Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks toured two Iowa manufacturers on Monday, where company leaders credited federal tax changes with fueling expansion, research investment and workforce training.
Also in the notebook, Iowa’s unemployment rate remained at 3.7 percent in July
A cotton-picking machine manufactured at John Deere’s Ankeny facility has claimed the title of Coolest Thing Made in Iowa in 2025. There were more than 93,000 votes in this year’s competition.
While the U.S. economy looks good underneath the surface, uncertainty around the impact of Trump’s tariffs and trade policy has kicked up a “bunch of question marks in the air, you know, dust in the air that makes the visibility low” for the Fed to consider lowering short-term borrowing costs, said Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Austan Goolsbee.
The frequently changing tariffs on imported ingredients are creating some challenges for skin care company EcoLips. The manufacturer relies on a variety of ingredients that can’t be grown in the United States. Frequently fluctuating ingredient costs may have an impact on the steady growth the company has experienced.
Despite its decades of work helping Iowa businesses and manufacturers grow and innovate, the Iowa State University-based Center for Industrial Research and Service learned last week that the federal government is halting its funding — effective immediately — “because it is no longer aligned with the priorities of the administration.”
As long as the strike lasts, it will deprive the company of much-needed cash it gets from delivering new planes to airlines. That will be another challenge for new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who six weeks ago was given the job of turning around a company that has lost more than $25 billion in the last six years and fallen behind European rival Airbus.
University of Iowa research: Motivational posters can reflect, but not create, company culture
Groundwater, soil monitored for solvents left behind by plastic packaging production
Italian confectioner Ferrero said Wednesday it will acquire Le Mars-based Wells Enterprises, one of the largest U.S. ice cream makers including Blue Bunny, in a deal that will broaden both companies’ offerings.
Unverferth Manufacturing said Tuesday it is nearing completion of a 75,000-square-foot plant expansion at its Shell Rock facility.
Things are good for business in Iowa, Iowa Business Council Executive Director Joe Murphy said. But we better be prepared for some potential hurdles on the horizon.
Women Lead Change has begun a six-week program to provide leadership development for new managers -- women and men -- in manufacturing.
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