Business Notes for Oct. 5, 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

At Mercy Anesthesia Providers, Navid Etemadi, MD, has joined as medical director; Andrews Adjapong, MD, has joined as assistant medical director; and James Myers, DO, has joined as anesthesiologist.

Jim McCurdy has joined Simmons Perrine as chief information officer.

Promotions

Curtis Hames IV has been promoted to general manager of Hames Homes.

Appointments

Brenda Oehler, MSN, RN, NE-BC, has been appointed as UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital director of emergency services and nursing operations.

Kudos

Seven attorneys at Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, PLC have been named by Best Lawyers in America 2026 as “Lawyer of the Year” in Cedar Rapids: Brian D. Bergstrom, mergers and acquisitions law; Jace T. Bisgard, product liability litigation — defendants; Terri C. Davis, litigation — labor and employment, workers’ compensation law — employers; Laurie L. Dawley, banking and finance law; Tricia L. Hoffman-Simanek, insurance law; Timothy J. Krumm, business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships); and Jennifer E. Rinden, litigation — health care.

Other news

Small Business of the Week: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has announced 319 Decor & Design of Grundy County in central Iowa as her small business of the week. In 2017, Katie Lewis founded 319 Decor & Design to pursue her lifelong passion for interior design. It has grown into a thriving design firm, offering cabinetry designs, paint planning, home decor, and more, delivering budget-friendly, personalized design experiences for every customer. 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.