TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019  |  IN THIS ISSUE  
 
UFG's 10-story office complex in downtown Cedar Rapids merges historic architecture with a contemporary tower.
 
UFG Insurance on Monday celebrated the completion of a unique 10-story office complex in downtown Cedar Rapids that will eventually house about 350 employees.
 
The project included an exterior renovation and a new interior for the American Building, a historic 10-story office tower at First Avenue and Second Street SE, and added a contemporary 10-story connecting tower six inches to the west. It will house employees from the company's enterprise analytics, investments, accounting, project management, information technology and human resources departments, as well as a service center for the insurance company's personal lines.
 
UFG plans to move 260 employees into the building by the end of May, and fill the remaining spaces as needs arise over the next several years. A rooftop patio is one of the elements still to be completed.
 
Design and construction of the project was led by Solum Lang Architects and McComas Lacina Construction. Many of the vendors and contractors are UFG Insurance clients, including Appleby & Horn, Hawkeye Communications, Modern Piping, Nelson Electric and Tallgrass Business Resources.
 
UFG CEO Randy Ramlo thanked city officials and project partners for their support at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, joking "four years of noise and traffic congestion - we're sorry."
 
Mayor Brad Hart, who had been watching the construction from his office, got to see the finished work firsthand.
 
"It's amazing, taking an old building and making it so modern," Mr. Hart said.
 
The American Building, now 105 years old, received a full restoration of its distinctive terra cotta exterior. Historian Mark Stoffer Hunter of The History Center called the project a "fantastic blending of the old and new. It's a great 21st century solution for downtown Cedar Rapids."

Look for more on the new building in Monday's print and digital editions of the CBJ.
 
An updated rendering of The Chauncey, showing FilmScene's new space in the lobby. CREDIT ROHRBACH ASSOCIATES
With a landmark three-cinema arts facility set to open in Iowa City's Chauncey building later this year, the leadership team at FilmScene has plenty on its plate. But still hungry for more, the nonprofit is teaming up with the Englert Theatre in hopes of realizing another not-so-modest goal.
 
"This is a community that values collaboration, that values people working together to achieve big things," said FilmScene Associate Director Andrew Sherburne of the joint Strengthen Grow Evolve campaign, launched this past weekend with a program at the Englert. "Our big, broad, visionary dream is that we want to be the greatest small city for the arts in America."
 
Strengthen Grow Evolve hopes to raise $6.5 million from the community to fund capital projects, programming initiatives and strategic planning to realign regional arts nonprofits in a more collaborative fashion.
 
In the short term, the campaign will fund the revitalization of FilmScene's Scene 1 cinema on the Ped Mall, and preservation and enhancements at the 106-year-old Englert, including marquee renovation, new seating, better sound and lighting, and a solar installation. It will also help pay for the new FilmScene facility, as well as education and outreach, the hiring of a new community engagement coordinator and three arts festivals: the existing Mission Creek and Witching Hour festivals and the new (re)Focus Film Festival set to launch in 2020.
 
The campaign also hopes to continue bringing art organizations together region-wide, forming a sort of collective alliance to streamline branding, fundraising and programming activity.

Read the full members-first story in this week's print or digital edition of the CBJ. 
 
Kelly Lamb 
Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity (CVHFH) has hired Kelly Lamb, of Iowa City, as its new executive director. She replaces former executive director Jeff Capps, who stepped away in January to lead the Iowa Children's Museum in Coralville. 
 
Ms. Lamb, named a CBJ Woman of Influence in 2016, has worked with nonprofit organizations for most of her career, including managing the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Iowa City, which provides housing and other free services to people undergoing cancer treatments. 
 
She also has supported volunteer efforts in the United States and abroad, through Habitat for Humanity, her church, food banks and other organizations. In 2015, she flew to Nepal as part of a volunteer medical team giving relief after the country's worst earthquake in eight decades.
 
"Kelly comes to us with a number of interesting experiences and talents that will invigorate our donors, volunteers and partner families," CVHFH Board President Randy Parks said in a release. "We're excited to have her with us and lead a new era of affordable housing for the Cedar Valley community."

Representatives from the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, the city of Coralville, Mercy Iowa City and Kindred Healthcare break ground on a new rehabilitation hospital. CREDIT MERCY IOWA CITY
Mercy Iowa City and Kentucky-based Kindred Healthcare broke ground on the state's second freestanding rehabilitation hospital at a ceremony on April 18.

Mercy Iowa City Rehabilitation Hospital, located at 2801 Heartland Drive in Coralville, is expected to open by the second quarter of 2020. It will provide care for patients recovering from stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation and other serious conditions.

"We are excited to work with Kindred Healthcare on this joint venture to enhance the rehabilitation services offered to patients in the community," said Sean Williams, president and CEO of Mercy Iowa City. "The facility will serve the growing population of patients in need of comprehensive rehabilitation care by giving them access to state-of-the-art technology and treatment options to advance the recovery process."
 
The 54,000-square-foot facility will feature 40 patient beds, along with gymnasiums outfitted for high-tech therapy devices and treatments, a dedicated traumatic brain injury unit complete with monitored rooms, specialized beds and patient lifting equipment, and separate therapy and dining spaces.  
 
The hospital will also have a unit exclusively for stroke patients, rooms specially equipped for bariatric patients, and private, family-friendly rooms with sleeper chairs. Patients will have access to an apartment setting where they can practice daily living tasks before they return home, and pet therapy and community re-entry programs will help ease the transition. 

"Mercy Iowa City Rehabilitation Hospital is designed to help patients recover from their illnesses or injuries and restore function, so they can get back to their lives," said Russ Bailey, COO of Kindred Rehabilitation Hospitals. "We're thrilled to have this opportunity to work with such a strong partner to bring this level of service to residents of the region."

Whether it's mowing lawns, baling hay or policing the pool, the summer job is a veritable right-of-passage for teens and young adults in the Midwest. Think back to your own experiences toiling under the hot Iowa sun, and you're bound to crack a smile (or maybe a grimace).
 
The CBJ is compiling stories of summer work experiences for an upcoming issue, and we want to hear from you. What was your first job, or your favorite? What do you remember best? What work and/or life lessons stick with you?
 
If you're interested in sharing your story, send an email with your contact information and a short blurb on your experiences to Vicki Dean at vicki@corridorbusiness.com, or fill out our short online form. We'll follow up with a few readers to get the full story and maybe take a photo or two - all less painful than those days spent detasseling or hauling shingles up a roof, we promise.
 
April 24
Speed Networking, by Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, 7:45-9 a.m., Economic Alliance, 501 First St. SE. Meet fellow Economic Alliance members in a quick-paced and casual environment. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/2CmlSiW.
 
1 Million Cups, by 1MC Cedar Rapids, 8:15-9:15 a.m., Geonetric, 415 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Join for community connections, free coffee, and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more. Free. For more information, visit  
facebook.com/1MCICR. 

1 Million Cups, by 1MC Iowa City, 9-10 a.m., MERGE, 136 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Join for community connections, free coffee, and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more . Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MillionCupsIC/.
 
Let's All Get Along: Building Respectful Relationships, by Kirkwood Corporate Training, 9-9:30 a.m., online. This webinar will teach participants to understand themselves and their worldview and offer advice for achieving productive and respectful relationships. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/2IaBqtQ.
 
Prepare a Winning Proposal, by Iowa State University CIRAS, 1-3:30 p.m., The Hotel at Kirkwood, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids. Learn how to read and answer an RFP, and get tips for organizing your proposal and getting questions answered. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/2VBxLcA.
 
Excellence in Education Awards, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce and Iowa City Area Development Group, 6:30-8 p.m., The Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., Iowa City. Exceptional students, volunteers, educators and business partners in Johnson County will be honored during this reception and awards ceremony. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/2Pe89jN.
 
April 24-25
Train-The-Trainer Workshop , by Association for Talent Development, Hawkeye Chapter, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Mount Mercy Graduate Center, 1650 Matterhorn Drive NE, Cedar Rapids. Discuss the phases of a training cycle, write effective learning objectives, design a participant-centered training experience and more. Cost: $99-$225. To register, visit bit.ly/2TKFwzi.
See and Be Seen


in the CBJ Book of Lists - THE definitive resource guide for business leaders. Ranked information on Corridor companies by sector, regional market facts and profiles of the most influential people under one cover. Don't be left out - Be Seen! For advertising information, contact Andrea Rhoades at  andrea@corridorbusiness.com .
Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports there are now 626 measles cases in the United States. Public health officials say the country could break the record number of measles cases seen since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. In Iowa, there are  two reported measles cases , which marks a first for the state since 2011. The Iowa Department of Public Health says the person  was not vaccinated and recently came back from Israel . With those two cases, public health officials across the state are staying watchful.  At Kirkwood Community College, students are not required to be vaccinated. If a student or faculty member does come down with an illness like measles, however, Kirkwood leaders say they take the same steps as other schools across the country.  "We're gong to be taking all of our direction from the county health department," says Melissa Payne, Kirkwood Community College's dean of students. Read the full story here.

A  Cedar Rapids construction worker is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries after falling from a beam at a construction site on Monday.  Police were called to an alley in the 200 block of Second Avenue SE after receiving a call about the fall.  The man, who is believed to be in his mid to late 40s, was taken to a local hospital.
 
T hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast

Clouds will break up through the day and sunshine will return for the afternoon. It will be cooler today with temperatures in the 60s and a north breeze.  Temperatures will bounce back to near 70 degrees Wednesday with mostly sunny skies. A weak cold front will move through Thursday and will produce a few clouds. Ahead of the front temperatures will be near 70 Thursday, then will cool back into the 60s Friday.