Business Notes for Dec. 25, 2022

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

Claire Murphy recently joined Hills Bank as a trust officer in the Cedar Rapids office.

Dana Thordsen, FNP, has joined MercyCare Alberts in Cedar Rapids as a family nurse practitioner.

Shawn Wiederin has been hired as head of consulting operations at Google.

Appointments

Phil Jasper, president of mission systems at Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, had been elected chairman of the Iowa Business Council for 2023-24. Other officers are Gage Kent, chairman and CEO of Kent Corp., Muscatine, as vice chairman; John Sorensen, president and CEO of Iowa Bankers Association, Johnston, as treasurer; and Joe Murphy, executive director of the Iowa Business Council, Des Moines, as secretary.

Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman attorneys Randy Scholer and Kyle Wilcox have joined the Iowa State Bar Foundation.

Trees Forever has named three new boards members: Barry Sackett of Goosmann Law Firm, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Bill Stamats of Stamats Communications, Cedar Rapids; and Grant Thompson, Ph.D., of Genus Landscape Architects, Des Moines.

Promotions

Hills Bank recently promoted Josh Yilek to first vice president, mortgage underwriting manager in the bank’s Coralville office.

Skywalk Group, a Cedar Rapids recruiting company, has promoted Abby Charlier to recruiting supervisor.

T.J. Meiners has been named president of Nelson Electric Co., and Dave Murray will become the company’s CEO on Jan. 1.

Grants

The International Paper Foundation has awarded a $3,500 grant to Families Helping Families of Iowa.

Donations

RSM, an audit, tax and consulting business in Cedar Rapids, recently donated a check for $17,700 to support the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program’s food bank operations in Eastern Iowa.

Insights and sessions

The Gazette Business Breakfast panel’s third-quarter discussion, “A Small Business’ Tool Kit for 2023: Lessons we’ve learned and challenges — and opportunities — for which we can be prepared,” now is online at https://bit.ly/3eD04Wv. Panelists are Paul Andreasen, founder and owner, Saucy Focaccia; Sydney Rieckhoff, CEO, Almost Famous Popcorn; and Kymberly Stevenson, Targeted Small Business Development Program manager, Iowa Economic Development Authority. The discussion series was sponsored by BerganKDV.

The final 2022 installment of the “Gazette Spotlight on …” series of recorded interviews also is available to view at business.thegazette.com. This group recognizes businesses and organizations for their focus on growth. Interviewed are Luke Bishop of BAE Systems; Matt Swift of Big Grove; Sarah Nelson of Comm-Unity Crisis Service; and Drew Martel of Foundation 2. Also, the Better Business Bureau Cedar Rapids office joined The Gazette in speaking with Marc Meyer of Inteconnex. The series was sponsored by TrueNorth Cos.