Business Notes for May 12, 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

Fehr Graham, an engineering and environmental services firm, has hired Shawn Lueth as branch manager for its Cedar Rapids office.

Katie Clark has joined the Care Connections Clinic at Mercy Cedar Rapids as a nurse practitioner.

GreatAmerica Financial Services has announced the following new team members: Meg George, executive administrative assistant; Zach Townsend, portfolio manager; Nate Berkhoudt, organization development & training manager; Marissa Annis, funding specialist; Carly Hodges, senior HR consultant; Emily Masterson, internal auditor; Frank Accurso, portfolio manager; Marcy Bentley, compliance specialist; Paula Attwood, portfolio manager; Aiden Burgess, data engineer; and Megan Schaefer, portfolio manager.

Promotions

Hills Bank has promoted Amber DeMan to first vice president, branch manager, in its Iowa City office.

Appointments

MidWest One Financial Group Inc., parent company of MidWest One Bank, has announced three new board members. Azeemuddin Ahmed, clinical professor of emergency medicine at the University of Iowa; Carl J. Chaney, chairman of Chaney Investments, will serve on both the MidWest One Financial Group and MidWest One Bank’s boards. Wesley K. Hartig, chief executive officer of MedOne Pharmacy Benefit Solutions, will serve on the MidWest One Bank board.

Kudos

Terri LeBlanc, co-owner of Swamp Fox Bookstore, received a $500 bonus from the 2024 James Patterson Bookseller Bonus Program in April. Patterson, a prolific bestselling author, provides the funding for this award, which gives bonuses to nearly 500 booksellers based on online nominations.

Other news

Wellness business opens: Jen Haney, owner of PrimeIV Hydration & Wellness, 1100 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE in Cedar Rapids, is hosting a grand opening at the business from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 23. The business offers treatments to make people feel better and look better, Haney said. The phone number is (319) 458-5650.

Score Workshop: A free workshop is being offered May 14 for business owners with training in marketing, sales and networking, with lunch provided The workshop will run 10 a.m.to 2:30 p.m. at the Cedar Rapids Public Library, 450 Fifth Ave. SE. Seating is limited. Deadline to register is Monday, May 13, by emailing Mark at mark.hermann@scorevolunteer.org.

Small business of the week: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, last week named The Bakery on Broadway, in Audubon County, as her small business of the week. Kate Hargens founded the business in 2020 in downtown Audubon in west-central Iowa after spending her early career as a food scientist and licensed at-home baker. The business holds weekly forums in the late fall and early spring and also hosts exhibits where local artists can sell their art. Ernst, the ranking member on 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.