Buisness Monthly - October 2012

OCTOBER 2012

cvbusinessmonthly.com

CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

Women’s work

PAGE 3

THE COURIER

Female entrepreneurs thrive in downtown Cedar Falls

By JIM OFFNER

jim.offner@wcfcourier.com

CEDAR FALLS — Downtown Cedar Falls has become a haven for women who shop there as well as the many women who run businesses in the district.

“We just have a real collaborative environment in the district,” said Carol Lilly, executive director of Community Main Street, the umbrella organization that promotes commercial enterprises in downtown Cedar Falls. “All the merchants are supportive of each other and really try and maintain a nice mix and balance.”

Lilly said more than half of the district’s retail stores are solely owned by women.

Why? She’s not sure.

“We provide a great environment for independent, locally owned businesses. I don’t know if that’s part of it,” she said.

There is no emphasis on attracting female entrepreneurs; that’s just how it has worked out.

“We share that information with women and men business owners. It just happens we over time seem to have provided a successful environment,” she said. “We have women who have opened businesses as an avoca- Julie Shimek, owner of Luna in Cedar Falls. tion, and it turned into someGraham. most of all,” she said. “Each store thing more.”

Women bring valuable exper- has its own personality, and I The district has 185 businesses tise to the business mosaic, said think only women can contribute in all.

Colleen Graham, whose com- to it.”

A sense of design pany does commercial photogShe cited as an example Julie Colleen Graham co-owns S&C raphy for national and interna- Shimek, who has three busiGraham Foto Design at 220 Main tional clients. nesses in downtown Cedar Falls, St. with her husband, Shannon “I think it’s their sense of design including Vintage Iron, Pursuing

CONTENTS

www.cvbusinessmonthly.com

Volume 6 ● No. 11

Cedar Valley Business Monthly is a free publication direct-mailed to more than 6,500 area businesses.

Contact us at (319) 291-1527 or P.O. Box 540, Waterloo, IA 50704.

BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

Picasso and her newest enterprise, Luna.

“Vintage Iron is one of the hottest stores down here,” Graham said. “Women consumers flock to that, so she really taps into that female market. Men business owners can get into it, but

STAFF DIRECTORY

JIM OFFNER ADVERTISING Women balancing entrepreneurship with David Braton enriching personal lives ................. page 5 david.braton@wcfcourier.com (319) 291-1403 WOMEN IN BUSINESS Woman taking leadership role in Jackie Nowparvar Waterloo's business community..... page 7 jackie.nowparvar@wcfcourier.com (319) 291-1527 HAWKEYE COMMUNITY COLLEGE There has been an explosion of apps for Sheila Kerns Apple, Android and PCs ................... page 9 sheila.kerns@wcfcourier.com (319) 291-1448

they can’t get into it like a woman can, with a sense of design and style. People here have such great style when they’re redoing their business.”

See WOMEN, page 6

SPONSORS EDITORIAL CONTENT Nancy Raffensperger Newhoff nancy.newhoff@wcfcourier.com (319) 291-1445 Jim Offner jim.offner@wcfcourier.com (319) 291-1598

ON THE COVER MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor Cedar Falls business owners from left, Julie Shimek, Dawn Wilson, Jodi Landau and Jodi Deery.

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OCTOBER 2012

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CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

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PAGE 5

Women demonstrate great gift for balance We’ll forgive readers if this month’s subject of the Cedar Valley Business Monthly — “Women in Business� — doesn’t cause their world to tremble.

This issue gives women their due anyway, because women often put Jim Offner in double-duty, is the Courier not only between business editor. work and home, Contact him at but running the jim.offner@ wcfcourier.com. business ends of both.

That women have achieved leadership positions in the business community hardly is news. According to the National Association of Women Business Owners, there are more than 10 million women-owned businesses, representing the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. economy.

They’re especially prevalent in the Cedar Valley. Carol Lilly, who heads up Community Main Street in downtown Cedar Falls, points out that more than half of the businesses there are headed by women.

Again, no surprise there. We are living in an era in which women have long track records in leadership roles in politics, media, entertainment and countless other ďŹ elds. That they’re making their marks as entrepreneurs makes perfect sense.

The Cedar Valley is rife with women in leadership positions, and many are relative youngsters just hitting their prime.

In addition to Lilly’s post leading Community Main Street, Amber Jedlicka is director of Landmark Commons of Friendship Village. Allison Parrish, a frequent contributor to the Cedar Valley Business Monthly, is communication director of the Community Foundation of

Northeast Iowa. Melissa Barber owns a marketing company in Waverly. Anesa Kajtazovic is a state legislator. Cheryl Meller is marketing and development director with the YMCA. Natalie Brown, who was featured in a recent Cedar Valley Business Monthly, owns Scratch Cupcakery in Cedar Falls and Waterloo.

The list extends all the way up toward the top of state government to Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Women, it might be argued, are nurturers by nature, and that asset seems to pay dividends in business as they eagerly help each other along.

That certainly is the opinion of Jen Johnson, who took over as owner of the downtown Cedar Falls bridal shop An Elegant Affair in January. She described the Promenade district as “a nurturing environment� in which to do business. “They all encourage each other, help each other out when someone needs it,� Johnson said.

This isn’t to detract from the contributions of men. Indeed, many female entrepreneurs get plenty of support from husbands, brothers, fathers and sons.

But women running successful businesses across the region have achieved a balance that enriches their lives as well as their ďŹ nancial health.

There’s a lesson to be learned there. Business in the Cedar Valley is conducted on a tightknit basis on many levels, from banking to construction to retail. Women play a big role in nurturing that philosophy.

As you page through this month’s Cedar Valley Business Monthly, notice the diverse contributions of women to the fabric of local commerce. There’s some wisdom and acumen that become apparent and ultimately beneďŹ t the region’s business community as a whole.

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What you need for your business.

CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

cvbusinessmonthly.com

OCTOBER 2012 BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

A beer display on the wall at Luna in Cedar Falls.

Owner Julie Shimek has two other businesses in downtown, Cedar Falls, including Vintage Iron and Pursuing Picasso.

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much as possible before starting a business.

“I think it’s something that if you have a vision for a business, Maremadsen Schmidt, owner talk to experts,” she said. “I startof Art Store & More, 319 Main ed out with a family business and St., said it is important to learn as learned a lot doing that. I ended up being a manager and wanted to go out on my own, and so I did so.”

Owning a business is a prime means for women to make their mark on a community, said Deb Iehl, owner of Agape Therapy, 211 W. Sixth St. “If a female wants to be a leader, a business ownership is a very good way to do that, because you can set an example for the younger women in the community,” said Iehl, whose business offers physical and occupational speech and massage therapy and personal wellness and training programs.

WOMEN From page 3

All resources possible Gretchen Behm, owner of Kitchen Essentials & Gifts, 217 Main St., has been on the Promenade in downtown Cedar Falls for 6 1/2 years.

“I think as women entrepreneurs, we need to accept help from all the resources that are out there,” she said. “I think, listen to your friends and co-workers, and look around you and see the examples that others have set. I think that’s very important.”

Shimek said the women who own businesses in downtown Cedar Falls take their roles as neighbors as seriously as their

functions as merchants.

“We just have a real collaborative environment in the district,” Shimek said. “All the merchants are supportive of each other and really try and maintain a nice mix and balance. They have a lot of discussions to make sure everyone can be successful. They work together to make sure each business has their unique focus.”

Luna is a “hybrid business,” Shimek said.

“Its name comes from lunatics, about being crazy to open a third business,” Shimek said, laughing. “I’ve always wanted an art gallery. We mixed art and wine together. They go hand in hand.

It’s a hybrid business we’re still trying to work at.”

Natural leaders Women make natural business leaders, Shimek said.

“Most women are caretakers in families, and they’re doers,” she said. “We feel you see a need and take are of it. It’s in our programming, I guess. You raise children and do and get it done. I think most women are like that.”

Opening a business can be intimidating; opening three multiplies the effect, Shimek said.

“In the beginning when I opened Luna, I was scared to death wondering if it was going to work,” she said.

Business so far has been good.

“It’s been great, really busy,” she said. “That’s my problem — I don’t get out until midnight or 1.”

OCTOBER 2012

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CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

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PAGE 7

Women part of the business leadership mix in Waterloo

By JIM OFFNER jim.offner@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — Women who own their own businesses in downtown Waterloo are saying the district, which is undergoing a renaissance of a sort, is providing some commercial traction for them. “The location we have now doesn’t have as much traffic as we would if we were on the other side of the river, but we’re right behind the Public Market and (RiverLoop) Expo area, and the (Cedar Valley) SportsPlex is going up right in front of our business, and that is going to help,� said Jessica Young, who, with her mother, Heidi Hoff Morrissey, owns Plaid Peacock, at 316 W. Third St., in downtown Waterloo.

The business, which opened in October 2011, has art and handmade items fashioned primarily

by Iowa artists. “I think starting out is deďŹ nitely the hard part, getting the attention you need,â€? Young said.

The ďŹ rst year in business was acceptable, Young noted. “It’s pretty good,â€? she said. “It’s been kind of slow getting the word out, but hopefully as more things happen in this area we’ll get more traffic.â€?

Communication a key The mother-daughter duo collaborate a lot in guiding the young business, Young said. “We make most decisions

together, because when you’re working with family you want to make sure the communication lines are always open and everybody’s on the same page.�

Networking with other business owners downtown is central to that communication plan. “Jeff Kurtz (executive director of Main Street Waterloo) has been really good about keeping us involved,� she said.

Young and her husband, Gregory, own the building in which they do business, which has helped.

Her outlook is hopeful. “We’re going to stick in there, and we’ll hopefully see how this Christmas goes,� Jessica Young said. “As soon as things start, like the SportsPlex gets opened up, that will help us. We’ll keep chugging and see how it goes.�

Determination helps any woman looking to succeed in business, but perhaps the most important asset is education, said Donna Nelson, owner of Midtown Development, a real estate ďŹ rm based in downtown Waterloo. “I think it’s becoming easier for women the way things are going now,â€? Nelson said.

Her advice? “The ďŹ rst thing is education; I can’t emphasize education enough,â€? she said. “Then, they need to really check out the territory.â€?

See WATERLOO, page 8

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CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

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your spouse or family member if applicable. Consider also your income sources after you retire, such as Social Security or a pension.

This is a way to start seeing where you are financially in terms of your progress toward a financially stable retirement and your retirement income. It may also illuminate potential new directions for you.

■ The need to save or invest more (especially since parenting or care-giving may interrupt your career and affect your earnings).

■ The need for greater income (negotiate for a raise) or additional income sources down the road.

■ Risks to income and savings (and the need to plan greater degrees of insulation for them).

Devoting just an hour of attention to these matters may give you a clear look at your financial potential for tomorrow. Proceed from this step to the next: follow with another hour devoted to a chat with an experienced financial professional.

WATERLOO From page 7

how she has managed to succeed in a competitive field. “It’s like another challenge every day. My husband helps me out, and I have a family who pitch in a little bit.”

The going was rough at first, but things stabilized, Torres said.

“After the first year I realized we’re doing very well,” she said.

“I’m very happy that it turned out the way it did. Now we know every year will be the same and even better. People know we’re here. It’s working and helping and we’re doing good.”

Kurtz said those businesswomen and others like them contribute greatly to the commercial melange of downtown.

“Certainly, you want a diverse mix of demographics coming to your downtown,” he said.

“We want to be a somethingfor-everyone destination. They bring a healthy mix of goods and services that adds to the big picture.”

You need to know a lot about the city you’re in and the surrounding areas. Also, if you’re targeting someplace to go to work, you need to do some work on the background on the business and what they do and their goals. There’s so much info at your fingertips. Know what you want to do, and find out all the information before you take your first step.”

Running a restaurant Aurora Torres opened El Patron, a restaurant at 301 E. Fourth St. in downtown Waterloo, in June 2011.

Torres said she gets plenty of help from her husband, Vincent Martinez, and her children.

“I take a deep breath and say, ‘I can do it,’” she said when asked

OCTOBER 2012

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CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

THE COURIER

PAGE 9

There are apps aplenty for Android, Apple, PC I’ve been looking at apps for the iPad in the last couple of columns, but I should acknowledge that a growing number of you are using Android phones and tablets, and that some of the same apps I use on my iPad are also available for Android devices. Let’s look Cherie Dargan at some of these apps — as well as is associate how the Interprofessor of communications net is responding at Hawkeye to Apple’s Apps Community store.

College in Apps, short Waterloo. Contact for applications, her at 296-2320, are popping up ext. 1701. everywhere—and not just on your mobile devices. Google Chrome now offers an array of apps, and so do Amazon and Facebook.

Some of these apps can be used on your desktop PC, while others are designed for use on your Android devices such as the Kindle Fire, Galaxy tablet or other phones and tablets.

So where can you ďŹ nd these app stores? Check Facebook, Amazon, Google Chrome and Google Play — as well as websites like androidapps.com. What do all of these listings have in common? You will ďŹ nd that they use the same general descriptors for categories, including education, games, business, entertainment, lifestyle, music, news, books, photo and video, social media, etc. Moreover, you will ďŹ nd both free and paid apps, users’ reviews and ratings, and numerous apps that exist in multiple formats or for use across multiple platforms.

At the same time, apps for the iPad continue to emerge at a staggering pace. According to Apple’s quarterly report in July, there are now 655,000 apps, with over $5.5 billion worth of sales since the launch of the ďŹ rst iPad. Android users needn’t worry:

To learn more Where can you learn more about apps? â– www.androidapps.com/Android apps â– chrome.google.com/webstore â– www.amazon.com â– play.google.com/store

They now have access to an astonishing 500,000 apps as of September, according to appbrain.com. Keep in mind that there were “onlyâ€? 300,000 Android apps in November. It is no wonder that one of my friends quipped the other day, “I’m apped out! I just want to focus on the apps I’ve downloaded and ďŹ gure them out.â€?

Why are we seeing this ood of apps? Simply put, it is driven by the astonishing success of the iPad. In July 2012, Apple announced it had sold more than 17 million iPads in that quarter, as compared to 11.8 in the previous one. Altogether, Apple sold more than 84 million iPads in the past three years. With that level of sales, the demand for apps seems guaranteed to remain strong, especially with the number of tablets entering the market.

What are the iPad’s competitors? CNET rated the ďŹ ve top tablets, with the Ipad at No. 1, followed by the Asus Transformer Pad InďŹ nity TF700 (gray, 32GB), the Google Nexus 7 (8 GB), the Asus Transformer Pad TF300 (16GB) and the Kindle Fire.

Some apps are available for either Apple or Android — social media apps for Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, for example. In addition, games like Angry Birds (and variations) are available for both mobile devices and the PC. Google “best Android apps� and you’ll be deluged with results.

I checked with one of my favorite Android enthusiasts, my son Jon, who is an IT professional.

See APPS, page 13

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CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

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Women’s financial needs are different from men’s We all know men and women ness owners, entrepreneurs and are different in fundamental knowledgeable investors. Their ways, but is this true when it economic clout comes to financial planning? In a is growing, word, yes. In the financial world, and women’s women often find themselves impact on the in different circumstances than t ra d i t i o n a l their male counterparts. workplace is Everyone wants financial secuunfolding posirity. Yet women often face finantively as women cial headwinds that can affect earn college their ability to achieve it. The and graduLuAnn Ray good news is women today have ate degrees in is assistant vice never been in a better position record numbers president of First to achieve financial security for National Bank Trust and seek to sucServices. Contact themselves and their families. cessfully inteher at 352-1340 More women than ever are grate their work successful professionals, busi- in Waverly or 266- and home lives 2000 in Cedar to provide for Falls or luann.ray@ their families. myfnbbank.com.

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On the path to financial security, it’s important for women to understand what they might be up against, financially speaking.

Women have longer life expectancies. Women live an average of 4.9 years longer than men. A longer life expectancy presents several financial challenges for women: ■ Women will need to stretch retirement dollars further.

■ Women are more likely to need some type of long-term care and may have to face some of their health-care needs alone.

■ Married women are likely to outlive their husbands, which means they could have ultimate responsibility for disposition of the marital estate.

Women generally earn less and don’t save as much. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, within most occupational categories, women who work full-time earn only 81 percent on average of what men earn.

This wage gap can significantly impact women’s overall savings, Social Security retirement ben-

efits and pensions.

The dilemma is that while women generally earn less than men they need those dollars to last longer due to longer life expectancy. With smaller financial cushions, women are more vulnerable to unexpected economic obstacles such as a job loss, divorce or single parenthood. And according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, women are more likely than men to be living in poverty throughout their lives.

Women are more likely to take career breaks for caregiving.

Women are much more likely than men to take time out of their careers to raise children and/or care for aging parents. Sometimes this is by choice. But by moving in and out of the workforce, women face several significant financial implications: ■ Lost income, employer-provided health insurance, retirement benefits and other employee benefits.

■ Less savings.

■ A potentially lower Social Security retirement benefit.

■ Possibly a tougher time finding a job, or a comparable job (in terms of pay and benefits) when re-entering the workforce.

■ Increased vulnerability in the event of divorce or death of a spouse.

In addition to stepping out of the workforce more frequently to care for others, women are more likely to try to balance work and family by working part-time, which results in less income, and by requesting flexible work schedules, which can impact their career advancement (and thus the bottom line) if an employer unfairly assumes that women’s caregiving responsibilities will come at the expense of dedication to their jobs.

See PLANNING, page 11

OCTOBER 2012

PLANNING From page 10 Women are more likely to live on their own, whether because of choice, divorce or death of a spouse. They need to protect their income and be able to make ďŹ nancial decisions.

Women tend to be more conservative investors than men, which means their savings might not be on track to meet ďŹ nancial goals.

As more women become the main breadwinners for their families it’s vital they take steps to protect their assets, both personal and business. Without an asset protection plan, a woman’s wealth is vulnerable to taxes, lawsuits and other ďŹ nancial risks that are part of everyday life.

Steps women can take Women today have more ďŹ nancial responsibility for themselves and their families, so it’s critical they know how to save, invest and plan for the future. Here are some things women can do: â– Take control of your money.

Create a budget, manage debt and credit wisely, set and prioritize ďŹ nancial goals and implement a savings and investment strategy to meet those goals. â– Become a knowledgeable investor. Learn basic investing concepts, such as asset classes, risk tolerance, time horizon, diversiďŹ cation, ination, the role of ďŹ nancial vehicles like 401(k)s and IRAs, and the role of income, growth and safety investments in a portfolio. Look for investing opportunities. Have patience, be willing to ask questions, admit mistakes and seek help when necessary. â– Plan for retirement. Save as much as you can. Estimate how much money you’ll need in retirement and how much you can expect from savings, Social Security and/or an employer pension. Understand how your Social Security beneďŹ t amount will change depending on the age you retire, and also how years spent out of the workforce might affect the amount you receive.

Make sure you understand your retirement plan distribution

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CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

options and review your portfolio regularly. Factor the cost of health care (including long-term care) into your retirement planning and understand the basic rules of Medicare. â– Advocate for yourself in the workplace. Research salary ranges, negotiate your starting salary, seek highly visible job assignments, network and ask for raises and promotions. Keep an eye out for new career opportunities, entrepreneurial ventures or ways to grow your business. â– Seek help to balance work and family. If you have children and work outside the home, investigate and negotiate exible work arrangements and make sure your spouse is equally invested in household responsibilities. If you stay at home to care for children, keep your skills up-to-date in case you return to the workforce, and stay involved in ďŹ nancial decision making. If you’re caring for aging parents, ask family members for help, and seek outside services and support groups that can offer you a respite. â– Protect your assets. Identify potential risk exposure and implement strategies to reduce it. Life and disability insurance are vital to protect your ability to earn an income and care for your family in the event of disability or death. More sophisticated strategies, such as other legal entities or trusts, may be needed. â– Create an estate plan. To ensure your personal and ďŹ nancial wishes will be carried out in the event of your incapacity or death, consider executing basic estate planning documents, such as a will, trust, durable power of attorney, and health-care proxy.

A ďŹ nancial professional can help Women are the key to their own ďŹ nancial futures. It’s critical that women educate themselves about ďŹ nances and be able to make ďŹ nancial decisions. Yet the world of ďŹ nancial planning isn’t always easy. In many cases, women can beneďŹ t greatly from working with a ďŹ nancial professional who can help them understand their options and implement plans designed to provide women and their families with ďŹ nancially secure lives.

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It happens to millions of women across the country. They experience a life change — a new baby, a move, marriage — and suddenly, they are struggling to decide their role in the workMelissa place. Some go to Barber part-time; some owns Melissa decide to stay Barber Marketing at home; some LLC in Waverly. take the leap into Contact her at entrepreneurship.

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been a 54 percent growth in the number of women-owned businesses, according to the State of Women-Owned Businesses Report from American Express.

Ann Seggerman faced the same struggle nine years ago. She now runs one of the 8.3 million women-owned businesses in the U.S., but she never set out to be an entrepreneur. She followed the traditional college-job-marriage route, then decided to leave her corporate position to spend more time at home with her new baby and teenagers.

At home in Waverly, she began devoting more time to her hobby of buying and selling flea-market finds online. It was 2003, and the eBay craze was just getting started.

“I had the perfect set-up to build a business at home,” Seggerman said. “I worked during school hours and late nights.”

Soon, she had become an official eBay trading assistant. Her hobby had turned into a full-fledged passion. Seggerman hired two assistants who worked alongside her out of her basement, joining the 7.7 million people who are employed by women-owned businesses across the U.S. But in 2008, the flood hit Northeast Iowa.

“Everything changed,” she said. “Suddenly we had a sixmonth waiting list for consignment items as people discovered ‘treasures’ they were ready to part with after the flood.”

It was too much for her homebased business. Seggerman closed down her consignment business and moved into straight liquidation mode. She was able to keep her employees and utilize moving crews of students from nearby Wartburg College.

As a liquidator, she purchases the contents of homes and storage units and then resells them, similar to what viewers see on

the popular TV shows “Storage Wars” and “American Pickers.”

She’s come across some fairly bizarre findings.

“We went into a storage unit one day. I just glanced at all the bags and assumed it was camping equipment. When we got it back to the store and began unpacking, out came these tubes, then hoses, then an anhydrous tank… turns out we’d bought a meth lab,” Seggerman said. She took it all to the police department.

“Often, it’s a challenging time for my clients,” she said. “I get a lot of calls from adult children after the death of a parent who are now faced with their parents’ home and years of accumulation.” Seggerman feels that being a woman gives her an advantage as she works through the grieving process with clients. “There can be a lot of tears, hugs, fighting. Very interesting family dynamics!”

The new direction of her business has brought about more opportunity. After doing some research, she decided to take the next step. She recently purchased a building in Waverly and this month plans to open Renewed Purpose, a retail store that features repurposed items such as furniture, vintage clothing and antiques, the forgotten treasures she once sold only online.

“I never planned to go into retail,” she said. “But it is a perfect fit for now, for where my business has evolved to over the years.”

For women considering making the leap into entrepreneurship, Seggerman recommends these resources: ■ UNI’s Regional Business center: www.uni.edu/rbc.

■ Iowa Small Business Development Centers: www.iowasbdc. org.

■ Your local chamber of commerce.

cvbusinessmonthly.com

OCTOBER 2012

APPS From page 9 His favorites include Opera, which he called a superior browser, as well as Pandora, Mobile Go, AVG antivirus, and Pocket Cloud. Of course, Google apps like Gmail are the default option on his phone, and he enjoys using the camera and several photo apps.

Facebook apps include a variety of games and tweaks to the way your Facebook page looks.

However, beyond that, you can now use your Facebook login to use dozens of apps that require an account, such as the whiteboard app Show Me. You need to check each app’s guidelines, though, because some of them will post to your Facebook page automatically.

What are the top apps being downloaded at the Chrome store? I found a mix of familiar Google apps such as YouTube, Google Calendar, G-mail, Google Maps and more. Other top apps are games like Angry Birds, social media apps like Tweetdeck and tumblr, music apps like Pandora and apps to help you store ďŹ les online like Drop box.

If you haven’t yet downloaded Google’s new browser, Chrome, give it a try. Not only does it start up more quickly, it builds in a number of Google tools

and it offers you the Chrome web store with apps designed to work with Chrome.

Google Play becomes the alternative to the ITunes store: it is a one-stop shop, so to speak, for music, magazines and books, games, Android apps and devices. You can access it from any device or the computer, and because it uses cloud computing, the things you buy can be used on multiple devices. Google Play also replaces Google Books, which I have begun using.

Consider getting a Gmail account and using Google’s new Drive (or Google Docs): This way, what you create on one device (an iPad) can then be used on your PC. In addition, numerous other Apps like Dropbox, Evernote and Wunderlist are web based: create an account online and you can use them on several devices to work on ďŹ les and lists.

No one person can become an expert on all apps. Remember, they are simply tools designed to meet a need. So, as new apps are introduced, do your homework. You can continue to view free apps with more interest, read users’ reviews and ratings more carefully for paid apps, and the market will demand a higher quality of apps. More of the apps used on iPads will eventually become available for Android devices and the PC. Apps are here to stay.

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OCTOBER 2012

Adjusting your map on the road to retirement Retirement is a milestone event that in a perfect world can be planned in advance and executed on cue.

But as the saying goes, life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. The truth is, when you’re Larry K. Fox five or 10 years out from your is a private planned retirewealth adviser with Ameriprise ment date, unexFinancial Inc. in pected events or Waterloo. Contact a change in your him at 234-7000. personal goals can quickly steer you off course.

Consider how the following life-altering scenarios might play out with regard to your finances. With a little readjust-

ing, it may be possible to manage these circumstances with minimal disruption to your bottom line.

■ Your spouse was recently laid off, potentially forcing early retirement.

Working Americans who are eligible for Social Security income can choose to retire as early as age 62, but leaving the workforce before you’re ready can take a toll on your anticipated retirement income.

Retiring before your “full retirement age,” which varies by birth year and is now 67 years old for workers born in 1960 or later, also means a reduced benefit amount — as much as 30 percent.

If possible, your spouse may want to pursue another job or freelance work to maintain

some income. If continued employment isn’t an option, adjust your long-term plans accordingly, and live within your means as much as possible before tapping into retirement savings.

■ Financial uncertainties are compelling you to push out your retirement date.

In most professions, there is no requirement to retire at a specific age. It may be both practical and desirable to stay in the workforce longer, not only to continue to earn a paycheck but also if you enjoy your work.

Keep in mind that staying in the workforce may make sense for some people, but not everyone.

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determine how much continuing to work might really save you. Some may not be able to work as long as they’d like or expected to after age 65 due to a disability or illness. Bottom line: Work longer if you are able and desire to, but avoid depending on an extended time in the workforce for retirement income.

■ Unlike early retirement, retiring later than usual will affect your Social Security earnings in a good way. If you choose to retire after the normal retirement age, you can earn a delayed retirement credit that ranges from 3 to 8 percent. Use the Social Security Administration’s online calculator to determine your benefit amount.

Keep in mind that even if you continue working, you can’t keep all your money in a taxadvantaged retirement account forever. Generally speaking, you’ll need to start withdrawing required minimum distributions starting the year you reach 70½ years of age. The exception to this is if you have money in a Roth IRA that’s funded with after-tax dollars and thus isn’t subject to the same withdrawal requirements as pre-tax retirement accounts.

■ Your ideal retirement vacation property is for sale — a little sooner than you had planned.

Timing can be tricky when it comes to real estate transactions. If you believe this is the right property for you, then calculate the cost and tally the sacrifices you’ll need to make to swing the purchase. Can you use the property before retirement? Will the purchase leave you enough discretionary income to furnish the home and pay travel expenses to visit as regularly as you’d like?

One strategy that may help lessen the financial burden is to rent your second property to vacationers when you’re not using it. But if you decide now is not the time to risk taking on the added expense, do yourself the favor of putting it out of

your mind. There are undoubtedly other gems that will surface in the future.

■ You’ve decided to relocate across the country to be closer to your children.

You’re entitled to change your mind about where you live, but realize that moving can be taxing — literally. There will be financial consequences with relocation, especially given the fragile state of housing markets across the United States.

Before you take the relocation leap, ask yourself these and other questions about the potential of encountering significant cost-of-living differences in your new home: Will you be leaving a state that has higher or lower state income taxes? What about property taxes? Will you be able to sell your home and purchase something comparable, or will you downsize and save?

Don’t forget that a physical move involves a fair amount of hassle and cost for packing and transporting your personal belongs. Take advantage of the opportunity to get rid of what you no longer need to lighten your load in retirement. On the plus side, your new close proximity to family members may help you save money on travel costs. And if it adds to your enjoyment of life, well, that’s priceless.

Consult a financial professional for the journey.

Job loss, new opportunities, relocation — these are just some of the life events that can affect your readiness for retirement.

A certain amount of flexibility, ingenuity and optimism are always valuable traits to help you adjust to new circumstances. Pair these attributes with a knowledgeable resource and you may be ready for just about anything. The more prepared you are financially for interruptions or changes in your income and savings, the more freedom you will have to continue in the direction of your retirement goals.

OCTOBER 2012

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Expiration of current tax rules would impact planning, giving If Congress fails to act in 2012, or possibly in 2013, the estate, gift and generation-skipping tax laws that were in effect before the 2001 Tax Act will return. If that prospect frightens Vicki L. you, read on.

Angove is with U.S. Bank The Tax Relief, Private Client Unemployment Group — Trust in Insurance ReauWaterloo. Contact thorization and her at 235-3282.

Job Creation Act of 2010, more commonly known as the 2010 Tax Act, made headlines when it passed, due largely to several provisions that extended the lower income tax rates in effect at the time, allowed for a temporary cut in payroll and self employment taxes and provided a temporary extension of unemployment insurance benefits.

Perhaps of more importance, the act significantly altered estate, gift and GST taxes. It created an unprecedented window of opportunity for families to transfer wealth from one generation to another.

The act set the estate, gift and GST rates at 35 percent; those rates had been scheduled to increase up to 55 percent. It also boosted the estate, gift and GST exemptions to $5 million.

Without the act, the estate and gift tax exemptions would have been capped at $1 million and the GST exemption at $1.36 million. What’s more, because the exemptions were indexed to inflation they rose to $5,120,000 for 2012.

Many can benefit from these changes. However, you need to act expeditiously. If Congress fails to act in 2012 or possibly 2013, the estate, gift and GST laws that were in effect before the 2001 Tax Act will return. So, in 2013 the exemption for estate and gift tax purposes would

revert to $1 million, with a 55 percent maximum estate and gift tax rate. The GST exemption would return to $1.36 million.

A substantial decrease in the exemptions starting in 2013, as a result of either action or inaction by Congress, appears likely.

The upcoming presidential election may mean that few pieces of legislation actually will make it through Congress this year.

Anyone interested in taking advantage of the gifting and planning opportunities available through the 2010 Tax Act should consider several questions.

First, are you interested in transferring wealth during your lifetime, at death or in some combination of these two?

Second, what type of assets do you own? What is the cost basis and expected rate of return?

Third, are you interested primarily in passing wealth to other family members, or to charitable organizations?

There are many techniques to help you maximize the benefit of the current estate and gift tax provisions. Here are just a few.

Defective ■ Intentionally Grantor Trusts. These trusts intentionally are created with a flaw. As a result, they can be used to freeze your assets for estate tax purposes, but not with respect to income tax.

■ Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts. The objective of a GRAT is to pass on the assets in a trust, free of estate taxes.

■ Charitable Lead Trust. These trusts are are funded with assets for a set term. During this term, the trust makes annual payments to a charity. At the term’s conclusion, any assets remaining in the trust typically go to the beneficiaries, removing them from the client’s estate.

■ Qualified Personal Residence Trusts. With a QPRT, a person transfers a primary or vacation residence into the QPRT, yet maintains the right live in the

residence during the term of the trust. At the end of the term, the home passes to the trust’s beneficiaries free of estate taxes.

■ Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts. A person can use the increased exemption currently in effect to fund existing life insurance policies that may be underfunded or have an outstanding loan. This will remove the life insurance from estate tax calculations.

We can’t control the tax rules set by Congress, we can only be aware of what they are and work with our advisors to take advantage of them when possible.

Talking with your advisers may help to greatly reduce the costs associated with the transfer of wealth.

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OCTOBER 2012

Candidates boost power of the small business vote JOYCE M. ROSENBERG AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Small business is almost always an issue in presidential campaigns. This year, it’s morphed into one of the biggest.

Getting the backing of the

small business community is important for most political candidates. Small company owners are often influencers: They are well-known in their cities and towns and they employ voters with a vested interest in the challenges that they face.

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Romney have been talking about small business for months, focusing on voter concerns like taxes and health care as small business issues. Small business was a dominant theme for a stream of speakers at last week’s Republican National Convention. And “We built it” was a convention slogan — a response to a statement by President Barack Obama that, the GOP contends, reveals his insensitivity to small business. Even Ann Romney got in on the act during her speech designed to bolster her husband’s campaign, proclaiming that he wasn’t handed success, but instead, “He built it.”

Along the way, the president and the Democratic Party have fought back with their own campaign stops and videos that tout how much the president has done for small business — including cutting taxes and proposing legislation to help small companies create jobs. The Democratic convention schedule, didn’t have the heavy focus on small business that the GOP did, but Jim Sinegal, co-founder of a small business that grew

to become warehouse retailer Costco Wholesale Corp. and Small Business Administration head Karen Mills did speak.

Small companies are in focus because they employ about half the country’s workers, or nearly 60 million people. That’s a pretty big bloc of potential voters and both sides realize it. The slow economy is hurting business and job growth and that has intensified interest in capturing those votes. Both the Republicans and the Democrats are eager to win over business owners and their employees by promising help — and by warning that their opponents will hurt businesses.

“The phrase ‘small business’ encompasses the mom-andpop store, but even somebody who owns a company with 300 employees can think of themselves as a small business,” says David Primo, a professor of political science and business administration at the University of Rochester.

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starting with Obama’s budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. It included higher tax rates on wealthy individuals — up to 39.6 percent for households making $250,000 or more. Republicans and small business advocacy groups like the National Federation of Independent Business criticized the plan, saying it would hurt many business owners. Obama proposed a cut in the corporate tax rate, and the GOP came up with its own proposals. Then there was the battle over the health care law that Obama won in the Supreme Court.

Republican campaign speeches this year have focused on how Obama’s tax and health care plans were hurting small businesses, and stopping them from hiring more people. Romney told small business owners in a conference call in June that Obama’s polices are “an anti-business, anti-job agenda.”

The rhetoric intensified after July 13, the day Obama gave a speech that included this sentence: “You didn’t build that.”

Romney and the GOP have seized on the quote as an example of Obama’s lack of awareness about the challenges small business owners face.

The president and Democrats say that he’s being quoted out of context. This is the White House transcript of Obama’s remarks: “If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life.

Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive,” Obama said.

“Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that.

Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.”

See ELECTION, page 17

OCTOBER 2012

cvbusinessmonthly.com

CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

PAGE 17

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Sales of electronic gadgets reaching historic levels JOYCE M. ROSENBERG AP Business Writer

Small businesses that sell gadgets such as smartphones and tablet computers, or that make or sell accessories for those devices, can look forward to good sales this year. The Consumer Electronics Association says revenue from shipments of tablets is expected to reach $29.1 billion.

ELECTION From page 16

Nonetheless, Romney has hammered away at the comment at campaign stops. A few days after Obama’s speech, Romney asked a crowd in Virginia, “Did you build your business? If you did, raise your hand! Take that, Mr. President!”

Other GOP politicians have joined in. Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn., spoke in front of a banner that said, “We Did Build It!” at a campaign event in Dayton, Ohio, on July 30. And small business owners have appeared in videos and ads saying they were offended by Obama’s comments.

Still, even some Romney supporters say they don’t believe that the president meant to say that small business owners didn’t build their own companies.

“I think everybody knows what he meant,” said Carl Higbie, a self-described conservative and owner of Tarzan Tree Service in Virginia Beach, Va. “But the way it came across, it says he doesn’t understand small business.”

Obama and the Democrats have been fighting back by using part of the phrase the Republicans used to criticize the president.

“Fact Check: Romney Didn’t Build That. He Destroyed It,” is spread across the top of a page on Obama’s website that charges that “the rate of new start-ups in Massachusetts was lower than the national average, declining during Romney’s tenure” as Massachusetts governor. The phrase

That’s up 83 percent from 2011 and $10.8 billion more than the trade group forecast in January.

The CEA predicts 68.5 million tablets will be sold.

“Tablets are the fastest growing product category in the history of the CE industry,” says Steve Koenig, the group’s director of industry analysis.

The CEA also forecasts $33.7 billion in revenue from shipments

of smartphones. It predicts more than 108 million will be shipped, up 24 percent from last year.

It also says that overall consumer electronic sales, which also include TVs, computers and other devices, are expected to be up an estimated 5.9 percent in 2012 and surpass $200 billion for the first time. That’s 2 percentage points more than the CEA forecast at the start of the year.

“Mitt Romney: You Didn’t Build That — You Destroyed It,” is the title of a Democratic National Committee video that includes a montage of news reports and film clips about job losses at companies bought by Bain Capital, the private equity firm that Romney co-founded.

The Democrats are also appealing to small business by touting the administration’s record of helping small companies. And they’re recruiting small business owners to help out.

“As the owner of Crenshaw Bros. Construction in Erie, I’ve seen firsthand how the President is looking out for us,” says Don Crenshaw in a statement contained on the Democratic Party’s Erie County, Pa., website.

“The recession nearly ruined my company, but an influx of public investment projects funded by President Obama’s Recovery Act rejuvenated our business.”

Republicans are still attacking Obama’s record in addition to his “you didn’t build that” comment.

At the GOP convention, Sher Valenzuela, a candidate for lieutenant governor in Delaware and the owner of an upholstery company, said of the Obama administration, “they just don’t trust the entrepreneur’s ability to grow her own business and to create jobs.” Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., who worked for 13 years in her family’s fruit business, said, “unlike President Obama, I know that small businesses are the true engine of the economy, not the government.”

The majority of small business owners are Republican, according

to a 2011 survey by the National Small Business Association, a group that lobbies on behalf of small business owners. Fiftyfour percent of the 650 owners surveyed identified themselves as Republicans, while 16 percent said they were Democrats.

Democrats with small business ties are tired of the bickering, according to some Twitter users last week. “My father was a small business owner. I run a small nonprofit. I’m a Democrat. So quit with the small business rhetoric,” said a Tweet from Kevin Dean, of Memphis, Tenn.

Focusing on small business is a smart strategy because it will appeal to middle-class voters, Dean said.

“But it’s also a red herring from the real agenda,” he said. “I don’t feel that Romney knows about small business. He knows about big business.”

Ag trade restrictions The House Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade held a hearing last month about the challenges U.S. farmers face in exporting crops and meat. Witnesses said many countries ban U.S. crops based on unscientific standards.

“These measures threaten, if they remain unchecked, to close entire markets to U.S. products,”

said Jason Hafemeister, vice president of AFJ & Associates, an international trade consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Unjustified bans include Indian restrictions on dairy imports; limits on pork imports because of concerns about trichinosis in South America and Europe; and restrictions on genetically engineered crops in China, Europe and other countries.

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OCTOBER 2012

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to communities across the country, and 29.9 percent of women volunteered. Iowa is second in the nation in volunteerism.

Why the increase from year to year? Women.

Women of all ages, educational levels and races volunteer more than men with the same demographic characteristics.

Men volunteered Anne Nass at a rate 6.4 per- is communications centage points coordinator with lower in 2010. the Volunteer So, why the gen- Center of Cedar der gap? The key Valley in Waterloo. to getting anyone Contact her at to volunteer is to 272-2087 or ask, and women anne_nass@vccv. org. are asked more frequently.

Laura Folkerts, an attorney at Dutton, Braun, Staack and Hellman, commented “This sounds so cliche, but I believe that we should give back to the community, and I get a real sense of satisfaction — a good feeling — when I volunteer. I also really enjoy the social aspect inherent in so many volunteer activi-

ties, so the added bonus is that I often get to meet and work with great people! Currently most of my volunteering is associated with my service on two local nonprofit boards and through professional organizations in which I am a member. I recently became our district’s representative for the Young Lawyers Division of our bar association, and this past spring I volunteered as a mock trial judge for the area high school mock trial competition. I also recently organized and led a day of dance for youth at my church — another place that provides multiple volunteer opportunities.”

Cindy Braatz, a VGM employee, shared her thoughts on volunteering and work.

“Volunteers are the backbone of a community. Positive changes are not made by sitting on a couch — you have to get out there and dig in. Meeting people, becoming informed about your community, and learning about its strengths and its needs, all of these allow you to see where you can make a difference, and do it.

The social aspect of volunteering is one of my major motivators.”

Braatz is currently involved in volunteering at the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley, Junior League and will soon be involved with the Blue Zone project. She has volunteered with the Visiting Nurses Association Board, Go Red for Women, the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa and Junior Achievement.

Braatz said that “finding balance between family life, work and volunteering gets pretty hectic sometimes. It’s easy to overextend yourself — so you have to learn to say no to some things, and yes to the things that matter the most to you.”

The word “volunteering” covers such a range of activities, from doing something for two hours a year to a much more intense engagement for lots of people.

It is critical that working moms take this into account.

If you feel that one more commitment will put you over the edge, consider this; making time to volunteer is a priority for many working mothers who feel their effort is worthwhile and important to the balance of their lives.

The following are some tips for managing your time to fit volunteering into your schedule: ■ Elicit support from your spouse and extended family members.

■ Be highly organized.

■ Stay focused on projects or work at hand.

■ Plan meetings around your work schedule, such as early morning, lunch or evenings.

■ Plan conference calls when appropriate.

■ Involve your family in projects and make it fun.

Working mothers say finding the time is always a challenge, but by volunteering you set an example for your family. Teaching and modeling the importance of helping in the community leads to invaluable rewards and gratification for everyone involved.

To learn more about volunteering and volunteer opportunities, contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at 272-2087. To view volunteer opportunities visit www.vccv.org.

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dĂůĞŶƚ Θ tŽƌŬĨŽƌĐĞ ŵŽŶŐ dŽƉ WƌŝŽƌŝƟĞƐ ĨŽƌ ' s ' s ĂŶĚ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĞƐ ƚŽ ,ŽƐƚ KǀĞƌ ϭ͕ϯϬϬ zŽƵƚŚ ĨŽƌ EĂƟŽŶĂů DĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ ĂLJ dŚŝƌƚĞĞŶ ŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌĞƌƐ ǁŝůů ŚŽƐƚ tĂƚĞƌůŽŽ ĂŶĚ ĞĚĂƌ &ĂůůƐ ϵƚŚ ŐƌĂĚĞƌƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĨĂĐŝůŝƟĞƐ ŽŶ &ƌŝĚĂLJ͕ KĐƚŽďĞƌ ϱƚŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ĂŶ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ĨŽƌ EĂƟŽŶĂů DĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ ĂLJ͘ In response to the growing talent demand in advanced manufacturing in the Cedar Valley, the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber (GCVAC) is sponsoring an ĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶĂů ĞǀĞŶƚ ĨŽƌ Ăůů ϵƚŚ ŐƌĂĚĞƌƐ ĂƩĞŶĚŝŶŐ tĂƚĞƌůŽŽ ĂƐƚ ĂŶĚ tĞƐƚ ,ŝŐŚ ^ĐŚŽŽůƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ĞĚĂƌ &ĂůůƐ WĞĞƚ ĂŶĚ ,ŽůŵĞƐ :ƵŶŝŽƌ ,ŝŐŚ ^ĐŚŽŽůƐ͖ Ă ƚŽƚĂů ŽĨ ŵŽƌĞ ƚŚĂŶ ϭ͕ϯϬϬ students.

On KĐƚŽďĞƌ ϱƚŚ ^ƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ǁŝůů ŵĂŬĞ Ă ŽŶĞ ŚŽƵƌ ǀŝƐŝƚ ƚŽ Ă ůŽĐĂů ŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ ĐŽŵƉĂŶLJ͕ ƚŽƵƌ ŝƚƐ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƟŽŶ ŽƉĞƌĂƟŽŶƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ĚŝƐĐƵƐƐ ƚŚĞ ŚŝƐƚŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĨƵƚƵƌĞ ŽĨ ĞĂĐŚ ĐŽŵƉĂŶLJ ǁŝƚŚ ůĞĂĚĞƌƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŽƌŐĂŶŝnjĂƟŽŶ͘ dŚĞ ƉƵƌƉŽƐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚŝƐ ĞǀĞŶƚ ŝƐ ƚŽ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ͕ ƉĂƌĞŶƚƐ ĂŶĚ ĞĚƵĐĂƚŽƌƐ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ŐƌĞĂƚĞƌ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ŽĨ ŵŽĚĞƌŶ ŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ĮƌŵƐ ƚŚĂƚ ŵĂŬĞ ƵƉ ƚŚĞ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ ŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ͘ AlsŽ ƌĞĐŽŐŶŝnjŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĞĚ ĨŽƌ ŚƵŶĚƌĞĚƐ ŽĨ ŵĂĐŚŝŶŝƐƚƐ͕ ǁĞůĚĞƌƐ͕ ƚĞĐŚŶŝĐŝĂŶƐ ĂŶĚ ĂƐƐĞŵďůĞƌƐ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƚŚĞ ƌĞŐŝŽŶ͕ ,ĂǁŬĞLJĞ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ ŽůůĞŐĞ͕ :ŽŚŶ ĞĞƌĞ͕ ƚŚĞ ^ŽĐŝĞƚLJ ŽĨ DĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ ŶŐŝŶĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ DĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌĞƌƐ ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŚĂǀĞ ƐŝŐŶĞĚ ŽŶ ĂƐ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶĂů ƐƉŽŶƐŽƌƐ͘ “It ǁĂƐ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ ƚŽ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞ Ăůů ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ŝŶ ƚŚŝƐ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ͕ ŶŽƚ ũƵƐƚ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů ƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ͕͟ ƐĂŝĚ ƌŝƩĂŶLJ :ƵŶŐĐŬ͕ ŝƌĞĐƚŽƌ ŽĨ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ^ĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ' s ͕ ͞DĂŶLJ LJŽƵŶŐ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ŚĂǀĞ ŶŽƚ ŚĂĚ ĞdžƉŽƐƵƌĞ ƚŽ ŵŽĚĞƌŶ ŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ͘ KƵƌ ŐŽĂů ŝƐ ƚŽ ŽƉĞŶ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĞLJĞƐ ƚŽ ĨĂŶƚĂƐƟĐ ĐĂƌĞĞƌ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ͘͟ ŽŵƉĂŶŝĞƐ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƟŶŐ ŝŶ EĂƟŽŶĂů DĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ ĂLJ ǀĂƌLJ ĨƌŽŵ ůŽĐĂůůLJͲŽǁŶĞĚ ŽƉĞƌĂƟŽŶƐ ƐƵĐŚ ĂƐ ĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ,ĞĂƚ dƌĞĂƚ͕ <ƌLJƚŽŶ ŶŐŝŶĞĞƌĞĚ DĞƚĂůƐ͕ ĂŶĚ WŽǁĞƌ ŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ DĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ ƚŽ ŶĂƟŽŶĂů Žƌ ŐůŽďĂů ĐŽƌƉŽƌĂƟŽŶƐ ƐƵĐŚ ĂƐ :ŽŚŶ ĞĞƌĞ͕ DĞƚŽ<ŽƚĞ ĂŶĚ KŵĞŐĂ ĂďŝŶĞƚƐ͘ ͞dŽĚĂLJ͕ ĞĐŽŶŽŵŝĐ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ ŝƐ ƟĞĚ ƚŽ ďƌĂŝŶ ƉŽǁĞƌ ŶŽƚ ŵƵƐĐůĞ ƉŽǁĞƌ͘ DĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ ŝƐ Ă ŬĞLJ ĐŽŵƉŽŶĞŶƚ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ ĞĐŽŶŽŵLJ͕ ĂŶĚ ƐŵĂƌƚ͕ ƚĂůĞŶƚĞĚ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ĂƌĞ ŶĞĞĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŵŽĚĞƌŶ͕ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ ƉůĂŶƚ͘ DĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ ĂLJ ŝƐ Ă ŐƌĞĂƚ ǁĂLJ ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƚ ǁŚĂƚ ƚŚĞLJ͛ƌĞ ůĞĂƌŶŝŶŐ ŶŽǁ ǁŝƚŚ ǁĞůůͲƉĂLJŝŶŐ ĐĂƌĞĞƌ ĐŚŽŝĐĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ͕͟ ƐĂŝĚ ' s ͛Ɛ K ^ƚĞǀĞ ƵƐƚ͘ ,Ğ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞƐ͕ ͞dŚĞ ŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌĞƌƐ͕ ƐĐŚŽŽůƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƐƉŽŶƐŽƌƐ ĂƌĞ ĚĞůŝǀĞƌŝŶŐ ƚƌĞŵĞŶĚŽƵƐ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚŝƐ ĞǀĞŶƚ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ ǁŝůů ďĞ ƌĞƚƵƌŶĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ůĂƌŐĞƌ͕ ďĞƩĞƌͲƉƌĞƉĂƌĞĚ ƚĂůĞŶƚ ƉŽŽů ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĨƵƚƵƌĞ͘͟ dŽ ůĞĂƌŶ ŵŽƌĞ ĂďŽƵƚ EĂƟŽŶĂů DĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ ĂLJ͕ ǀŝƐŝƚ͗ ǁǁǁ͘ŵĨŐĚĂLJ͘ĐŽŵ Žƌ ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ ƌŝƩĂŶLJ :ƵŶŐĐŬ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ 'ƌĞĂƚĞƌ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ ůůŝĂŶĐĞ Θ ŚĂŵďĞƌ Ăƚ ďũƵŶĐŬΛĐĞĚĂƌǀĂůůĞLJĂůůŝĂŶĐĞ͘ĐŽŵ Žƌ ďLJ ĐĂůůŝŶŐ ϯϭϵͲϮϯϮͲϭϭϱϲ͘

' s WĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƚĞƐ ŝŶ :Žď &ĂŝƌƐ ĂŶĚ ZĞĐƌƵŝƟŶŐ ǀĞŶƚƐ DĞŵďĞƌƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ' s ĐŽŶŽŵŝĐ ĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ƚĞĂŵ ĐŽŽƌĚŝŶĂƚĞĚ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽŵŽƚĞĚ ŵƵůƟƉůĞ ũŽď ĨĂŝƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĐƌƵŝƟŶŐ ĞǀĞŶƚƐ ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐĞƐ Įůů ƚŚĞŝƌ ƚĂůĞŶƚ ŶĞĞĚƐ͘ KŶ ^ĞƉƚĞŵďĞƌ ϭϯƚŚ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŽǁĂtKZ<^ ĂƌĞĞƌ &Ăŝƌ ǁĂƐ ŚĞůĚ ŝŶ ĞĚĂƌ ZĂƉŝĚƐ͕ /ŽǁĂ ĨŽƌ ůĂŝĚ Žī ZŽĐŬǁĞůů Θ ůŝƉƉĞƌ ĂƐƐŽĐŝĂƚĞƐ͘ ' s ĐŽŽƌĚŝŶĂƚĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ĞĚĂƌ ZĂƉŝĚƐ /ŽǁĂtKZ<^ ŽĸĐĞ͕ ƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƟŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƌĞŐŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĐƌƵŝƚĞĚ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐĞƐ ƚŽ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ͘ ^/ŵŝůĂƌ ĐŽŽƌĚŝŶĂƟŽŶ ƚŽŽŬ ƉůĂĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ^ĞƉƚĞŵďĞƌ ϭϳ Ͳ hE/ ĂƌĞĞƌ &Ăŝƌ͘ ' s ƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚĞĚ ƚŚĞ ƌĞŐŝŽŶ ŝŶ DĞŶĚŽƚĂ ,ĞŝŐŚƚƐ͕ DE͘ Ăƚ Ă ^ĞƉƚĞŵďĞƌ Ϯϳ Θ Ϯϴ Ͳ ,ŝŐŚ dĞĐŚ dĂůĞŶƚ ZĞĐƌƵŝƚŵĞŶƚ ǀĞŶƚ ŚĞůĚ Ăƚ ƌŽǁŶ ŽůůĞŐĞ͘

/ŶŶŽǀĂƟŽŶ ĂLJ WƵƚƐ ŶƚƌĞƉƌĞŶƵĞƌƐ Θ ^ŵĂůů ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ^ƉŽƚůŝŐŚƚ

sŽƚĞ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌ ĨĂǀŽƌŝƚĞ ƉƌŽŵŝƐŝŶŐ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ dream! ^ĞƉƚĞŵďĞƌ ϮϭƐƚ ʹ KĐƚŽďĞƌ ϱƚŚ ǁǁǁ͘ĚƌĞĂŵďŝŐŐƌŽǁŚĞƌĞ͘ĐŽŵͬsŽƚĞ͘ĂƐƉdž͍ĐŽŶƚĞƐƚсϭϳ

ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ /ŶŶŽǀĂƟŽŶ ĂLJ ĞůĞďƌĂƟŽŶ ZĞĐĞƉƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ <ĞLJŶŽƚĞ ^ƉĞĂŬĞƌ͗ ^ĂƌĂŚ DŝůůĞƌ ĂůĚŝĐŽƩ KĐƚŽďĞƌ ϭϴƚŚ͕ ϱ͗ϬϬƉŵͲϴ͗ϯϬƉŵ͕ ƵŝůĚŝŶŐ hE/ ĂŵƉƵƐ ^ĂƌĂŚ DŝůůĞƌ ĂůĚŝĐŽƩ͕ ŐƌĞĂƚ ŐƌĂŶĚŶŝĞĐĞ ŽĨ dŚŽŵĂƐ ĚŝƐŽŶ͕ ƌĞƚƵƌŶƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ ƚŽ ƐŚĂƌĞ ĨƌŽŵ ŚĞƌ ŶĞǁ Ŭ ͞/ŶŶŽǀĂƚĞ >ŝŬĞ ĚŝƐŽŶ͕ &/ǀĞ ^ƚĞƉ ^LJƐƚĞŵ ĨŽƌ ƌĞĂŬƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ^ƵĐĐĞƐƐ͘͟ ƵƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƐĂŵĞ ĞǀĞŶƚ͕ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƉ ĮǀĞ ƌĞĂŵ ŝŐ 'ƌŽǁ ,ĞƌĞ ĐŽŶƚĞƐƚĂŶƚƐ ǁŝůů ĐŽŵƉĞƚĞ ŝŶ Ă WŝƚĐŚ Kī͕ ƉƌĞƐĞŶƟŶŐ ƚŚĞŝƌ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ ŝĚĞĂ ƚŽ Ă ƉĂŶĞů ŽĨ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĞdžƉĞƌƚƐ͘ ŶƚƌĂŶƚƐ͛ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ ĂŶĚ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ǁŝůů ďĞ ŽŶ ĚŝƐƉůĂLJ͘ ^ƵƉƉŽƌƚ ŽƵƌ ĞŶƚƌĞƉƌĞŶƵĞƌƐ͊ zŽƵ ŵŝŐŚƚ ŐĞƚ ƚŽ ƐĞĞ ƚŚĞ ŶĞdžƚ ďŝŐ ƚŚŝŶŐ͊ Z^sW͗ ĐĞĚĂƌǀĂůůĞLJĂůůŝĂŶĐĞ͘ĐŽŵ ϯϭϵͲϮϯϮͲϭϭϱϲ Žƌ ŝŶĨŽΛĐĞĚĂƌǀĂůůĞLJĂůůŝĂŶĐĞ͘ĐŽŵ

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ZĞĐĞŶƚ ZŝďďŽŶ ƵƚƚŝŶŐƐ

East Central Iowa Cooperative 1520 Rail Way, Cedar Falls

Hy-Vee Home Medical 1113 Ansborough Ave., Waterloo

Welcome New Investors/Members Crystal Anderson Agency American Family Life Insurance Company Contact: Crystal Anderson 2327 Falls Ave. Waterloo, IA 50701 Phone: 234-0884 Category: Insurance Agencies

Cedar Valley Automatic Fire Sprinkler 3345 University Ave., Waterloo

Awards, Gifts & Engraving 1812 Waterloo Rd., Cedar Falls

Winter Hall, Allen College 1990 Heath St., Waterloo

Highland Park Neighborhood Assocaition Basketball and Tennis Courts, Waterloo

Iguana Jaun’s Mexican Cantina & Tequila Bar 2208 College St., Cedar Falls

Bloom Manufacturing Contact: Mark Collett 1443 220th St. Independence, IA 50644 Phone: 319-827-1139 Fax: 319-827-1140 Web Site: www.bloommfg.com Category: Manufacturers City of Reinbeck Contact: Joyce Wild 414 Main St. Reinbeck, IA 50669 Phone: 319-788-6404 Fax: 319-788-6910 Web Site: www.reinbeck.org ǣ ƥ

Russell Lamson 209 West 5th Street, Waterloo

State Bank & Trust Company Contact: Mark Phillips 124 1st St. SE Waverly, IA 50677 Phone: 319-352-9215 Fax: 319-352-9215 Web Site: www.ssbank.net Category: Banks & Credit Unions

See the full list of investors/members at cedarvalleyalliance.com

United Equipment Accessories, Inc. Contact: Mark Hanawalt 2103 E. Bremer Ave P.O. Box 817 Waverly, IA 50677 Phone: 352-3946 Fax: 352-2175 Web Site: www.uea-inc.com Category: Manufacturers

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ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐĞƐ /ŶǀĞƐƚ ŝŶ ZĞŐŝŽŶĂů ĐŽŶŽŵŝĐ 'ƌŽǁƚŚ FtVϮ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ ĨŽůůŽǁͲƵƉ ĐĂŵƉĂŝŐŶ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐĨƵů &ƵůĮůůŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ sŝƐŝŽŶ ;&ƚsͿ ĐĂŵƉĂŝŐŶ ůĂƵŶĐŚĞĚ ŝŶ ϮϬϬϲ ĂŶĚ ǁŝůů ĐĂƌƌLJ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐ ŽĨ &ƚs ǁŚŝůĞ ĞdžƉĂŶĚŝŶŐ ŝƚƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƟŶŐ ƐĐŽƉĞ ƌĞŐŝŽŶĂůůLJ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ͘ dŚĞ &ƚsϮ WůĂŶ ĨŽƌ ZĞŐŝŽŶĂů ĐŽŶŽŵŝĐ 'ƌŽǁƚŚ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĞdžĞĐƵƚĞĚ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ Ɛŝdž ĂƌĞĂƐ͗ tŽƌŬĨŽƌĐĞ ĂŶĚ dĂůĞŶƚ͕ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ 'ƌŽǁƚŚ͕ ĚǀŽĐĂĐLJ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ͕ /ŶĐƌĞĂƐŝŶŐ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ ZĞŐŝŽŶĂů ŽůůĂďŽƌĂƟŽŶ͕ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ /ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŶŽŵŝĐ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĂƚĂ͕ ĂŶĚ ZĞƉŽƌƟŶŐ ƚŚĞ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ͛Ɛ ^ƵĐĐĞƐƐ͘ dŚĞ 'ƌĞĂƚĞƌ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ ůůŝĂŶĐĞ Θ ŚĂŵďĞƌ ĞƐƟŵĂƚĞƐ ƚŚĂƚ &ƚsϮĨƵŶĚĞĚ ŝŶŝƟĂƟǀĞƐ ǁŝůů ŐĞŶĞƌĂƚĞ ϭϬϬн ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ ĚĞůŝǀĞƌĞĚ ĨŽƌ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĞdžƉĂŶƐŝŽŶ͕ ƌĞƚĞŶƟŽŶ͕ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĐƌƵŝƚŵĞŶƚ Ăƚ ĂŶ ĂǀĞƌĂŐĞ ŽĨ Ψϱ ŵŝůůŝŽŶ ŝŶ ǀĂůƵĞ͕ ĂŶĚ ŶĞǁ ũŽďƐ ĐƌĞĂƚĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƚĂƌŐĞƚ ŇŽŽƌ ƌĂƚĞ ŽĨ Ψϭϵ ƉĞƌ ŚŽƵƌ͘ dŚĞƐĞ ŶĞǁ ũŽďƐ ƐŚŽƵůĚ ĐƌĞĂƚĞ Ψϲϳ ŵŝůůŝŽŶ ŝŶ ĂŶŶƵĂů ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ͕ ĂĚĚŝŶŐ Ψϯϳ ŵŝůůŝŽŶ ŝŶ ĂŶŶƵĂů ĐŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ ĞdžƉĞŶĚŝƚƵƌĞƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƵƉ ƚŽ Ψϱ͘ϳ ŵŝůůŝŽŶ ŝŶ ĂŶŶƵĂů ĚĞƉŽƐŝƚƐ ĨŽƌ ĂƌĞĂ ďĂŶŬƐ͘ &ƵŶĚŝŶŐ ŶĞĞĚƐ ĨŽƌ &ƚsϮ ŽǀĞƌ ƚŚĞ ŶĞdžƚ ĮǀĞ LJĞĂƌƐ ŚĂǀĞ ďĞĞŶ ƐĞƚ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶ ĂŐŐƌĞƐƐŝǀĞ ĞīŽƌƚ ƵŶĚĞƌǁĂLJ ƚŽ ƌĂŝƐĞ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĞĚĞĚ ĨƵŶĚŝŶŐ ĨƌŽŵ ƉƌŝǀĂƚĞ ƐĞĐƚŽƌ ĮƌŵƐ͕ ƚŚĞ ƉƵďůŝĐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌ͕ ĂŶĚ ŝŶĚŝǀŝĚƵĂůƐ͘ ƚ ƚŚĞ ƟŵĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĐĂŵƉĂŝŐŶ͛Ɛ <ŝĐŬͲŽī ĞǀĞŶƚ ŽŶ :ƵůLJ ϭϳ͕ ƚŚĞ ŶĞǁ ĐĂŵƉĂŝŐŶ ŚĂĚ ϱϬ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ͘ ^ŝŶĐĞ ƚŚĞ <ŝĐŬͲŽī͕ ϭϭ ŵŽƌĞ ĮƌŵƐ ŚĂǀĞ ŝŶǀĞƐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĨƵƚƵƌĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ͗ ĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ^LJƐƚĞŵƐ͕ /ŶĐ͘ ĞĞĐŚĞƌ͕ &ŝĞůĚ͕ tĂůŬĞƌ͕ DŽƌƌŝƐ͕ ,ŽīŵĂŶ Θ :ŽŚŶƐŽŶ͕ W͘ ͘ ĞŶƚŽŶ ĂƐƟŶŐƐ ŽŵƉĂŶLJ &ŝƌƐƚ EĂƟŽŶĂů ĂŶŬ DĂƌƟŶ ƌŽƚŚĞƌƐ ŝƐƚƌŝďƵƟŶŐ ŽŵƉĂŶLJ EĞƚ tŽƌƚŚ ĚǀŝƐŽƌƐ

Z ͬD y ,ŽŵĞ 'ƌŽƵƉ ^ĐŚŵŝƩ dĞůĞĐŽŵ WĂƌƚŶĞƌƐ͕ /ŶĐ͘ ^ƉŝŶƵƚĞĐŚ tĞď ĞƐŝŐŶƐ ^ƚĂƚĞ ĂŶŬ Θ dƌƵƐƚ ŽŵƉĂŶLJ ^ƚƌƵyƚƵƌĞ ƌĐŚŝƚĞĐƚƐ

DŽƌĞ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ǁŝůů ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞ ƚŽ ďĞ ĂĚĚĞĚ͕ ƚŚĂŶŬƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĞīŽƌƚƐ ĂŶĚ ƚĂůĞŶƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĂŵƉĂŝŐŶ >ĞĂĚĞƌƐŚŝƉ dĞĂŵ͗ <ĞŶ >ŽĐŬĂƌĚ͕ ŚĂŝƌ͕ >ŽĐŬĂƌĚ ŽŵƉĂŶŝĞƐ ƌ͘ >ŝŶĚĂ ůůĞŶ͕ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ͕ ,ĂǁŬĞLJĞ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ ŽůůĞŐĞ dŚĂĚ EĞǀŝƩ͕ &ĂĐƚŽƌLJ DĂŶĂŐĞƌ͕ ƌ͘ ĞŶũĂŵŝŶ ůůĞŶ͕ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ͕ hŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ ŽĨ EŽƌƚŚĞƌŶ /ŽǁĂ :ŽŚŶ ĞĞƌĞ tĂƚĞƌůŽŽ tŽƌŬƐ ^ƚĂĐĞLJ ĞŶƚůĞLJ͕ DĂƌŬĞƚ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ͕ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ EĂƟŽŶĂů ĂŶŬ :ŽŚŶ ^ƚĞĞŶ͕ DĂƌŬĞƚ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ͕ ĂǀĞ ƌĂƚŽŶ͕ WƵďůŝƐŚĞƌ͕ ŽƵƌŝĞƌ ŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟŽŶƐ tĞůůƐ &ĂƌŐŽ ĂŶŬ ^ƚĞǀĞ ƌĞǁĞƌ͕ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ͕ h^ ĂŶŬ :ĞĂŶ dƌĂŝŶŽƌ͕ K͕ sĞƌŝĚŝĂŶ ƌĞĚŝƚ hŶŝŽŶ DĂLJŽƌ ƵĐŬ ůĂƌŬ͕ ŝƚLJ ŽĨ tĂƚĞƌůŽŽ ^ƚĞǀĞ dƐĐŚĞƌƚĞƌ͕ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ͕ >ŝŶĐŽůŶ ĂŶĐŽƌƉ DĂƌŬ ŽůůĞƩ͕ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ͕ ůŽŽŵ DĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ ĞĞ sĂŶĚĞǀĞŶƚĞƌ͕ WƌŝŶĐŝƉĂů͕ D Θs DĂLJŽƌ :ŽŶ ƌĞǁƐ͕ ŝƚLJ ŽĨ ĞĚĂƌ &ĂůůƐ :ŽĞ sŝĐŚ͕ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ K͕ ĂǀĞ ĞĂǀĞƌ͕ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ͕ &ŝƌƐƚ EĂƟŽŶĂů ĂŶŬ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ EĂƟŽŶĂů ĂŶŬ ŚƌŝƐ &ĞƌĞĚĂLJ͕ WĂƌƚŶĞƌ͕ W D /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ,ƵŐŚ &ŝĞůĚ͕ WĂƌƚŶĞƌ͕ ZŝĐŬ zŽƵŶŐ͕ zŽƵŶŐ WůƵŵďŝŶŐ Θ ,ĞĂƟŶŐ

ĞĞĐŚĞƌ͕ &ŝĞůĚ͕ tĂůŬĞƌ͕ DŽƌƌŝƐ͕ ,ŽīŵĂŶ Θ :ŽŚŶƐŽŶ͕ W͘ ͘ <ƌŝƐ ,ĂŶƐĞŶ͕ K͕ tĞƐƚĞƌŶ ,ŽŵĞ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƟĞƐ ZĞŝĚ <ŽĞŶŝŐ͕ hE DƵƚƵĂů /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ dĞĐŚ ƌĞǁ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ Ͳ KĐƚŽďĞƌ ϰƚŚ͕ EŽǀĞŵďĞƌ ϭƐƚ dŚĞ dĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ /ŽǁĂ ;d /Ϳ dĞĐŚ ƌĞǁ ĞǀĞŶƚ ŝƐ ĂŶ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂů ŐĂƚŚĞƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĂƚ ďƌŝŶŐƐ ĞŶƚƌĞƉƌĞŶĞƵƌƐ͕ ƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐŝƐƚƐ͕ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ĂŶĚ ĨƵŶĚĞƌƐ ƚŽŐĞƚŚĞƌ ƚŽ ƚĂůŬ ŽǀĞƌ Ă ďĞĞƌ ;ĂŬĂ ͞>ƵďƌŝĐĂƚĞĚ ^ĞƌĞŶĚŝƉŝƚLJ͟Ϳ͘ dĞĐŚ ƌĞǁ ŝƐ ŚĞůĚ Ăƚ dŽĂĚƐ ďĂƌ Θ 'ƌŝůů͕ ϮϬϰ DĂŝŶ ^ƚƌĞĞƚ͕ ĞĚĂƌ &ĂůůƐ͕ / Ăƚ ϱ͗ϬϬƉŵ͘ ŽŶƚĂĐƚ >LJŶ ^ĐŚŶĞŝĚĞƌ Ăƚ ůLJŶΛƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJŝŽǁĂ͘ŽƌŐ ĨŽƌ ŵŽƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ͘ Ăƌ ĂŵƉ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ Ͳ KĐƚŽďĞƌ ϱ Θ ϲ ' s ŝƐ Ă ƐƉŽŶƐŽƌ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŶĞdžƚ Ăƌщ ĂŵƉ ĂŶ ĂĚͲŚŽĐ͕ ĂƩĞŶĚĞĞͲŐĞŶĞƌĂƚĞĚ ƵŶͲĐŽŶĨĞƌĞŶĐĞ ǁŚĞƌĞ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂŶƚƐ ƐĞƚ ƚŚĞ ĂŐĞŶĚĂ͙ŝŶ ŽƚŚĞƌ ǁŽƌĚƐ͕ Ă ŶŽƚ ƚŽ ďĞ ŵŝƐƐĞĚ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚLJ ĨŽƌ ĐƌĞĂƟǀĞ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ŽĨ Ăůů ƚLJƉĞƐ ƚŽ ĞdžĐŚĂŶŐĞ ŝĚĞĂƐ͘ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĂŶĚ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ ^ĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƵŝůĚŝŶŐ͕ hE/ ĂŵƉƵƐ͘ &ƌŝĚĂLJ͕ KĐƚŽďĞƌ ϱƚŚ͕ WƌĞͲWĂƌƚLJ ϳ͗ϬϬƉŵ ƚŽ ϵ͗ϬϬƉŵ͘ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ͕ KĐƚŽďĞƌ ϲƚŚ͕ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ EĞƚǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ϵ͗ϬϬĂŵ ƚŽ ϲ͗ϬϬƉŵ͘ DŽƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ Ăƚ ŚƩƉ͗ͬ​ͬďĂƌĐĂŵƉĐǀ͘ĐŽŵͬ͘

ϮŶĚ YƵĂƌƚĞƌ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ ĐŽŶŽŵŝĐ /ŶĚŝĐĚĂƚŽƌƐ ƌĞĂĚLJ ĨŽƌ download at ŚƩƉ͗ͬ​ͬŐŽŽ͘ŐůͬŐŐDϳt

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ALLIANCE & CHAMBER NEWSLETTER PAGE 22

BE PART OF SOMETHING GREATER!

ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ ^ĞƌŝĞƐ͗ WƌĞƉĂƌŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ,ĞĂůƚŚĐĂƌĞ ŚĂŶŐĞƐ KĐƚŽďĞƌ ϯϭ͕ ϮϬϭϮ͕ ϳ͗ϯϬĂŵ Ͳ ϵ͗ϬϬĂŵ 'ĂůůĂŐŚĞƌ ůƵĞĚŽƌŶ WĞƌĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ ƌƚƐ ĞŶƚĞƌ ϴϮϬϭ ĂŬŽƚĂ ^ƚƌĞĞƚ͕ ĞĚĂƌ &ĂůůƐ͕ /

WƌĞŵŝĞƌ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌ͗

October 2012

'ŽůĚ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌ͗

dŚĞ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ ^ĞƌŝĞƐ ŝƐ LJŽƵƌ ůŽĐĂů ůŝŶŬ ƚŽ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ ŽŶ ƟŵĞůLJ ŝƐƐƵĞƐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŝŶŇƵĞŶĐĞ ƚŚĞ ďŽƩŽŵ ůŝŶĞ ŽĨ LJŽƵƌ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ͘ dŚŝƐ ŵŽŶƚŚ ǁĞ ǁŝůů ĂĚĚƌĞƐƐ ŚĞĂůƚŚĐĂƌĞ ŝƐƐƵĞƐ͕ ĐŚĂŶŐĞƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽŐƌĂŵƐ ƚŚĂƚ ƉĞƌƚĂŝŶ ƚŽ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌͬŵĞŵďĞƌ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐĞƐ͘ WĂŶĞů ǁŝůů ŝŶĐůƵĚĞ ŚƌŝƐ ,LJĞƌƐ ŽĨ tŚĞĂƚŽŶ &ƌĂŶĐŝƐĐĂŶ ,ĞĂůƚŚĐĂƌĞͲ/ŽǁĂ͕ /ŶĐ͕͘ 'ŝů /ƌĞLJ ŽĨ ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ DĞĚŝĐĂů ^ƉĞĐŝĂůŝƐƚƐ͕ DĂƌLJ WŚŝůůŝƉƐ ŽĨ dŚĞ 'ƌŽƵƉ͕ ĂŶĚ dŽŵ dŝďďŝƩƐ ŽĨ ůůĞŶ ,ĞĂůƚŚ ^LJƐƚĞŵ͘ dŚĞ ĐŽƐƚ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ĞǀĞŶƚ ŝƐ ΨϮϬ͘ϬϬ ĨŽƌ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌͬŵĞŵďĞƌƐ͘ zŽƵ ĐĂŶ ƌĞĂĚ ƚŚĞ ďŝŽƐ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ƉĂŶĞůŝƐƚ ĂŶĚ Z^sW ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĞǀĞŶƚƐ ĐĂůĞŶĚĂƌ Ăƚ ǁǁǁ͘ĐĞĚĂƌǀĂůůĞLJĂůůŝĂŶĐĞ͘ĐŽŵ͕ ďLJ ĞŵĂŝů ƚŽ ďǁƵďďĞŶĂΛĐĞĚĂƌǀĂůůĞLJĂůůŝĂŶĐĞ͘ĐŽŵ Žƌ ĐĂůů ƚŚĞ ' s ŽĸĐĞ Ăƚ ϯϭϵͲ ϮϯϮͲϭϭϱϲ ƚŽ Z^sW ďLJ KĐƚŽďĞƌ ϮϰƚŚ͘

ŚƌŝƐ ,LJĞƌƐ sŝĐĞ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ ĨŽƌ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ tŚĞĂƚŽŶ &ƌĂŶĐŝƐĐĂŶ ,ĞĂůƚŚĐĂƌĞ͛Ɛ /ŽǁĂ ZĞŐŝŽŶ

Gil Irey K Cedar Valley DĞĚŝĐĂů ^ƉĞĐŝĂůŝƐƚƐ͕ W͘ ͘

DĂƌLJ >͘ WŚŝůůŝƉƐ ^ĞŶŝŽƌ sŝĐĞ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ͕ ,ƵŵĂŶ ZĞƐŽƵƌĐĞƐ dŚĞ 'ƌŽƵƉ͕ /ŶĐ͘

dŽŵ dŝďďŝƩƐ ůůĞŶ ,ĞĂůƚŚ ^LJƐƚĞŵ͕ /ŶĐ͘ /ŶƚĞƌŝŵ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ ŚŝĞĨ džĞĐƵƟǀĞ KĸĐĞƌ /ŽǁĂ ,ĞĂůƚŚ ^LJƐƚĞŵ /ŶƚĞƌŝŵ ^ĞŶŝŽƌ sŝĐĞ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ

dŚĂŶŬ zŽƵ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐĨƵů ϮϬϭϮ 'ŽůĨ ůĂƐƐŝĐ 'ŽůĨ ůĂƐƐŝĐ dĂƐŬ &ŽƌĐĞ DĞŵďĞƌƐ͗ dŽŶLJĂ >ĞĚǀŝŶĂ ʹ zt ŽĨ ůĂĐŬ ,ĂǁŬ ŽƵŶƚLJ͕ ŶĚLJ DĐ>ĞŶŶĂŶ ʹ ƵŝůĚ ƚŚĞ ŽƩŽŵ >ŝŶĞ͕ >ĂƌƌLJ DĞƌŶĂƵŐŚ ʹ ZŝĚĚůĞ͛Ɛ :ĞǁĞůƌLJ͕ 'ĂƌLJ KŐnjĞǁĂůůĂ ʹ ƌŽƐƐƌŽĂĚƐ ĞŶƚĞƌ͕ ^ƚĞǀĞ ^ĐŚŵŝƩ ʹ ^ĐŚŵŝƩ dĞůĞĐŽŵ WĂƌƚŶĞƌƐ͕ /ŶĐ͕͘ ĂŶŶLJ ^ŝĐŬůĞƐ ʹ DĂƩ WĂƌƌŽƚͬ^ƚŽƌĞLJ <ĞŶǁŽƌƚŚLJ͕ EĂƚŚĂŶ dŽďĞLJ ʹ sĞƌĚŝĂŶ ƌĞĚŝƚ hŶŝŽŶ ĂƌƚƐ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌ͗ ZLJĚĞůů ŚĞǀƌŽůĞƚ WƵƫŶŐ ŽŶƚĞƐƚ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌ͗ >ŝŶĐŽůŶ ^ĂǀŝŶŐƐ ĂŶŬ ϭϵƚŚ ,ŽůĞ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌƐ͗ DĐ>ĂƵŐŚůŝŶ /ŶǀĞƐƚŵĞŶƚ ^ĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ͕ ĂŶĚ h͘^͘ ĂŶŬ ĞǀĞƌĂŐĞ ĂƌƚƐ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌ͗ ĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ^LJƐƚĞŵƐ >ƵŶĐŚ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌ͗ tĂƚĞƌůŽŽ tĂƌĞŚŽƵƐŝŶŐ Θ ^ĞƌǀŝĐĞ Ž͕͘ /ŶĐ͘ ,ŽůĞ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌƐ͗ ůůĞŶ ,ĞĂůƚŚ ^LJƐƚĞŵ͕ ƌƵŵŵĞů DĂĚƐĞŶ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ͕ ϯϴϬ ŽŵƉĂŶŝĞƐ ŝƐĂƐƚĞƌ ^ĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ͕ ůĂƌŝŽŶ /ŶŶ hŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ WůĂnjĂ͕ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ ƵƚŽ WůĂnjĂ͕ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ EĂƟŽŶĂů ĂŶŬ͕ &ĞƌŐƵƐŽŶ ŶƚĞƌƉƌŝƐĞƐ͕ /ŶĐ͕͘ ,LJͲsĞĞ͕ /ŽǁĂ >ĂƐĞƌ dĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ͕ /ŶĐ͕͘<tt>͕ W D /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ͕ WĞƉƐŝ ĞǀĞƌĂŐĞ ŽŵƉĂŶLJ͕ ZLJĚĞůů ŚĞǀƌŽůĞƚ͕ ^ĐŚŵŝƩ dĞůĞĐŽŵ WĂƌƚŶĞƌƐ͕ /ŶĐ͕͘ dLJƐŽŶ &ƌĞƐŚ DĞĂƚƐ͕ sĞƌŝĚŝĂŶ ƌĞĚŝƚ hŶŝŽŶ͕ s'D &ŽƌďŝŶ͕ tĂƚĞƌůŽŽ ŽŶǀĞŶƟŽŶ Θ sŝƐŝƚŽƌƐ ƵƌĞĂƵ͕ tŚĞĂƚŽŶ &ƌĂŶĐŝƐĐĂŶ ,ĞĂůƚŚĐĂƌĞͲ/ŽǁĂ͕ /ŶĐ͘​͘

dŚĂŶŬ zŽƵ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐĨƵů tŝŶŐ ŝŶŐ Θ dŚŝŶŐƐ ϭϰ dĂƐŬ &ŽƌĐĞ͗ DĂŐŐŝĞ ƵƌŐĞƌ ʹ ^ƉĞĞƌ &ŝŶĂŶĐŝĂů͕ ĞŽŶŶĂ &ƌŝƚnj ʹ džƉĞŶƐĞ ZĞĚƵĐƟŽŶ ŶĂůLJƐƚƐ͕ ^ƚĞǀĞ &ŝƌŵĂŶ ʹ &W /ͬWD'͕ 'ƌĂŶƚ 'ƵďďƌƵĚ ʹ /ƐůĞ ĂƐŝŶŽ ,ŽƚĞů tĂƚĞƌůŽŽ͕ WĞƚĞ DĞĞŚĂŶ ʹ &ŝŶĂŶĐŝĂů ĞĐŝƐŝŽŶƐ 'ƌŽƵƉ͕ DŝŬĞ ZĞLJŚŽŶƐ ʹ ƌĂǀŽ WƌŝŶƟŶŐ Ž͕͘ ĂƚŚLJ ZŽƫŶŐŚĂƵƐ͕ dĞƌĞƐĂ ^ĂŵĞĐ ʹ >ŝďĞƌƚLJ ĂŶŬ͕ :ĞƌĞƌŵLJ ^ƚƌŽŚŵĂŶ ʹ hŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ ŽŽŬ Θ ^ƵƉƉůLJ͕ /ŶĐ͘ ͘ WƌĞŵŝĞƌ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌƐ͗ D Θs͕ <tt> 'ŽůĚ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌƐ͗ ϵϯ͘ϱ dŚĞ Dŝdž͕ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ hŶŝƚĞĚ ŚŝůĚĐĂƌĞ ĞŶƚĞƌƐ ^ŝůǀĞƌ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌƐ͗ ůůĞŶ ,ĞĂůƚŚ ^LJƐƚĞŵ͕ ƌĂǀŽ WƌŝŶƟŶŐ ŽŵƉĂŶLJ͕ ŽƵƌŝĞƌ ŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟŽŶƐ͕ >ĂŵĂƌ͕ W D /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ͕ h͘^͘ ĂŶŬ͕ sĞƌŝĚŝĂŶ ƌĞĚŝƚ hŶŝŽŶ͕ tŚĞĂƚŽŶ &ƌĂŶĐŝƐĐĂŶ ,ĞĂůƚŚĐĂƌĞͲ/ŽǁĂ͘/ŶĐ͘​͘ ƌŽŶnjĞ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌƐ͗ DƵĚĚ ĚǀĞƌƐƟƐŝŶŐ͕ EĞdžƚ 'ĞŶĞƌĂƟŽŶ tŝƌĞůĞƐƐ͕ WĞƉƐŝ ĞǀĞƌĂŐĞ ŽŵƉĂŶLJ͕ KĂŬƌŝĚŐĞ ZĞĂůƚŽƌƐ͕ d D ŽŵƉĂŶŝĞƐ͕ dŽŶLJ͛Ɛ WůƵŵďŝŶŐ Θ ,ĞĂƟŶŐ͘

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BE PART OF SOMETHING GREATER! Thursday, December 6 Good Morning Cedar Valley 7:30 - 9:00 am NewAldaya Lifescapes

WŽǁĞƌ EĞƚǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ

dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ͕ KĐƚŽďĞƌ Ϯϱth ϰ͗ϬϬͲϱ͗ϯϬ Ɖ͘ŵ͘ <ĂƉůĂŶ hŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ͕ ϳϬϬϵ EŽƌĚŝĐ ƌ͕͘ ĞĚĂƌ &ĂůůƐ WŽǁĞƌ EĞƚǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌĞĚ ƐŽĐŝĂů ĞǀĞŶƚ ĨŽƌ ' s ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌͬŵĞŵďĞƌƐ͘ WĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƟŽŶ ŝƐ ůŝŵŝƚĞĚ ƚŽ ϱϬ ĂƩĞŶĚĞĞƐ ;ƚǁŽ ƉĞƌ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐͬŽƌŐĂŶŝnjĂƟŽŶͿ͘ /Ŷ ũƵƐƚ ŶŝŶĞƚLJ ŵŝŶƵƚĞƐ͕ ƚŚŽƐĞ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƟŶŐ ĐĂŶ ďƵŝůĚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƉƌŽƐƉĞĐƚ ůŝƐƚ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ŽŶĞ ŵŝŶƵƚĞ ĐŽŵŵĞƌĐŝĂů͘ ZĞŐŝƐƚĞƌ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĞǀĞŶƚƐ ƉĂŐĞ Ăƚ ǁǁǁ͘ĐĞĚĂƌǀĂůůĞLJĂůůŝĂŶĐĞ͘ĐŽ͕ ĞŵĂŝů ĞƩĞ tƵďďĞŶĂ Ăƚ ďǁƵďĞŶŶĂΛĐĞĚĂƌǀĂůůĞLJĂůůŝĂŶĐĞ͘ĐŽŵ Žƌ ďLJ ĐĂůůŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ůůŝĂŶĐĞ Θ ŚĂŵďĞƌ ŽĸĐĞ͕ ϮϯϮͲϭϭϱϲ͘ ZĞŐŝƐƚƌĂƟŽŶ ĚĞĂĚůŝŶĞ ŝƐ KĐƚŽďĞƌ ϭϴ͘ ŽƐƚ ŝƐ ΨϭϬ͘ ǀĞŶƚ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌƐ͗ :͛Ɛ ,ŽŵĞƐƚLJůĞ ŽŽŬŝŶŐ͕ <ĂƉůĂŶ hŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ͕ tŚĞĂƚŽŶ &ƌĂŶĐŝƐĐĂŶ ,ĞĂůƚŚĐĂƌĞͲ/ŽǁĂ͕ /ŶĐ͘

Diversity and Inclusion Summit “Leading an Inclusive and Engaged 21st Century Workforce: The Competitive Advantage” Shirley Davis Sheppard, Ph.D. Vice President of Global Diversity & Inclusion and Workplace Flexibility, The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

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sŝƐŝƚŽƌƐ ǁŝůů ǀŝĞǁ ĐŽŵŵŽŶ ĂƌĞĂƐ ĂŶĚ ŵĂLJ ƚŽƵƌ ĂƉĂƌƚŵĞŶƚƐ ŽŶ ƌĞƋƵĞƐƚ͘ ZĞĨƌĞƐŚŵĞŶƚƐ ǁŝůů ďĞ ƐĞƌǀĞĚ͘

Session Speakers: Waterloo Human Rights Director, Abraham Funchess HR Director & Veteran Ralph Robovsky

Panel Discussion: How to apply Diversity and Inclusion best practices in the workplace

Registration on the Events Calendar at www.cedarvalleyalliance.com or by calling 319-232-1156

ŶŶŽƵŶĐŝŶŐ͗ &ŝƌƐƚ ŶŶƵĂů ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ ŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ Θ /ŶĐůƵƐŝŽŶ WĂƌƚŶĞƌƐŚŝƉ ǁĂƌĚƐ ĨŽƌ ŽƵƚƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƟŽŶ ďLJ Ă ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ Žƌ ŽƌŐĂŶŝnjĂƟŽŶ ĨŽƌ ůĞĂĚĞƌƐŚŝƉ ŝŶ ĐƌĞĂƟŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶŝŶŐ ĂŶ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ ŽĨ ĚŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ ĂŶĚ ŝŶĐůƵƐŝŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌŬƉůĂĐĞ ĐƵůƚƵƌĞ͕ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞƐ ĂŶĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ͘ dŚƌĞĞ ĂǁĂƌĚƐ available based on business size. Awards will be presented at the Greater ĞĚĂƌ sĂůůĞLJ ůůŝĂŶĐĞ Θ ŚĂŵďĞƌ ŶŶƵĂů ĞůĞďƌĂƟŽŶ͕ ŽŶ DĂƌĐŚ ϳ͕ ϮϬϭϯ ϮϬϭϯ EŽŵŝŶĂƟŽŶ ĞĂĚůŝŶĞ KĐƚŽďĞƌ ϯϭ͕ ϮϬϭϮ͘ www.cedarvalleyallliance.com

PAGE 24

CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

THE COURIER

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OCTOBER 2012

‘Whole person’ approach can help bring fulfillment Do you like yourself? Do you have quality of life? If knowledge is power and empowerment brings balance, can balance give us quality of life?

Where do we begin our journey? We are all busy juggling our time between family and career. Some of us are caught in the “sandwich” generation.

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We post our lives on calendars that are larger than our refrigerators. How do we connect the dots and find our way to quality of life?

Let’s begin with the words of Sir Francis Bacon — “Knowledge is power” — and then implement the “whole person” approach.

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By daily reminding themselves, that it is a lifelong process.

When something happens that disappoints us, it can become apparent in our appearance, our health, our attitude, our relationships and our faith. We can become our own worst enemy.

Abraham Lincoln failed in business at the age of 21. He was defeated in the legislative race at the age of 22. He overcame of the death of his sweetheart at the age of 26. At 27, he had a nervous breakdown. He failed to become the vice president at the age of 47. But at the age of 52, he was elected president of the United States. How did he stay balanced through his ups and downs?

The same way we all can. Take responsibility for yourself and remind yourself of the things you already know: count your blessings, be nice to others, remember tomorrow will be a better day, say your prayers, save for a rainy day, respect your father and mother, walk a mile in my shoes, etc. We also have the advantage of the things we have grown to know: Facebook, Skype, texting, online education, laughter, yoga, televised church sermons and Kindle.

These avenues provide an opportunity to regain our balance through communication, knowledge and support.

Finding balance is a personal choice as well as a powerful

force within our culture.

In 1927, financial professionals began acquainted with the “whole person” approach through the Million Dollar Round Table, a professional trade association. This concept was introduced by the philosopher Mortimer Adler.

According to Adler, “Whole persons are engaged in a lifetime quest to achieve balance and congruity in all aspects of their lives and continually seek to develop their full human potential.”

The MDRT designed a simple quiz where you literally do connect the dots and see what areas of your life you need to work on.

Finding balance and quality of life has little to do with age, financial wealth, physical beauty or even good health. It has more to do with taking a good look at the person in the mirror, seeking out the knowledge you need from sources you trust to help you make confident decisions, and then repeating this process. Finding balance is a lifelong process. Finding quality of life is a worthy journey.

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THE COURIER

Manure managers handle 3,000 tons at a single fair Minneapolis Star Tribune

MINNEAPOLIS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; In his line of work, Matt Kallok has heard them all. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hear it dozens of times a day,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Business is really picking up.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Or, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a crappy job.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; And some dirtier ones, too.â&#x20AC;?

What do you expect when the name of your company is DoodyCalls?

For the past four years, DoodyCalls has been the go-to company to clean up after the animals (and some humans, too) at the Minnesota State Fair. The contract is in a class by itself.

Pigs, cows, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and rabbits generated more than 3,000 tons of manure last year, according to the fair.

The potty humor typically comes as Kallok and crew scurry behind the horses during the daily parades. DoodyCalls workers also scoop up manure from all of the barns, prevent livestock from littering the sidewalks, and keep the restrooms around the coliseum clean and stocked with toilet paper, soap and hand towels. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything poops. Nobody likes to deal with it,â&#x20AC;? Kallok said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the fact of the matter.â&#x20AC;?

DoodyCalls workers haul the waste to one of ďŹ ve manure pits on the fairgrounds, and another company empties out the pits.

The manure ultimately ďŹ nds its way back to farmers, who spread it on their ďŹ elds as fertilizer.

Outside of the hectic 12 days of the State Fair, the work at DoodyCalls is more routine. Kallok has three full-time employees and a couple of contractors who take on the unpleasant task of picking up after dogs and exchanging cat litter boxes for homeowners, apartment dwellers and petfriendly businesses.

He gets the occasional call to pick up after deer, ducks and geese, and recently took a job near Cedar Lake in Minneapolis where a raccoon was pooping in a homeownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bushes.

The fair hired DoodyCal-

ls in 2009 to help supplement the work of the fairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sanitation department. The contract is worth $25,000 to $30,000, according to fair officials. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It takes a lot off of my plate, that I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to line up people,â&#x20AC;? said Ryan Donnelly, the State Fairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coliseum and livestock events manager. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nice to hire a company that is comfortable handling manure and waste. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not something you get too many people to volunteer for. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It helps the exhibitors, too, to know that they are people who have been around animals and know whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on.â&#x20AC;?

DoodyCalls is a franchise operation with headquarters in Charlottesville, Va. It is one of a growing number of pet pickup services in Minnesota and nationwide, as part of the booming $52 billion pet care industry. The company names in this niche tend to be more frisky than frank: Dr. Poolittle, Turd Nerds, the Doo Crew, Pooparazzi, Treasure Hunters and Doo Process.

Within the broader pet care industry, grooming and boarding has about a $4.6 billion slice

of the pie, with waste removal and â&#x20AC;&#x153;other servicesâ&#x20AC;? accounting for about 14 percent, or $644 million. Over the past ďŹ ve years, sales in the grooming and boarding industry have grown by an average annual rate of 4 percent, outpacing the economy as a whole, according to IBISWorld.

The growth comes as more people own pets and, more to the point, are prone to pamper them.

Last year, 62 percent of U.S. households had pets, compared to 56 percent in 1988, according to the American Pet Products Association.

Those with the stomach for scooping poop can roll in some ďŹ lthy lucre.

DoodyCalls launched in 1999 and now has 45 franchise locations in 23 states. The company last year reported $4.5 million in sales, a 55 percent increase over 2009, according to the company.

Kallok, 34, a single father from St. Paul, Minn., was the sales director at the Twin Cities DoodyCalls before buying the franchise last year. He studied criminal justice at Norwich University, a military college in NorthďŹ eld,

Vt., and was a bar manager at the Wild Onion in St. Paul before throwing himself into the poop business. He would never call it a crappy job.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every animal has a distinct smell,â&#x20AC;? said Kallok, who has a beagle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some are ammonia, some are sweeter, some hit you in a different part of your nose.â&#x20AC;?

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PAGE 26

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CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

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LOS ANGELES â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Navigating the job market without a college degree is harder than ever, but there are plenty of solid jobs in the U.S. that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require degrees, according to a new report.

Some 29 million â&#x20AC;&#x153;middleâ&#x20AC;? jobs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; those with annual salaries of more than $35,000 but that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require college degrees â&#x20AC;&#x201D; exist in the U.S., according to a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1 in 5 jobs. Of those, 11 million pay $50,000 or more a year.

Roughly half are office jobs, a third are blue-collar positions and the rest are roles in health

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cvbusinessmonthly.com

care and technical occupations.

Men have more access to such jobs than women do.

Still, job seekers without a college degree seem to be at a disadvantage, according to the report.

In the turgid economic recovery, less than half of the jobs lost in the recession have come back, and nearly all of those that did require some form of post-secondary schooling, according to Georgetown.

Even in low-skill sectors, such as manufacturing and construction, those without bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degrees were hit hardest by unemployment.

Nearly a quarter of young people with just a high school diploma are unemployed, compared

with 7 percent of college graduates, according to the report. The demographic has watched wages tank 12 percent in the past decade to $19,400 a year in 2011. They hold a shrinking share of the middle class, where 74 percent had a high school diploma or less in 1970, compared with just 39 percent in 2007.

By 2020, nearly two-thirds of all jobs in the country will require education beyond high school.

Lower education levels mean difficulty improving earning power, the report said.

The study recommends that job seekers without degrees look into associates degrees, industry certiďŹ cations and other forms of education and training.

Stressed-out workers face lower heart attack risk than expected Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON â&#x20AC;&#x201D; If you still have a job in this economy, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re supposed to feel grateful. But stress is what more people tend to feel at work these days, and a new study ďŹ nds that for those who experience such strain on the job, the risk of developing heart disease increases by about 25 percent.

That elevated heart attack risk, however, is less high than has been widely supposed, the authors of the new study wrote Thursday in the journal Neurology. While addressing workplace stress might help improve employeesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; health, they said, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lower-hanging fruit that would yield higher health beneďŹ ts, including an expansion of efforts to get smokers to kick the habit.

Job stress is deďŹ ned by high demands at work and/or a workerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s low level of control over work hours and conditions. A 2007 survey by the American Psychological Association found three-

quarters of Americans listed work as a signiďŹ cant source of stress, and more than half acknowledged that their productivity had suffered as a result of stress.

For employers, workplace stress is no bargain: Job stress is estimated to cost U.S. employers $300 million a year in absenteeism, lost productivity, higher turnover and added medical, legal and insurance fees.

The latest research is not a fresh study but a compilation of existing studies, some published in medical journals, others not. It gathers evidence of the link between job stress and heart disease from studies conducted in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Britain. Some published studies have assessed the increased cardiovascular toll of stress on the job at 40 percent.

But when unpublished studies were taken into consideration, the contribution of job stress to cardiovascular risk started to shrink.

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Former Prairie Construction location along Highway 218. Great visibility and convenient location. Site offers 3.5 acres and mu!tiple outbuildings, including a 3,619 SF office building.

Plenty of storage for machinery and equipment.

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Matt Miehe 269-6222

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5+ private offices, large reception area, conference room, off-street parking. Good signage opportunity. Very reasonable lease terms. Call for more information.

Bob Claassen 230-1931

320 LaPorte Rd., Waterloo 7616 of climate-controlled industrial Warehouse space @ $250/ sq. ft in excellent condition incl. 736’ of semi-finished office space w/ separate side entry. if needed approx 1578’ could easily be used for retail w/ existing attractive brick front entry.

Located just 2 blks from Hwy 218. Dock + 8x8 powered OH door. Suspended ceiling, well insulated 3 GFA furnaces/CA. (2) 1/2 baths Vacant & ready for occupancy.Tax/ Ins/CAM = $1.63/ sq. ft. Owner may consider Split for qualified tenant.

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PAGE 30

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CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

cvbusinessmonthly.com

OCTOBER 2012

Tough economy makes getting a loan to open a franchise harder NEW YORK (AP) — When Rick Kimsey decided to start a business, a franchise seemed like the best way to go.

Buying a franchise — in his case, a Doctors Express urgent care facility — meant he didn’t have to start from square one. The business came with a concept and a service to sell. Urgent care centers treat a range of common nonlife threatening medical conditions such as colds, sprains, bro-

ken bones, rashes and stomach ailments — usually without an appointment. For many people, the facilities are more appealing and less expensive than a trip to the emergency room. Kimsey just needed to get the franchise up and running, and then operate it. It didn’t even matter that he had no medical training.

But what sounded like a great plan wasn’t so easy. Financing for the business was nearly impos-

sible to get in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Kimsey was dealt his first blow when his bank froze his home equity line of credit. Then six banks turned him down for a loan.

“The rug was pulled out from under me,” Kimsey says. It took more than a year before he was finally able to close the deal.

The tough economy has made the prospect of operating a fran-

chise attractive to the unemployed, to workers who don’t want to wait to get knocked off the corporate ladder and to others

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FRANCHISES From page 30 looking for a new way to generate income. But first-time franchise buyers are finding it’s harder than they expected to cobble together the money needed to get their businesses off the ground. Lenders are rejecting them because of their inexperience or because the franchises they’re buying are relatively young and not as wellknown as established brands such as McDonald’s and Jiffy Lube.

Kimsey was attracted to Doctors Express because health care is one of the fastest growing franchise segments. He had spent nearly 20 years in the wireless telephone industry. He decided to leave that business because the mega-mergers in wireless meant it was getting harder to find investors for new ventures.

He had enough of his own money saved for a $55,000 payment, known as the franchise fee, to the parent company. And he won approval to open the franchise in Sarasota, Fla. He needed $1.2 million to cover between $250,000 and $300,000 in construction costs, $150,000 for equipment and the remainder for working capital.

But while the banks liked his business plan, none was willing to take a chance on a fairly new franchise concept.

Eventually Kimsey did get a $575,000 Small Business Administration-guaranteed loan from a bank in Utah. He tapped into his savings and about $500,000 from his 401(k) — the entire account — for the rest of the money.

Franchises have suffered along with other small businesses in the last five years. The number of franchises in the U.S. — for example, an individual McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts shop or Days Inn — fell by 37,790, or nearly 5 percent, between 2008 and 2011, according to the International Franchise Association. The trade group estimates the number of franchises will rise this year for the first time since 2008, gaining 1.7 percent to 748,680. But that’s still more than 3 percent below 2008’s 774,016.

The number of franchises

cvbusinessmonthly.com

CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

dropped as the recession made many people were wary about starting a business and because thousands of franchises closed, among them auto dealerships and real estate brokerages. Highend restaurant franchises were also hit hard — the restaurants in the Steak & Ale chain were among the franchises that shut down.

Now lenders are asking more questions about the brand.

PAGE 31

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In addition, to help work towards the financial goals of you and your business, the professionals in The Private Client Group of U.S. Bank are here to share their knowledge and advice on private banking, financial planning, personal trust and investment management.

Stop in or call today to let any of us serve you.

Julie Heidt Group/Individual Health Insurance Agent

The Sinnott Agency Inc. www.sinnottagency.com 622 West 4th St., Waterloo, IA 50704

319-233-6103

VICKI ANGOVE Managing Director Senior Vice President 319.235.3282

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RUSSELL CURTIS Vice President Relationship Manager 319.235.3237

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Private Client Group 425 Cedar Street Waterloo, IA 50701

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