Business Notes for May 26, 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

Stephanie Moon has joined the MercyCare Community Physicians team as a nurse practitioner at MercyCare North Liberty.

Kallie Slaymaker has joined Rinderknecht Associates as a project coordinator.

Promotions

Faith Janaszak has been promoted to staff accountant at Rinderknecht Associates.

RSH Legal has announced that Ben Long is a new shareholder with the Cedar Rapids-based law firm.

Other news

Collins contract: Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, an RTX business, has been awarded a five-year, $196.6 million contract with the U.S. Army to produce tactical airborne navigation systems, the federal government announced last week.

Iowa State Fair adds market: The Iowa State Fair this year is expanding vendor opportunities to Iowa producers of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and flowers. The Fair View Farmers Market will be in Grandfather's Barn behind the Cultural Center on the fairgrounds in Des Moines. Producers can rent 10-by-10-foot spaces for $30 per day, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Applications can be submitted for one day or multiple days. Applications are due June 1. For more information and the application, go to iowastatefair.org.

Small business of the week: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, last week named Ruthven Meat Processing of Palo Alto County as her small business of the week. Terry and Beth Kraft founded the business in Ruthven in north-central Iowa in 2002 to provide meats, meat processing and meat storage to customers. The couple’s son, Chris Kraft, bought the business from his parents in 2019 and now serves as president and CEO alongside his wife, Suzie, the vice president of marketing. Today, the business has additional locations in Arnolds Park, Spencer and Spirit Lake. Ernst, the ranking member on the Senate’s Small Business Committee, is naming one exceptional small business of the week in each of Iowa’s counties during this congressional session.