Business Notes for July 27, 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/

New hires

Dr. Daniel Herlihy has joined Mercy Gastroenterology Clinic in Cedar Rapids.

His Hands Free Clinic has announced that Cathy D'mello is its new executive director.

GreatAmerica Financial Services has announced the following new team members: Alyssa Janssen, operations support, development; Erica Martin, documentation specialist, development; Mallory Klindt, sales support specialist; Masen Miller, credit analyst; and Taylor Jansen, documentation specialist.

Other news

Kirkwood Opens Skills Survey 2027 to Area Employers: Kirkwood Community College has announced the launch of the Skills Survey 2027, a questionnaire seeking input from businesses in the college’s seven-county service area about the future needs of the area’s workforce. The survey is open to all area employers and is live now through Aug. 29 at www.kirkwood.edu/skills2027.

Kirkwood has used this survey for more than a decade to ensure the college and area workforce partners have the necessary information to respond to the unique skill and workforce challenges facing the region. The data from the Skills Survey 2027 will play a critical role in the following areas:

To Kirkwood Vice President of Continuing Education and Training Services Cheri Kampman, the survey is a crucial tool that helps ensure the college is addressing the right needs for both employers and their employees.

“The Skills Survey 2027 is a powerful way for us to hear directly from employers and help ensure our programming remains relevant, responsive, and aligned with the real-world demands of our region’s economy,” said Kampman.

The estimated time to complete the survey is 15 minutes.

New ownership: Aire-Master of The Heartland is under new local ownership by Terry Canipe, with Amber Ellison serving as customer care executive.

New pacemaker offering: UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital has announced that electrophysiologist Talha Farid, MD, is the first in Cedar Rapids to be trained and successfully implant the AVEIR DR, the world’s first dual-chamber leadless (wireless) pacemaker system. Designed by Abbott, the AVEIR DR is a minimally invasive option, which effectively treats abnormal or slow heart rhythms by sending electrical signals to both upper and lower chambers of the heart (both the right atrium and right ventricle), helping it beat normally again. Leadless devices are implanted directly into the heart via catheter. Unlike traditional pacemakers, they eliminate the need for cardiac lead wires. As a result, leadless pacemakers reduce patients’ exposure to potential complications and offer a less restrictive and shorter recovery period postimplantation.

Small Business of the Week: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has announced Sponheim Sales and Services of Mitchell County in northern Iowa as her small business of the week. Founded in 2015 by Dean Sponheim, a fourth-generation farmer, Sponheim Sales and Services has grown from a local conservation effort into a full-service agricultural operation supporting farmers across Iowa. The small business offers custom seed cleaning, drilling, aerial application, interseeding, and contracts with local oat and rye growers. Sponheim, alongside his son Josh and longtime colleague Rachel Amundson, has expanded the business to help farmers adopt sustainable practices to reduce their environmental footprint. 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.