MONDAY, NOV. 12, 2018  |  IN THIS ISSUE  

A Colorado Air National Guard F-16 fighter jet. CREDIT Colorado Air National Guard  
Rockwell Collins has been selected by the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (USAF AFLCMC) to provide its latest-generation
Digital GPS Anti-Jam Receiver, or DIGAR . 
 
The DIGAR receivers will provide reliable navigation for U.S. Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force Reserve F-16 aircraft operating in contested environments. They will be the first combat fighter aircraft to be installed with the latest version of the receiver.

"As enemies continue to find new ways to affect the ability to navigate, the latest DIGAR will provide the highest level of protection available so our warfighters can execute missions with precision and accuracy," said Troy Brunk, vice president and general manager, Communication, Navigation & Electronic Warfare Solutions for Rockwell Collins.

Built on an open systems architecture, the DIGAR is designed for use across a variety of aircraft platforms that include rotary wing, fixed-wing fighter, bomber, transport aircraft and small to large unmanned aerial systems.

Over the last 10 years, Rockwell Collins has delivered more than 100,000 anti-jam systems across weapons, aircraft and soldier systems. DIGAR is a form-fit replacement for existing antenna electronic systems with demonstrated performance that far exceeds legacy capabilities.
 
Pierson's Florists' location at1961 Blairs Ferry Road NE in Cedar Rapids.
Pierson's Flower Shop & Greenhouses will host a 90th anniversary celebration for the public on Nov. 24-25.
 
Guests are invited to stop by Pierson's locations at 1800 Ellis Blvd. NW and 1961 Blairs Ferry Road NE for holiday cookies and coffee from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Nov. 24, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Nov. 25. The open houses will feature raffle drawings, festive decorations, and sales on ornaments, wreaths, fresh evergreens and poinsettias.
 
Founded by Roland and Ruth Pierson in 1928, the Ellis Boulevard location opened in what was then the outskirts of Cedar Rapids. In 1954, Robert and Nancy Pierson joined the business and were later accompanied by their sons, Rollie and Allan.

Allan currently runs the original location. The 3,000-square-foot showroom and 12,000-square-foot- greenhouse had been renovated many times over the years. Most recently, the family-run shop received a complete overhaul due to eight feet of flooding from the Cedar River in 2008.
 
Rollie and his wife, Susan, run the newer 4,000-square-foot location on Blairs Ferry Road.

"The business has had its ups and downs over the years," Rollie said in a release, "but we enjoy growing with the community."  
 
Pierson's Flower Shop & Greenhouses won a BRAVO Award from the Cedar Rapids Metro Alliance in 2017. They were recognized for having a "longstanding tradition in the community." 
The Corridor Business Journal (CBJ) is partnering with Kirkwood Community College to recognize local companies that are ahead of the curve in creating and maintaining their workforce talent edge.

The CBJ sought nominations for its annual Workforce Awards in August. Honorees were selected by an independent panel of industry professionals.  
 
The 2018 honorees include (in alphabetical order):
  • Hiring Strategies of Iowa Graduates - CIVCO Medical Solutions
  • Publisher's Award - Marion Economic Development Corporation
  • Internship Program [Small Company]  - McCreedy-Ruth Construction
  • Employment Opportunities for Diverse Populations - Prestige Cleaning Services
  • New Jobs Training 260E - ProCircular
  • Retention Campaign - Thomas L. Cardella & Associates
  • Employer and Education Workforce Collaboration - UFG Insurance
  • Training for Existing Employment Needs - University of Iowa Community Credit Union
  • Internship Program [Large Company] - Van Meter Inc.
  • Marketing and Recruitment Campaign - Virginia Gay Hospitals & Clinics
The Workforce Awards breakfast will be held from 7:30-10 a.m. Dec. 6 at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center. Following the presentation of awards, five honorees will further dive into their winning strategies in a Q&A-style panel discussion.

Attendees will receive a copy of the Workforce Leaders special supplement, outlining honorees' best practices and advice for companies looking to get started. Tickets are $44, and breakfast will be provided. For more information or to register, visit www.corridorbusiness.com/events or call Ashley Levitt at (319) 665-6397, ext. 311.
 
Following the Workforce Awards, Kirkwood will host a "Recruit. Retain. Develop." workshop, featuring a panel of 2017 Workforce Awards honorees. To register for the workshop, visit www.kirkwood.edu/talentsupplychain .
 
A Northeast Iowa cheesemaker has paid a $100,000 penalty and agreed to install $1.4 million in pollution-control measures after violating air quality limits for 12 years.
 
Prairie Farms Dairy in Luana admitted violating air-emission limits i n a consent decree with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Iowa Attorney General's Office . The decree was signed last week by District Judge Margaret L. Lingreen in Clayton County District Court.
 
Prairie Farms uses a whey dryer in the production of Swiss cheese that emits whey particles to the outside air. The state alleged in a petition that in 2004, the dairy removed a baghouse filter installed to remove particulate matter from its emissions. The DNR discovered in 2013 that the dairy had removed the pollution control device without seeking a construction permit.
 
In 2016, the dairy installed a dryer stack fan that reduced emissions, and it has remained in compliance with applicable emission limits since then. As part of the consent decree, Prairie Farms agreed to install a baghouse at a cost of $1.4 million to further reduce particulate matter emissions below their permitted limits.
 
The plant formally operated under the name Swiss Valley Farms. Prairie Farms and Swiss Valley merged in April 2017.
 
The Earling Freedom Rock in Shelby County. CREDIT Ray "Bubba" Sorensen
The Linn County Freedom Rock Foundation has been formed by KHAK-FM radio host Bob James and John Mikelson to support a Freedom Rock at the Linn County Fairgrounds.
 
Artist Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II began painting the original Freedom Rock in 1999 about 15 miles from the Adair exit off of Interstate 80. It is a 60-ton boulder that Mr. Sorensen repaints every year to recognize veterans on Memorial Day.
 
Mr. Sorensen recently was inspired to spread the Freedom Rock work to communities across Iowa's
99 counties. He has painted Freedom Rocks in 76 counties so far, along with murals on boulders in three Missouri counties and one Wisconsin county. A visual tour of his work is available online at the Freedom Rock website. 
 
"With several veterans on the [Linn County] Fair Association, we are honored to have the opportunity to permanently host the Freedom Rock," Linn County Fair Marketing Manager Heidi Steffen said in a release. "The last several years the association has dedicated Sunday of the fair in honor of current and former military personnel for 'Military Day.' Now we will have something on the fairgrounds that we can honor military personnel not just one day a year, but every day of the year."

Additional information about the Linn County Freedom Rock Foundation can be found on Facebook.
 
Nov. 12
Coralville Roundtable,  by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, noon-1 p.m., Moni ca ' s, 303 Second St., Coralville. Roundtables are social lunches ov er the noon hour. All are invited to network, keep up  to  date with chamber and community events and frequent a member r estaurant or business. Free. For more information visit  bit.ly/2PpMlUV.

Nov. 13
Hiawatha Business Summit,  by Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, Hiawatha Economic Development Corp. and city of Hiawatha, 8-9 a.m., Kirkwoo d Regional Center, 1770 Boyson Road, Hiawatha.  Join for a morning of networking with the Hiawatha business community , including a short program. Free. To register, visit  bit.ly/2pHs2DL.

Super Hero Influencer,  by Eastern Iowa Human Resource Association, 7:30-9 a.m., The  Hotel  at Kirkwood Center, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids. Join for a  membership meeting  featuring David Drewlow of ActionCOACH. Cost: Free for members , $15 for non-members. For  more information, visit  bit.ly/2CxpHUh.
 
Nov. 14
Into the Breach: Responding to a Cybersecurity Incident,  by Holmes Murphy, 8 a.m.-noon, online. Join panelists from Holmes Murphy, SBS Cybersecurity  and Dickinson Law as they walk through a real data breach example over a live video webcas t. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/2RoG6h8.
Start spreading the news

Forward the FREE CBJ Business Daily newsletter to your friends and colleagues, and share the feeling of being informed! Use our fast, one-minute subscription to the CBJ's newsletters here, or check out our other subscription options here.

See something we missed? Send tips, leads, corrections, etc. to news@corridorbusiness.com.
Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  
 
Bill Thomas, a retired engineer, was concerned that because WWI was so long ago, the people who laid down their lives might be forgotten.  On the 100th anniversary for the end of World War I, he found a special way to honor those who served, who are buried just a few blocks from his home in Marion's Oak Shade Cemetery. With the assistance of professional historian Kathy Wilson, Mr. Thomas compiled a book of the stories of 50 veterans who served in various capacities the war.  "It isn't just a story about World War I, the Great War," said Mr. Thomas. "It's the fact that it's 50 different people with 50 different stories."  To compile the book, he pored through records, textbooks and obituaries. Some died in battle, while others were lost to suicide after the war. Many were people who served in other capacities, like U.S. Post Office workers sent abroad to handle the massive amount of mail sent to those at war, or medical officials. Ms. Wilson, who helped Mr. Thomas compile the book, says she hopes it will give people a sense of what society was like at the time.  "I hope it helps paint a picture that makes these people real and relatable in ways that they don't when they are simply a name on a headstone," Ms. Wilson said.
 
Authorities believe the pilot of a small plane that crashed in central Iowa, killing all four people on board, may have suffered a heart attack.  Guthrie County Sheriff's Deputy Jesse Swensen says the plane was reported missing shortly after it took off Friday evening from the Le Mars Municipal Airport in northwestern Iowa.  He says the wreckage was found at around 6:30 a.m. Saturday in a cattle pasture southwest of Guthrie Center.  Airport Manager Tom Mullally said Saturday that there were three men and a 16-year-old girl on the plane. He declined to release their names or discuss what may have caused the crash, and said that federal safety officials were in route.

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

It will be mostly cloudy, cold and breezy today behind a cold front. Colder air will move in and temperatures will just climb into the mid to upper 20s. On top of that there will be a strong breeze out of the northwest and it will feel even colder through the day. Wind chills will be in the teens all afternoon long.  Later tonight temperatures will cool down as skies clear and winds calm a little bit. Temperatures drop to near 10 degrees Tuesday morning and wind chills will be near 0.  Tuesday will be cold once again with temperatures in the mid 20s, but there will at least be sunshine. Winds will turn out of the south during the middle of the week and help warm it up. Temperatures will be in the 40s Wednesday through Friday and along with sunshine it will feel pretty nice outside.