Business Notes for Dec. 4, 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

Sara Volz has joined ChildServe as director of development.

Kelsi Harms now is with Amperage Marketing and Fundraising as an account executive.

Kudos

Lezli Luneckas-Broomhall, public relations and marketing consultant with Luneckas Consulting of Cedar Rapids, received the Iowa Association for Justice’s Tom Staack Public Education Award for her work in spotlighting the human impact of negligence and workplace injury through earned media across the state of Iowa.

Pressley Henningsen and Brian Ivers, both of Cedar Rapids, were presented with the Iowa Association for Justice’s Public Service Award for their advocacy for Iowa nursing home residents.

Matthew Brandes of Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman has been recognized by Best Lawyers as 2023 Lawyer of the Year for Family Law.

Appointments

The Iowa Association for Justice recently installed J. Dean Keegan, of Keegan, Tindal and Jaeger, Iowa City, as president. Darin Luneckas, Cedar Rapids, was elected to its board of governors from Judicial District 6; Emily Anderson, Ann Gronlund and Ben Long, all Cedar Rapids, and Steven Ballard, Iowa City, were elected to at-large positions, and Eric Tindal, Iowa City, as chairman of IAJ’s criminal law section.

Business launch

Covenant Family Solutions, a Cedar Rapids-based mental and behavioral health organization, has spun off Covenant Workplace Solutions, formerly a CFS division, as a full-service workplace mental health and wellness organization.

Applications

The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance is taking applications from member restaurants to participate in the 11th Annual Restaurant Week, Feb. 17 through 26, at https://bit.ly/3udvRSu. Non-member restaurants can take part but will need to become a member before Jan. 20.

Insights and sessions

The Q4 Hiawatha Business Summit will 4 to 6 p.m., Dec. 6, at Stillwater Coffee, 1275 N. Center Point Rd., Hiawatha. There is no cost to attend, but registration is requested.

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.