WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019  |  IN THIS ISSUE  
 
The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber unveiled its new brand, Grow Cedar Valley, as part of its annual meeting in Cedar Falls on Tuesday.
 
The new name comes with a new mission, vision, purpose statement and three-year plan meant to "realign the organization's focus to meet investors' and communities' greatest needs," according to a statement from Cary Darrah, CEO of Grow Cedar Valley.
 
"Grow Cedar Valley will be the leader in bringing business and community together," said Ms. Darrah, CEO of Grow Cedar Valley, in a statement. "You can't have a strong business community without the economic inclusion and quality-of-life initiatives that foster a vibrant community. By marrying our business development and community development efforts, we can create additional opportunities for both sides to grow and elevate the economic vitality of both our businesses and communities."
 
The rebranding is the latest change for the 15-year-old economic development group, which saw the resignation of its longtime leader, Steve Dust, a year ago, and the appointment of Ms. Darrah first as interim CEO, and then as the organization's permanent leader last September.
 
Ms. Darrah encouraged Grow Cedar Valley's volunteer executive committee and board to conduct research before "hitting the reset button," according to a release. That led to a refined focus and a renewed energy within the organization, according to Board Chairman Eric Johnson.
 
"Through our year of listening, several things became apparent," Mr. Johnson said. "Grow Cedar Valley needed focus, as we cannot be all things for everybody. A primary focus needs to be growing workforce skills. It is important for us to lead, by showing up, listening and collaborating with business and community partners."
 
Other focuses for the organization will include affordable, accessible child care and transportation, according to Ms. Darrah.
 
Learn more at the new Grow Cedar Valley website.

It's seven years and counting for West Bancorporation's ranking among the top 10 percent of publicly traded community banks, the Des Moines Business Record reports. 
 
The West Des Moines parent of West Bank ranked No. 19 in the latest edition of the Raymond James Community Bankers Cup.  The multinational investment banking and financial services firm compiles data on banks with assets between $500 million and $10 billion. This year, 258 banks fit that description.
 
Raymond James then cuts the list to the top 10 percent based on various profitability, operational efficiency and balance sheet metrics, including ROA and ROE, credit quality, core deposits and net interest margin. 
 
In its two markets - Iowa and Minnesota - West Bancorporation was the only banking operation to make the list, and one of the few in the Midwest. The company reported $2.3 billion in assets at the end of the year. 
 
For the complete list of this week's Movers & Shakers, see the March 25 edition of the CBJ.

 
The final phase in the Collins Road improvement project in Cedar Rapids started Monday. The project, which started in March 2018, aims to expand the road by adding more lanes and sidewalks for pedestrians, news partner CBS2/FOX 28 reports. "The work that's starting today is going to focus on the intersection of Collins Road and Twixt Town Road," said city engineer Nate Kampman. Crews began work on paving, the final step in the project that's expected to be completed by fall. That can't come soon enough for Collins Road Theatres owner Bruce Taylor. Watch the full report here.  
 
The Linn County Board of Supervisors has approved the county's fiscal year 2020 budget of $157.3 million, which maintains levy rates for residential, commercial and industrial property owners.
 
That doesn't mean taxes won't be going up for some in the county. Agricultural property taxes will increase 3.1 percent in the next fiscal year, which starts July 1, while homeowners could see a 2.3 percent increase in their county property taxes. Both increases are due to changes in the state rollback rates. 
 
The residential levy rate will remain $5.84 per $1,000 of taxable value. The rural levy rate, added to the countywide rate for residents who live in unincorporated Linn County, is $2.71, and includes some property tax relief from the county's Local Option Sales Tax allocation. Commercial and industrial property taxes also remain unchanged. 

The ending fund balance in Linn County's general fund remains at 25 percent, as prescribed in Linn County's financial policies.
 

Linn County taxes account for approximately 16 percent of the overall tax bill paid by Linn County property owners in incorporated areas. The remaining 84 percent of property taxes go to the property taxpayer's city of residence, school district and other taxing bodies in the county. Linn County taxes represent slightly more than one-third of property taxes for rural residents.
 
March 28
Business Breakfast Roundtable, by SCORE of East Central Iowa, 7:30-9 a.m., Scott's Family Restaurant, 1906 Blairs Ferry Road NE, Cedar Rapids. A business topic will be discussed along with networking opportunities. To register or for more information, visit scorecr.org.
 
Improving Negotiation Skills, by MRA, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Linn County Rural Electric Co-op, 5695 Rec Drive, Marion. Improve your ability to negotiate and reach positive, mutually satisfying outcomes. Cost: $450. To register, visit mranet.org.
 
Fire Protection is Everyone's Business: Prevent, Extinguish, Evacuate, by Kirkwood Community College, 9-9:30 a.m. This 30-minute webinar will discuss prevention tips, how to use fire extinguishment equipment and evacuation methods. Free. To register, visit kirkwood.edu/signup.
 
Loft Startup Exchange MeetUp, by Marion Economic Development Corp., 8:30-9:30 a.m., Loft Coworking, 700 11th St. Suite 201, Marion. Alan Prowse, who recently launched his own
videography business called Make it Memorable, will lead the discussion. For more information, call Michelle Kline at MEDCO at (319) 743-4724.
 
Farmers Market Nutrition Program, by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, 10-11 a.m., ISU Linn County Extension, 383 Collins Road NE, Suite 201, Cedar Rapids. This webinar program is for new and returning farmers market vendors. This session is intended for individuals who may not have internet access. Free. For more information, visit iowaagriculture.gov  .
 
PCI North Liberty Clinic Open House, by Physicians' Clinic of Iowa, 4-7 p.m., 585 W. Cherry St., North Liberty. Welcome PCI to North Liberty with a short program and ribbon cutting at 5:30 p.m. For more information, call (319) 655-4724.
 
April 3
1 Million Cups, by 1MC Cedar Rapids, 8:15-9:15 a.m., Geonetric, 415 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Join for community connections, free coffee, and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more. Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MCICR.
 
1 Million Cups, by 1MC Iowa City, 9-10 a.m., MERGE, 136 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Join for community connections, free coffee, and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more . Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MillionCupsIC/.
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Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  
 
When spring football practice starts for the Iowa Hawkeyes today, they'll once again take the field with an edge in equipment. "The cool thing is that we're ahead of the curve," Iowa Football equipment manager Greg Morris said on Monday. CBS2/FOX28 featured the Hawkeyes' instillation of Riddell's Precision-Fit helmets last spring. Every player - aside from incoming freshmen - was given a helmet with their exact measurements and specifications. "What you don't want to do is get to the point where you start picking and choosing," Mr. Morris says, "which is why we're 100 percent." While the helmets aren't a 100 percent prevention from concussions, they're doing the job very well, he said. "To this point, success for us has been really good," Mr. Morris says. "We've had a limited amount of concussion - but more importantly, our players like them. They're more comfortable to them and they feel like they're more protected." Read the full story here.

Portions of Blairs Ferry Road closed Wednesday morning in Cedar Rapids due to a fire at a vacant building, according to the Cedar Rapids Police Department. The fire is at 1834 Blairs Ferry Road NE. This story is developing and will be updated.

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

Today will be the warmest day we've had in months. Temperatures will be in the 60s with a mix of sun and clouds. It will come with a strong southerly wind, which will be ushering in the warmer air. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph at times. A weak cold front will move through and may produce a stray shower this evening. As that front continues to slide through, it will be cloudy with a slim chance for a shower Thursday. It will still be mild with temperatures in the 50s. A stronger storm comes in Friday and will bring a higher chance for rain. The heaviest of the rain will likely fall in extreme southeastern Iowa into Missouri. Rainfall totals of a half an inch to an inch is possible. Colder air will begin to move in on the backside of this system and a wintry mix will be possible late Friday night into Saturday morning. Some wet snow will be possible, but right now it looks like little to nothing in terms of accumulation.