Business Notes: Oct. 24, 2021

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.

Promotions

Hills Bank and Trust Co. has promoted Samantha Martin to retail servicing and support officer, Hills; Jeff Ritchie, senior vice president, trust officer lead, North Liberty; Mark Ahlers, senior vice president, wealth management officer, Marion; Tim Reed, first vice president, core banking manager, Hills; Reed Fisher, first vice president, project management, Hills; Becky Mougin, vice president, branch manager, Washington; and Lewis Field, first vice president, in house counsel, Hills.

Sami Sandecki stepped up to sourcing supervisor for Skywalk Group in Cedar Rapids.

Board members

The Optimist Club of Cedar Rapids-Tuesday Noon named Mick Erdman as president, for the 2021-22 year.

Awards

OPN Architects of Cedar Rapids received its first Honor Award from the AIA Central States Region in the firm’s 42-year history, for the Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center in Mount Vernon.

Meetings

NewBoCo’s 2021 annual meeting will start at 4:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Olympic Southside Theater. The meeting will be hosted by touring musician and visual artist Alisabeth Von Presley, owner and founder of TINT.

For more information about the event and to purchase tickets, go to https://bit.ly/2YMr3Ha.

Insights

Watch interviews with this year’s Gazette Business Award recipients — plus the keynote interview with Rand Corp. economist Dr. Kathryn Anne Edwards — at thegazette.com/businessawards. Award recipients discuss business decisions they made over the past year and what they see in the years to come. TrueNorth was presenting sponsor.

Also, The Gazette’s final Business Breakfast panel of the year, “Working Through Workplace Tangles for 2022,” will be 9 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 9. Panelists will be Brandon Blankenship, SEC Midwest and ProCircular; Terri Davis, Shuttleworth and Ingersoll; Talinda Pettigrew, University of Iowa; Samantha Rogers, Skywalk Group; and Becky Streff, ESP International. The live online event will be free but registration is required at thegazette.com/businessbreakfast.