Business Notes for Dec. 14, 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.

New hires

Jason Brancel has joined Amana Society, Inc. as chief executive officer.

Jessica Whitmore has joined Mercy Urology Clinic as a doctor of nursing practice.

Other news

Donation: UScellular, now part of T-Mobile, on Dec. 5 donated $5,000 in various electronics, furniture, art supplies, sports equipment and games to Boys & Girls Clubs of the Corridor at the Olivet Unit. This marks the third straight year that UScellular has provided a holiday donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Corridor. This donation is among more than 50 UScellular will make across the country to nonprofits. Community members also are invited to join in giving back; all UScellular retail stores will collect donations for local nonprofits this holiday season.

Small Business of the Week: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has announced Holstein Manufacturing of Ida County in western Iowa as her small business of the week. Founded in 1976 by Bruce Schmidt on a family farm outside Holstein, Iowa, Holstein Manufacturing has grown from a homemade hog cooker built for a local fundraiser into a respected manufacturer of grills, chicken and rib cookers, deep fat fryers, corn roasters, stock trailers, animal feeding equipment, and more. The business has an international reach but remains deeply connected to its hometown, supporting 4-H and National FFA Organization and working with Ida County Economic Development and the Holstein Chamber of Commerce.