Business Notes for Feb. 4, 2024

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

David L. Wenzel has joined the Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman law firm in Cedar Rapids.

Promotions

Horizons, a Cedar Rapids nonprofit that provides Meals on Wheels, financial counseling and the Neighborhood Transportation Service, has named Chandler DeWees its director of development.

Appointments

Meth-Wick CEO named: Kathy Horan has been named CEO of the Meth-Wick retirement community in northwest Cedar Rapids. Horan, the president/CEO of AbbeHealth, an affiliate of UnityPoint Health, will succeed Meth-Wick’s current president and CEO, Robin Mixdorf, who will retire on March 31.

Springville board: Tyson Jacobi, president and CEO of the Exchange State Bank, has been elected president of the Springville Economic Development Corp. for 2024. Cortney Pearson, vice president of Citizens State Bank, will be secretary, and Lena Gilbert, a real estate agent with Skogman Realty, will be treasurer.

YPN board members: YPN has added new members to its board of trustees. They are Lorilei Christner, Informatics chief operating officer; Jamie Toledo, Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, economic development relationship manager; Brad Marcus, US Bank, vice president; Kathy Donnelly, First Community Trust executive vice president; and Mindy Olson, Paulson Electric, vice president.

Other news

Internship funding: Iowa Workforce Development is making approximately $250,000 in state funding available to support summer internships in high-demand professions for Iowans between the ages of 14 and 24. Applications are open at iowagrants.gov and will be accepted through 2 p.m. Feb. 21.

Small business of the week: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst named Lola’s Fine Hot Sauce of Polk County as a small business of the week. Taufeek and Lola Shah, mother and son, started selling Lola’s hot sauce at farmers markets. They added more products, including a Southern Jalapeno Bloody Mary mix and Lola’s Original Seasoning, that are now sold at more than 14,000 retailers around the globe. Ernst, the ranking member of the Senate’s Small Business Committee, is naming a small business of the week in each of Iowa’s 99 counties.