TUESDAY, NOV. 20, 2018  |  IN THIS ISSUE  
 
Larry Helling moderating a panel at the CBJ's 2016 Entrepreneurial Forum.
Moline-based QCR Holdings has announced that Larry Helling will become CEO of the bank holding company following the retirement of president and CEO Douglas Hultquist next May.
 
QCR is the parent company of Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust, where Mr. Helling serves as president and CEO. The company also owns Community State Bank, based in Ankeny; Quad Cities Bank & Trust, based in Bettendorf; Rockford Bank & Trust, based in Rockford, Illinois; and Springfield First Community Bank, in Springfield, Missouri, among other subsidiaries.

As of Sept. 30, QCR had approximately $4.8 billion in assets, $3.7 billion in loans and $3.8 billion in deposits.
 
Mr. Helling led the creation of Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust in 2001 and has helped transform it into the largest community bank in the Cedar Rapids metro. In a release, Mr. Helling said he is "honored and humbled" by the new role. He will continue to reside in Cedar Rapids and serve in his roles at CRBT, according to the company.
 
Mr. Helling will be joined in QCR's executive suite by Todd Gipple, who has been named president. Mr. Gipple, an Iowa native and graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, joined QCR Holdings in 2000, and will remain CFO and COO.
 
Mr. Hultquist, who co-founded the company with Mike Bauer in 1993, will continue to serve as a director of Springfield First Community Bank upon his retirement from QCR, according to the company.
 
"It's been a privilege to serve and see the huge positive impact that QCR Holdings has made and continues to make in the lives of our teammates, clients and communities. Our success has been built on hiring the best people," Mr. Hultquist said in a statement. "Thank you to each of the over 750 very talented employees for your dedication and the exceptional difference you make for our clients."
 
This is the last part in a CBJ members-first series on cybercrime and data security, The Death of Privacy. Read the second installment at bit.ly/privacydeath2.
 
Forces are converging in the data privacy space that will yield a more protected and regulated business environment - all of which will add to the cost of doing business.

As the number and severity of data breaches rise, businesses will invest more in cyber insurance, data security and in meeting what's expected to be a wave of regulation aimed at protecting individual consumers' privacy.
 
The bottom line for corporate executives is that they can no longer afford to delegate sole responsibility for understanding and imple­menting their company's data protection and liability provisions to the IT department.
 
"There are CEOs losing their jobs and CIOs losing their jobs, maybe fines levied against the company, and a lot of reputational risk," said Bruce Lehrman, CEO of the Cedar Rapids data hosting and cloud services provider Involta. "People are taking it very seriously."
 
One of the biggest challenges for companies, Mr. Lehrman said, is knowing the right amount of investment in data security to protect the business and its clients.
 
"You can spend 100 percent of your avail­able cash for security and you don't really know if it's working or not until it doesn't," he ex­plained. Most businesses will try to find a sweet spot in the middle, often "quarantining" truly sensitive data in a more protected part of their network and investing where they think it will do the most good.
 
Like many other data hosting providers, cus­tomers are now asking Involta to be a bigger part of the solution.
 
"We're investing in building security opera­tions centers," Mr. Lehrman said. "We're current­ly building two 24/7 security operations centers to offer interpretations of the [network] alerts and [security] alarms as they're coming in."
 
Read the full story in this week's print or digital editions of the CBJ.

Waterloo-based Veridian Credit Union is now seeking public input on how to award $34,000 in donations across Iowa and Nebraska for its annual Spark the Spirit campaign.
 
Veridian employees from branches across the credit union's field of membership nominated their favorite local nonprofit organizations, and the public can now vote on how to allocate the credit union's charitable dollars. The organization receiving the most votes will receive $5,000. The second- and third-highest will receive $2,500 and $1,000, respectively.
 
Six Eastern Iowa organizations have been nominated for Spark the Spirit donations, including:
  • Waypoint
  • Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP)
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters
  • The Crisis Center of Johnson County
  • The African American Museum of Iowa
  • One Less Obstacle
Votes can be cast through Nov. 25 at www.veridiancu.org/sparkthespirit. Donations will be presented on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 27.
 
"Spark the Spirit is a chance to rally support for your favorite local nonprofit organizations," said Heather Plum, Veridian's public relations strategist. "Regardless of the voting results, we hope it reminds voters of the increased need that many organizations experience over the holidays and inspires more giving."
 
 
The Cedar Rapids community experienced not one, not two, but three different flood events just this year, the largest of which was roughly 18 feet. City leaders are now estimating flood protection for those events could cost the city about $1 million dollars, news partner CBS2/FOX 28 reports.  
 
City leaders said they will not be getting federal or state assistance this year like they did in 2016 because this year was not considered a disaster. They credit city employees and permanent defenses like the Sinclair-Newbo Levee for keeping flood levels from causing major financial headaches to the city and its residents, but there are still costs to be paid. "Three separate events had varying manpower from in the beginning of about 30 people, plus some engineering staff to around 70 to 80 people," said Sewer Operations Manager Justin Koller. Watch the full report here.
Elsworth Carman 
The Iowa City Public Library has named Elsworth Carman as its new director.
 
Mr. Carman has extensive public library experience and served most recently as director of the Marion Public Library. He received his master's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Information Studies.
 
Mr. Carman was selected from three finalists following a nationwide search conducted by Bradbury Associates of Kansas City. He will succeed Susan Craig, who will retire at the end of the year.
 
"We are proud and excited to welcome Elsworth Carman as our next visionary leader," said Robin Paetzold, president of the Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees. "We agree that he has the right leadership, communication and financial skills to deliver the best possible public library service going forward. Elsworth has a demonstrated commitment to inclusion and collaboration, and is focused on values that mirror our library and community." 
 
Ms. Craig will retire at the end of December after 41 years of service. She was named the library's director in 1994.
 
Nov. 24
Shop Small Shop Crawl, by Iowa City Chamber of Commerce, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Hyatt Place Iowa City Downtown, 225 E. Court St., Iowa City. Join the chamber for this inaugural small business event. Check out meetups in North Liberty, Coralville and Iowa City designed to encourage local shopping and celebrate area small businesses. Free. For more information visit bit.ly/2QaRr4x.
 
Nov. 28
1 Million Cups , by 1MC, 9-10 a.m., Geonetric, 415 12th Ave., SE, Cedar Rapids and MERGE, 136 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Join for community connections, startup pitches and free coffee. The November theme for Cedar Rapids' meeting is nonprofits. Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MCICR.
 
Nov. 29
Winning the Game: Launch and Land Your Post-Harvest Marketing Plan , by Hills Bank & Trust, 8:30 a.m.-noon, 3204 Seventh Ave., Marion.  This crop marketing seminar will include tips and advice for writing your marketing plan and a fun marketing simulation. Free, light breakfast provided. To register, visit conta.cc/2PAW0VE.
 
Nov. 30
Ribbon Cutting: Wickwire Chiropractic, by Marion Chamber of Commerce, noon, 955 29th Ave., Suite B, Marion. Help Wickwire Chiropractic celebrate the opening of its new Marion location. Free. For more information visit   bit.ly/2PNLHjT .
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Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  
 
Some of the 160 Samoyed dogs recused from an overcrowded puppy mill in Manly have already been placed in select shelters and rescue groups around the Midwest, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The organization said it placed dogs at the Cedar Bend Humane Society in Waterloo, the Humane Society of North Iowa in Mason City, the Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha, Nebraska, and the Wichita Animal Action League in Wichita, Kansas. The ASPCA did not disclose how many dogs have been placed at each of the shelters but did say the move came at the request of the Worth County Sheriff's Office. On Nov. 12, the organization helped the sheriff's office collect evidence and move the hundreds of dogs from the location in Manly. We are now learning the investigation into these neglected animals began several months ago by the Worth County Sheriff's Office. Between April 19 and July 31, White Fire Kennel failed four inspections by the Iowa Department of Agriculture. Animal neglect charges are still pending at this time.

A Cedar Rapids woman is facing multiple arson charges after she admitted to starting two fires. Police say 48-year-old Carolyn Mittman admitted that she started a fire at an apartment building located at 4333 First Ave. SW on Oct. 22 by setting the carpet on fire in a bedroom closet. She was the only person in the building at the time. Ms. Mittman told police she did so in order to collect insurance money. Police also charged her for an arson that happened in 2017. On Oct. 13, CRFD responded to a fire behind an apartment building located at 5259 Johnson Ave. The side of the building was damaged. She admitted to starting the fire after it was determined that she was in the area around the origin of the fire. Ms. Mittman is charged with two counts of first-degree arson. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.  

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

High pressure is in control today and clouds will gradually clear this morning. There will plenty of sunshine but, with snow still on the ground, temperatures will just be near 30 this afternoon. There will be a few clouds tonight and temperatures will drop down into the low 20s. There will be plenty of sun once again Wednesday. Temperatures will be slightly warmer, but chilly, in the mid 30s. The pattern changes as we head into the end of the week, with southwest flow developing. Strong southwesterly winds will develop on Thanksgiving, which will send temperatures into the upper 30s with partly cloudy skies. Black Friday will be slightly warmer, with temperatures in the low 40s. A storm system will approach in the afternoon and a few scattered rain showers will move through in the afternoon.