March 22, 2024 (DES MOINES, IA) – Today, the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board approved awards for four companies, which will assist in the creation of 252 jobs and result in $612 million in new capital investment for the state. These projects are located in Cedar Rapids, Knoxville and Marshalltown. IEDA also recently approved assistance from Iowa’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Innovation Fund for four startups in Coralville, Nora Springs, Templeton and West Des Moines.

Google to expand presence with data center in Cedar Rapids
Google LLC is a multinational technology company that focuses on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence and consumer electronics. The company plans to construct a data center in Cedar Rapids that powers many internet-related products. The project represents a $576 million capital investment and is expected to create 31 jobs incented at a qualifying wage of $31.44 per hour. The board granted the community of Cedar Rapids the ability to utilize the High Quality Jobs (HQJ) program provision for value-added property tax exemption for this project.

International Flavors & Fragrances to construct steam plant in Cedar Rapids
Danisco, Inc., a subsidiary of International Flavors & Fragrances, manufactures enzymes for biofuels production, to be used in food, animal nutrition and household products. The company plans to construct a new facility in Cedar Rapids for a steam generation plant, which will use natural gas as fuel. The board awarded the $17.5 million capital investment project tax benefits through the HQJ program. The project is expected to create at least two jobs incented at a qualifying wage of $31.44 per hour.

Weiler to expand facility in Knoxville
Weiler is a family-owned business that manufactures equipment for the asphalt paving market. The company plans to build a 16,100-square-foot expansion to its facility in Knoxville and invest in additional machinery and equipment, allowing for additional capacity to produce more parts in house. The project represents a $16.8 million capital investment and is expected to create 171 jobs, of which 89 are incented at a qualifying wage of $25.86 per hour. The board awarded the company a $400,000 forgivable loan and tax benefits through the HQJ program.

CO2 Refrigeration Systems to establish operations in Marshalltown
CO2 Refrigeration Systems is a manufacturer of natural refrigeration systems, an alternative to Freon- and Ammonia-based refrigeration. The company plans to establish its U.S. manufacturing presence with the purchase of an existing 34,000-square-foot facility in Marshalltown. The board awarded the $1.5 million capital investment project a $100,000 forgivable loan and tax benefits through the HQJ program. It is expected to create 48 jobs incented at a qualifying wage of $22.17 per hour.

SSBCI awards made to four startups
Coralville’s Cellular Engineering Technologies, Inc. (CET) is a biotech company developing optimized reagents and human cell lines for next-generation cell-based therapies. Their proprietary cell therapy technology and production of stem cell lines and high-value growth factor protein products are used by stem cell therapy research scientists and developers. The company was awarded a $250,000 Innovation Acceleration Launch Fund award for key personnel and equipment.

ReEnvision Ag in Nora Springs created a planter row system for farmers with SeedSpike technology, which uses precision seed placement. The technology injects the seed with low soil disturbance to optimize soil health and maximize soil carbon sequestration. The company was awarded a $175,000 Demonstration Fund loan for IP development and evaluation, proof of concept work, market planning and entry activities, key personnel and equipment.

PigEasy, a family-owned company in Templeton, develops products that simplify daily tasks on the farm to improve productivity and efficiency and reduce costs. Their products include the AI Saddle for artificially inseminating sows and MealMeter for monitoring sow feeding and drinking activity with a mobile app. The company was awarded a $175,000 Demonstration Fund loan for product refinement, key personnel and market planning and entry activities.

MakuSafe Corp., located in West Des Moines, aims to improve worker health, safety and productivity while reducing worker compensation claims and mitigating workplace risks. The proprietary wearable technology gathers real-time environmental and ergonomic data from workers to identify high-risk trends in a facility. The company was awarded a $500,000 Innovation Acceleration Propel Fund loan for market and competitive analysis, product refinement, key personnel and marketing planning and entry activities.

The SSBCI program’s Innovation Fund increases assistance available through Iowa’s innovation continuum to support entrepreneurs through concept, launch and expansion. Award recommendations for these funds are made by the SSBCI Review Committee to the IEDA director for approval. The committee met on March 5, 2024, to review eligible applications.

(Radio Iowa) – The owner of a catering business and event venue in northwest Iowa is being named the Iowa Small Business Person of the Year by the Iowa district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Cathy Bishop opened a restaurant called Aggies in the Sioux City suburb of Sergeant Bluff in 1994, but after a several years, realized she had to make a change — for the better. “We had such a different menu and everything’s homemade from scratch, and people started asking us to cater for them,” Bishop says, “and so we did. Then, it got to be so much that my kitchen couldn’t handle the restaurant and the catering all at the same time.”

In 2009, Bishop pivoted into catering full time, turned the restaurant into an event venue and immediately began hosting graduations, birthdays, retirements, weddings, funerals and more. Offering breakfast, lunch and dinner catering weekdays and multiple events on weekends, Bishop has continued adding members to her staff over the past 15 years.  “We have about 10 that come every day,” Bishop says. “I have one that comes in at 4:30 every morning because that’s when she likes to get up, and then we have up to 50 people that we pull from for events, because if you have five parties, you have to have five different teams.” A 1983 graduate of Texas A-and-M (where the mascot is the Aggies), Cathy worked for several years as a bank examiner, but her heart’s desire was to become an entrepreneur, which led her to the hospitality industry.

Cathy Bishop (Photo provided by SBA)

Being named Iowa’s Small Business Person of the Year is a wonderful honor, but she says her motto’s and business practices are simple: “I treat people the way I want to be treated. My dad was an entrepreneur and he taught me to do deals with a handshake and I’ve always done that,” Bishop says. “It’s always good to get involved in your community, supporting other people, helping other people get involved in starting new businesses. Small businesses are all in the same kind of boat and they need each other to help support each other.”

As the Iowa Small Business Person of the Year, Bishop will represent Iowa at National Small Business Week ceremonies in Washington D.C. in April, where she will compete for the National Small Business Person of the Year Award.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department reports 10 arrests took place from March 11th through the 18th.

Officers with the Atlantic P-D arrested two people on separate charges, March 18th: 25-year-old Agnes Koki, of Atlantic, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct; and 42-year-old Melanie Stoural, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense.

On the 16th, 38-year-old Brandon Hammer, of Atlantic, was arrested in Atlantic for Public Intoxication. Hammer was also arrested March 13th, for Disorderly Conduct and Public Intoxication.

On the 12th of March, officers with the A-PD arrested 28-year-old G Love Kovac, of Atlantic, for Violation of a No Contact Order. And, there were five arrests in Atlantic on March 11th:

• 38-year-old Winser Ekiek, of Atlantic,was arrested for Accessory After the Fact.
• 58-year-old Michael Turnbaugh, of Altoona, was arrested for Driving While License Denied or Revoked.
• 30-year-old MJ William, of Atlantic, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct.
• 21-year-old Easter Sakate, of Atlantic, was arrested for being an Accessory After the Fact.
• and, 39-year-old Rosita Rikar, of Atlantic, was arrested March 11th on a Active Fugitive Warrant out of Oregon.

All above subjects were taken into custody and transported to Cass County Jail and Booked in.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Narcan is now available in every residence hall on the University of Iowa’s campus, as well as the Iowa Memorial Union. Narcan, also known as Naloxone, is a medication that can reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. That includes prescription drugs like hydrocodone, as well as heroin and fentanyl.

Student Wellness Associate Director Trisha Welter says they’re implementing it to keep up with Iowa’s growing opioid crisis. Though she says overdoses, especially opioid overdoses, are not common on campus. But even though overdoses aren’t common on campus, Dr. Heidi Wood with the UI’s Addiction and Recovery Collaborative says the problem of opioids is happening close to home.

According to a survey by research institute RAND Corporation, about 42% of Americans know someone who’s died of a drug overdose. Because of this, the Wood hopes to be able to expand this program even further in the future. Wood says that there’s no risk of endangering someone with the medication, as it won’t have any adverse effects on someone not experiencing an opioid overdose.

AMES, Iowa — Thousands of Iowans will be part of another round of public service loan forgiveness. Thursday morning, the Biden-Harris administration announced an additional $5.8 billion in student debt/loan debt relief for 78,000 public service workers. Next week, Biden will send emails to 78,000 people, letting them know if they continue public service work they will be eligible for loan forgiveness.