WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2018  |  IN THIS ISSUE  

SSkogman to break ground on new HQ in downtown Cedar Rapids
 
A rendering of Skogman Realty's new headquarters at First Avenue and Fifth Street SE. CREDIT SKOGMAN REALTY
Skogman Companies, one of the Midwest's oldest home builders and real estate firms, will break ground on a new headquarters at First Avenue and Fifth Street SE in Cedar Rapids at 11 a.m. on Thursday,  just one day after the 10-year anniversary of the historic flood of 2008.

The building's architectural design balances a focus on the future with nods to the history of nearby downtown buildings, and will include a third-floor location for yet-to-be-named office tenants. The interiors will be "open" and "contemporary," according to a release, and designed to foster collaboration among employees.

The development team for the 41,000-square-foot structure includes Iowa-based OPN Architects and Mortenson, a family-owned construction and real estate development firm with offices across the United States.

"Breaking ground on this $11 million capital investment represents not only Skogman's commitment to downtown Cedar Rapids but our optimism for the thriving core district it has become just 10 years after the flood of 2008's devastation," President Chris Skogman said in a statement. "We're thrilled our headquarters will be a part of Cedar Rapids' progress and provide a striking first impression to thousands who come to the hotels, convention center and other downtown attractions as visitors to our community."

Skogman Companies is a fifth generation locally-owned family business with annual net sales exceeding $80 million. The company's two largest divisions include Skogman Homes and Skogman Realty.

NName change to cost UICCU $2.5M

University of Iowa Community Credit Union members expects to spend about $2.5 million to change its name as a result of a new state law that says credit unions can't use the name of any state public university.
 
The state's largest credit union posted a notice to members on its website Tuesday, saying it will comply with the new state law to change its name by April 2019. The name change will cost the 175,000-member credit union about $2.5 million, or about 0.9 percent of its projected annual revenue, according to a information section provided for members.
 
The costs include signage, stationary, marketing materials, communications, trademarking and "card plastics, according to the notice. It also encourages members to submit suggestions for a new name. 
 
The name selected will be simple and "not geographically constraining," according to the credit union, which says it will also seek a name that is welcoming and reflects the credit union's values and heritage.
 
UICCU began in 1938 as State University of Iowa Hospital Employees Credit Union when it served staff of the University of Iowa Hospital. Its name was modified to University of Iowa Credit Union in 1966 when its membership base was expanded to all UI staff, students and alumni, and again in 1988 to University of Iowa Community Credit Union when its charter was expanded to serve members who were not necessarily tied to the university.
 
A previous attempt to voluntarily change the name at the urging of the University of Iowa was defeated by members more than a dozen years ago. Since that time, the credit union has continued to grow rapidly, making it a target for advocates of Iowa's banks who object to tax advantages enjoyed by credit unions.
 
About 75 percent of credit union members are not directly affiliated with the University of Iowa at this time .
Story2Governor unveils high school apprenticeship playbook
 
Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg, accompanied by representatives of Vermeer Corporation, the Career Academy of Pella and Des Moines Area Community College, introduced the new High School Registered Apprenticeship Playbook in Pella on Tuesday.
 
The playbook was developed to help guide Iowa employers, high schools and students through the process of implementing a Registered Apprenticeship program in their local communities.

"The combination of classroom instruction with on-the-job experience through Registered Apprenticeships takes learning to a new level," Ms. Reynolds said in a statement. "This employer-driven model helps students gain valuable skills and pursue outstanding career opportunities in Iowa, while helping businesses hire the skilled workers they need."  
 
Ms. Reynolds predicted the playbook will help accelerate the Future Ready Iowa goal of attaining education or training beyond high school for at least 70 percent of the state's workforce by the year 2025.

Vermeer and the Career Academy of Pella led development of the playbook, in coordination with the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council, Future Ready Iowa, the Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship in Iowa and Des Moines Area Community College, and in consultation with other regional employers, school districts and state agencies. The playbook can be found at www.IowaSTEM.gov/Playbook. 
Story4This week's CBJ: KZIA's new CEO shares joys of life in broadcast

KZIA CEO Julie Hein, shown in the Z102.9 studio on a recent afternoon. 
After two initial applications for her first radio job wound up in the trash, Julie Hein came back a third time and landed the gig.
 
When she had almost decided she was a bust at selling radio advertising six months into her new job, Ms. Hein refused to quit and stuck with it.
 
It's a persistence that paid off. In February, Ms. Hein was promoted to CEO of KZIA Inc. in Cedar Rapids, where she began her career 22 years earlier. The promotion made her one of the few women leaders of an Iowa-based radio broadcasting company, joining pioneers such as Mary Quass of NRG Media in Cedar Rapids.
 
In an era of media change, KZIA is one of the dwindling number of independent local broadcasters still thriving in the state. It operates top-40 station Z102.9, sports-focused KGYM (1600 AM and 106.3 FM), and one-year-old Smart FM, an HD2 channel relayed through FM translator stations 95.1 K236AA in Cedar Rapids and 98.5 K253BE in Iowa City. It is majority owned by women, including Sandra Keller of Iowa City and daughter Nicole Keller of Indianapolis.
 
Ms. Hein, 48, was promoted from her longtime position as COO after the Jan. 29 traffic accident death of CEO and KZIA co-owner Rob Norton, 69. And while she's glad she went back to college to earn an MBA during her years at KZIA, Ms. Hein said much of what she's learned about the industry came from observing Mr. Norton and his former partner, Eliot Keller, who died in 2009. She took on more responsibility with each leader's passing.
 
Ms. Hein is a true believer in the power of radio - as a companion, a community voice and as a way for listeners to connect emotionally with their own moods. It's a kind of magic she can see when KZIA's station talent meets with the public.
 
"You'll see it at events when a listener meets one of our personalities," she said. "Maybe they've never met Scott Schulte, but you can tell by the way they act that they feel like they've known him for years."
 
Ms. Hein's career has encompassed a long period of station consolidation under a few huge broadcast chains, which has greatly reduced the amount of local creative and on-air talent. She's talked to people in the industry whose station had only one on-air staffer. KZIA's stations have a staff of 29, including four full-time sports announcers.
 
"I think it [consolidation] has hurt the industry," Ms. Hein said. "I don't think it's hurt us, necessarily. When we want to do something, we don't have to worry about what Atlanta or New York says. And when we advertise for on-air staff, we get a lot of great applicants from around the country. It has also kept people from leaving who might have pursued other things."
 
Read the full story in this week's print or digital editions of the CBJ. 
Story5Spee-Dee to build distribution center in Marion
 
Spee-Dee Delivery Service will break ground on a new 27,000-square-foot distribution facility in the Marion Enterprise Center at 11 a.m. next Monday.  
 
The site at 6611 Partners Avenue will replace Spee-Dee's existing Marion location and support the company's continued growth across the Midwest, according to a news release from Marion Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO). 
 
The project will allow Spee-Dee to expand its local employee base from 41 full-time positions to more than 50 over the next five years. Total capital investment is expected to be $4 million. Strack Contractors is the general contractor for the facility.
 
The property is being developed by associates of GLD Commercial Real Estate. This project, along with the Marriott TownePlace Suites and the recently announced Dollar Tree, represent a total investment by GLD-led projects of more than $18 million in the city over the last two years, according to the firm. 
 
Founded in 1978, Spee-Dee is a Minnesota-based on-demand package delivery business, employing more than 1,800 people and operating a fleet of more than 1,500 vehicles. The company offers overnight delivery for more than 12,000 shippers across nine states and handles more than 70,000 packages daily. 
  
June 14
Ribbon Cutting: Pearson, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, 4 p.m., 2510 N. Dodge St., Iowa City. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/2kCkAXV.

Pub Club, by Empowered Professionals of Iowa City, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Hancher Auditorium, 141 E. Park Road, Iowa City. Join EPIC for drinks and networking at Hancher's Stanley Cafe. Free. For more information, visit iowacityarea.com.

June 15
Culture Change to Improve the Workplace, by Kirkwood Community College, 8:30 a.m.-noon., Kirkwood Center for Lifelong Learning, 6301 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids. Review the evolution of leadership, learn the different functions of management versus leadership, and focus on your leadership skills. This course is the first in a series of eight courses needed to earn an Excellence in Leadership Certificate. Cost: $199. For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/2GFQuvd.

June 18
Coralville Roundtable, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, noon-1 p.m., Louie's Wine Dive, 901 E. Second Ave., Ste 100, Coralville. Roundtables are social lunches over the noon hour. All are invited to network and keep up-to-date with chamber and community events. Free for members. Call the chamber at (319) 337-9637 if interested and not a member.
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Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  
 
After a presentation by Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman, security cameras and other security measures will come to Cedar Rapids in the future. The plan involves proactive policing and is funded by $1.6 million in revenue collected by traffic violations. A core part of the project will be the installation of cameras in Redmond Park, the downtown area and Greene Square. Greene Square has recently been a hotspot for crime, including a fight that resulted in the death of a man last week. "Cameras are just one part of a comprehensive strategy to sort of take the park back and remind people everyone is welcome to use the park but we need to have some rules in place," said Todd Dale, the city council member who represents District 3. Read the full story here.

One person is dead and a passenger is injured after a crash involving a pickup truck and a semi in Cedar County Tuesday morning. The Iowa State Patrol says the crash occurred on Highway 38 at 306th Street around 9:45 a.m. The driver of a Dodge Ram was heading northbound on Highway 38 in front of the driver of a semi when the Ram entered a right turn lane and abruptly attempted a U-turn in front of the semi. The attempted turn caused the semi to strike the Ram. The driver of the Ram died, and a passenger inside was transported to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics with unknown injuries. The semi driver was not hurt. The names of those involved have not been released. The crash remains under investigation.

T hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28 
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast

A cold front continues to push through Eastern Iowa Wednesday morning. A very isolated shower and partly cloudy skies were observed on the leading edge of this front. Northwest winds behind the front will usher in drier air and plentiful sunshine for the afternoon. It will be a gorgeous day with low humidity. On Thursday, a warm front will be the next weather maker, sparking scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms as it crosses through Eastern Iowa. As the front moves north, it will bring in much warmer temperatures and higher humidity which will be felt starting Friday through Monday of next week.