Business News

In her first visit to Iowa, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Monday said the administration may provide emergency aid to farmers — as it did during Trump’s first term — to offset losses from retaliatory tariffs on agriculture exports imposed by America’s trading partners.

A misunderstanding purportedly led a farmland owner to sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture to overturn protections for millions of acres of ag wetlands. A judge is considering requests to dismiss the case before it goes to trial.

To mark the start of Earth Month, Cedar Rapids Transit will not charge a fare Tuesday to ride a city bus.

A federal judge has dismissed the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers seeking to shutter the Dakota Access Pipeline, which cuts across Iowa.

Larry Tiah has watched his southeast Cedar Rapids store, Hela African Food Market, grow. The store features a variety of African foods and seasonings as well as clothing. KIVA loans have helped the business grow.

QTS Data Center CEO Chad Williams will step down from the CEO post April 18. Williams founded QTS from scratch and grew it into a $60 billion company. QTS is in the early stages of building a Cedar Rapids facility of at least $750 million.

Andrew Saulnier launched A Closer Look in December 2006 and has seen business grow steadily. Saulnier sees about 80 percent of his business come from real estate agents and lenders.

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.