Business Notes for March 17, 2024

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

Tasha Chapa has joined Mercy’s Plumb Heart Center in Cedar Rapids as a nurse practitioner.

Jill De Young has joined Hills Bank as senior vice president, director of administration, in the bank’s Hills office.

Stephanie Worrell has joined Hills Bank as in-house counsel, officer, in the bank’s Hills office.

Promotions

Amperage Marketing & Fundraising has promoted Rachael Holland to vice president of growth as the Cedar Rapids-based company focuses on strategic growth.

Other news

Independent living apartments opening in Marion: Tulip Tree Apartments, a 40-unit independent living community for people 55 and over, is having its grand opening Wednesday, March 20, with tours for the public from 2 to 4 p.m. at 728 Oakbrook Dr. in Marion.

The two-bedroom units include in-unit laundry facilities and appliances, with free parking and a community room. Accessible units are available. Some units are reserved for those with low incomes, other units are market-rate. Apartment applications are available at chihousing.com, and people can call (515) 225-4185 for information.

The units were built by Community Housing Initiatives, the largest nonprofit in Iowa offering affordable housing, with funding from the Iowa Finance Authority. Support also was provided by the city of Marion, the Housing Trust Fund of Linn County, the Marion Economic Development Corp., the Midwest Housing Equity Group and others.

Grand Impact event: The Rotary Club of Cedar Rapids, known as Downtown Rotary, will be giving $100,000 to the winner of its third annual Grand Impact event April 1. During the competition, three nonprofit finalists “pitch” a “visionary human services project” in the Cedar Rapids metro area.

Matthew 25 won the 2022 competition, using the prize money to help open the Cultivate Hope Corner Store in a Cedar Rapids neighborhood without a grocery store. In 2023, Together We Achieve won, using the funds to build out its kitchen and cold storage and buy a delivery vehicle.

Fifty businesses donate to the “100 grand” prize pool, which is large enough to make a “significant impact,” sponsors say.

Tickets on sale for EntreFEST 2024: Early-bird tickets are now on sale for EntreFEST, a June 13-14 conference celebrating the spirit of entrepreneurialism and innovation. Sessions will be at local venues, including the Geonetric Building and the Olympic South Side Theater in the NewBo district, with more venues to be announced.

Early bird tickets — with a $100 discount — are available through Thursday, March 20, at https://entrefest.com/buy-tickets/.

EntreFEST will feature keynote speakers and panels, with dozens of smaller sessions covering all aspects of business and entrepreneurship. More information about venues and speakers will be announced at entrefest.com/.

Cultural Immersion Workshop: A workshop “like none other you have experienced” on cultural competency and human connections is scheduled for March 26 at Kirkwood Community College from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Entrepreneurs, individuals and business and nonprofit leaders are encouraged to attend. Speakers include Anthony Arrington Jr. of Top Rank and Richard Etienne of Action for Haiti.

Registration is open to the public, at $50 per individual and group rates available for parties of five or more. Materials, an ethnic lunch and refreshments are included. To register, go to District5970.org.

The workshop is sponsored by Daybreak Rotary of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood and Rotary District 5970, with the Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services as co-host.

Coolest thing made in Iowa competition: The Iowa Association of Business and Industry and MidWestOne are sponsoring a statewide competition in search of the “coolest thing made in Iowa.”

Similar competitions in other states have seen awards go to motorcycles, military vehicles, cheese products, boats, generators, food carts and beer.

Nominations open March 25; the forms are at coolestthingia.com. Nominees will be announced April 19. Iowans can vote for their favorite nominee from April 22 to May 29. The winner will be announced June 5 at the ABI annual conference, held this year in the Quad Cities.

Graduate Hotels in Iowa City: Hilton last week announced it has acquired rights to the Graduate Hotels brand for $210 million. AJ Capital remains the owner of 35-plus Graduate hotels, including two in Iowa City — at 210 S. Dubuque St. (the former Iowa City Sheraton) and hotelVetro at 201 S. Linn St. The deal allows travelers to book Graduate Hotels through Hilton channels.

Small business of the week: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, last week named the Martin Hildreth Co., a three-generation family business in Calhoun County, as small business of the week. In 1954, Martin Hildeth founded the company, which provides excavation contracting services — for utilities, telecommunications and cemeteries — in Rockwell City. Ernst, ranking member of the Senate’s Small Business Committee, is recognizing one exceptional small business in Iowa each week during this congressional session.