Business Notes for Feb. 2, 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/

Appointments

Michelle Niermann has been named chair of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation board of directors. Other officers are Nancy Hill, chair-elect; David Little, treasurer; and Anthony Arrington, secretary. Joining the board are Kimberly Hillyard, Wendy Nielsen, Cathy Terukina and Blake Wilkinson.

Eric Schmitt, a member of the Marion Economic Development Corp. board of directors, has been named the board’s chair. Emily Kaiser, a board member since 2022, is the chair-elect.

Mary Lehner has been named president of the His Hands Free Clinic board of directors. Dr. Donald Paynter is the past president. Kent Jorgensen will become the board’s vice president, Dianna Richardson the secretary, and Tim Wesselink the treasurer.

Other news

Applications open for $100,000 Grand Impact award: Cedar Rapids-area nonprofits are invited to apply for the fourth-annual Grand Impact competition, a pitch-style event culminating in a $100,000 award for one nonprofit’s project.

The event, presented by the Rotary Club of Cedar Rapids (Downtown Rotary), is made possible by donations of $2,000 from 50 local businesses. A committee of Downtown Rotarians will select three nonprofit finalists to pitch their plans at the Grand Impact event on May 12.

The public is invited to attend the event, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton downtown, but must RSVP to crdowntownrotary@gmail.com to reserve a spot.

The program is open to any 501(c)3 organization located in and serving Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha and/or Robins. The application and full list of requirements can be found at https://bit.ly/GrandImpact2025. The deadline to apply is Feb. 28. Finalists will be notified in April.

“This is a one-of-a kind opportunity to bring our business community together and support a deserving nonprofit with one of the largest charitable awards in the region,” Grand Impact 2024-25 Chair Jennifer Welton said.

Grand Impact has previously awarded funding to Matthew 25 (2022), Together We Achieve (2023) and Kingdom Community Center (2024).

More information is available on the Grand Impact webpage, https://rotaryclubofcedarrapids.org/page/grand-impact, and at the Grand Impact Facebook page, facebook.com/TheGrandImpact.

St. Luke’s adds aquatic therapy: UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation is now offering aquatic therapy to patients recovering from injuries and illnesses.

A lead gift from the Hall Perrine Foundation and other significant gifts allowed the St. Luke’s Foundation to raise almost $300,000 and acquire the HydroWorx Rise, a system that has a freestanding warm-water tank with a self-contained underwater treadmill. It uses water’s buoyancy to support patients — including individuals using a wheelchair — while they stand, walk or run.

“This is a significant therapy tool, which will greatly enhance recovery for our patients,” said Lisa Ainsworth, St. Luke’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation therapy manager. “Using the power of water, this device safely reduces body weight, promoting natural walking movements for quicker recovery and reduced pain.”

Collins Aerospace quarterly sales/profits: Collins Aerospace, the largest employer in Cedar Rapids, last week reported fourth quarter 2024 sales of $7.5 million, up 6 percent from the previous year.

The increase in sales was driven by a 13 percent increase in defense and a 12 percent increase in commercial aftermarket, partially offset by a 6 percent decrease in commercial equipment sales.

Collins Aerospace, a division of RTX, reported operating profit of $1.1 million, down 2 percent versus the previous year. This included a $155 million charge related to the impairment of contract fulfillment costs, which was partially offset by a $99 million gain on the sale of the Hoist & Winch business.

On an adjusted basis, the operating profit of $1.2 million was up 17 percent from the previous year.

Small business of the week: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, last week named Myers Tree Farm of Des Moines County as her small business of the week.

In 1987, Robert and Patti Myers planted Christmas trees on an acre near Sperry, in southeast Iowa, in hopes of selling them to pay for their son Chad’s college education. After Chad graduated from Iowa State University in 1993 with a degree in horticulture, he joined the business full-time and eventually took it over with his wife.

The couple expanded Myers Tree Farm to include full-service landscaping and a potting shed that sold flowers, succulents and garden and vegetable plants. In 2019, the Myerses renovated the barn to host wedding ceremonies. The business also hosts a Fourth of July fireworks celebration that attracts more than 5,000 people to the family farm.

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.