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WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2018 | IN THIS ISSUE
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Sean Williams |
Today marks a new chapter at Mercy Iowa City with the official arrival of Sean Williams as the hospital's new president and CEO.
Mr. Williams comes to Mercy Iowa City after previously serving as CEO of Mercy Medical Center - Clinton for the past eight years. He has also held a variety of leadership positions in other organizations, including serving as CEO of Jones Regional Medical Center in Anamosa.
He takes over for interim CEO Shane Cerone and COO Casey Greene, who have been leading the hospital since the 2016 retirement of Ronald Reed, who served as president and CEO since 1995. Mr. Reed died in February following a long illness.
Mr. William's role as president and CEO at Mercy Iowa City will include executive leadership and oversight of Mercy's not-for-profit Catholic hospital, 28 primary and specialty care clinics, and close work with affiliated organizations including Progressive Rehabilitation Associates, Iowa City Ambulatory Surgery Center and Corridor Radiology.
"I'm excited to work in partnership with the talented physicians and colleagues who make Mercy Iowa City a great organization," Mr. Williams said in a release. "Together, we will continue the commitment to excellence and further the vision for improving the health of the community and each person we serve."
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Scott Belsky, speaking at a recent conference. CREDIT PRODUCTIVE MAGAZINE
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In the startup world, Adobe Systems Chief Product Officer Scott Belsky is a kind of master mechanic.
"My specialty in working with entrepreneurs is helping them craft their product experience, and making sure their 'first mile' of product experience is a good one," said Mr. Belsky, who will come to Cedar Rapids May 18 as a keynote speaker for
this year's EntreFEST.
Mr. Belsky knows the entire startup system well, however. He launched his own startup, the creative portfolio display site Behance, which was acquired by Adobe, and he has been an investor and product advisor on other wildly successful companies including Pinterest and Uber.
"That's always been my obsession," said the Boston native, a Harvard MBA and partner in the venture capital firm Benchmark.
After spending so much face time with entrepreneurs, Mr. Belsky believes that any type of person can become one. What makes them an entrepreneur is a deep passion, Mr. Belsky said, "a problem they want to solve, and a desire to do something about it."
There's never been a better time to be an entrepreneur than now, he added.
"I think entrepreneurship is all about optimism and transcending the market ups and downs that are happening. It's easier than ever to start a company, but it's getting more difficult than ever to scale a company. As you grow a business you need specific kinds of talent like data scientists, and that talent is hard to find. There are also more regulations to comply with, when it comes to data and privacy."
One of the biggest changes Mr. Belsky sees today is the emergence of thousands of tiny "microbrands," which are capturing business from established names. Mr. Belsky said microbrands use just-in-time supply chains that allow them to get by with minimal inventory, highly targeted marketing and agile social media strategies.
"It's a positive trend," says Mr. Belsky, who has increasingly patronized such brands. "It means in the future, there will be a lot more startups and entrepreneurs."
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MidAmerican Energy today announced two new wind farm projects in central Iowa's Adair County, both of which will break ground this June.
The Arbor Hill wind farm project will include 125 wind turbines, while the Orient wind farm project will include 150 turbines with the option to add up to 100 more.
Both are part of the company's previously announced $3.6 billion Wind XI project scheduled for completion in December 2019. The project will include up to 1,000 wind turbines and add up to 2,000 megawatts of wind generation capacity in Iowa.
The 275 turbines for the Arbor Hill and Orient projects, manufactured by Vestas Wind Systems A/S, will add 550 megawatts of wind generation capacity for MidAmerican Energy customers - enough to power more than 230,000 average Iowa homes. Arbor Hill and Orient will add to MidAmerican Energy's three existing wind farms in Adair County: Adair, Morning Light and Rolling Hills.
"This is another step forward for our Wind XI project," said Mike Fehr, MidAmerican's vice president of resource development, in a press release. "Every wind farm we add gets us closer to achieving our 100 percent renewable energy vision."
The company anticipates that renewable generation will equate to more than 90 percent of its customers' annual retail electricity use by 2020.
Beaver Creek II wind farm in Greene County, and North English wind farm in Poweshiek County, both parts of Wind XI, are currently under construction. Two additional wind farms, Beaver Creek in Boone and Greene counties, and Prairie in Mahaska County, are up and operating. MidAmerican Energy is working with developers, county officials and landowners on potential wind farm sites in several Iowa counties for the balance of Wind XI.
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 Fareway beefs up, freshens venerable logo
Fareway grocery stores have long received high marks for their meat and produce departments, and a new logo is intended to drive that message, reports the Des Moines Business Record.
The 80-year-old Fareway Stores Inc., based in Boone, has developed new graphics for signs and advertising that says in red block letters "Fareway Meat & Grocery." The rollout began this week.
"This new design focuses on what we do best - meat and grocery. Fareway is your neighborhood grocery store that offers an unmatched meat department as part of a full-service grocery shopping experience," Fareway CEO Reynolds W. Cramer said in a press release. "While this new design focuses on Fareway's strengths, it also symbolizes a fresh perspective. As part of this effort, we're committed to refreshing your Fareway experience. Customers have already seen architectural and in-store fixture changes, which will continue to other locations."
The chain is also adding meal kits and prepared meals, will outfit employees in new uniforms, and will mark certain products with a shield noting exceptional quality and value.
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Short-Term Event Planner
May 3
Open Coffee, by Washington Chamber of Commerce, 8-9 a.m., Dodici's Shop, 120 S. Iowa Ave., Washington. Join an open discussion about fostering creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Washington. Free. For more information, visit
chamber.washingtoniowa.org or call (319) 653-4712.
Wake Up Marion, by Marion Chamber of Commerce, 8-9 a.m., Marion City Hall, 1225 Sixth Ave., Marion. Start your day with coffee and connections with fellow Marion Chamber members. Free. To register, visit
bit.ly/2CmfjyP.
May 6
Urban Living Downtown
, by Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, 1-4 p.m., 501 First St. SE, Cedar Rapids. Enjoy a Sunday afternoon touring available properties and seeing some of the amenities urban dwellers enjoy in the core districts of Downtown Cedar Rapids. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/2GO2q29.
May 8
Hiawatha Business Summit
, by the Hiawatha Economic Development Corp., city of Hiawatha and Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, 8-9 a.m., Community Center, 101 Emmons Street, Hiawatha. Network and join speaker, Melissa Sheehy, CEO and founder of Balanced Fitness & Health as she speaks on workplace wellness. Free. For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/2Gw6FMD.
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 a casual interview with a CIO who will share their favorite music, discuss their career path, and share what's most important for Iowa's technology community moving forward. Free. To register, visit technologyiowa.org/events.
Total Reward Strategies and Why They Matter
, by Eastern Iowa Human Resource Association, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., The Kirkwood Hotel, 7725 Kirkwood Boulevard SW, Cedar Rapids. This all day conference hosts workshops on Total Rewards and Management and Creative Compensation Strategies. $25 for members, $50 for non-members. For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/2GykiKU.
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Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
After nine hours of passionate debate, the Iowa House approved a bill late Tuesday night that would give the state one of the most strict abortion laws in the nation, and set the stage to challenge to the 1973 landmark Supreme Court case Roe vs. Wade. The bill would ban nearly all abortions in the state after a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks, with some exceptions.
The bill passed out of the chamber on a 51-46 vote late Tuesday. The Senate passed a similar measure in its chamber late February, facing what was at the time an uncertain future in the House, where some lawmakers were apprehensive to move anything forward that might not hold up in court and could upend "progress" made on the 20-week ban they approved in 2017. Read the full story here.
Cedar Rapids Police have arrested and charged a man for what they say was the random killing of 38-year-old Gina Frederiksen.
Timothy Evans, 38, was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery and first-degree arson. The city's fire department was called to a fully-involved detached garage fire at 1814 I St. SW on Sunday morning. A neighbor reported hearing a loud boom at 7:34 a.m. and saw the fire. Police say the suspect broke into the garage at the home and then assaulted and murdered Ms. Frederiksen before setting the garage on fire. The victim was pulled out of the burning garage and was taken to a local hospital where she died.
T
hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
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CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast
The active pattern continues this week with showers and thunderstorms, some of which could be strong. There will be a mix of sun and clouds today and it will be warm and muggy. The chance for storms will go up after 3 p.m., with the higher focus of storms near and south of Highway 20. Storms will continue into the night and some storms could contain strong winds and large hail. An isolated tornado cannot be ruled out, but the chance is very low. There will be another round of possibly strong storms Thursday.
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