WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2019  |  IN THIS ISSUE  
 
Dr. Michael Abramoff. CREDIT IDx 
Dr. Michael Abramoff, CEO and founder of Coralville-based IDx, received the 2019 Cultivation Corridor Iowa Biotech Leader Award this week as part of the Iowa Biotechnology Association's annual conference.
 
The award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated leadership within their organization and the industry; an ability to bring innovative biotech products and services to market; and a commitment to advancing the state's biotech industry.
 
Dr. Abramoff has spent years developing autonomous systems capable of making medical decisions by themselves, including IDx-DR, the first-ever FDA-approved medical device to use artificial intelligence to diagnose a disease. 
 
Dr. Abramoff has received more than 20 different tech patents and numerous awards and honors for his research. He is also a distinguished professor at the University of Iowa, mentoring students to continue innovating and developing the industry.
 
"Dr. Abramoff and his accomplishments through IDx Technologies Inc. are truly the definition of cutting-edge," IowaBio Executive Director Jessica Hyland said in a release. "His breakthrough method of identifying eye disease is the first of its kind approved by the FDA. The Iowa Biotechnology Association is proud to recognize this Iowan as the 2019 Iowa Biotech Leader of the Year."
 
Liam Crawford, shown on the University of Iowa campus on a recent afternoon.
This is the third part in a members-exclusive CBJ series on the Corridor's workforce shortage, called (un)Hired Help. Read the second part here.

Employers, meet the University of Iowa Class of 2019's Liam Crawford.

Mr. Crawford, 21, is planning to graduate this May with a Bachelor of Science in computer science and a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy.
 
Forget everything you've heard about his generation; he is no slacker. The Stuart, Iowa, native is president of the UI Chapter of the Machine Learning Society and vice president of the Presidential Scholars Association. He's completed two internships, one developing software for a medtech company and the other in the red-hot field of machine learning research for one of the world's largest tech companies.
 
Combining studies in philosophy and computer science made his time at the UI more enjoyable and balanced, Mr. Crawford says, giving him time away from computer screens and the ability to look at the larger picture of human reasoning.
 
"The early computer scientists, many of them would consider themselves philosophers and mathematicians," he said. "So much of the early logic in computer science was built out of people who were very well read in philosophy."

You won't get to hire Mr. Crawford, however. He's already accepted a job offer from Google in Mountain View, California, working in machine learning research as he did during his internship there.

"I can get top engineering mentoring that I can't get in Iowa," he said, adding that just about everyone he worked with at Google seemed exceptional in their own right.

He has mixed feelings about leaving Iowa, a place with a big hold on his heart. He says it's not about the money, but about jumpstarting his career - not to mention the lifestyle and the workplace culture. 

He can't even list all the benefits Google provides, which include points employees can cash in for free massages during the work day, loaner bicycles for cruising the company's sprawling campus, and a subsidized transit program for getting to and from work.
 
"Especially those tech companies, you get these feelings of being wanted by an employer almost to the point of it being ludicrous," Mr. Crawford said, recalling conversations with past UI grads who've gone to Google. "You just feel like you're in a fairy tale land sometimes when you're in those places."

What's a Corridor employer with limited resources to do?

Read the full members-only story in this week's print or digital editions of the CBJ.

Ronda Fry, left, talks with Sharon Kistler at Grampa Jim's in Humeston, in March. CREDIT IOWAWATCH 
The town of Humeston, Iowa, straddles Highway 65 in the northwestern corner of Wayne County, less than a 30-minute drive from the Missouri border. Its population peaked in the 1920s at 1,214 people.
Today, the southern Iowa town has only 494 residents.
 
"A lot of kids, when they graduate, they want to get out and see the world," said David Dotts, of the Wayne County Board of Supervisors. It's one of the many explanations for the population loss.
 
Like nearly all of the other incorporated towns in Wayne County - except for Corydon, the county seat - Humeston has seen a consistent decline in its population since the early 1900s.
 
Humeston is not alone: Small towns around Iowa have been fighting to support themselves as rural populations continue to decline, while state government has been investing more in larger cities where the population is growing.
 
In 2018, Iowa's metro regions received the most financial support from state government via the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA).
 
Reporting this spring by an IowaWatch Simpson College Journalism Project showed cities with populations more than 50,000 people received $61.3 million in direct financial assistance through state and federal grants and loans. Several of these communities also received assistance in the form of tax benefits.
 
Meanwhile, rural businesses and communities with fewer than 5,000 people received a little less than $24.9 million in direct financial assistance from the state and federal government.
 
To read the complete story, click here. This story was produced by the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism-IowaWatch.org, a nonprofit, online news website that collaborates with Iowa news organizations to produce explanatory and investigative reporting.  
 
For the complete list of this week's Movers & Shakers, see the April 29 edition of the CBJ.

Pankaj Monga 
Pankaj Monga, president and CEO of Channel Fusion, has been appointed to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) board and will become an important voice in decisions that directly impact businesses across Iowa.
 
The IEDA board acts on administrative rules and approves contracts and applications for state incentive programs. His term on the board will end April 2022. 
 
Mr. Monga also sits on the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance's Economic Development Innovation Council.
 
Mr. Monga, a native of India, founded Channel Fusion in 2002. Headquartered in Hiawatha, the company designs, launches and supports local channel marketing solutions for global clients.
 
May 2
Wake Up Marion, by Marion Chamber of Commerce, 8-9 a.m., Hills Bank & Trust, 3204 Seventh Ave., Marion. Enjoy complimentary coffee and get to know the host business. Free. For more information, visit marioncc.org.
 
QuickBooks Online, by SCORE of East Central Iowa, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Hy-Vee, 5050 Edgewood Road NE, Cedar Rapids. Learn tips and tricks to get more value out of the different modules of QuickBooks. Free. To register, visit conta.cc/2ZrEesW.
 
Dive into Development in the Cedar Rapids Metro, by Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, noon-1 p.m., Economic Alliance, 501 First St. SE. This program will provide an overview of regional business attraction project leads, provide insight into economic development tax credit programs from the Iowa Economic Development Authority and more. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/2WU8P08.
 
Re-Connect: Careers & Conversation, by IowaWORKS, 1-3 p.m., North Liberty Public Library, 520 W. Cherry St. Re-Connect is a monthly employer panel that hosts companies from the six major industry sectors in the region. Each employer will share information about their company and answer questions from job candidates about available opportunities. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/2Dh4DQR.
 
May 3
Building a Consumer Brand from Local to Global, by Entrepreneurial Development Center, noon, North Liberty CoLab, 215 Highway 965, Suite 1. Freda Sojka, founder of Simply Soothing, will share her experience scaling her Bug Soother bug repellent beyond Columbus Junction through e-commerce and brick and mortar retailers. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/2IxsqQJ.
 
First Friday Coffee Connections, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, 7:30-8:30 a.m., Z's Catering and BBQ, 760 Nathan Ave., Unit 9, North Liberty. Enjoy this energetic networking event before heading off for the daily grind. Free. For more information, visit
 
May 6
Empowering Contractors: Partnering, Teaming, JV, Proposal Prep and Post-Award Strategies, by Iowa State University CIRAS, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., The Park Lodge at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, 579 McCollister Blvd., Iowa City. Learn how to use teaming, joint ventures and mentor-protégé programs to score the contracts you want. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/2DiM6U2.
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  [email protected] .
Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  
 
The Cedar Rapids Police Department says a home and a vehicle were both hit by bullets early Wednesday morning on the city's southeast part of town.  Officers were first called to the 600 block of 16th Street SE at 1:35 a.m. Wednesday.  Authorities later found a vehicle had been struck and found shell casings in the 1600 block of Sixth Avenue SE.  A residence on the 500 block of 16th Street SE also was also hit.  No injuries have been reported. T his is an ongoing investigation. If you have any information, call Linn County Crime Stoppers at (800) 272-7463.

A father and son from Ely were practicing driving when their SUV got hit by a train next to Tait Cummins Memorial Park on April 14,  killing them both. Officials from the Cedar Rapids Police Department say Ethan Mortensen, 32, was practicing driving with his father, David Mortensen, 66, in a parking lot next to the railroad tracks.  Police confirmed Ethan had his learner's permit and said the vehicle for some reason went in the path of the train.  The Des Moines Register reports  Ethan had a development disorder and had increasingly become more independent, recently moving out of his father's home.  CRPD says driving inexperience may have been a factor in the crash, but say they may not know exactly what caused him to lose control of the vehicle.
 
T hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28 
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast

There will be some areas of light rain, drizzle and fog this morning. Then it will be mostly cloudy and cool with temperatures in the 50s and 60s. It will be cloudy tonight ahead of another system that will move in. Scattered showers will be possible late tonight in tomorrow morning. Highest chances for rain will be near and south of Highway 20. Rain will wind down midday Thursday and clouds will gradually clear. Temperatures will be in the upper 50s to mid 60s.  High pressure moves in and brings a much needed break from the rain to start the weekend. It will be mostly sunny Friday with temperatures in the 60s. Sunshine will continue Saturday and temperatures will climb to near 70. Another cold front will move in Sunday and bring a few scattered showers and storms. Temperatures will still be warm in the mid 60s.