MONDAY, JAN. 18, 2021 | IN THIS ISSUE
• CFS goes national with new virtual therapy platform
• State grants $3 million to improve BAE Systems access
• UI gets more time to study Jupiter with NASA extension
• Coralville mayor reappointed to national committee
• You are where you work: Show us in CBJ Workspaces
• Corridor events, KCRG-TV9 headlines and First Alert Forecast
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CFS goes national with new virtual therapy platform |
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Cedar Rapids-based mental health provider Covenant Family Solutions (CFS) has launched a virtual mental health platform called StrengthenU, the company announced last week. The platform seeks to better serve Iowans and individuals around the country seeking mental health care in today’s rapidly changing world.
“If the past year has taught us anything, it is that those of us in the mental health field need to be prepared to meet people where they are at — quite literally,” said CFS CEO Dr. Jacob Christenson in a release. “StrengthenU takes virtual care to a new level and we are excited to be on the cutting edge of this much-needed service for mental health care.”
StrengthenU provides subscription-based services that allow members to connect with a personally selected licensed therapist via text, phone and/or video. Members can connect with their therapist from wherever they are via a safe and secure application. The platform also offers a series of self-guided mental health courses that can be accessed for a small fee. The courses allow people to begin to understand their mental health diagnoses and build skills needed to strengthen their lives.
"StrengthenU takes teletherapy to a new level," wrote CFS Marketing and Communications Director Anna Patty in an email, calling the platform "unique in the teletherapy industry, as it was developed from the ground up by trained and licensed mental health providers — right here in Iowa."
Ms. Patty said many other national teletherapy services were built by big tech with little background in mental health.
Individuals interested in learning more or signing up for StrengthenU or the self-guided courses can do so by visiting StrengthenU.com. StrengthenU therapy services are available online, on the Apple App Store, and on Google Play. Services are available to all U.S. residents.
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State grants $3 million to improve BAE Systems access |
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The Iowa Transportation Commission has approved just over $3 million in funding to improve access to BAE Systems' new 278,000-square-foot factory and research and development center in southwest Cedar Rapids.
The commission voted last week to grant a $3,013,485 RISE Fund to help fund construction of turn lanes and a roundabout on Sixth Street SW near the factory entrance.
BAE, which acquired Collins Aerospace’s former military GPS business in January for just over $1.9 billion, began construction of a $139 million facility in November 2020 that will bring together workers now located in Coralville and Cedar Rapids. The sale came as part of antitrust requirements forcing Collins Aerospace to divest its GPS business so parent company United Technologies could complete its merger with Raytheon Corp.
The campus, set on a 32-acre site at 7825 Sixth St. SW, will include a large factory, multiple engineering labs, clean room space, offices and a number of amenities.
According to state transportation officials, the international defense, aerospace, and security company committed to the retention of 232 full-time jobs out of 650 RISE eligible retained jobs and $177,353,371 in associated capital investment.
The project is anticipated to be completed by October 2022.
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UI gets more time to study Jupiter with NASA extension |
The University of Iowa will have several more years to study the largest planet in our solar system.
The U.S. space agency NASA announced this week it will extend the Juno mission to Jupiter and its moons through September 2025, or until the spacecraft’s end of life. Launched in 2011, the Juno spacecraft arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016, with a planned mission completion in July 2021.
Along for the ride has been a radio- and plasma-wave instrument designed and built at Iowa. Called Waves, the instrument has yielded a trove of impactful discoveries, including the distribution of lightning on Jupiter, insights about the generation of intense auroras on the planet, and the first direct detection of small dust grains between Jupiter’s ring system and its atmosphere near the equatorial plane.
“Jupiter is such an extraordinary place. Only superlatives can describe it. So it is extremely exciting to be able to continue to follow Juno as it orbits in the Jovian system for another four years,” said William “Bill” Kurth, research scientist in Iowa’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and lead investigator for the Waves instrument, in a release.
With the extension, Juno will make 42 additional orbits, including close passes of Jupiter’s north polar cyclones; flybys of the moons Ganymede, Europa, and Io; and the first extensive exploration of the faint rings encircling the planet.
The data Juno collects will contribute to the goals of the next generation of missions to the Jovian system—NASA’s Europa Clipper and the European Space Agency’s JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE). Juno’s investigation of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io addresses many science goals identified by the National Academy of Sciences for a future Io explorer mission.
Mr. Kurth said he is excited for the extended mission, the new realms to be explored, and the promise of more potential surprises about the gas giant and its cadre of satellites.
“Juno to date has raised so many new mysteries and questions,” he said. “The extended mission will allow us to continue to delve deeper into how this planet works and interacts with its moons, rings, and magnetic environment.”
Read more about the UI's contribution to the mission here.
PHOTO: The U.S. space agency NASA announced last week it will extend the Juno mission to Jupiter and its moons through September 2025, or until the spacecraft’s end of life. Along for the ride has been a radio- and plasma-wave instrument designed and built at the University of Iowa. CREDIT NASA/JPL-CALTECH
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Coralville mayor reappointed to national committee |
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In his continued role, Mr. Lundell will provide strategic direction and guidance for NLC’s federal advocacy agenda and policy priorities. The appointment was announced by NLC President Kathy Maness, a councilmember in Lexington, South Carolina.
Mr. Lundell has served on the NLC EENR Committee for the past six years.
“The City of Coralville has consistently been recognized for our environmental leadership,” Mr. Lundell said in a press release. “Coralville has received national recognition from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for our extensive Brownfields Program that enabled redevelopment of the highly successful Iowa River Landing District. I am equally proud of Coralville’s innovative stormwater management programs that have received awards from multiple environmental agencies.”
As a committee member, Mr. Lundell will continue to play a key role among a diverse group of local leaders in shaping NLC’s policy positions and advocating on behalf of America’s cities and towns before Congress, with the federal administration and at home.
“Our federal advocacy committees are the voices of what’s happening on the ground in our communities,” said Ms. Maness. “I am proud to have Mayor Lundell’s continued service on the NLC EENR committee. Together with other a team leaders from around the country, we will work to solve challenges facing our communities.”
PHOTO: John Lundell. CREDIT CITY OF CORALVILLE
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You are where you work: Show us in CBJ Workspaces |
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It's no secret that where you work impacts how you work. Your physical environment affects how you feel, think and behave in relation to your job, and can help build a culture of engagement.
We want to see the places and spaces that make your businesses tick in the CBJ's nationally award-winning feature, Workspaces. Workspaces spotlights unique and stylish places to work in the Corridor, and explores how they are helping employees navigate their workdays and while encouraging client and customer loyalty.
Show us your space by sending in a submission. Projects should be recently completed (within the past three years) and located within the Corridor's seven-county region. Everything from offices and clinics to warehouses and retail shops or restaurants are eligible - we want to see the wide variety of places where you work and the spaces that make it possible.
Submissions will need to include high-resolution photos of your interior, a short write-up describing the space and information from interior designers and/or business leaders working on the project. Full details are available here. Completed submissions and questions can be sent to Katharine Carlon at katharine@corridorbusiness.com.
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Connect with the CBJ
The CBJ’s mission of informing and connecting the Corridor’s business community is more important than ever. Our news operations will continue researching and reporting on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through our multiple distribution channels. Here’s how you can connect with us today and moving forward:
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Thank you for your continued support of the Corridor Business Journal.
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Short Term Event Planner
Jan. 19
Employee Brand Advocacy: How to Transform Your Most Important Assets Into Your Biggest Fans, by American Marketing Association, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., online. Learn best practices for building organizational buy-in, motivating employee advocacy, and developing the collaborative relationship you’ll need with HR to make your initiative a success. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/3pWqNxv.
Captives: A Perfect Fit for ESOPs, by Holmes Murphy, 2-3 p.m., online. Learn about a captive insurance opportunity created specifically for ESOP companies. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/3nfrAba.
Jan. 20
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.
Cross Cultural Awareness in a Virtual World, by Iowa Economic Development Authority, 9-9:45 a.m., online. Brenda McGuire, CEO of Worldwide Connect, will provide an overview of strategies and skills to succeed in the virtual world. To register, visit bit.ly/3nKy6qC.
Captives: A Perfect Fit for ESOPs, by Holmes Murphy, 10-11 a.m., online. Learn about a captive insurance opportunity created specifically for ESOP companies. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/2LvYuaw.
Corridor Economic Forecast Luncheon, by Corridor Business Journal, 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m., online. This virtual event invites a panel of local business leaders and a national keynote speaker to discuss the biggest opportunities and challenges facing the Corridor. This year’s keynote is “Biden & Trade: What’s Ahead” by Gary Hufbauer, senior fellow with the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Free. For more information or to register, visit corridorbusiness.com/events/ or contact Ashley Moore at ashley@corridorbusiness.com.
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These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
The FBI has arrested Leo Christopher Kelly of Cedar Rapids on a federal warrant for his alleged involvement in the riots in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Federal charges include Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds without Lawful Authority, and Violent Entry with Intent to Disrupt the Orderly Conduct of Official Business and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds.
The FBI said Kelly will have an initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday. To see an interview with Kelly conducted just after the riots, click here.
The Iowa State Patrol is working to recruit more women to join law enforcement. Trooper Michelle Beck moved quickly into law enforcement after her time as a U.S. Marine, and joined the Iowa State Patrol in 2014. Now based in Cedar Falls, she helps with recruiting and is encouraging other women to follow in her footsteps. ”It’s really not that much different from being a man in law enforcement. There are certain things that women bring to the table that I feel are an advantage for us, one thing being that we are known to de-escalate situations,” says Beck. Beck and rest of the panel, made up of women from the Iowa State Patrol and the Division of Criminal Investigation, talked to 100 women across the state in a webinar Saturday morning, giving them insight to career tracks, work and life balance, and their personal experiences in law enforcement. ”We do have a really important job. We handle a lot, we see a lot, we deal with a lot, so it’s really important for us to remain tough mentally emotionally and physically,” says Beck. Read the full story here.
These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
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Your KCRG-TV9 First Alert Forecast |
An occasional light snow shower will be possible through the day, but any snowfall accumulation is again expected to be minimal. Most of the week ahead looks quiet with a bit of sunshine through the clouds at times. Wednesday looks to be the warm day of the week with highs in the mid 30s before an end-of-week cooldown sends us back into the teens and low 20s with overnight lows down into the single digits.
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