Business Notes for April 9, 2023

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

Jeff Caskey has joined Skywalk Group, Cedar Rapids-based recruiting agency, as a recruiter II.

Horizons has hired David Karpick as director of community transportation and Terry Bergen as manager of its Financial Wellness Center.

Amperage Marketing & Fundraising has hired Sarah Pauls as its creative director.

The city of Coralville has hired Melissa Christianson, Ph.D., CPA, as its director of finance.

Kudos

Kevin Jenkins with Roche Diagnostics was honored with the Diamond Award and the President's Award for People Leader for 2022.

The Eastern Iowa Arts Academy received the 2023 Governor's Arts Award in the arts education category from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and the Iowa Arts Council. The academy provides arts opportunities for children, without the financial barriers for families.

Appointments

F&M Bank has elected Bill Havertape, owner of 88 Hedge, to its board of directors.

Glenda Dixon of Cedar Rapids was elected president of the Cedar Rapids/Marion/Mount Vernon PEO Reciprocity Group for a two-year term. Others elected were Karen Roltgen, Marion, vice president; Barb Oakland, Marion, secretary; and Lynde Boettcher, Mount Vernon, treasurer.

Events

LEADERSHIP OF FIVE SEASONS ANNIVERSARY: Leadership for Five Seasons will celebrate its 40th anniversary June 1, with all alumni invited to attend. Since the program's start in 1983, nearly 1,400 business professionals have passed through the leadership training program, gaining lifelong skills that have benefited them personally and professionally.

The 40th anniversary celebration will include food and remarks from friends of Leadership of the Five Seasons, including program founder, former Cedar Rapids mayor Lee Clancey.

The event will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Cedar Rapids from 5 to 7:30 p.m. June 1. Registration is at https://www.cedarrapids.org/events/detail/leadership-for-five-seasons-40th-anniversary-celebration/. Cost is $60 per person, with a share of the proceeds going to the organization’s youth program.

BUSINESS BREAKFAST: Registration is now open for the next Gazette Business Breakfast on May 9, with a panel discussion planned on “Regional Collaboration Strategies.”

Johnson County entities collaborated to address quality-of-life issues and work on economic development during the pandemic. The north end of the Corridor also has evolving collaboration. How are we poised to work as a region toward economic growth, while still addressing individual needs?

Panelists will be Cady Gerlach, executive director of Better Together 2030; Tiffany O'Donnell, mayor of Cedar Rapids; Doug Neumann, executive director of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance; and Ryan Waller, city manager of Marion. Gazette Executive Editor Zack Kucharski will serve as panel moderator.

The breakfast and networking opportunity will run 7:30 to 9 a.m. May 9 at Geonetric, 415 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. To register and buy a $5 ticket, go to thegazette.com/special-events.

The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance is the presenting sponsor of The Gazette breakfast series, with community partner NewBoCo.