TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2020  |  IN THIS ISSUE
Para1Loebsack sponsors $100B broadband investment bill in House 
 
Rep. Dave Loebsack 
Iowa Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack last week joined with House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-South Carolina) and members of the House Rural Broadband Task Force to introduce a new bill aimed at investing $100 billion in high-speed broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved communities across the country.
 
The Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act would allocate $80 billion for the deployment of broadband infrastructure nationwide, $5 billion for low-interest financing through a new secured loan program, $5 billion to help students without internet at home participate in remote learning programs, and $1 billion to establish grant programs for states working to close gaps in broadband adoption.
 
It would also require internet service providers to offer an "affordable option" for internet service plans offered on newly built infrastructure, provide a $50 monthly discount on plans for low-income customers, and direct the Federal Communications Commission to collect and publicize data on broadband prices throughout the country.
 
The bill was the product of collaboration between the House Rural Broadband Task Force and members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and is included in House Democrats' $1.5 trillion Moving Forward Act, which calls for massive infrastructure investments over the next five years. The Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act currently has more than 30 cosponsors.
 
"It is imperative that every home and business, no matter where they are located, have access to high-speed broadband," Mr. Loebsack said in a release. "I am pleased to have worked with Whip Clyburn and the other members of the Rural Broadband Taskforce to put together this legislation that will help connect folks living and working in rural areas with the high-speed internet they need to work, learn and play. I look forward to working with my colleagues to help pass this important legislation to expand access and help close the digital divide."
 
According to the FCC's 2020 Broadband Deployment Report, 18 million people lack access to broadband - a number that many experts believe is vastly understated.
IIn the CBJ: Creativity will pay off in second half of year 
Digging out and moving forward was the theme of the panel discussion at this year's socially distanced version of the CBJ's Mid-Year Economic Review, held June 24 at the Coralville Marriott.
 
From University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld discussing its recovery from the $100 million-a-month hit UI Hospitals & Clinics took at the peak of the pandemic to MidAmerican Energy's Kathryn Kunert extolling attendees not to let a crisis go to waste, the four featured business leaders shared stories of where the COVID-19 pandemic has taken them and what it will take to move ahead.

"We have to be creative," Ms. Kunert, MidAmerican's vice president for economic connections and integration, told the 50 business leaders in attendance and a livestream of nearly 700 others watching on Zoom and Facebook. "We have to think differently, and we have to challenge ourselves because our world is different. If we are looking for that 'new normal' ... I think we're doing ourselves a disservice."

Moderated by Jack Evans of The Hall-Perrine Foundation, the panel also featured Lura McBride, president and CEO of Van Meter, a leading global electrical distributor, and Greg Luerkens, president and CEO for the Amana Society Inc., which oversees a dozen businesses in sectors from agriculture and manufacturing to retail and hospitality, including the soon-to-open Hotel Millwright in Amana.

Here, in lightly edited form, are a few snapshots of how the pandemic has impacted education, manufacturing, agriculture and other industries, and where panelists see their organizations - and the economy at large - going from here. 
 
Bruce Harreld on how COVID-19 impacted students and faculty:

The simplest way to answer that question is it impacted everything. We had to very quickly shut down almost our entire campus. ... We shuttered everything. We hibernated our research. The only place that really stayed open was our hospital system.

I will say we're learning that reopening is a lot more complex than shutting down ... particularly in the midst of this virus, which is still in our communities. We were down to only eight patients last night in our hospital who are being treated for [COVID-19], but having said that, five or six days ago, we were looking at two positives per day in our system. We've now spiked to 33, so we're beginning to see as this economy reopens, that it's exposing a lot more of us to the virus.
 
Read the full members-only recap in this week's print or digital editions of the CBJ.
Para3Corridor techies take home several Prometheus Awards
           
Corridor tech companies were honored with Prometheus Awards last week as part of the Technology Association of Iowa's virtual awards program.
 
Iowa City-based Rantizo was named Agtech & Biotech Company of the Year on Monday, Coralville-based ProCircular was named IT Service Provider of the Year on Tuesday, and Michelle Bates, of Cedar Rapids-based Involta, was named CIO/CTO/CISO of the Year on Thursday.
 
Des Moines-based UnityPoint Health was also awarded for Creative Technology Solution of the Year, while grocery chain Hy-Vee was named the Workiva Large Technology Company of the Year.
 
Ms. Bates, chief innovation officer, joined Involta in 2018 with more than 20 years of experience in Fortune 500 and startup companies. Previously, she served as owner and CEO of the IT cloud consulting firm BluPrairie Technologies.
 
Rantizo, founded in 2017 and led by CEO Michael Ott, is an agtech company offering drone spraying technology to farmers across the country. In April, it announced plans to expand into stadium spraying to help combat the coronavirus in large, outdoor venues. Rantizo was recently named as a finalist for two separate national innovation awards, and previously won the Ag Innovation Competition at the Iowa Power Farming Show and the Pappajohn Iowa Venture Competition.
 
ProCircular, founded in 2016 and led by CEO Aaron Warner, has grown into one of the state's leading providers of cybersecurity and IT security solutions, from incident response to security training and consulting. The company was named Best Cybersecurity Company in 2018 as part of the CBJ's reader-driven Best of the Corridor awards.
 
The Prometheus Awards, typically bestowed during a high-profile awards dinner in Des Moines, transitioned to a virtual format this year as the COVID-19 pandemic canceled events statewide.
Para4Innovation common theme as recovery board charts course ahead
 
The governor's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, created to help the state recover from the coronavirus pandemic, held its first meeting last Thursday in what was largely an organizational meeting to chart the course forward as it develops recommendations that Gov. Kim Reynolds said would be used to build the foundation for the 2021 legislative session, the Des Moines Business Record reports.
 
Ms. Reynolds said the work of the 13-member board is the third phase of the state's three-step plan to slow the spread of the virus, recover, and grow following the pandemic.
 
"As we move into the third phase ... there's a couple of ways we can do this. We can return to where we were, which can be a fairly ambitious and realistic goal, or we can take what we've learned and the innovation that's been applied over the past four months and really start to reimagine how we do business and how we reimagine our economic recovery," Ms. Reynolds said.
 
"So the charge is to take the inertia for change that COVID-19 has created and develop the ideas and plans and metrics that will drive innovation in all corners of Iowa and in all sectors of our economy," Ms. Reynolds added.
 
The governor also asked the board to "take a very deliberate approach to ensuring diversity and inclusion are part of everything you do."
 
"This last month has been a tipping point in our country for a greater understanding and empathy on issues of racial justice and equity, and it's unacceptable to hear younger African-Americans talk about how they don't think that they'll have the same opportunities as other Iowans," Ms. Reynolds said to the board, of which three members are people of color. "I believe we can and must do better, and that the time for talking is over. It's time for results, so this an opportunity to really step up and really make some significant changes from that perspective."
 
Following Ms. Reynolds' opening statements, the chair of the advisory board, Ben McLean, the CEO of Ruan Transportation, echoed the goals she had laid out for the state, saying, "We can lay the foundation for the next generation of Iowa innovation, ingenuity, equality, growth and prosperity."
 
Mr. McLean said the board should look at the lessons learned over the past three months and use them to guide its work moving forward.
 
"So what can we do on the other side of this pandemic that maybe we didn't believe we could do before, we weren't willing to try before, maybe out of a fear of failure to try some of these things that could change what the future could be like in Iowa," Mr. McLean said. "So I think we should be bold, and I ask that we be bold and aspirational in addressing these and other issues ... and what can we do to solve them."
 
Each member of the board will lead a working group that will address topics, such as agriculture, connectivity, economic growth, education, health care, government and expanding the state's workforce.
 
The meeting also gave board members a chance to introduce themselves and identify areas on which they said the board should focus. Those areas included expanding broadband access statewide, expanding access to capital in rural areas, liability reform to better protect businesses, improve issues within the supply chain and create incentives for products to be made closer to the source, and expand opportunities for science, technology, engineering and math education in K-12 schools, as well as upskilling and retraining adult workers.
 
Members of the advisory board are:
  • Ben McLean, CEO of Ruan Transportation Management Systems
  • Nick Bowdesh, president and CEO of Elite Octane
  • Mary Andringa, chair of the board of Vermeer
  • Randy Edeker, CEO of Hy-Vee
  • Rosalind Fox, factory manager at John Deere
  • Suresh Gunasekaran, CEO of University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
  • Dan Houston, chairman, president and CEO of Principal Financial Group
  • Megan Mckay, president of Peace Tree Brewing Co.
  • AJ Loss, CEO of Bush Construction
  • Emily Schmitt, general counsel of Sukup Manufacturing Co.
  • Barbara Sloniker, executive vice president at the Siouxland Chamber
  • Adam Wright, president and CEO of MidAmerican Energy Co.
  • Diane Young, director of technical services and owner at Foundation Analytical Lab
Mr. McLean said the board's goal is to be transparent throughout the process and the public will be invited to participate as the board moves forward with its work.
 
"We'll have a number of avenues for public input to our process as we look to do our work here in the coming months," he said.  
UUI chemist selected for early career award by DOE

A University of Iowa chemist has won a prestigious research award from the U.S. Department of Energy.

James Shepherd, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, will receive $750,000 in funding as part of DOE's Early Career Research Program. Mr. Shepherd is one of 76 scientists from across the nation selected for the award by the DOE's Office of Science.
 
The funding will help Mr. Shepherd to advance the field of finite-temperature electronic structure theory.

"Although we can observe how temperature changes bulk material properties, our understanding about how the quantum-mechanical properties of electrons change with temperature can be imprecise," Mr. Shepherd told Iowa Now. "The simulations required to examine these interactions more accurately are beyond the current capability of modern supercomputers. Over the next five years, we will be able to develop new algorithms to simulate the properties of electrons over a range of temperatures with a complete treatment of quantum-mechanical effects."

The Early Career Research Program, now in its 11th year, is designed to bolster the nation's scientific workforce by providing support to researchers during crucial early career years, when many scientists do their most formative work.

"The Department of Energy is proud to support funding that will sustain America's scientific workforce, and create opportunities for our researchers to remain competitive on the world stage," says DOE undersecretary for science Paul Dabbar. "By bolstering our commitment to the scientific community, we invest into our nation's next generation of innovators." 
aroundthewebFrom around the web: 
Your competitive advantage

Forward the FREE, weekly CBJ Innovation Watch newsletter to your friends and colleagues, and share the feeling of being informed! Use our fast, one-minute subscription to the CBJ's newsletters here, or check out our other subscription options here.

See something we missed? Send tips, leads, corrections, etc. to [email protected].
stockCorridor Stocks

NAME SYM PRICE CHG %CHG
AEGON AEG 2.945 -0.025 -0.84%
Alliant Energy LNT 47.84 0.44 0.93%
Casey's General Stores CASY 149.52 1.13 0.76%
Danaher Corp. DHR 176.77 4.39 2.55%
Deere & Company DE 157.39 3.68 2.39%
Dow Jones ^DJI 25,812.88 217.08 0.85%
General Mills GIS 61.63 0.89 1.47%
GoDaddy GDDY 73.33 0.74 1.02%
Great Western Bank GWB 13.72 -0.07 -0.51%
Heartland Express HTLD 20.82 0.33 1.61%
Marsh & McLennan MMC 107.39 2.11 2.00%
MidWestOne MOFG 20.00 0.24 1.21%
Pearson PSO 7.24 0.00 -0.07%
Pepsico PEP 132.26 1.18 0.90%
Principal Financial PFG 41.54 1.19 2.95%
QCR Holdings QCRH 31.18 1.12 3.73%
Raytheon Technologies RTX 61.64 -0.28 -0.45%
S&P 500 ^GSPC 3,100.29 47.05 1.54%
Procter & Gamble PG 119.55 1.89 1.61%
United Fire Group UFCS 27.71 0.67 2.48%
U.S. Bank USB 36.82 0.47 1.29%
Wells Fargo WFC 25.57 -0.13 -0.51%
West Bank WTBA 17.49 0.24 1.39%
Whirlpool WHR 129.55 2.40 1.89%
Short-Term Event Planner
       
July 1 
Can Shed Ribbon Cutting, by Marion Chamber of Commerce, 10 a.m., 370 44th St., Marion. Celebrate the opening of the Can Shed's new Marion location with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. and open house from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/37RDphM. 
 
July 2 
Ignite ICR: The Great Outdoors, by ICR Iowa, noon. Liz Hubing, an avid cyclist, will talk about how she enjoys the local scenery and share her favorite spots to enjoy a drink while taking a break from the trails. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/2YhR8Kh.
 
July 7
Coffee, Calm, and Community, by Iowa City Area Development Group, 10-10:45 a.m., online. These weekly Tuesday coffee meetings will be a time to reflect, share resources and connect with other business and HR leaders. Free. To join the meeting, visit bit.ly/3fsjqsu.
 
Personal Branding Tips for Entrepreneurs, by Iowa Center for Economic Success, noon-1 p.m., online. Join the discussion on personal branding and your online presence. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/2YXSjyS. 
 
July 9 
Wake Up Marion, by Marion Chamber of Commerce, 8-9 a.m., D-BAT Marion, 1783 Red Fox Way. Get to know the D-BAT Marion team while talking with other Marion Chamber members. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/3dsUvn2. 
 
Understanding Remote Workers,  by Project Management Institute - Eastern Iowa, noon, online. This program on remote workers will be led by Douglas Williams. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/2YG9vIX .  
Headlines from KCRG-TV9  
 
These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday signed legislation to lower the cost of E-15 and higher blends of renewable fuels in Iowa by changing how the state taxes higher-blend biofuels. The bill was signed during Gov. Reynolds' weekly press conference at Pine Lake Corn Processors in Steamboat Rock. "Iowa continues to lead on innovative ways to drive demand for biofuels," said Gov. Reynolds. "This legislation makes higher blend biofuels even cheaper at the pump while driving demand for homegrown renewable fuel." Additionally, the governor announced $7 million more in funding for the Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program through the CARES act. This program offers cost-share money to fuel retailers in the state who convert their equipment, or install new equipment, to allow the expanded use of renewable fuels.

Cedar Rapids officials said on Tuesday that it will be offering additional opportunities for people to play in the water this summer in select locations. The city, in coordination with the Cedar Rapids Fire Department, will turn on fire hydrants for one to two hours at its stops for the Rollin' Recmobile. These events will be if the temperature is above 80 degrees and no adverse weather in the area. Details on locations at Cherry Hill Park, Delaney Park and Bever Park can be found here.

These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9 
Your KCRG-TV9 First Alert Forecast
 
High humidity continues as does the general stagnant pattern. Highs will be cooler today thanks to some clouds around, especially in our central and south zones. The farther south you go today, the better the rain chance will be. Plan on highs to range from around 80 south to 85 north. Looking ahead, another potential exists for slow-moving storms late tonight into Wednesday, then the pattern finally starts moving a bit. Thursday should be a mostly quiet day with a slight humidity break.