Business Notes

Awards

Cedar Rapids was ranked No. 9 among the top 10 cities profiled in the September issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine. “From grains to planes, a diverse economy attracts a high-tech work force and cushions the city from downturns,” the magazine said. “The nearby University of Iowa provides Cedar Rapids residents with access to Big 10 sports, and the city itself is laced with parks, bike trails and various entertainment options. The city has recovered nicely from the 2008 Cedar River flood and housing costs and property taxes remain extremely affordable.”

All 10 can be viewed at here.

Hy-Vee was honored by Access 2 Independence and the Johnson County ADA as the first winner of the Corporate Excellence in Accessibility Award. The company was recognized for its installation of the FuelCall system in 91 Hy-Vee stores in seven states enabling drivers with disabilities.

Seminars

An Agosto/Google Executive IT Summit will be held from 8 to 11:30 a.m., Aug. 11, at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids. The event will be an interactive session about using the Cloud. Register here, or call (612) 605-3520.

Miscellaneous

Goodwill Industries of Northeast Iowa Inc. received a $212,000 grant from Microsoft. The grant will allow the agency to update its servers and implement a new electronic recoding and reporting system.

The Iowa City Old Capitol Kiwanis Club and the Coralville Corridor Kiwanis Club presented two checks, in excess of $17,000 in total, to the University of Iowa Foundation. The money was raised by the two Kiwanis Clubs in their joint sponsorship of the annual Good Friday Prayer Breakfast and an annual Golf Outing. The funds are designated to support a Pediatric Chaplain at the University of Iowa's Children's Hospital.

Meeting

SCORE (Counselors to America's Small Business) will meet at 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, at Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, 424 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids. The speaker will be Dee Baird, president of Priority One and interim president of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. Baird will speak about economic development activities she sees affecting the community.