THURSDAY, NOV. 29, 2018  |  IN THIS ISSUE  

Renee Schaaf
Principal Financial Group announced that Renee Schaaf, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Principal International, will become the new president of Retirement and Income Solutions, effective March 1.

The Des Moines Business Record reports Ms. Schaff will succeed Nora Everett, current president of Retirement and Income Solutions (RIS) and chairman of Principal Funds, who will retire at the end of March after 27 years with the company. 

Ms.Schaff was named to her current position with Principal International in February 2016. She has held leadership positions in marketing, strategy and retirement plan businesses for RIS. She was also vice president of national accounts in the health division before moving to Principal International to lead strategic planning and business development.

Ms. Everett has led Principal's retirement businesses for the past four years. She joined Principal in 1991 as an attorney, and held senior leadership roles within the law department before becoming president of Principal Funds in 2008, and then CEO of Principal Funds in 2010. She has also championed Principal's talent development and diversity and inclusion efforts.

"Nora's been an instrumental leader in driving business results at Principal," Principal Chairman, President and CEO Dan Houston said in a release. "She's played a number of key roles, including leading our U.S. retirement businesses, building a successful mutual fund franchise in Principal Funds, and serving as deputy general counsel on our mergers and acquisition team. She's also spent her time and talents giving back through her ongoing involvement in our community relations efforts. We wish her all the best in retirement."

Ms. Everett, who recently received the Tocqueville Society Award from United Way of Central Iowa, will become the organization's board chair next year. She was honored as a Woman of Influence by the Business Record in 2016.

Airbnb announced today that it delivered $900,000 in home sharing tax revenue on behalf of its Iowa hosts in the first year of its tax agreement with the state, exceeding initial projections.
 
In October 2017, Airbnb announced a tax agreement with the Iowa Department of Revenue, allowing the home sharing platform to automatically collect state, county and municipal taxes on behalf of its host community and remit the revenue directly to the state. That agreement took effect Nov. 1, 2017, infusing a new revenue stream for the state and localities to capitalize on more people visiting Iowa who are staying longer through home sharing.
 
The taxes Iowa collects on all Iowa bookings are:
  • State Hotel and Motel Taxes (also known as the "state excise tax") : 5 percent
  • County Hotel and Motel Taxes : 5-7 percent (depending on the county)
  • Local Hotel and Motel Taxes : 2-7 percent (depending on the city)
The $900,000 in total taxes breaks down to $420,000 in state taxes as well as $480,000 in combined county and city taxes.

In a press release, Airbnb said the tax collections for the first year exceeded initial expectations.  The greater than expected tax remittance to Iowa is largely due to continued growth in Airbnb hosts in Iowa. Throughout the duration of the tax agreement, more than 75,000 guests have stayed at Iowa Airbnb accomodations, representing 85 percent year-over-year growth.
The Iowa Attorney General's Office has reached settlements this fall with three satellite TV companies it accused of violating the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act.  The settlements yielded $52,000 for the state Consumer Education and Litigation Fund, refunds for consumers and restrictions on future sales. 
  • First Choice Communications, a DIRECTV retailer based in Mesa, Arizona, was ordered to pay the state $5,000, follow Iowa's Door-to-Door Sales Act and not make misrepresentations to customers. First Choice sold TV packages to customers at the Iowa State Fair in 2015 and 2016. In a petition filed in May, the attorney general alleged that First Choice and its CEO, Michael S. Griffith, and owner, Kristal Jacobs, violated Iowa law by making several misrepresentations to customers, including falsely representing to customers that the price of merchandise would be lower than what was ultimately billed and saying that customers could switch TV providers for free. 
  • IKONIK LLC agreed to offer free cancellations to about 500 Iowans and refund cancellation fees to those who had paid. The company will also pay the state $8,000. The attorney general had accused the Utah-based company of making misrepresentations to customers over contracts, improperly assessing cancellation fees, and failing to provide Iowans with a three-day notice of their rights to cancel. IKONIK disputed the allegations but fully cooperated with the attorney general's investigation and agreed to resolve the matter through an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance completed Nov. 1. IKONIK agreed to follow the state's door-to-door law and not to misrepresent terms of its contracts.
  • Xcite Satellite: The Utah company agreed to offer to refund money or cancel contracts for more than 1,100 Iowans after the Iowa Attorney General's Office accused it of violating the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act. Xcite also agreed to pay $40,000 to the state's Consumer Education and Litigation Fund. Xcite used door-to-door salespeople to sell DirectTV and Viasat services. The Iowa Attorney General alleged that Xcite violated the Iowa Door-to-Door Sales Act and other laws by misrepresenting its business and its services, failing to provide consumers with a three-day notice of right to cancel, and improperly assessing early cancellation fees and other violations.
In a press release, Attorney General Tom Miller said consumers who  believe a service provider or third-party seller has engaged in an unfair sales practice, billing practice or consumer fraud should contact the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/complaint or the Consumer Protection Division at (515) 281-5926, or outside of the Des Moines area at 1-(888) 777-4590, or email to   consumer@ag.iowa.gov.

NewBoCo will host its annual Launch Day on Dec. 11 at Theatre Cedar Rapids, celebrating accomplishments in entrepreneurship, innovation and tech education in Iowa.

The emcee for NewBoCo's annual event will be Eric Hanson, host of Z102.9's "The Morning Scramble."     

Launch Day will feature pitches from Iowa Startup Accelerator portfolio companies and Social Good Accelerator teams, highlights from Intrapreneur Academy, a progress report from NewBoCo's Code.org Iowa partnership, and an update from DeltaV Code School.

Launch Day will highlight:
  • Jason Logan, DeltaV 2017 graduate
  • Osage Community Schools, NewBoCo Code.org Partnership
  • Adam Kaas, Intrapreneur Academy - Rockwell Collins
  • Leslie Wright, Intrapreneur Academy - United Way of East Central Iowa
  • SwineTech, Iowa Startup Accelerator 2015 Cohort
  • STRATAFOLIO, Iowa Startup Accelerator 2016 Cohort
  • Cargofy, Iowa Startup Accelerator 2017 Cohort
  • Center for Active Seniors (Abbe Health), Social Good Accelerator Inaugural Cohort
  • Class Composer, Iowa Startup Accelerator 2018 Cohort
  • Rantizo, Iowa Startup Accelerator 2018 Cohort
  • Member Marketplace, Iowa Startup Accelerator 2018 Cohort
  • Kepler Learning (formerly Project BBQ), Iowa Startup Accelerator 2018 Cohort
  • GSI Works, Social Good Accelerator Inaugural Cohort
  • Eric Engelmann, NewBoCo
Admission to the event is free. To reserve a ticket, go to:  https://newbo.co/launch-day/

Delta Dental of Iowa has announced a partnership with InsuranceMenu, a digital platform that helps insurance agents and carriers automate and overcome barriers in the small business market.

InsuranceMenu provides a digital, end-to-end experience from benefits quoting through employee enrollment, making it easier for small businesses to offer benefits to their employees. In late 2017, Delta Dental began working with InsuranceMenu and is now offering the platform to select agencies that service the small business market. In addition, Delta Dental has made an investment in InsuranceMenu through its subsidiary, Veratrus Health. Delta Dental will be rolling out the InsuranceMenu platform to all agencies throughout 2019.
   
"Iowa currently has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country," Shaun Bennett, owner of Urbandale-based Fulcrum Benefits, said in a press release. "In a competitive job market, we are finding our small business clients want to be able to offer the same benefits larger companies offer. Using InsuranceMenu gives us the ability to service more clients more efficiently."
 
In late 2017, Delta Dental began working with InsuranceMenu and is now offering the platform to select agencies that service the small business market. In addition, Delta Dental has made an investment in InsuranceMenu through its subsidiary, Veratrus Health. Delta Dental will be rolling out the InsuranceMenu platform to all agencies throughout 2019.

Nov. 29
PWN Member Appreciation Night, by Professional Women's Network, 5-7 p.m., NewBo City Market, 1100 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids. PWN members will celebrate the achievements of 2018 and look ahead to next year. Free, but RSVP to Ann Roushar at pwn@pwn.org. For more information, visit bit.ly/2TOBjrj.

Nov. 30
Ribbon Cutting: DKW Gallery, by Marion Chamber of Commerce, 4 p.m., 840 Seventh Ave., Marion. DKW Gallery will celebrate its second anniversary with the addition of new programming and space. Free.

Dec. 1
Code 102, by DeltaV Code School and NewBoCo, 9 a.m.-5 p.m, Geonetric, 415 12th Ave., SE, Cedar Rapids. Move past the concepts covered in Code 101 and work with experienced developers who can help. Cost: $299, includes a light breakfast, lunch and coffee. For more information, visit deltavcodeschool.com.

Dec. 3-5
Excellence in Service, by Kirkwood Community College, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Kirkwood Linn County Regional Center, 1770 Boyson Road, Hiawatha. Learn the skills needed to address customer expectations, find solutions in difficult situations and communicate clearly. Cost $85. For more information, visit bit.ly/2OWOo2u.
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Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  

Mount Trashmore, a capped landfill, is  one of Cedar Rapids' most unique features, offering exercise options and views for hikers and bikers.  And it was once a dumping ground .  "Our vision is to make it a recreational destination for Eastern Iowa," Solid Waste Agency recreation coordinator Zac Hornung says.  To do that, they're putting out for construction bids on a $1.5 million project.  "Our goal this winter is really just to get down to business with planning and getting the place even better and more user-friendly," Mr. Hornung explains.  Plans include a paved parking lot with a pavilion where on-site staff can check-in visitors.
"We're getting a new access road in there; it's going to be a bike path. Also, the main gate is going to get reconstructed, there will be a pedestrian path that they can come in and out of."   After an engineering bid is selected around mid-January, Mr. Hornung says shovels could hit the dirt this spring. Weather permitting, some phases of the project could be ready by this summer.  With around 1,100 visitors during their first opening, safety for future guests is top priority.  "We saw about 60 percent of our users were walkers, 40 percent were bikers," Mr. Hornung says.

 Voice of the Hawkeyes Gary Dolphin has been suspended two games by Learfield Sports after comments criticizing the Iowa Hawkeyes and a player were broadcast during what should've been a commercial break in the Iowa-Pittsburgh game. Mr.  Dolphin was overheard praising Pittsburgh players, saying, " How do we not get anybody like that? ... It's just year after year after year, go get a quality piece like that. Just get one! They've got three or four, (coach Jeff Capel's) first year."  Mr. Dolphin apologized on-air in post-game coverage. "We want to offer a public apology, and it won't happen again," Mr. Dolphin said. "You have to assume there's an open mic all the time, and that is no excuse. We said it. We own it. So our sincere apologies on behalf of the Hawkeye Radio Network to Coach McCaffery and his team." "The two game suspension is a result of those comments, as well as some ongoing tensions that have built up over the past couple of years," said Iowa athletics director Gary Barta. "This time away from the microphone will allow a chance to work through some of these issues."

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

Clouds will hang tight today and temperatures will be in the low to mid-30s. A weak disturbance will move through Eastern Iowa and bring the chance for a wintry mix this evening. Rain/freezing rain/snow will be possible between 6-11 p.m., mainly south of Highway 20. Winds will turn more out of the south Friday and as the warmer air moves in over the snow in the south there could be some fog. Dense fog will be most likely near and south of I-80 in the snowpack.  It will be cloudy and dry on Friday with temperatures in the mid- to upper 30s.