Business Notes for May 25, 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

Dupaco Credit Union welcomes Greg Rehmke as senior vice president, legal, compliance and risk.

GreatAmerica Financial Services has announced the following new team members: Bryce Skow, portfolio manager; Jake Williams, cash applications specialist; Madyleine Moenck, account support adviser; Sam Schildroth, portfolio manager; Josh Schreiner, service desk analyst; and Lisa McQuillen, account manager.

Elli Ruen has joined Hills Bank as trust officer in the North Liberty office.

Promotions

At Hills Bank, Lisa Nearad recently was promoted to vice president, accounting, in the Hills office; and Ian Probst recently was promoted to treasury management relationship officer in the Coralville office.

Elections

TRAIL of Johnson County, the aging-in-place nonprofit headquartered in Iowa City, has elected Connie Benton Wolfe, Kim Bergen-Jackson, and Neil Quellhorst to its board of directors.

Other news

Leadership changes: Informatics Inc., a full-service marketing and web agency based in Cedar Rapids, has announced a series of leadership transitions. Founder John Osako will continue as chief executive officer, while Stacie Osako will transition from chief experience officer to president. Megan Thomas, previously business growth director, will move into the new role of chief operations officer. Sara Kuennen also has been promoted to business growth director, from marketing director.

Small Business of the Week: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has announced The Quilted Forest of Winnebago County in northern Iowa as her small business of the week. In 1998, Shelley and Dan Robson opened The Quilted Forest in Forest City to create a one-stop shop for quilting kits, fabrics, and patterns. In 2004, Shelley launched Pieced Tree Patterns, a pattern design company that today sells custom quilt patterns both in store and nationwide. In 2021, Shelley started a YouTube channel, growing it to over 120,000 subscribers. On the channel, Shelley shared that she is creating a series of state quilt blocks to celebrate the United States' 250th birthday next year. This past March, The Quilted Forest celebrated its 28th anniversary. 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.