Business Notes: June 27, 2021

The Gazette’s Business Notes is a compendium of the week’s promotions, new hires, certifications, added business lines and business events, among other items, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and the rest of the Corridor.

Information and photos can be submitted to Business Notes by email to businessnotes@thegazette.com, or on our site at thegazette.com/businessnotes.

New Hires

Sam Smothers joined the ARC of East Central Iowa as quality assurance specialist.

Promotions

Hills Bank and Trust Co. promoted Jason Weeks to senior vice president for financial reporting at the Hills branch and Mallory Glennie to first vice president and branch manager at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics office.

Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids promoted Nic Olberding to senior director of IS Application Support Services.

Talia Meidlinger is now executive director at United Action of Youth.

UFG Insurance promoted Tony Saylor to vice president, corporate underwriting department; Ryan Gardner, assistant vice president, project management department; Naomi Homrighausen, assistant vice president , information technology department; Steve Merkey, assistant vice president, finance department; Amy Rupp, assistant vice president, project management team; Kyanna Saylor, assistant vice president. surety division; Dominique Siméon, assistant vice president, reinsurance department; Ben Williams, assistant vice president, enterprise analytics department; and Kyle Skogman, vice chairman of the board, United Fire Group Inc.

Board Members

The League of Women Voters Linn County elected its 2021-22 officers and board members. Jean McMenimen now is president; Barbara Wild, first vice president; Karen Lewis, secretary; Jane Carlson, treasurer; and Barbara Rhame, Barbra Yamanishi and Nancy Emrich, board members. Linda Langston chairs the nominating committee with committee members Joye Winey and Judy McDowell.

Lura McBride was elected to serve a three-year term on the board of United Fire Group.

Kudos

Katherine Shea, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at the Abbe Center Clinic, received the 2021 Inaugural Jean Oxley Contribution Award from the League of Women Voters Linn County.

Four local educators were selected as recipients of the Robert E. Yager Active Learning Award by the Iowa Children’s Museum. They were Ryan Bentzinger, Willowwind School; Taylor Bigbee, Tamarack Discovery School; Jan Johnson, Lakeview Elementary School; and Nikki Wilcox, Iowa BIG.

Panels

The Gazette’s June 8 Business Breakfast panel on “The Power Grid of the Future” can be viewed at thegazette.com/special-events/business-breakfast. Panelists were Mayuri Farlinger of Alliant Energy; Michaela Freiburger, Dubuque County Energy District; Kerri Johannsen, Iowa Environmental Council; Dusky Terry, ITC Midwest; and Chad Wiltz, Van Meter. BerganKDV, the business, financial and technology solutions company, is the series sponsor. Supporting partners are NewBoCo and Corridor Careers.