TUESDAY, NOV. 17, 2020 | IN THIS ISSUE

• Reynolds issues new mandates to limit virus spread
• Video: One CR business reacts to new mandate
• In the CBJ: Proposed Riverfront project gets first nod in IC
• Principal launching new pooled retirement offering
• Weiss appointed to lead U.S. Bank's community banking
• Corridor events, KCRG-TV9 headlines and First Alert Forecast
Reynolds issues new mandates to limit virus spread
In an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the state, Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday night announced new public health measures, including new indoor mask mandates and limits on operating hours for restaurants and bars.
 
The governor’s latest proclamation requires that:

  • Masks be worn when people are in an indoor public space, and unable to social distance for 15 minutes or longer. It does not apply to schools in the state, or gatherings that occur due to the normal course of business, including retail and manufacturing work.

  • Restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, arcades, pool halls, bingo halls and indoor playgrounds must close at 10 p.m., although takeout and carry-out orders may continue. Venues cannot host private gatherings of more than 15 people, and masks must be worn by staff. Customers must wear masks when they are not seated at their table to eat or drink.

  • Indoor social, community, business and leisure gatherings or events be limited to 15 people. Outdoor gatherings are limited to 30. This includes wedding and funeral receptions, family gatherings and conventions.
 
  • All organized youth and adult sports activities of any size are suspended, including basketball, wrestling, gymnastics, swimming, dance and group fitness classes at gyms. The proclamation excludes high school, collegiate and professional sports from the suspension.
 
  • Hospitals must reduce inpatient elective procedures by 50%.
 
Thee new measures are effective today through Dec. 10. In announcing the new restrictions, Ms. Reynolds noted that the efforts – including the mask mandate, which she had long opposed on enforcement grounds – are designed to take the strain off Iowa's hospitals, where capacity limits are being reached and one in four patients has the coronavirus. The state passed 2,000 deaths from the virus this week.

"This isn’t about mandates," Ms. Reynolds said. "This isn’t about government. There isn’t enough law enforcement in the country to make sure that every Iowan is wearing a mask when they should. … If Iowans don’t buy into this, we lose."

Following Ms. Reynolds' Monday press conference, Iowa Democrats issued a statement assailing her "half-measured attempt" at a mask mandate, saying it does not go far enough to stop the spread of the virus, the Des Moines Business Record reports.

In their joint statement, Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls and House Minority Leader Todd Prichard said: "Governor Reynolds seems shocked that her failed COVID strategy has resulted in thousands of deaths, overcrowded hospitals, unsafe schools, and some of the highest coronavirus infection rates in the country over the past nine months. Her half-measured attempt at a mask mandate will not be enough to make Iowans safer, especially heading into the holiday season. Her actions today are simply too little, too late. Half-measures will only prolong this pandemic and the suffering of Iowans."

To view a summary of the enhanced mitigation measures, click here. The full proclamation can be found here.
Video: One CR business reacts to new mandate
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced a new statewide mask mandate and additional restrictions on Iowa bars and restuarants on Monday, but some business owners say there won't be many changes for customers. Sam Aossey, one of the owners of the Starlite Room in Cedar Rapids, told news partner KCRG-TV9 that Ms. Reynolds' proclamation was “a little bit of even a letdown,” noting that many business owners he knows have already been taking extra steps to ensure safety among customers and employees. Read the full story and watch the video here.
In the CBJ: Proposed Riverfront project gets first nod in IC
A large mixed-use project in Iowa City that could include two multi-family residential buildings, a hotel, townhouse-style housing, retail and a building intended for senior living passed its first hurdle in early November, winning approval for a comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning from the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

Developers of Riverfront West, a multi-building project set on a four-acre parcel roughly bounded by South Riverside Drive, Myrtle Avenue, the Iowa Interstate Railroad and Olive Street, sought to amend the city’s Downtown and Riverfront Crossings Master Plan to include just over three acres of the property into the plan’s West Riverfront Subdistrict and to rezone the entire site, currently set aside for residential and community commercial use, as part of the Riverfront Crossings, West Riverfront zone.

Applicant Steve Long of Des Moines-based K&F Properties, who assembled properties from five different owners between December 2019 and this past June, also requested a height bonus from five to seven stories for one of several planned buildings north of and abutting the Iowa Interstate Railroad.

The idea, according to Shive-Hattery Principal Architect Mark Seabold, who is working with Mr. Long on the project, is “expanding the character of the downtown area across the river.”

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

PHOTO: Developers of the proposed Riverfront West project off South Riverside Drive in Iowa City received a thumbs up for a comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning from the Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission. CREDIT SHIVE-HATTERY
Weiss appointed to lead U.S. Bank's community banking
U.S. Bank has appointed veteran Des Moines banker Bob Weiss as one of three leaders nationally to head community banking within the company’s Consumer and Business Banking team, reports the Des Moines Business Record.

Weiss has been named regional executive for U.S. Bank’s Community Central Division, which covers the Upper Midwest and Great Plains.

He will be responsible for driving growth and creating strategies to bring “one U.S. Bank experience to all customers,” the Minneapolis-based bank said in a release.

Mr. Weiss, who has worked for the bank 31 years, was division president for Iowa and will continue to be based out of Des Moines. The new regional division he will oversee includes Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and a limited number of locations in border communities in Wyoming and Illinois.

He will lead community banking for U.S. Bank with regional executives Liesl Schmidt in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Bill Jones in Paducah, Kentucky, who will head the West and East divisions, respectively. Together, they will lead 1,000 branch offices and 8,600 employees located in nonmetropolitan communities throughout U.S. Bank’s 26-state footprint.

The new leadership structure follows the previously announced retirement of the current head of community banking, Mark Jorgenson, who will retire in December. The new division managers will report directly to Tim Welsh, vice chair of Consumer and Business Banking.

IMAGE: Bob Weiss
Principal launching new pooled retirement offering 
Principal Financial Group is set to launch Principal EASE, a new pooled employer plan (PEP) that will combine integrated retirement plan administration, customer service and investment management capabilities for small businesses. 
 
The announcement comes as the federal SECURE Act paves the way for unrelated employers to participate in a single, pooled retirement plan beginning next year. Des Moines-based Principal estimates that little more than half of all workers at small businesses have access to retirement benefits.

Principal’s offering was created in partnership with National Benefit Services LLC, which will serve as its third-party administrator, and Wilshire, which will serve as the investment fiduciary. NBS currently provides retirement administration to more than 20,000 employers across the country, while California-based Wilshire is a global advisory company specializing in investment products. 
 
As a Pooled Plan Provider (PPP), Principal will oversee the operation of the PEP, ensuring it meets regulatory requirements while reducing employers’ administrative requirements and fiduciary risk. The company’s packaged solution, designed for employers with up to $10 million in assets under management, will be available for financial professionals to offer employers beginning in 2021. 
 
"The workplace is such an effective place to increase access to retirement savings plans," said Jerry Patterson, senior vice president of Retirement and Income Solutions, in a release. "By shifting liability to designated fiduciaries with specific knowledge and skills, employers benefit from investment management as well as reduced administrative tasks and risks.”
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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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Short Term Event Planner

Nov. 18 
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.

Nov. 19
Do’s, Don'ts and How To’s of Employment Background Checks, by Cedar Rapids Area Economic Alliance, 8-9:15 a.m., online. Learn what is provided in a background check and what information can be used in an employment decision. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/3jV7Ise.

Kwik Star Ribbon Cutting, by Marion Chamber of Commerce, 11 a.m., Kwik Star, 962 62nd St., Marion. Kwik Star will celebrate the grand opening of its new gas station in Marion. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/34ATHeH.

Innovation Roundtable, by the Technology Association of Iowa, 2 p.m., online. TAI members can discuss leading industry topics, such as blockchain and artificial intelligence. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/2GrNoAX.
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Headlines from KCRG-TV9
These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9 

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley announced Tuesday he has been exposed to COVID-19, but is not currently experiencing any symptoms. In a statement, Grassley said he is following doctors' orders by immediately quarantining while he awaits the results of a COVID-19 test. He also stressed the importance of following public health guidelines. He plans to continue working from home.

The Iowa Department of Public Health reported a new record high of 33 additional COVID-19 related deaths on Tuesday. As of 10:30 a.m. today, the state’s data shows a total of 2,024 COVID-19 related deaths since the pandemic began. Additionally, 3,563 more COVID-19 cases were reported today. That brings the total number of cases to 190,583. Hospitalizations also went up, as the state’s data now shows 1,510 patients hospitalized with the virus. Of those patients, 215 were admitted over the last 24 hours and 288 of them are in the ICU.

These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
Your KCRG-TV9 First Alert Forecast
Today will be our coolest day of the rest of the week. Highs will be in the low 40s throughout the afternoon. Overall, the weather pattern continues to stay quiet the rest of the week. Tonight and into tomorrow, a warm front will move into the state. Because of dry air, no precipitation is expected with this, but overnight lows will most likely be achieved around midnight and warm through the morning. Low to mid-30s as you head out the door tomorrow and temperatures rise into the 50s by the afternoon. Gusty south winds will also come from this front with gusts up to 35 mph throughout the day.