Business Notes for Feb. 23, 2025

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 at https://www.thegazette.com/business-notes/submit/

New hires

GreatAmerica Financial Services has announced the following new team members: Emily Mirabito, tax accountant; Jordan Crone, account manager — sales development program; Keli Harrell, funding specialist; and Paige Wolf, tax support specialist.

Kudos

UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital Marion ER has earned the first Trauma Certification for a freestanding ER in Iowa. The ER, located at 3301 Armar Dr. received notice from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Emergency Medical and Trauma Services, that it’s designated as a Level IV Trauma Center. Level IV Trauma Centers provide advanced trauma life support before transferring patients to higher-level trauma centers when necessary. The Marion ER is the only freestanding ER facility in the state of Iowa to pursue and receive this designation. St. Luke’s Marion ER opened in August 2024 and is staffed 24/7 with board-certified emergency physicians and experienced trauma-trained nurses.

Other news

Business Breakfast: The year’s first Business Breakfast Series, presented by The Gazette, will be at 8 a.m. Feb. 25 at Geonetric, 415 12th Ave. SE in Cedar Rapids, with a panel discussion on the physician shortage in Iowa. Panelists are Dr. Dustin Arnold, chief medical officer at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital; Dr. Fadi Yacoub, chair of the Linn County Medical Society; Dr. Timothy Quinn, president and CEO of Mercy Cedar Rapids; and moderator Zack Kucharski, executive editor of The Gazette. Those wishing to attend can register in advance at https://tinyurl.com/33hrxt3v or pay $5 at the door. The breakfast series is sponsored by The Gazette, with presenting sponsor, the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, and supporting sponsors, the Better Business Bureau and Hills Bank.

Acquisition: Thompson Truck & Trailer has announced that it is joining Ascendance Truck Centers. This acquisition includes 145 employees across all five Thompson Truck & Trailer dealership locations: Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Dubuque, Waterloo, and Sterling, Ill. It also includes the Thompson Body Shop and Thompson Trailer Shop, both in Cedar Rapids. Thompson Tire & Retread is not included in this sale and will continue to operate independently. Ascendance is an emerging commercial truck & trailer network operating in 10 states.

Networking: SCORE in-person round tables for networking and business skills development will be held Thursday, Feb. 27 in Cedar Rapids. The breakfast meeting will be from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at Scott’s Family Restaurant, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE. The lunch meeting in Cedar Rapids will be at 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Parlor City Pub & Eatery, 1125 Third St. SE in Cedar Rapids. There is also a round table in Waterloo on Wednesday, Feb. 25 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at Cabin Coffee located at 2040 Kimball Ave. in Waterloo. For more information, email mark.hermann@scorevolunteer.org

Small business of the week: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has announced Sweetheart Bakery and Homer’s Deli of Clinton County in Eastern Iowa as her small business of the week. In 1950, Charlie and Florence Thornton opened Sweetheart Bakery using original family recipes on Main Avenue. In 1978, their son, Charles, and his wife, Joanne, expanded the business, moving it one block west into its current storefront in the Lyons business district. After decades of success, Charles' son, Chuck, and his wife, Brenda, purchased the bakery. Upon taking over, they merged the family bakery with Homer’s Deli, a restaurant they also owned next door. Today, their children, Derek and Shauna, help run and manage the store. In March, the business will celebrate its 75th anniversary in Iowa. Ernst, chair of 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.