MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2021 | IN THIS ISSUE
• Hughes named new Montessori School administrator
• New association formed to promote Iowa tourism
• Roller sports championships coming to ImOn Ice
• ISU center director: Businesses must widen recruiting
• Neumann Monson wins sustainable design award
• Corridor events, KCRG-TV9 headlines and First Alert Forecast
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Hughes named new Montessori School administrator |
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Marcia Hughes has been named the new Head of School for the Cedar Valley Montessori School, officials announced in a news release Monday.
Ms. Hughes will begin her duties at the end of the 2020-21 school year.
Ms. Hughes is a longtime Corridor leader in communications, community relations and development. She is a former employee of the Cedar Rapids Community School District, where she served for 13 years as the district communications/community relations supervisor, responsible for engaging and communicating with the district’s more than 16,000 students and families. She also has extensive nonprofit experience in development, volunteer service and management, according to the release.
As the Head of School, Ms. Hughes will be responsible for the recruitment and retention of students and families, development and management of the school’s teaching staff and administration, leadership of school operations and financial resources, and strategic planning.
Ms. Hughes will succeed Stacy Cataldo, who has served in the position since 2010 and was responsible for the school’s return to downtown Cedar Rapids following the 2008 flood. Ms. Cataldo also led CVMS through a new strategic plan; the creation of a customized program model for parents, children and staff; updated security systems, playground and gymnasium renovations; institution of a funding program for teacher Montessori training through MACTE; and cultivation of relationships with national Montessori organizations.
“Marcia Hughes brings a wealth of experience in the administration of organizations and their communications and fundraising, and we are excited for her tenure at CVMS to begin,” CVMS board president Samantha Dahlby said. “We are also grateful to Stacy Cataldo for her 11 years of service as Head of School, which enabled CVMS to expand its programmatic offerings while meeting the needs of our children and families. Stacy’s professionalism and commitment to CVMS and the Montessori philosophy is unmatched, and we are grateful for her diligence and assistance in the hiring process of CVMS’s next chief administrator.”
“I am thrilled to join the Cedar Valley Montessori School family,” Ms. Hughes said. “I’m excited to work with this energetic board and skilled staff, all so dedicated to our youngest learners. I’m honored to uphold Stacy’s achievements, and I eagerly look forward to working with our staff, families, and students to instill the Montessori philosophy into CVMS’ continued growth.”
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New association formed to promote Iowa tourism |
Iowa Travel Industry Partners (iTIP) has been launched as a new statewide public-private tourism association, officials announced in a news release.
For decades, Iowa’s travel industry has been organized by regional associations delivering education, networking and programs, and statewide organizations have focused on specific niche market activities such as group sales, sports marketing and advocacy.
As part of an industry-wide strategic sector plan in 2015, a goal was outlined to improve collaboration, partnerships and expertise amongst stakeholders, who have worked for several years to form the Iowa Travel Industry Partners association and foundation.
In addition to delivering on an industry identified priority, iTIP aligns with a recommendation from the Governor’s Economic Growth Subgroup of Hospitality and Tourism industry professionals to develop a public-private organization to represent the interests of Iowa’s tourism industry as part of a statewide strategic plan for tourism.
The mission of iTIP is to be the unified driving force of the travel and tourism industry promoting Iowa and its communities to positively impact the economy and quality of life for all Iowans, according to the release. Five pillars have been identified as the primary areas of focus of iTIP -- Development, Resources, Education, Advocacy, and Marketing (D.R.E.A.M.) -- to help guide Iowa’s tourism industry through recovery and into growth.
“iTIP, through a five-pronged scope of service for members, maximizes efficiencies of state resources and capitalizes on industry partnerships, all with the intent of offering added value to each and every member,” said Tavis Hall, president of iTIP and executive director of Experience Waterloo. “By extending all benefits to all members at dues levels comparable to existing yet limited offerings, members will no longer be forced to choose between which organizations to belong. iTIP presents an opportunity for the travel industry to not only be united in voice, but also united in benefit and resources, maximizing the value for organizations, businesses and communities, both large and small.”
iTIP has partnered with the Iowa Tourism Office as a premier conference sponsor of the 2021 Iowa Tourism Conference in Des Moines on Tuesday and Wednesday. Iowa Travel Industry Partners will fully launch July 1. For more information about iTIP or to become a member, go to IowaTravelIndustry.org
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Roller sports championships coming to ImOn Ice |
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The 2021 USA Roller Sports National Championship will be held at the ImOn Ice Arena in Cedar Rapids, arena officials have announced.
The event will be held from July 9 through Aug. 2. Tickets start at $10 and are on sale at ImOn Ice, the Alliant Energy PowerHouse ticket office and Ticketmaster.com. Originally scheduled for the summer of 2020, the event was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the 23-day event, ImOn Ice will convert both sheets of ice in the arena to roller skating rinks. Elite roller sports athletes from around the country will compete in a variety of events including hockey, figure skating, speed skating and roller derby.
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ISU center director: Businesses must widen recruiting |
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Iowa businesses need to recruit diverse groups of Iowans because the state is unlikely to reverse more than a century of weak population growth, the director of an Iowa State University center said Friday.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports that Ronald Cox of ISU’s Center for Industrial Research and Service said that means working to hire immigrants, people with disabilities, retirees, ex-convicts and others that might not be on companies’ main radar. He also suggested seeking remote workers and improving efficiencies so fewer workers are needed.
With Iowa still having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, even as the pandemic wears on, finding workers has been nearly futile for many businesses. Mr. Cox asked his colleagues to send photos of “help wanted” signs for his presentation if they saw one. He got several dozen.
“Is there anybody else we can pull in? That is the question,” Mr. Cox said. “Unless something really big happens that changes the Iowa curve of the last 100 years, there isn’t going to be any new people.”
PHOTO: Ronald Cox, director of the Center for Industrial Research and Service at Iowa State University. CREDIT ISU
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Neumann Monson wins sustainable design award |
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Neumann Monson Architects has received a COTE Top Ten award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) – the industry’s highest award for sustainable design excellence – for the design of Market One, an adaptive reuse of a historic Des Moines building.
The company’s design adaptively reuses a factory for commercial space, according to a news release. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and with renovation completed in 2014, Market One relies on geothermal and solar energy serving an array of efficient design decisions to achieve a 75% reduction in energy use in the 54,000-square-foot office building. Retaining or repurposing existing materials diverted over 96% of potential waste.
“Market One survived decades of urban decay to be transformed into the vibrant anchor of a redeveloping neighborhood,” said Channing Swanson, partner at Neumann Monson Architects. “The former threshing machine factory now marries the seemingly contradictory efforts of energy efficiency and modern comfort systems with the utilization of state and federal tax credits for historic preservation to become commercial office space.”
As the architecture industry works to make buildings carbon neutral by 2030, the COTE Awards highlight projects that exemplify the integration of design and performance by meeting rigorous criteria for social, economic, and ecological value, according to the release. Renewable energy supports Market One’s preservation following stringent guidelines used by the National Parks Service.
The AIA says urban buildings account for about 40% of annual greenhouse gas emissions. Getting to carbon neutral designs in renovation and new construction requires innovative sustainable design strategies, generating on-site renewable energy, and/or purchasing off-site renewable energy.
Neumann Monson has an office in Iowa City.
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Short Term Event Planner
April 27
Future Focused Forum on Culture, by Marion Economic Development Corp., 8:30-9:30 a.m., online. Changes in the office landscape and remote working has impacted team culture in ways we have never navigated. Listen to area leaders as they offer insight and reflection on the lasting impact in the workplace. Cost: $15. To register for this event, visit bit.ly/3sjytLO. This meeting is part of the Future Focused Forums series. To learn more about the remaining forums, visit bit.ly/3lIo6ia.
The Pandemic’s Disproportionate Impact on Women in The Workplace: What You Need To Know, by Holmes Murphy and ethOs, 11 a.m.-noon, online. Holmes Murphy and ethOs will discuss the potential adverse impacts of gender-regression and offer strategies to improve and uplift diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/2Pa1cEJ.
April 28
90 Ideas in 90 Minutes, by Corridor Business Journal, 8:15-10 a.m., online. Nine Corridor executives will share 10 of their best ideas and rules to live by that can be applied to any business. Speakers are LaNisha Cassell, Janet Godwin, Kim Lehrman, Marty Lenss, Beth Malicki, Kate Moreland, Lon Olejniczak, Tom Pientok and Bruce Teague. Free. To register, visit corridorbusiness.com/90-ideas-in-90-minutes.
1 Million Cups, by 1MC Cedar Rapids, 8:30 a.m., online. Join for community connections and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more. Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MCICR.
1 Million Cups, by 1MC Iowa City, 9 a.m., online. Join for community connections and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more. Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MillionCupsIC.
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These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
Distilleries in Iowa are one step closer to expanding their alcohol sales. A bill passed through the Iowa Legislature last week that would allow distilleries to sell online and have products delivered through third-party vendors. The owner of a distillery in LeClaire says he is pleasantly surprised at the passing of the bill, and he is already making plans to move forward. “To be able to have a website for people to make orders and have them shipped out and that sort of thing, so we’re jumping on it right away," said Ryan Burchett of the Mississippi River Distilling Company. "We’re getting boxes designed that fit our bottles, we’re getting the website changed and all those kinds of things, so we’re ready to go when it launches on July 1.” The bill now heads to Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk for her signature. If signed, it would go into effect July 1. But distilleries could only ship within the state.
A lesson in planting trees on Sunday also turned into one on fostering dreams and goals for dozens of kids from the Cedar Rapids area. The Academy for Scholastic and Personal Success and Worldmaker International held a “Plant Your Dreams” event for about 60 students Sunday at The Big Apple Orchard in Mount Vernon. Elementary-, middle-, and high-school students wrote their dreams down on a piece of paper, which they planted along with an apple tree. Later, the students will be able to return to the orchard to see how their trees are growing. Read the full story at kcrg.com
These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
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Your KCRG-TV9 First Alert Forecast |
Plan on a windy and warmer day with highs well into the 70s over northeast Iowa and lower 80s elsewhere. The wind may gust as high as 40 mph from the south. Plan on another warm day tomorrow. By tomorrow evening, a chance of storms exists along a slow-moving front. The air is still pretty dry, so rainfall amounts may be limited as any showers and storms look pretty isolated through Wednesday night. The end of the week continues to look dry with the next warm front arriving this weekend along with a few isolated showers. |
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