Business Notes for Jan. 22, 2023

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

Skywalk Group hired Bridget Morales as a business operations analyst.

Promotions

Bob Lamkins was recently promoted to vice president, mortgage lender at Hills Bank’s Iowa City office.

Boards

The following have been elected to three-year terms at Brucemore’s Board of Trustees: Shadia Igram, accounting manager of Cedar Graphics, and Akwi Nji, director of communications and cchool and community relations for the Waterloo Community School District. The board elected Doug Neumann, executive director of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, as president; Lisha Coffey, president of Travero, as vice president; Kathy Hall, retired executive director at Kirkwood Community College Foundation, as secretary; and Kimberly Hillyard, wealth advisor at Choreo, as treasurer.

Kudos

Acme Tools, which includes a retail store in Cedar Rapids, has made Newsweek's list of Best Online Shops 2023 in the DIY, Tools and Supplies category.

Insights and sessions

The next monthly in-person workshop for networking and business skills Is on Thursday, Jan. 26, sponsored by SCORE. It will be held at Scott's Family Restaurant from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and at the Chrome Horse from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, email mark.hermann@scorevolunteer.org.

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.