at 99 Cents Only Stores in California.

  • Jaime Robles, who has joined Casey’s as vice president of procurement, most recently served as a strategic sourcing consultant for Walmart.

  • Nan Thomae, who joined the company as vice president of human resources, field operations. Ms. Thomae most recently was in a human resources’ leadership role at Tractor Supply.

In addition, Sherri Hart was promoted to vice president of total rewards.
2.2% of ISU students test positive for COVID-19
Iowa State University concluded its move-in testing of students living in residence halls or student apartments for the COVID-19 virus Sunday, finding 175, or 2.2%, tested positive.

The university reported 97.8% of students living in student housing - 7,919 - tested negative.

“Our goal with the move-in testing was to identify positive cases and quickly intervene to mitigate the spread of infection,” Erin Baldwin, director of Thielen Student Health Center (TSHC), said in a news release “This effort wouldn’t have been possible without many campus partners, including the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, which rapidly analyzed a high volume of testing samples.”

Students who tested positive are required to isolate for 10 days. About half of the students are isolating in isolation rooms provided by the department of residence. Quarantine rooms are also available for students notified through contact tracing that they were exposed to a positive case. Ms. Baldwin says students still moving into the residence halls after Aug. 16 will complete the required testing at TSHC’s mobile lab.

ISU will continue to provide weekly updates on testing throughout the fall semester, focusing on testing for students, faculty and staff with symptoms of COVID-19. Additional surveillance testing may be used in targeted areas throughout the fall.

PHOTO: COVID-19 testing at Iowa State CREDIT: ISU NEWS SERVICE
Connect with the CBJ

The CBJ’s mission of informing and connecting the Corridor’s business community is more important than ever. Our news operations will continue researching and reporting on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through our multiple distribution channels. Here’s how you can connect with us today and moving forward:

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Short Term Event Planner
 
Aug. 20 
Iowa City Noon Rotary Ribbon Cutting, by Iowa City Area Business Partnership, noon-1 p.m., online. Join the partnership as they celebrate new partners, the Iowa City Noon Rotary Club. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/39ZFIjY. 
 
Fastest Growing Companies, by Corridor Business Journal, 6-7:30 p.m., online. This annual event identifies and honors the region’s most dynamic companies that have made significant contributions to the local economy. Honorees are ranked according to revenue growth over a two-year period; Jeff Quint, the CBJ’s Entrepreneur of the Year, will also be honored. Cost: $20. To register, visit https://www.corridorbusiness.com/events/. 
 
Aug. 25
COVID-19 Manufacturing Roundtable, by Iowa State CIRAS, 7:30 a.m., online. This roundtable will provide updates on COVID-19, share best practices and host expert speakers. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/3goiINP. 
 
Aug. 26
1 Million Cups, by 1MC Cedar Rapids, 8:15 a.m., online. Join for community connections 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 a.m., online. Join for community connections and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more. Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MillionCupsIC.
 
Aug. 27
Remote Leaders’ Online Roundtable, by Executive Coach Jennifer Zach, 10-10:30 a.m., online. Touch base with other leaders leading remote teams, exchange resources, and share best practices. Free. To join, visit bit.ly/3j5gXqm.
 
Power of No: Taking Back Your Life and Your Priorities, by Kirkwood Corporate Training, 1 p.m., online. Learn how to set boundaries for yourself, gain more time and energy for the things you love and create a more balanced life with positive energy. Facilitated by Brooke Fitzgerald, of The Restoration Project. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/3g3EuWW.
See something we missed?
Send tips, leads, corrections, etc. to [email protected].
Headlines from KCRG-TV9
These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9 
 
Iowa’s agriculture secretary said the state’s farmers and agriculture industry are in “unchartered territory” in storm recovery, and they might not know the full extent of derecho damage until the harvest next month.
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig met with about two dozen farmers from the area at a farm in Marion on Wednesday afternoon to hear their concerns and questions about recovery. Early estimates indicated about 10 million acres of farmland across the state sustained damage from the derecho, with Naig adding that between 3.5 million and 4 million acres of corn were severely damaged.
Naig said a lot of the questions he’s heard over the last week-and-a-half are about how the crop insurance process will work, as farmers wait for adjusters to come to their fields, and about figuring out what can be salvaged and harvested this fall. That becomes more complicated because of estimates that the storm damaged or destroyed more than 100 million bushels of grain storage, which can’t be rebuilt in time for the harvest, according to Naig. He's in communication with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Sonny Perdue, conveying Iowa farmers’ concerns and advocating for assistance. He said many of these farmers were already hurting because of supply chain disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic.

Residents at a HUD-subsidized apartment building in Cedar Rapids are among those still without power after the devastation brought by last week’s derecho. At the Robert E. Schorg Manor, residents, who are mostly elderly and disabled, said their living conditions have been horrible. “It’s been a lot of stress, depression, and really emotional,” Amanda Meyers, who’s lived in the manor for nearly three years with her mom, said. “We don’t have power. We’re running off a generator. We check on each other as much as we can. We go upstairs, and check on the people up there because they can’t use the elevator because there’s no power.” At the disabled low-income housing apartment, the hallways are dark, with no air conditioning and fridges are empty or filled with spoiled food. The residents said management is not assisting. “The landlord has only been here twice during the storm and only checked on two residents,” Meyers said. “When the property manager was here last night, we followed her around the building. She did not want to talk to us,” Eric Hansen, Owner and EMT with Helping Hands Activity Volunteer Program, said. Hansen said they’ve been on the scene since last week. “We have been doing checking everybody’s vitals, checking oxygen and doing diabetic testing,” Hansen said. “I sent quite a few people out to the hospital. On Wednesday night alone, we sent two people to the hospital for minor injuries for slipping and falling.”

These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
Your KCRG-TV9 First Alert Forecast
Plan on another nice one with highs into the mid-80s this afternoon. Humidity will once again remain low. As high pressure moves to the east in the coming days, the slow warmup will continue and highs in the upper 80s are likely this weekend. Some spots may also hit 90.