TUESDAY, NOV. 6, 2018  |  IN THIS ISSUE
Para1National Apprenticeship Week highlights opportunities in Iowa 
 
IowaWORKS centers across the state will be holding holding events for employers and job seekers as part of Registered Apprenticeship Appreciation and Awareness Week Nov. 12-18.
 
Iowa Workforce Development is partnering with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship and the Iowa Economic Development Authority to grow registered apprenticeship programs in Iowa. The work is supported by $2.8 million in ApprenticeshipUSA State Expansion Grants from the U.S. Department of Labor.
 
As part of the grant funding, organizations that create a new registered apprenticeship program or add an additional occupation in the industries of health care, information technology or advanced manufacturing can receive an incentive of $350 per registered apprentice, or $500 per registered apprentice who qualifies as an underrepresented population.
 
Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend said in a release that the momentum around growing Registered Apprenticeship opportunities in non-traditional sectors will help Iowa reach its Future Ready Iowa goal, where 70 percent of Iowa's workforce will have education or training beyond high school by 2025.
 
"I encourage all Iowa businesses to explore the registered apprenticeship model and to use it as an opportunity to hire minorities, veterans, women, youth or people with disabilities," Ms. Townsend said. "It is a proven solution that works as demonstrated by the success stories shared at the Future Ready Iowa summits. The staff at our IowaWORKS Centers around the state are available to help you get started."
 
As of Oct. 30, Iowa has 754 active registered apprenticeship programs and 8,047 registered apprentices. In just the past month, Iowa has registered 13 new programs and 95 registered apprentices have completed their programs.
 
Employers and job seekers interested in learning more about registered apprenticeship are encouraged to visit earnandlearniowa.gov. The website provides a high level overview of how a registered apprenticeship works and provides forms for job seekers and employers to complete to receive more information.
 
National Apprenticeship Week events being held in and around the Corridor include the following. All are open to the public, unless noted. You can view all events taking place in Iowa at the National Apprenticeship Week website:
 
Cedar Rapids
Gear Up for Your Future - Explore Registered Apprenticeship
Nov. 14, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Goodwill Industries, 1441 Blairs Ferry Road NE, Cedar Rapids
Explore Earn and Learn job opportunities and take a tour of Goodwill's light manufacturing facility. Hiring managers will also be available to discuss what their companies can offer potential employees. Attendees can register at Facebook; employers register here
 
Marshalltown
Veteran's Registered Apprenticeship Employers' Council of Iowa Event and Open House
Nov. 9, 9 a.m.-11 a.m.; open house 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Employers' Council of Iowa,  IowaWORKS 3405 S. Center St., Marshalltown
With the first day of National Apprenticeship Week falling on Veteran's Day, the Employers' Council of Iowa is focused on registered apprenticeships and veterans. Employers are encouraged to learn about apprenticeships and how veterans can use their G.I. Bill to supplement their income as a registered apprentice.
RSVP with Neysa Hartzler at (641) 844-6995 or by emailing neysa.hartzler@iwd.iowa.gov.
 
Waterloo
National Apprenticeship Week: Explore Apprenticeship Opportunities Open House
Nov. 16, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Hawkeye Community College, Cedar Falls Center, 5330 Nordic Drive, Cedar Falls
Tour Hawkeye Community College's lab spaces, including its new carpentry lab, and learn about its new Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) registered apprenticeship, and network with businesses that operate successful registered apprenticeship programs. Includes a free BBQ lunch. RSVP with Jerry Orr at (319) 296-2329 ext. 3010 or jerry.orr@hawkeyecollege.edu. 
GGoDaddy releases 2018 pay, diversity data 
 
A chart from GoDaddy showing gender pay gaps at GoDaddy in 2017 and 2018.

GoDaddy, a leading provider of hosting and web services with operations in Hiawatha, has released its annual diversity and salary parity data, showing that it pays men and women equally across the company, but that there is still progress to be made in creating a more diverse workforce.
 
According to the company's 2018 salary data, which includes base salary, target bonues and stock grants, GoDaddy is paying men and women at parity across the company, when comparing men and women in like roles. In the technical ranks, women make two cents more on the dollar than men. Women in non-technical roles make one cent less than their male counterparts, and women in leadership roles now are at pay parity with men in like roles.
 
The salary data shows that ethnic minorities make two cents more on the dollar than their non-minority counterparts, and in technical ranks, make five cents more on the dollar than their non-minority counterparts.
 
When it comes to diversity, the 2018 data shows GoDaddy has increased the number of women at the company from 26 percent to 29 percent of the total workforce. Women now comprise 35 percent of non-technical positions at GoDaddy, up from 31 percent in 2017, and 19 percent of technical positions, which is flat versus 2017. Over the past two years, women in senior leadership positions at GoDaddy has increased seven percent to 33 percent overall.
 
In 2018, minorities comprised 32 percent of GoDaddy's workforce population, on par with 2017.
 
"GoDaddy serves an incredibly diverse customer base and we want to create a workforce that is equally diverse," GoDaddy CEO Scott Wagner said in a release announcing the results. "I'm very proud of where GoDaddy is on pay parity today and also the progress we're making to close gender and ethnicity gaps. That said, there's still a lot of work in front of us for broader gender and ethnic diversity. We are focused on reducing unconscious bias - across gender, race and background - to ensure we create equal opportunity across the company for everyone."
 
A public company since 2015, GoDaddy now counts 18 million customers and 77 million domain names under management. The company maintains a customer service and development office with more than 600 employees at 1 Parsons Drive in Hiawatha.
Para3Advanced Manufacturing Sector Board creates careers portal
 
The Corridor's Advanced Manufacturing Sector Board, with the support of 17 local businesses and Kirkwood Community College, has launched a new online portal, explore-manufacturing.org, designed to be a resource for educators and students and to create awareness about the manufacturing industry and careers available in the region.

Technological advances and industry changes have transformed manufacturing work and created demand for more skilled workers, according to board representatives. Middle-skill jobs currently represent about 56 percent of Iowa's workforce and typically require education and training beyond high school, but less than a bachelor's degree. They can be found in all of the state's industries and offer relatively high pay. Recent studies have shown that two-year degree holders, especially in high-demand occupations, can earn salaries that surpass those of four-year college graduates.

The creation of the manufacturing careers portal follows last year's release by the Architecture, Construction and Engineering Sector Board of explore-ace.org to highlight career exploration within that industry. Both portals use the O*NET Interest Profiler to help students identify their personality traits and interests and match them to manufacturing careers for which they have an aptitude. It has already been identified by local educators as a tool to assist students in learning about the industry by featuring videos of each business, local statistics on job outlook and salary ranges.

"The website is impressive, easy to navigate and user friendly," North Linn High School Counselor Jaci Hilmer said in a release. "Personally, I can see myself using it with my students when we do our career planning. It is a fast way to direct them to different careers."
Para4UI, ISU researchers collaborate on universal flu vaccine
 
Researchers at the University of Iowa, in collaboration with colleagues at Iowa State University, are working on a universal flu vaccine based on nanoparticle technology.
 
A universal flu vaccine - one that provides strong, long-lasting protection against multiple strains of flu - could do away with the need to create and administer the annual shot. It might even protect against new, emerging flu strains that have the potential to cause a pandemic.
 
In a recently published study, the team of Kevin Legge and Thomas Waldschmidt, both in the Department of Pathology at the University of Iowa, and Balaji Narasimhan, director of the Nanovaccine Institute at Iowa State University, showed that their nanoparticle vaccine, delivered by inhalation, was able to protect mice from multiple strains of flu. 
 
"There is currently considerable interest in universal influenza virus vaccination. The NIH has recently released a strategic plan to achieve this goal," Mr. Legge said in a release. "Our vaccine's ability to protect mice against both the strain of virus used in the vaccine as well as a very different and dangerous strain means that it may be able to achieve this goal." 
 
Mr. Legge added that the vaccine's nanoparticle chemistry, developed at ISU, means it can be administered without the need for needles. It also allows the vaccine to break the "cold chain," the series of cold shipping, cold storage and cold distribution required to prevent loss of effectiveness.
 
Last year, the flu killed an estimated 80,000 Americans - the most in more than 40 years - and hospitalized 900,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The annual flu shot is the most effective strategy for preventing flu and minimizing the harm caused by the illness.  
Para5NCSML enters collaboration agreement with Czech university
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) and Palacký University Olomouc, one of largest and most prominent universities in the Czech Republic, have formally entered into an agreement to develop and collaborate on joint educational, cultural and research projects.
 
The agreement was signed at the NCSML during the opening of the poster exhibit, "Blindfolded: Europe on the Road to the Great War," which was prepared by Palacký University Olomouc graduate students. The opening was attended by faculty and administrative representatives from the institution, as well as by representatives from Mount Mercy University and Coe College in Cedar Rapids.
 
"This is a significant step forward for the NCSML as we build and strengthen our national and international linkages," said Cecilia Rokusek, NCSML president and CEO, in a statement. "Education is the foundation of our NCSML, and this certainly is the beginning of many significant opportunities."
 
The two institutions have agreed to explore future cooperation on the exchange of scholars and researchers; joint sponsorship of courses, study tours, conferences and seminars; joint research projects including those eligible for external grant funding; exchange of administrative and professional staff and exchange of various types of information and resources.
 
Ms. Rokusek said the agreement allows for the identification and development of other areas of collaboration and cooperation with Palacký University Olomouc in the future. She also said the NCSML will be seeking opportunities for similar agreements with other top universities in the Czech and Slovak Republics.
 
For more information about the the NCSML, visit www.ncsml.org.
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stockCorridor Stocks

NAME SYM PRICE CHG %CHG
AEGON AEG 6.19 0.01 0.16%
Alliant Energy LNT 43.33 0.38 0.88%
Deere & Company DE 145.42 2.77 1.94%
Dow Jones ^DJI 25,635.01 173.31 0.68%
General Mills GIS 43.81 0.84 1.95%
GoDaddy Inc. GDDY 72.47 -0.53 -0.73%
Great Western Bank GWB 36.60 -0.31 -0.84%
Heartland Express HTLD 20.08 0.49 2.50%
KemPharm KMPH 2.57 -0.04 -1.53%
Marsh & McLennan MMC 86.37 0.65 0.76%
MidWestOne MOFG 30.51 0.82 2.76%
Pearson PSO 11.63 -0.16 -1.36%
Pepsico PEP 115.21 0.82 0.72%
Principal Financial PFG 48.28 0.24 0.50%
QCR Holdings QCRH 37.65 0.18 0.48%
Rockwell Collins COL 131.26 0.01 0.01%
S&P 500 ^GSPC 2,755.45 17.14 0.63%
Tanger Factory SKT 23.02 0.01 0.04%
Procter & Gamble PG 91.52 0.32 0.35%
United Fire Group UFCS 55.40 0.36 0.65%
U.S. Bank USB 52.63 0.29 0.55%
Wells Fargo WFC 53.54 -0.12 -0.22%
West Bank WTBA 21.43 0.02 0.09%
Whirlpool WHR 115.94 -0.22 -0.19%
Short-Term Event Planner
       
Nov. 7
1 Million Cups , by 1MC, 9-10 a.m., Geonetric, 415 12th Ave., SE, Cedar Rapids and MERGE, 136 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Join for community connections, startup pitches and free coffee. The November theme for Cedar Rapids' meeting is nonprofits. Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MCICR.
 
C-Suite Awards , by Corridor Business Journal, 11:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m., Cedar Rapids Marriott, 1200 Collins Road NE, Cedar Rapids. The C-Suite Awards recognize C-level executives who have made an outstanding contribution to their company's performance and leadership over the past year. Honorees will be recognized at the awards luncheon and profiled in the Nov. 12 edition of the CBJ. Tickets: $60 or $600 for a table of 10. To register, contact Ashley Levitt at ashley@corridorbusiness.com or (319) 665-6397 ext. 311, or visit corridorbusiness.com/events.
 
Make Your Mark , by ImpactCR, 5-7 p.m., Eastbank Venue & Lounge, 97 Third Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Join ImpactCR for a special Siren Wednesday that will celebrate 2018 and preview the new things to come in 2019. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/2IDz6Kq.
 
Nov. 8
PMI Chapter Meeting, by PMI Eastern Iowa, 7:15-9 a.m., Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of Iowa, 2301 Oakdale Blvd., Coralville. This session will offer a behind-the-scenes look at Alliant Energy's Smart Meter Implementation Program. Cost: $13 for members, $20 for guests. For more information visit bit.ly/2RB385s.
 
A Toast to Our Communities Awards Breakfast,
by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, 7:30-8:30 a.m., Graduate Iowa City, 210 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Join the chamber's board of directors in acknowledging outstanding businesses, organizations and individuals at the chamber's 30th-annual awards ceremony. Tickets $20-$25. RSVP to emily@iowacityarea.com.
 
Effective Planning & Claims Management for Business Interruption , by Holmes Murphy, 10-10:30 a.m., online. Join Holmes Murphy and Michael Skweres for a two-part webinar series that will walk through business interruption risk. This part will cover management of the claims process, how and what to communicate internally and externally, critical early decisions, and claims negotiations and settlements. Free. For more information visit bit.ly/2JaPGRX .
Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28 
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28 
Both the Linn County Auditor's office and the election commission expect high turnouts throughout the day for Midterm elections. Polls opened at 7 a.m. across Iowa and some polling locations across the Corridor have seen a steady stream of people cast their ballots. "We probably have 50,000 people or more show up - that's an average of 45 voters per hour," said Joel Miller, Linn County's auditor. "I've been to five places they have all exceeded that. I think we are going to exceed 50,000-plus." More than 35,000 voters have already voted via the absentee option and their votes are being counted throughout the day. For Rebecca Stonawski, the deputy of elections at Linn County, it's been a hectic morning and few days leading up to Election Day. She is coordinating 600 poll workers at 79 locations all across Linn County to make sure everyone has a good voting experience. "It's an incredible amount of teamwork," Ms. Stonawski said. "We have people that are tech experts, we have people on the phones, it's just an incredible operation. It's because they care, it is a dedication of their belief in democracy. If you see a poll worker today, make sure to thank them."

An Operation Quickfind alert for 16-year-old Yazmiere Mobley has been canceled, according to the Cedar Rapids Police Department. The teenager was last seen in Marion on Nov. 4, triggering the Quickfind alert, but has since been found safe.
  
T hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28 
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast
 
There may be some lingering areas of drizzle this morning, otherwise it's going to be cloudy, cool and breezy. Clouds will gradually break up as we head into the afternoon of Election Day, but the winds will remain strong. Temperatures will climb into the low to mid 40s, but it will feel cooler with wind gusts of 30-40 mph. Cold air will move in for the end of the week and temperatures will be in the 30s in the afternoons. Overnight temperatures will be in the 20s. A weak storm system will move through Missouri Thursday night. With the cold air in place, some light snow or flurries will be possible into Friday morning. A clipper will move through Iowa later in the day, and could bring another round of snow to the area.