Business Notes for June 22, 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

Erica Brown and Melanie Blais have joined Mercy Urology Clinic at Mercy Medical Center as nurse practitioners.

Margaret Riddell, DNP, has joined the MercyCare Community Physicians team as a nurse practitioner at MercyCare Marion.

Scott Watkinson has joined Design Engineers as a technology consultant.

GreatAmerica Financial Services has announced the following new hires: Carson Recker, operations support specialist; Caden Schroeder, account support adviser intern; Chloe Hillary, sales professional intern; Delaney Pattison, credit analyst intern; Elyse White, credit analyst intern; Foram Patel, service desk intern; Ian Hopkins, finance rotation intern; Bella Nelson, sales support specialist intern; Juliet Brewer, sales support specialist intern; Luke Gaffney, sales professional intern; Mallory Evans, sales professional intern; Miles Wilson, financial analyst intern; Noah Wilcox, account support adviser intern; Rylee Lueken, account support adviser intern; and Sydney Fox, account support adviser intern.

At Hills Bank, Rob Christensen recently joined as senior vice president, chief information officer; and Christian Swartzentruber recently joined as first vice president, commercial and industrial credit underwriting, both in the Hills office; and Tami Brush recently joined as first vice president, trust operations officer, in the North Liberty office.

Other news

Venture School awards: Recap Books, a business founded by Amy and Jeff Blanchard that provides a simple, safe way to preserve social media memories in a keepsake book, won first place and $15,000 at the University of Iowa’s Venture School Launch Day on June 12 at The Olympic Southside Theater. Second place ($9,000) went to Rezonance AI, a consulting firm founded by Padmini Soni that specializes in responsible and ethical AI solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. The Local Hub, an online guide to local events in Iowa City and Coralville founded by Samantha Johnson, earned third place ($6,000). Two finalists, Georgette (Hallie Erdahl) and HitchHub (Jake Johnson), and five semifinalists received $1,000 each. The semifinalists are CaptuRE Recycling (Shaden Tweeten), Circa Legacy (Keesia Wirt), Mabel & Pearl Tea Co. (Sadie Sell and Nicholas Terbovic), Peer Accelerator (Nick Johnson), and Receivos (Adan Ortiz). A total of $37,000 in prize money was awarded to the 10 teams. Recap Books participated in Des Moines Venture School, The Local Hub is from the Iowa City cohort, and Rezonance AI is from Quad City Venture School. Venture School is affiliated with the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC). The statewide training program focuses on real-world experimentation, customer discovery, and Lean LaunchPad methodologies.

New Iowa JPEC director: The University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC) has named Dana Rupe, an entrepreneurial leader with more than 20 years of experience launching and scaling businesses, as its new director. Rupe began her duties at Iowa JPEC on June 9. Rupe, a native of Eddyville, brings a strong record of building and scaling apparel and sports brands. Her portfolio includes founding and leading ventures such as the women’s activewear brand Alex + Abby and Daden Group, an apparel licensing vehicle for the industry. Rupe also co-founded Valley Apparel, which became a key licensing partner with Adidas, for the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and more than 300 collegiate teams. After the company was acquired by Adidas, she served as vice president of its team division, leading product development, international sourcing, and sales. At the University of Iowa, Rupe recently served as an adjunct instructor, teaching social media marketing for fashion and lifestyle brands in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. A frequent guest lecturer and mentor, she is dedicated to creating experiential learning opportunities that connect students with the real world of entrepreneurship. Rupe holds a Master of Science degree in textiles and clothing from Iowa State University and a Bachelor of Science in fashion merchandising and consumer studies from the University of Arizona. She succeeds longtime director Lynn Allendorf, who will remain on staff as a program assistant.

Small Business of the Week: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has announced PowerTech of Pottawattamie County in western Iowa as her small business of the week. Since acquiring the business in 2016, longtime friends Josh Kallsen and Cody Forristall have transformed PowerTech into one of the Midwest’s premier electrical service providers. Headquartered in Council Bluffs, the company offers 24/7 facility maintenance, generator services, emergency response, and comprehensive electrical solutions for residential, commercial, and industrial clients. In 2020, they launched Power to Give, a philanthropic initiative that supports employee volunteerism with local nonprofits — particularly those serving children and mental health causes. Through their PowerTech Cares Program, they donate electrical services to a family in need each month. 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.