TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018  |  IN THIS ISSUE  

The Cedar Rapids Iowa City Corridor Development Corporation, the regional joint venture formed to work on workforce and business attraction initiatives, has unveiled ICR IOWA as the new brand for both the organization and the seven-county region previously known as Iowa's Creative Corridor.
 
ICR IOWA will serve not only as the name of the economic development organization, but also as a brand used to promote the region. A new website and marketing campaign focused on business and talent attraction will be launched this summer.
 
"We are excited to share ICR IOWA, a new brand imagined by a team of 17 creatives who live and work in our region," Jennifer Daly, president and CEO for ICR IOWA, said in a press release. "The ICR stands for Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, shortened to share that central 'C.' The team believes this brand will resonate both within and outside our region, allowing us to develop a stronger presence nationally and internationally for business and talent attraction."
 
Ms. Daly added that her organization will be encouraging businesses, organizations and governmental bodies to use the brand in their own marketing, and that a toolkit with graphics and guidance on the usage will be made available soon. The organization is also working with Iowa-based retailer Raygun to develop new merchandise bearing the logo.
 
ICR IOWA marks the latest attempt at creating a regional brand that would be recognizable and attractive to those outside the Midwest. The Creative Corridor brand was launched in February of 2012, following a multi-year effort by community leaders, including then-Gazette CEO and President Chuck Peters, CBJ Publisher John Lohman and then-Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance CEO and President Dee Baird. Before that, the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids region had previously been known informally as Iowa's Technology Corridor.
 
In a recent Q&A with the Corridor Business Journal, Ms. Daly alluded to ongoing "hesitancy around the [Iowa's Creative Corridor" brand among local economic development professionals when she arrived to lead the joint venture last summer. In the release announcing the new name, she expressed hope that the simpler ICR brand will gain more traction outside Iowa.
  
"We know a simple idea can really take off and we have seen that happen in other regions including MSP, NYC, KC, DFW, DSM and others," Ms. Daly said of the new iteration.
 
The creative team that developed the initial concept for ICR IOWA included:
  • Nick Bergus, City of North Liberty
  • Nancy Bird, Downtown Iowa City
  • Bill Bollman, FUEL
  • Katy Brown, Meld
  • Reid Wilson, Vast Iowa
  • Robyn Hepker, Benson & Hepker Design
  • Nate Kaeding, Build to Suit Inc.
  • Clarissa Koch, Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance
  • Laura Kome, ICAD and Carpool
  • Dana Larson, University of Iowa Center for Advancement
  • Kevin Mellen, Creative Mellen
  • Mallory Mohwinkle, Truenorth
  • Akwi Nji, The Hook and the Cedar Rapids Community School District
  • Casey Prince, UFG Insurance
  • Amanda West, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
  • Michael Zydzik, Fusion Farm
The final designs for the brand were created by Jen Neumann, Ms. Hepker and Mr. Kaeding.    
 
Kaplan University will officially become Purdue University Global after receiving final approval from the Higher Learning Commission, Purdue officials announced yesterday.
 
Purdue University, a Big 10 institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana, last April announced its decision to acquire Kaplan University from Kaplan Inc., and on Jan. 11 unveiled the institution's new name. The acquisition was approved by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the U.S. Department of Education, and only needed approval from the HLC, one of six regional accreditors in the country, to close.
 
"We are grateful for the Higher Learning Commission's decision to approve Purdue University's conversion of Kaplan University to Indiana's newest public institution of higher education, Purdue Global," Purdue President Mitch Daniels said in a press release. "It opens a new era for our institution, with the opportunity to expand our land-grant mission to millions of adult students around the country. That opportunity brings with it the responsibility to provide the highest quality online education, not only to our new adult learners, but to all residential and online Boilermaker students."
 
Purdue Global will have its main campus in Indianapolis and is expected to launch officially in April. Betty Vandenbosch, currently president of Kaplan University (KU), will be the Purdue Global chancellor and will report to Mr. Daniels and the new institution's six-member board of trustees, composed of five Purdue University trustees and one external trustee.
 
The roughly 30,000 students enrolled at Kaplan University, including those at campuses in Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Cedar Falls, will be "seamlessly" transitioned to Purdue Global, officials said in a statement. Those students will be able to complete their programs of study with their current instructors without interruption, but will earn a degree bearing the new institution's name. Over time, additional programs are expected to be added to the curriculum.
 
With the launch of the new institution, Purdue, which previously did not have a significant online undergraduate degree offering, will become one of the largest online degree-granting systems in higher education.
 
Kaplan traces its roots to the American Institute of Commerce (AIC), which opened its doors in 1937 in Davenport, Iowa, to provide training for underserved job seekers. It was acquired by Kaplan Inc., in 2001 and renamed Kaplan University in 2004.
Story4Raber leaving WEDG after 21 years 
 
Ed Raber (left) shown with Steve Bohn, of Washington State Bank, in 2017. CREDIT WEDG 
Washington Economic Development Group Director Ed Raber will be leaving the position in April to take an economic development position in Dubuque, 
 
Mr. Raber will become a vice president in the Greater Dubuque Economic Development Corp., the economic development organization for the Greater Dubuque area.
 
"It has been a labor of love for me serving the Washington County area over the past 21 years," Mr. Raber said in a press release. "The people of Washington County have given me and my family so much. I hope that I have been able to see the potential this area holds and try to capitalize on it, give back through service, and to make a difference."
 
Although he said the decision was a tough one, Mr. Raber had a small window to relocate before one of his children begins high school and after another one graduates in Washington. He said it was also the time to decide whether he wanted to remain in Washington County until retirement, or pursue other career opportunities that have arisen because of his experience in the field.  He had spent part of his childhood living in Dubuque, and had long been acquainted with Rick Dickinson, who leads the Greater Dubuque Economic Development Corp.
 
WEDG officers Nicole Slaubaugh, Amanda Russell and Terry Engelken are beginning discussions to lead the organization through the process of hiring a new director.

In a press release, Ms. Slaubaugh, WEDG board president, praised Mr. Raber's work, saying "He will be greatly missed and we wish him the best in his new position."

The Washington Economic Development Group was formed in 1986 as a 501c(6) nonprofit organization with the mission to create and promote an environment for economic development.
 
The number of small business transactions closed in 2017 reached its highest level in at least four years. CREDIT BIZBUYSELL 
The strong environment for business mergers and acquisitions played out in a dramatic fashion in the Corridor throughout 2017, with indications pointing to another active year in 2018.
 
At least 25 mergers and acquisitions were reported in the CBJ's print and digital products, up from 18 in 2015 and 2016. Major Corridor companies sold to businesses located out of state made huge headlines, led by Cedar Rapids-based Rockwell Collins' $30 billion sale to Connecticut-based United Technologies Corp.
 
Big deals to sell Cedar Rapids-based Diamond V Mills to Minneapolis-based Cargill and Cedar Rapids-based Apache Inc. to Alabama-based Motion Industries were also announced, albeit without prices. UFG Insurance remains headquartered in the Corridor, but sold its life insurance business, United Life, to Chicago-based Kuvare Holdings for $280 million.
 
The uptick in M&A wasn't just a Corridor phenomena. A record 18,070 mergers and acquisitions were announced in 2017 in North America, according to the Institute for Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances.
 
They included a record number of small business sales, according to the year-end Insights Report from BizBuySell, a leading web-based resource for buying and selling businesses. Sales were up by 27 percent from 2016 levels.
 
Behind all that activity were low borrowing costs, a stable and growing economy and the accelerating pace of retirements by baby boomer business owners, said Maurie Cashman, a business transfer consultant at Aspen Grove Investments in Cedar Rapids.
 
"I'm starting to see more motivation around retirements, around family issues whether positive or negative," Mr. Cashman said. "There's some just straight burnout that's coming up. And I think there's some things coming up with owners of multiple businesses where people decide one business isn't a strategic fit with their core business, and that it would be better to sell it."
 
Read the full, members-first story in this week's print or digital edition of the CBJ.
Story5Evolve Paleo Chef to open this summer at Iowa River Landing
 
Evolve Paleo Chef, a health-focused café and meal delivery service, will be the next tenant to join the Iowa River Landing in Coralville. The Kansas City-based business will open its first Iowa location on East Second Ave., across from 30hop.

Evolve Paleo Chef's business model allows customers to order up to a week's worth of nutritious meals in advance, which are then cooked and delivered to their doors. Customers also have the option to purchase ready-to-heat meals, smoothies, snacks and cold-pressed juices on-site.

Managing partners Chris and Nikki Voss said they're opening the new location to meet the needs of customers who want to eat healthy, but have little time to shop and prepare food on their own.

"We want to impact peoples' lives by making it more convenient to eat real, healthy, great-tasting meals," Mr. Voss stated in a press release. "Being able to order a full week's worth of fresh, healthy, chef-prepared meals and needing less than five minutes to prepare them takes the stress out of meal planning, cooking and grocery shopping."

To learn more about Evolve Paleo Chef, visit their website.
EventHeadlinesShort-Term Event Planner
 
March 7
1 Million Cups , by 1 Million Cups, 9-10 a.m., Geonetric, 415 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Join for community connections, startup pitches and free coffee. Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MCICR.
 
Wisdom Wednesday , by ICAD Group, 9-10 a.m., MERGE, 136 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Hear from AW Welt about insurance for entrepreneurs. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/2CvkBDH.
 
Siren Wednesday , by Impact CR, 5-7 p.m., Eastbank Venue and Lodge, 97 Third Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Siren Wednesdays are after-work socials at Economic Alliance-member bars and restaurants held on the first Wednesday of each month. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/2FxxPms.
 
March 8
2018 Ag Outlook , by Hills Bank and Trust, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside. Join for a day of agricultural education, with speakers Greg Peterson, Paul Georgy, Mark Core and Keith Wiebe. Free, lunch provided. To register, call (319) 358-2261, email tara_horesowsky@hillsbank.com or visit conta.cc/2BG1tSP.
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Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  
 
Leaving NAFTA would be "devastating" for Iowa and other Midwestern states, Gov. Kim Reynolds said Monday. At her weekly press conference, Ms. Reynolds told reporters that if the U.S. pulls out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, it could have "unintended consequences" on Iowa's farmers and manufacturers. "I've said I'm OK with modernizing NAFTA, it's a 25-year-old plus trade agreement so that makes sense, but I'm not in favor of withdrawing. The impact that that would have on our state and Midwestern states, and really states all across the country but I'm focused on Iowa, would be devastating," Ms. Reynolds said. Canada and Mexico are the top two exports for Iowa, she noted. Read the full story here.
 
T hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28 
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast

Winter isn't done with us just yet. An area of low pressure will be rotating across the state today and bring more snow. There will be some bands of heavy snow at times that could lead to quick accumulations and reduced visibility. Temperatures will climb just into the low 30s and winds will be picking up out of the north through the day. Snow will wind down by about 7 p.m. Snowfall totals will be around a trace to two inches, with locally higher amounts where those bands set up. It will be calm but cold through the end of the week with temperatures in the low 30s. Temperatures will be in the mid 30s to near 40 Friday and Saturday. Then our next system moves in and will lead to another round of a wintry mix on Sunday.