Progress - 2011 by Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

BUILDING SOMETHING GREATER | PROGRESS EDITION 2011

COMMITTED TO BUILDING A STRONG

AND GROWING

COMMUNITY

EVOLVING EDUCATION New leadership program creates win-win for area students

NEW GROWTH Neighborhood business and housing districts are flourishing

MOMENTUM New products and services keep the Cedar Valley on the fast track of technology

Waterloo | www.WCFCourier.com | Cedar Falls

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Business. Careers. Families. Whatever you’re building, it’s GREATER in The Cedar Valley of Iowa.

10 West 4th Street, Suite 310, Waterloo ......... 319-232-1156 10 Main Street, Cedar Falls .............................. 319-266-3593

www.CedarValleyAlliance.com

www.GreaterCedarValleyChamber.com

Cedar Valley weathered Great Recession well By JIM OFFNER

jim.offner@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — Even during the depths of the economic downturn that began in 2008, many indicators in the Cedar Valley hovered around levels business leaders consider normal. Unemployment rates were in the low 6 percent range through much of 2010 — well below national levels. Housing sales have trended upward, according to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Board of Realtors. In general, the region’s business sector proved comparatively resilient, said Steve Dust, CEO of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance. “It appears to me, from the anecdotal responses I get, that the Cedar Valley economy has survived this downturn very, very well, particularly in the service and manufacturing sectors,” he said. “The demand for product has been increasing. We’re hearing more that the service sector, particularly on the technology and creative sides, that they’re looking for highly skilled people to meet the increased demand that’s in the marketplace,” Dust added. He pointed to Deere & Co.’s investment to modernize its foundry, noting Deere’s employment and that of its suppliers have stabilized and, in some cases, increased. Other sectors weathered the tempest as well, according to Dust. “National retailers have made investments, and we hope our local retailers are feeling similar strength,” Dust said. He speculates personal services and entertainment venues locally took the biggest hit from the recession.

Banking

The banking sector remained strong in spite of scares about tighter credit, bailouts and bank failures across the country, according to Wade Itzen, president of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Marketing for BankIowa. “I think the local banking com2011 PROGRESS EDITION

TIFFANY RUSHING / Courier Staff Photographer

Darrell Starling machines a slot into a block of steel at Schoitz Engineering in Waterloo.

munity, fortunately, has been able to remain very healthy in spite of the recession,” he said. That should come as no surprise, Itzen added. “I think part of it is just our conservative banking practices in the Upper Midwest and particularly in Iowa. If you look at bank failures across the country, there were almost 200 and only one in Iowa,” Itzen said. “ .... It was one of our best years ever.” The trend should continue through 2011, said Itzen, who is cautiously optimistic. “I don’t think the problems have gone away by any means, but we’re seeing some gradual improvements out there,” Itzen said. The retail sector weathered the recession acceptably well, said Gary Ogzewalla, general manager at Crossroads Center. “I think things have started to

improve and, using the mall as an example, we saw some very encouraging results in the past holiday season, which are reflected nationwide,” he said. “That tells me people are gaining a degree of confidence,” Ogzewalla said. “ Year-on-year sales at the mall increased every month in 2010. “No. 1, it says a lot about our local economy,” he said. “I see the Cedar Valley has broadened its base so that when some downturns come there is a way to fall back, and when the ripples come they’re ripples and not great waves.”

Manufacturing

Ed Jensen, CEO at Schoitz Engineering, said his company actually managed to grow during the downturn, though he is well aware the recession wasn’t as kind to others. “From where I sit, some days, it’s a

tough business to be in, but it’s been good for Schoitz,” he said. “Last year, we probably had a record volume year.” The company increased its work force by 10 percent, reaching 50, Jensen added, and expanded its roster of designers in the last two years from seven to 14. Schoitz’s customer base in the agricultural, industrial and appliance industries is “doing well” through the downturn, and Jensen anticipates similar results in 2011. “It looks like it’s going to be a great year again,” he said. ConAgra is based in Omaha, Neb., but employs 144 workers at its Waterloo plant. The company has had a “challenging” first half of fiscal 2011, which began in June, spokesman Dave Jackson said. ConAgra specializes in a variety of prepared foods and turns out Snack Pack puddings locally. “That’s a strong brand coming out of Waterloo,” Jackson said. “We feel we have a portfolio of brands that’s well suited to the current economic climate. We offer value for the money and Snack Pack is one of those brands. Our plant is busy.” At Wayne Engineering in Cedar Falls, which employs about 100 workers, the company is marking its 50th anniversary. CEO Kevin Watje said Wayne had its struggles during the recession. “Our last fiscal year was challenging, pretty rugged, but we normally have backlogs of six to seven months,” Watje said. His company manufactures street cleaning equipment and automated trash collection trucks. “We got down to about a six-week backlog in the last fiscal year, but we’re back up to five months. It’s to the levels it should be,” Watje said. Sales have not yet reached levels before the downturn, though. “We’re kind of in a hangover because tax collections are behind, but as they improve over the next 1-3 years, we should see it come up to the levels it should be,” Watje said.

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The economics of teaching

Researcher studies effect of student volunteers, grants on Cedar Valley

By EMILY CHRISTENSEN

RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer

emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com

CEDAR FALLS — The numbers have yet to be tallied but at least one local researcher is absolutely certain the University of Northern Iowa’s teacher education program is having a positive financial impact on the Cedar Valley and the state. Sam Lankford, a UNI professor and director of the Sustainable Tourism and Environment Program, said his study will examine the hours students are engaged in the community and value that based on what is done in the nonprofit sector. The study will also take into consideration the grants these students have helped secure. “We have the number of students, the hours they worked per week and how many schools

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ahead of time,” he said. “I really believe in Northeast Iowa you saw the softening of the economy a good year or two before you saw it nationally.” Patient services — including rehabilitation programs, in-patient pharmacy services and the cancer treatment center — were strengthened at Covenant and across Wheaton Franciscan’s network, Hyers said. Perhaps the biggest event in the local medical community is the annual Heartland Conference. The 10th edition will take place in June at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo. Van Miller, CEO of the VGM Group in Waterloo, bought and moved the event from Lawrence, Kan. The conference will bring more than 1,000 representatives and their products from the medical equipment industry to the Cedar Valley. Mike Mallaro, chief financial officer for VGM, said downtown is a draw for participants.F

The Cedar Valley’s major providers — Allen Hospital and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare — are working to meet changes mandated by the federal health care system signed into law last year. Meanwhile, both report advances in technology and patient services. “We’re finding people are coming from out of the area to have procedures,” said John Knox, Allen’s CEO since September. The hospital is “on target” with budget projections, he added. “The other area we’re seeing growth in is wound management, and there is new business because of that,” Knox said. Allen works to minimize consumers’ costs while maintaining better treatment technologies. Chris Hyers, spokesman for Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, said the recession’s effects have been “consistent” over the last few years. “We didn’t see the big spike, but part of that was policies we did

Health care

Megan Butler, a recent University of Northern Iowa graduate, works with her class at Walter Cunningham School for Excellence. Butler student taught at the school and opted to stay in the Cedar Valley after graduating in December.

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2011 PROGRESS EDITION

were impacted, but it’s too early to know any exact numbers just yet,” Lankford said. “The only thing I can say is that this will definitely be a positive just looking at the number of hours students are volunteering on boards and the activities they are involved with beyond teaching.” Dwight Watson, dean of the College of Education, already is well-versed on the other ways the department’s preservice teachers are affecting their communities and the state. He knows that in 135 years the school has produced more than 17,000 educators and more than 12,000 teach in Iowa. Each year, the school graduates about 500 new teachers. In the last six years, these students have brought in $45 million in contracts and grants from outside agencies. But he wants to know more. And he believes the school can do more. “We are concerned about Iowa’s brain drain and the population shift,” he said. “We lost a representative based on the 2010 census count. One of the thoughts is that teachers have a tendency to be steadfast, and we want to make sure that our teachers are well-prepared to go back into the communities from which they came to replace the generation of teachers who are retiring. This is just one way to assure the viability and continuation of Iowans and the teaching population.” Megan Butler, a Washington, Iowa, native and recent UNI graduate, didn’t return to her hometown after commencement, but she is making a new home here in the Cedar Valley. After two student teaching positions in Waterloo she applied for a full-time position in the district. On Dec. 17 she was offered a contract at Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence. She graduated the next day. “My husband works at John Deere, and this is halfway between both of our hometowns,” she said. “I really like the Cedar Valley and after visiting a few of the schools it just started to feel like home.’’ Before graduation each pre-ser-

‘‘This is just one way to assure the viability and continuation of Iowans and the teaching population.” Dwight Watson

dean of the UNI College of Education

vice teacher must complete a 16week student teaching stint in one of their top three location preferences. Diana Briggs, the interim director of the Office of Student Field Experiences, said most students choose to go back near their hometown or in one of the state’s three larger metropolitan areas — the Cedar Valley, Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. Briggs said many students end up in the community where they student teach, in part because the administrators in those districts feel comfortable offering a position to someone they have seen in action. “They are a known commodity,” Briggs said. The students are often a commodity in the community as well, Watson said. UNI teacher education students are encouraged to get involved in the community where they teach, either by volunteering with local social organizations or sitting on local boards. J.P. Deckert, a recent UNI graduate, may not be staying in Iowa for his first teaching job, but he left his mark on the Cedar Valley while he was in school. He volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters. He worked with the Special Olympics. And he helped organize a charity costume golf tournament that most recently raised about $5,500 for new playground equipment at River Hills. And someday the Dewitt native hopes to return to his home state and put down some roots. “Cedar Falls has been a great home for seven years and I hope to get back here or to the Quad Cities, I think, but for the time being, I need to get out and gather some new experiences,” he said. F

I am building the Cedar Valley Each year, the University of Northern Iowa contributes to the quality of life in the Cedar Valley. This year: ■ There are 15,170 alumni making this their home ■ Business and Community Services worked with

2,065 clients ■ More than 2,000 alumni educators are shaping

the future ■ Two sold-out crowds heard the Dalai Lama’s

messages on the power of education ■ Nearly 70,000 guests attended performances at

the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center ■ More than 2,800 current students come from

the Cedar Valley ■ The university was named to the President’s

Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for its commitment to community service ■ UNI employs more than 1,800 faculty and staff

and 4,000 students ■ Approximately 435,000 guests enjoyed athletic

and non-athletic events in the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center ■ Nearly 200 adults took part in lifelong learning

courses ■ UNI earned a gold rating from the Sustainability

Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS), the highest rating for any school in Iowa

Learn more at www.uni.edu WO-042911109

2011 PROGRESS EDITION

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New leadership program is win-win By EMILY CHRISTENSEN

emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — Tyran Collins’ voice could barely be heard in the quiet gym. “Who knows what win-win means?” the fifth-grader asked his schoolmates. When no one volunteered an answer, teacher Shayla Stevenson urged the other children along with suggestions. Soon, the young students were eagerly offering up examples. For the next 15 minutes Collins, whose voice grew stronger as the lesson progressed, walked the multi-age students through a series of skits to determine which showed students acting with a win-win attitude. “It’s cool to get up and help out,” said Collins, who admits he hasn’t always been a leader. Then, his teacher introduced him to the Leader in Me program. “I thought they were just stupid words, but really they are encouraging words.” The Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence is the first Waterloo school to introduce the program based on Stephen Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” The program, which is integrated into a school’s curriculum, “helps develop the essential life skills and characteristics students need in order to thrive in the 21st century,” according to theleaderinme.org. It is also being implemented at North Cedar Elementary in Cedar Falls. Other Waterloo and Cedar Falls schools, as well as some parochial schools and the University of Northern Iowa’s Malcolm Price Laboratory School, are expected to implement the program in the coming years. “It’s really exciting. I think we have the opportunity in the Cedar Valley to do something very special. We are bringing every school in the Cedar Valley up on the Leader in Me,” said Tom Penaluna, president of the CBE Group. The business has helped fund Leader in Me training and materials. “I am a big supporter of the educational system, but I think the

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RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer

Amy LaDue, an elementary school principal from Owatonna, Minn., talks to Malachi Mabry, a North Cedar Elementary School third-grader. LaDue was one of several Owatonna teachers and administrators who visited North Cedar recently to see how the school implemented the Leader in Me program.

one place we are weak is in helping kids get the tools they need to become leaders. We have an opportunity with this program to put those tools in children’s hands in the Cedar Valley.”

Progress at North Cedar

The Cedar Falls elementary school is on the fast-track to becoming one of only seven Leader in Me Lighthouse Schools in the nation. These schools serve as models for other districts implementing or considering the program. Principal Jennifer Hartman believes the school can complete the process by the end of the next school year. This fall students were chosen for the school’s leadership team, which gives kids the opportunity to take leading roles inside and outside the school walls. Students are keeping data notebooks where they can write down and track their personal goals. Words like “proactive” and “think win-win” are used by teachers, staff and students. Hartman has seen shy students come out of their shells and more students treating their classmates and adults with respect since the program was started last year. Even the students are seeing a difference.

“I thought the teachers were speaking a different language,” said Anthony Chiattello, a fifth-grader. “But, now we do the seven habits every day. We don’t even think about it.” Classmate Maddie Schmidt said the tasks can be as simple as doing your homework as soon as you get home or remembering to bring your planner to school everyday. Other times, the students have found themselves having to be leaders among their friends. “I was at the mall with my friends and they wanted to play hide and seek. I said no because we could get in trouble or even get kicked out,” Schmidt said. Hartman said the hardest part of implementation is waiting. “We believe in this and want to do everything right away, but we know we have to take it step-by-step,” she said.

Cunningham moving along

The Leader in Me program seemed to be a natural fit for Cunningham, said Stacey Shaver, a school counselor. The school had already implemented a positive behavior intervention and STAR Academy program. The Leader in Me filled in the gap. Staff are in the process of choosing a student leadership council, but

many students, like Collins, have already found ways to show their potential during the Leader in Me Family activities, held throughout the week just after the first bell rings. “They like starting their day with this group and it encourages them to get to school on time,” Shaver said. “Even though not all students can rattle off the seven habits, they know how to live it. Even if they don’t say they are putting first things first, they are showing it.” Though it’s too early to know for sure, anecdotally Shaver said some students who may have made bad choices in the past are already making better choices, and she believes it’s because of the Leader in Me.

Outside praise Bob Justis, president of the Greater Cedar Valley Chamber, can feel the excitement when he walks into North Cedar and Cunningham. “You see the signs and the posters the kids created. You see the excitement in the faculty, and it really doesn’t take long for the kids to get on board. That’s refreshing,” he said. “And what I haven’t seen, I’ve heard anecdotally from teachers, in terms of changes in performance in the classroom and student confidence. These kids are developing self-confidence and displaying it in school.” Last year representatives from St. Columbkille School in Dubuque visited North Cedar to learn more about the Leader in Me. Principal Barb Roling said they could feel the pride the students’ took in their school from the moment the kids greeted them at the front door. That sense of pride continued throughout the day as students shared their data notebooks and talked about how their school had changed. “They were really listening to these habits and instilling them in their school work, sports and their home life,” she said. “It was great to see this in action and know that it was doable. I couldn’t believe how fast they had done it. My teachers got really practical ideas and were very impressed.” F 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

TechWorks brings virtual reality to schools By ANDREW WIND

andrew.wind@wcfcourier.com

WAVERLY — Tyler Osborn pulls on a welding mask, picks up a tool and squeezes the trigger. A flame shoots out of its nozzle as the Waverly-Shell Rock High School senior begins welding a T-joint. A popping sound like static can be heard as the flame hits the metal, melting together the two surfaces. But Osborn isn’t kicking up sparks or generating any heat as he finishes the brief weld. And, all appearances to the contrary, his welding tool did not shoot out a flame or melt anything. The surface wasn’t even metal. He was looking through a pair of virtual reality glasses fit under the welding mask that projected the image around the tool and surface he pointed it at. The Lincoln Electric VRTEX 360 virtual reality welding machine also produced the sounds that accompany welding. Others in the room could see how Osborn was doing on the screen on top of the machine. “It’s a pretty good representation of what welding is,” said Osborn. He and other welding class students were using the machine to complete their final exam earlier this month in a corner of GMT Corp.’s production fabrication facility. Industrial technology teacher Bryan Benham also arranged to use the machine as a way to check students’ progress. The machine provides a more exact measure of performance on a weld than would be possible through a teacher’s visual assessment. “This actually gets a readout of what their score is,” Benham noted. “It’s not subjective.” On top of that, “it gets them in the real world of work.” The Waverly-Shell Rock class is one of the few in the state incorporating virtual reality into its learning process. But with the impetus of Cedar Valley TechWorks, other area schools are poised to make use of the technology in their classrooms. A full room-sized virtual reality system was donated by John Deere 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer

Waverly-Shell Rock High School student Kolton Bohlen takes an exam on the virtual welding equipment at GMT Corp. in Waverly. The student results show on the computerized chart on the screen, and each welding pass is given a percentage score.

to TechWorks, which is pursuing installation funding and plans to make it available to schools. Four table-top virtual reality systems were created by engineers at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids and purchased with $15,150 in grant funding from the R.J. McElroy Trust. Each includes a 60-inch 3-D television, computers and five sets of 3-D glasses. East and West high schools in Waterloo have each received a system, as have Cedar Falls High School and Holmes Junior High. The systems won’t necessarily be used for virtual welding. Cary Darrah, TechWorks’ general manager and vice president, said they could have numerous applications in a variety of subjects. Science and industrial technology teachers are considering uses at some schools. But Darrah said it could even be used to teach math concepts or sentence structure. No matter what the use, everything from figuring out how to operate the systems to finding ways to use them is an opportunity for team building and problem solving. “The range of what can be done with it is pretty big,” said Kenton Swartley, a Cedar Falls High School science teacher. He has been gauging the interest of students in using the equipment

in creating 3-D animation. Swartley noted that an animation competition is always part of the robotics contests a team of students that he advises participates in every year. A student has also expressed interest in using the technology in connection with some graphic design work. After John Deere donated the equipment to TechWorks, Darrah got the ball rolling on smaller virtual reality systems for schools. She heard about what students at East Marshall High School were doing with virtual reality equipment donated by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and visited the classroom. She made the connection with Rockwell Collins engineer Jack Harris, who also heads the statewide network of schools in the Virtual Reality Educational Pathfinders. TechWorks paid for memberships so the Waterloo and Cedar Falls school districts could join the organization, which provides opportunities for students across the state to work together on virtual reality-related projects. Darrah sees her organization’s involvement in the effort as beneficial from an economic development standpoint. The mission of the nonprofit subsidiary of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance is to provide a physical space for new businesses

developing emerging technologies. TechWorks is located in buildings along Westfield Avenue donated by John Deere nearly four years ago. The financial and experiential resources that TechWorks and the Alliance provide can enrich the education available to Cedar Valley students, said Darrah. Helping to get virtual reality technology into the schools is “a very appropriate way to extend TechWorks resources” to the community. “The Alliance as an organization has realized for a long time how important it is to interact and connect with the educational community,” she noted. In Waverly, GMT Corp. understands the value of those connections, too. The company bought its virtual reality equipment to provide ongoing training for employees and keep their skills up to date with competitors, said weld engineer Paul Nelson. But company officials jumped at the chance to bring Waverly-Shell Rock students into the facility to use its equipment. Nelson said GMT has a “vested interest” in helping teacher Bryan Benham provide as many opportunities for students to improve their welding skills. “We’ll see if he can develop any future employees for us,” Nelson said. F "Building Something Greater"

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Center lets HCC expand driver training By ANDREW WIND

andrew.wind@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — Hawkeye Community College’s truck driver training is on the move. The college is building a new transportation programming center southwest of campus. And officials hope to use it to expand the scope of driver training programs offered through Hawkeye. “We wanted to build a (facility) that would become the center for this state, this region,” said Linda Allen, Hawkeye’s president. She noted that the regional transportation training center is one of three “areas of excellence” administrators are focusing on in technical education as they develop a new strategic plan. Strategic planning is also under way for the college’s arts and sciences education. Other technical program focus areas include advanced manufacturing and health education, which is the furthest along. The new 46,400square-foot two-story Health Education and Services Center just opened on the northwest corner of campus. It includes classroom space for programs in physical and occupational therapy assisting and criminal justice. In addition, it has a student health clinic, gym, suspended track and wellness center. The exercise facilities are available for physical education classes as well as general student use. Allen said the college is positioned to become a regional leader in health education with the new center. Officials hope to follow a similar model with development of the transportation training center. To do that, they are building on the success of the college’s truck driver training program, headed by instructor Marty Kroenecke. “He took a good truck driving center and expanded it to a great truck driving center,” said Allen. The program “had really literally outgrown what we could provide on the main campus.” Initially, the college found a place to operate the program in lots near Crossroads Center shopping mall.

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BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

Ravello Manzinillo, seated at right, with fellow student Shawn Healey looking on, begins a driving scenario in one of the truck driving simulators used for truck driver training at Hawkeye Community College.

When that space became unavailable, it moved to the parking lot at the former greyhound racing track near U.S. Highways 20 and 63. The board of trustees in August approved plans for Peterson Contractors Inc. of Reinbeck to build the center on 22 acres of Hawkeye Foundation farmland along Hammond Avenue just north of the Black Hawk County landfill. The $1.38 million first phase includes a 600-by-300-foot concrete slab, a connecting road to Hammond and a storm water detention basin. The $760,962 second phase includes 26-foot-wide perimeter roads and a student parking area. Work was partially completed this fall before winter and is continuing. “We met with lots of different constituents both for input and as sounding boards,” said Allen. “We wanted to know we were building the right facility.” Kroenecke said the driving course is designed with some inclines, a train crossing, an adjustable height underpass, and a number of right and left turns. He noted that the center will have space and amenities for driver training far beyond trucks. It could also serve the needs of police, firefighters and emergency medical services.

Other planned or proposed training programs would be for drivers of school buses, motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes. Along with the roads and parking areas, the center would include unpaved open areas for some of these uses. A final phase of the center that has not yet come before the board for approval would consist of a classroom building and a semi-tractor parking area. “We’re seeking funding right now for that building and equipment,” said Allen. “We’re kind of in a holding pattern until we identify the funding.” One aspect of the growing program doesn’t require an open parking lot or miles of highway when students get behind the wheel. The college purchased two driving simulators that students began using when classes started in the fall. Those will be located at the center when the building is complete, and more simulators would be purchased. The equipment may also be used for training programs that will be added beyond truck driving. Users sit on a bucket seat in front of a steering wheel, dashboard and stick shift. The simulator’s screen is

designed to look like a truck’s windshield and side windows. Scenarios allow students to experience driving with all kinds of weather, road conditions, terrain and truck variables. Scenarios can even slow down reaction times to reflect drunken driving. After each session, an assessment of the students’ driving is printed out, showing anything they did wrong. Using the simulators saves the cost of fuel as well as wear and tear on the trucks. It also helps students to more quickly master skills like shifting that they would otherwise work on while in the cab of an actual truck. “When we all started, we all hit things,” said Austin Spencer, who was part of the first class to use the simulators. “Simulators are a great way to show if you get on ice how to get out of a skid.” Last month, he finished the 16week truck driving course and earned a Class A commercial driver’s license plus endorsements for driving a school bus and a variety of trucks. Classmate Tammy Cornwell “rolled a truck on a mountain” during one of the simulations. Initially training on the simulator “was a great way to make a mistake the first time,” she said. F 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

Wartburg produces top-notch med students By KRISTIN GUESS

kristin.guess@wcfcourier.com

WAVERLY — Students flock to Wartburg College’s biology department because of what the program offers and what it can lead to. The national average for students getting into a medical school is 46 percent. Wartburg’s is double that — 92 percent. Its graduates also have one of the highest acceptance rates among those who apply to the University of Iowa College of Medicine. Historically, every Wartburg graduate who applied got into a dentistry, optometry, podiatry, occupational therapy, nursing, medical technology and chiropractic medicine program. “The acceptance rate is absolutely fantastic,” said Ann Henninger, a biology professor and department chair. Biology students, the largest major of Wartburg’s 2010-11 enrollment, are apparently well-prepared

for a wide array of careers, varying from the health professions to research to biotechnology. “Wartburg’s mission is to challenge and nurture students, and that’s what we do,” Henninger said.

Ready for success

Wartburg has a long list of national and regional recognition. The college was one out of about 200 U.S. colleges and universities offering outstanding undergraduate programs in the sciences and mathematics listed in a recent edition of Peterson’s Top Colleges for Science. Hyerim Stuhr, a senior biochemistry major from Eagle River, Alaska, chose Wartburg because of the school’s reputation. “It was recommended to me by a family in Germany, and I wanted to explore the Midwest region,” she said. Kylie Ebner, a senior in the biology program from Gillette, Wyo.,

RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer

Wartburg College biology students Kylie Ebner, left, and Hyerim Stuhr observe fungi under a microscope during a microbiology class.

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chose Wartburg because she loved the biology and athletic programs. Stuhr and Ebner both intend to continue on to medical school. Wartburg professors have several ways they ensure their students are not only ready, but successful in medical school. “We work from the time they enter the door, from the time they send in their application,” said David McClung, a biology professor and premed adviser. On- and off-campus research in biology, hands-on projects, independent research and a small-college environment are just some of the reasons Wartburg’s biology department is so successful. “Relative to big schools, our students tend to get a wider array of experience that the med schools seem to find relevant,” associate professor of biology Edward Westen said. Most students seeking medical school are working as certified nursing assistants at hospitals during their undergraduate years. Students often participate in service trips in the U.S. and around the world where they work with patients during a critical time in their lives, which provides “good experience for being a doctor,” Westen said. Students seeking entry into medical school or other health careers are required to take the Medical College Admission Test. In order to heighten preparation, Westen instituted an MCAT review course in 2003. “We couldn’t just rest on a stronger reputation anymore,” he said. Medical school has become more competitive, particularly at the University of Iowa, when the medical program began accepting students from all around the country and around the world, according to Westen. Schools in Iowa began putting more emphasis on the MCAT to differentiate curriculums from different institutions. The course at Wartburg assists students in obtaining letters of references, reviewing different sciences, writing and test-taking practice and other 10

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“Relative to big schools, our students tend to get a wider array of experience that the med schools seem to find relevant.” Dr. Edward Westen associate professor of biology

necessary preparations for medical school entry. “It gives students a good clue of how well they are going to perform,” McClung said. Gross anatomy, a class typically required for doctoral health professions, uses dissection as one of the most common methods of study. Wartburg opened a cadaver lab for courses in anatomy and physiology courses, taught by Westen, in the Wartburg Science Center in 2005. Students who have previously taken the course are chosen to be in charge of dissecting and working with current students. There is only one cadaver and anywhere from 50 to 80 students taking the class per year. “There is more to the program. … It’s getting good grades,” said Roy Ventullo, director of undergraduate research and microbiology lab professor. Med school students receive an honor ranking for a class instead of an A, and a pass ranking for a B. Around 11 percent of students typically honor a class. For the past five years in a row, a Wartburg graduate has honored gross anatomy in med school. “To honor the class is saying something, something we are pretty pleased about,” Westen said. Last year five students attended the University of Iowa, receiving a total of about 18 honors in their first year of med school. Advising also is an integral part of the curriculum. Advisers at Wartburg take an honest approach to prepare students for medical school, according to McClung.

RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer

Roy Ventullo discusses mold and fungi during his microbiology class at Wartburg College in Waverly.

“Every year advisers check where they need to be. It helps students have a realistic view of their odds of getting in,” he said. Each student is assigned an adviser who is an expert in his or her particular area of study. A new adviser is assigned if the student changes careers. Advisers help build schedules for students and

obtain educational experiences outside the classroom. Wartburg offers an environment to prepare students for what is coming next. Preparation in general biology creates competitive students for medical school and problem-based learning in the lab sharpens critical thinking skills, according to McClung. “We work hard so they aren’t wondering what to do when they graduate,” McClung said. “We really don’t want the student to get to their senior year and wonder “What am I going to do? I didn’t get into medical school.” I think that’s where a lot of other places fall down on the job.” Students are fully equipped with classroom experience and handson work by the time they leave Wartburg. “We’re really proud of the program we have and the people that go on. We continue to get such positive feedback that we know we’re doing the right thing,” Henninger said. F

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2011 PROGRESS EDITION

Venues draw national, local crowd-pleasers By AMIE STEFFEN

amie.steffen@wcfcourier.com

CEDAR FALLS — If you’re looking for live music, you really don’t have to look a lot further than the Cedar Valley. Every weekend, local and regional acts compete for time at one of the several venues in Waterloo and Cedar Falls, and every couple of weeks they’re battling against national acts as well. In February, for instance, McElroy Auditorium in Waterloo welcomed host hip-hop superstar Nelly, while the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls featured country sensation Miranda Lambert. And goofball national comedian Tom Green entertained audiences at Joker’s in Cedar Falls. Last month featured comedian and movie star Pauly Shore, rock band Buckcherry and Christian artist TobyMac. No matter what you’re into, organizers and venue operators say

you’re likely to find it without having to drive for hours. And that’s a welcome change. “Right now, we’re definitely seeing a better upward trend for 2011,” said Jennifer Bloker, marketing and special event coordinator for McElroy. In the past, McElroy was hurt by the economy and because it was contractually obligated to work only with one promoter, said Bloker. Now, things have changed. “There’s more bookings, more interest, people are spending money, promoters are less scared about booking events,” she said. At the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center in Cedar Falls, booking first-run Broadway shows and attracting big-name artists and concerts is the name of the game. And while executive director Steve Carignan can’t say yet who he’s signed up for next season, which starts in the fall, he’s excited about the lineup.

RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer

Steve Carignan, assistant vice president and executive director of the GallagherBluedorn Performing Arts Center, Cedar Falls, says “success breeds success” as far as entertainment in the Cedar Valley.

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2011 PROGRESS EDITION

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"Building Something Greater"

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Commercial property values remain strong

buildings from which to choose. The floods and tornados of 2008 and a down economy have been linked to more families renting rather than buying, he added. Nine 12plex buildings have been added as part of a tax credit project near Target in Waterloo. “There’s very little vacancy in apartments,” Sulentic said. Miehe said the increase in the retail sector indicates a rebound nationally. The coming of Dick’s Sporting Goods, which opened in the Crossroads area last fall, had been in the works for about four years as company officials went back and forth. Now, Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts and craft store is relocating into adjacent space. But Jo-Ann’s moving is good and

bad, Miehe said. Another empty storefront in the former Kmart shopping center leaves a problem for someone else. “Their rents will go up significantly in their new spot, but they recognize that their revenues are going to exponentially go up as well,” he said. “There’s a lot of synergy on Flammang (Drive) in that corridor.” Cedar Falls is trying to recreate that power center with the development at Viking Road and Iowa Highway 58. Blain’s Farm & Fleet, Walmart and Target will soon be joined by Scheels, which has announced plans to merge its current stores in Waterloo and Cedar Falls to a new free-standing building at Viking Plaza. However, that doesn’t mean Cross-

roads is going away, Miehe said. The south Waterloo market is anchored by U.S. Highways 218 and 20, as well as Covenant Medical Center, Hawkeye Community College and John Deere. According to Miehe, the hospital brings 385,000 people into Black Hawk County annually. Sulentic said developments along San Marnan, including the relocation of Kimball & Beecher Family Dentistry’s new office, will add to Tower Park. The University of Northern Iowa and the industrial park are motors driving new rooftops in Cedar Falls. The Cedar Valley offers affordable rents and as much market punch as Des Moines, Cedar Rapids or Iowa City. Plus, the area doesn’t share a market, as Iowa City and Coralville, Miehe noted. Waterloo got the first Dillards and Home Depot in the state. “I think the attitude of the people in business is good,” Miehe said. “Typical Midwesterners — they’re optimistic, but they’re guarded.” Moves are being made also in downtown Waterloo, a proven hub for new restaurants after already being the county center with the courthouse and jail. Cedar Falls complements its neighbor by attracting college students and out of towners. Nearly all of its Main Street storefronts are full. F

tours. “Hopefully, in my time here, we can start off strong with these two concerts,” Seoldo said. “You put on a good show, word starts spreading — ‘Hey, McLeod Center can do a good concert.’” When it comes to local and regional bands, local bars have mixed feelings on the live music scene. Cody Winther, co-owner of Spicoli’s in Waterloo, and Marcus Kjeldsen, owner of The Hub in Cedar Falls, both lamented the rise of the cover or tribute band to the detriment of songwriters — though they admitted bands that trade on Johnny Cash, Sublime or REO Speedwagon

do draw large crowds. “Certainly there’s plenty of original, good music out there,” Winther said. “But from my standpoint, (there’s) not that many bands that come out now that I’m really pumped about.” Kjeldsen noted a lot of original music was coming out of the University of Northern Iowa’s music department, well-known bands like Bob Dorr and the Blue Band were still out there and groups from the Twin Cities and elsewhere regularly descend upon the Cedar Valley. “Big things are on the horizon for entertainers like Heatbox, Down Lo and Roster McCabe,” Kjeldsen wrote in an e-mail. “Those would be the

three original bands to watch for in 2011 when it comes to music outside the area. I would throw the Iowa City-based Uniphonics into that category as well.” Jameson’s is one of a growing number of live music establishments in downtown Waterloo that offers live, local music without a cover. And while general manager Shaylin Marti said that makes it tough to get steady crowds on the weekends, she’s never at a loss for booking bands. “There’s so many good, talented musicians in this area. ... To get a new one, I kind of have to bump one of the old ones,” she said. F

By TINA HINZ

tina.hinz@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — Commercial real estate remains solid as the Cedar Valley continues to be sheltered from national trends. The area has seen its share of residential property foreclosures, but very few on the commercial side, said Jim Sulentic of Sulentic-Fischels Commercial Group. The past couple of years “have been fantastic,” said Sulentic, who purchased the company three years ago. Interest rates have been at historic lows. Iowa Realty Commercial saw a 20 percent improvement over 2009, according to Fred Miehe Jr. Using an annual baseline of 50 deals, retail made up slightly more than 40 percent, office transactions 30 percent and industrial 20 percent at Iowa Realty. The other 10 percent was land and bare ground. About half were sales and half leases. “We really had the entire spectrum of real estate covered,” Miehe said. “That’s kind of how the market breaks down, too, so it was well represented.” Multifamily and industrial warehouse space are particularly strong. The area is lacking industrial space, Sulentic said. Recently a Des Moines client needing 20,000 to 30,000 square feet had only a couple of “Success breeds success,” Carignan said. And how did Gallagher-Bluedorn become so successful in just 11 years? “I think we’re brave,” he said. “I think we do diverse presentations. We have lots of audiences. We’re not just playing to one crowd, which you have to do in a smaller market.” McLeod, which saw success with its recent Bob Dylan concert, is looking to get in the game of concerts whenever athletic schedules permit, said Andre Seoldo, who has been assistant athletic director for just a few months but has already booked the TobyMac and Miranda Lambert 12

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"Building Something Greater"

MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor

Fred Meihe Jr.’s real estate firm helped bring Dick’s and Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts to the Crossroads area.

2011 PROGRESS EDITION

Cafe, apartments among downtown highlights By JOHN MOLSEED

john.molseed@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — As new businesses sprouted in downtown Waterloo in 2010, other deep-rooted businesses closed their doors. La Chiquita Mexican grocery store and restaurant, 301 E. Fourth St., closed in September. Bev and Jesus Ayala opened the business as a grocery store in 1994 and expanded the business into a restaurant in 1998. Jane Messingham, president of the Main Street Waterloo board, called the store and restaurant a “catalyst” for downtown redevelopment. Another key business, Classic Kitchen and Bath, 220 E. Fourth St., closed in December. A downtown landmark was revived when Newton’s Paradise Cafe, 128 E. Fourth St., opened in September. “Seeing people waiting for a table, that’s something we want to see downtown,” said Jeff Kurtz, Main Street Waterloo executive director.

RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer

Jon Curtis delivers two lunch orders at Newton’s Paradise Cafe, which opened in 2010 in downtown Waterloo.

“I’m glad I could be a part of this,” said Newton’s owner Blake Landau. The restaurant brought new use to the historic, art deco-style building that formerly housed Newton’s Jewelers. The building was renovated by JSA Development. The upstairs will house two apartments. Those apartments will add to a growing number of residential spac-

es downtown. Renovation work of three new apartments at the Asquith Building, 217 Fourth St., was completed in December. Work on seven apartments in the Repass building at 326-330 E. Fourth St., which also houses Bank Iowa, were recently completed. Kurtz said the living space brings a third essential ingredient vital to a

vibrant downtown — residents. David Deeds, controller for JSA and a member of the Waterloo Main Street board, said the new apartments are filling fast. Kurtz said downtown has an appeal for people who want a taste of urban living. “Waterloo gives you the sense of a city,” he said. “You got the size and scale of the buildings. I think a lot of people are looking for that.” As some of the living space is still a way down the road, so are other developments. A new Thai restaurant will be established by Baujong Wachkit and Wanida Thomas, owners of the former Thai Blessing II Go in Cedar Falls. The location at 624 Sycamore St. is under renovation and will open later this year. A new Western-themed bar and restaurant is under construction at 303 W. Fourth St. For 2011, developers have their sights set on drawing more retail to downtown, Messingham said. F

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WO-042911116

2011 PROGRESS EDITION

"Building Something Greater"

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Downtown housing hitting lofty ambitions By MELODY PARKER

melody.parker@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — Exposed ductwork. Upscale amenities. Industrial chic. The view. More than that, it is the urban lifestyle that appeals to people who are moving into lofts and apartments in newly remodeled and renovated spaces in downtown Waterloo and Cedar Falls. Mary Taylor likes the modern vibe that comes from downtown living. She moved into her loft at the corner of Third and Main streets in Cedar Falls nine years ago. “That was the early years of Cedar Falls’ renaissance, and it was fun to be where it was happening. I could watch it take place outside my window. It’s great to live in a place where you have easy access to all your daily needs — the post office, bank, restaurants, shopping — just by stepping out your front door,” she said. “There’s a kind of Norman Rockwell feeling to the Cedar Falls community, and I think Waterloo is getting to that point, too.” For downtowns to be revitalized and thrive, it takes people living there, said Vern Nelson III, vice president of development for Nelson Properties-Midtown Development. “An upscale, urban lifestyle is something Waterloo, in general, has lacked. That’s changing as more renovations take place. It’s a lifestyle that appeals to young professionals, but there’s also interest from other age groups, including people who want to downsize,” Nelson said. “Even on the retail side, we’re seeing interest from different types of merchants we didn’t see before.” The Nelson group has completed renovations to seven of 10 two-bedroom apartments in the historic Black’s Building, creating open spaces with character-rich tall ceilings, exposed beams and wood floors. On the flip side, the lofts have all the modern amenities, including geothermal heating and cooling.

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BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

The Shimek loft apartment overlooking the Cedar River on the Cedar Falls Parkade is an example of urban living that is sparking interest among residents and newcomers.

Nelson is pleased by interest in the apartments, located on the Park Avenue side of the Sycamore Street building. “People are moving in. Apartments on the second floor have been occupied since June. Three on the mezzanine got occupancy in December,” he said. Three more one-bedroom apartments are expected to be finished by spring 2012. Living downtown “puts you close to entertainment, restaurants, nightlife. The development of commercial spaces draws people downtown, so why not live and work there?” said Kristina Miller, director of marketing and projects for JSA Development Co. JSA recently completed three apartments on the second floor of the former Asquith Jewelers building, 217 W. Fourth St. Worth about $1 million, the renovation includes one upstairs apartment with about 1,200 square feet of space and two other spaces measuring about 600 square feet. A staircase and stained glass windows are among vintage features restored in the building. Seven second- and third-floor lofts and studios in the Repass Building,

626 E. St., were recently completed, Miller said. “And they’re going fast. These are not cookie-cutter spaces — each one has its uniqueness, and we put in granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and polished concrete floor.” Lofts on the second floor of the Haffa building on East Fourth Street, and the third-floor apartments in the Fowler building at East Fourth Street and Lafayette Street, also developed by JAS, are all occupied. Cedar Falls Community Main Street’s Upstairs Downtown has helped showcase the several dozen lofts, apartments and second-floor offices in the Main Street District since 2002. Executive director Marabeth Soneson believes the event fosters excitement about living in a downtown setting. “There are lots of preconceptions or misconceptions about these spaces, and people often are really surprised by what they look like inside. These renters are different, a little older, more established in their careers. It’s much more an executive lifestyle than it was 20 years ago,” she said. Julie and Andy Shimek live in a loft above Vintage Iron, Julie’s home

decor store, on the Cedar Falls’ Parkade. Both Andy, a blacksmith/ artisan and Julie are hands-on types who had dreamed for years about transforming two old apartments into a single, cosmopolitan loft. “Everyone told us to put the bedroom on the back of the space so we wouldn’t hear traffic noises. We wanted an open kitchen and living room, and a view of the river from the living room, not the bedroom, so the bedroom went to the front of the loft,” she said in CV Home & Garden magazine. Renovation of the lower level of Humble Travel and the building housing Scratch bakery encouraged Gregg and Arlene Humble to gut three upstairs apartment and create two lofts. “We were updating the electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, so we decided we might as well do the upstairs, too. We want to make our units attractive to working professionals and executives who want to live downtown and not worry about maintenance like mowing the yard,” said Gregg Humble. Both spaces are energy-efficient and filled with amenities fitting for a downtown lifestyle. F

2011 PROGRESS EDITION

New products have Deere running strong By PAT KINNEY

pat.kinney@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — John Deere’s Waterloo operations definitely will be building something greater in 2011. New products. New construction. New hires. But the same commitment to quality and community that the city’s largest private employer has displayed thoughout its 90-plus years in the Cedar Valley. Not that the company was in a bad spot to begin with here. In fact, the large row-crop tractors manufactured at the company’s Waterloo operations — still the largest tractor-manufacturing operation in the world — contributed mightily to a strong finish for the fiscal year that ended Oct. 31. The company posted record fourth-quarter net income — $457.2 million — reversing a $222.8 million fourth- quarter operating loss a year earlier. Deere

Courtesy photo

John Deere operator Lyle Gibbs uses electronic gauging equipment to perform a quality inspection on an Interim Tier 4 9.0 liter engine at John Deere’s Waterloo operations.

John Deere Waterloo Operations

John Deere Waterloo Operations is a proud part of an American icon founded in 1837. Since 1918, Waterloo, Iowa has been home to the John Deere Waterloo Operations which includes six manufacturing locations, encompasses 2,734 acres of land and �� John Deere is the World’s leading provider of advanced products and services for agriculture and a leading worldwide manufacturer of off-highway diesel engines. 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

JohnDeere.com "Building Something Greater"

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had the second-best earnings year in company history, at nearly $1.87 billion. Fourth-quarter sales of agricultural and turf division equipment — including Waterloo-made tractors — increased 33 percent. Instrumental in that performance was the introduction of the new Waterloo-designed and manufactured 8R series tractors. And Deere will be building even better ones in 2011, said Thad Nevitt, factory manager at Deere’s Waterloo Thad Nevitt operations. factory manager of New and imDeere’s Waterloo proved R series operations tractors were scheduled to hit the market just prior to spring planting, Nevitt said, and the company has high expectations that this year’s crop of big-boy tractors will be even more popular with farmers. “That’s been a very successful product for us,” Nevitt said. “The changes were well received by our customers. And we’ve announced there’ll be a new version of 8R coming out meeting all emissions requirements.” We expect that to be very successful too.” To put those products out, Deere has to put “in” to its facilities. “We’re committed to investing in our factories here in Waterloo, and worldwide too, to make sure we remain competitive,” Nevitt said. It’s done as products are added, and “it also gives you an opportunity to make improvements in your operations, provide higher quality for the customer. That’s what John Deere’s all about. We take those opportunities to improve our business and our product and really develop a great product for our customers.” For decades, Deere’s tractor operations were concentrated at one location on Westfield Avenue, the original location of the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co., which the company purchased in 1918. While Deere’s Waterloo opera16

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courtesy photo

John Deere operator Nathan Sealman installs a timing gear cover on an Interim Tier 4 9.0 liter engine at John Deere’s Waterloo operations.

tions today are spread out over multiple plants throughout the metro area — the Westfield site still being one — “we’re pretty integrated,” Nevitt said. “From foundry to drivetrain to tractor cab, it’s not that far.” The Waterloo operations produces the company’s 7000, 8R — formerly known as 8000 — and 9000 series tractors. Plus the Deere Engine Works produces engines for products companywide. “That’s an important part of the John Deere landscape here in Waterloo — a critical partner,” Nevitt said. “All of us really are on the same team here.” Employment has remained steady over the past year. “We have been hiring,” Nevitt said. “Our numbers can ebb and flow up and down a little bit based on what’s going on at the time or the number of people retiring. We continue to hire to replace people. Overall, we’re pretty stable in terms of our work force and don’t anticipate anything major that will sway it significantly one way over the other. “We’ve hired at least several hundred over the past year” to fill re-

tirements, he added. Additionally, the company, and its employees, through “continuous improvement” teams, are looking at ways to make operations more efficient — which can include bringing work back into the plant that has been outsourced or having that work performed by outside suppliers, including many local ones. Deere is still in the middle of a major, $100 million multiyear improvement to its Waterloo foundry, Nevitt said, along with other improvements throughout the Waterloo operations. That comes on the heels of an estimated $125 million redevelopment of Deere’s drivetrain and tractor manufacturing operations from 2000-07 and another $187 million investment that began in 2008 to increase the manufacturing capacity of the Waterloo Works. That also doesn’t count a $17 million donation of land, buildings and technical assistance by Deere to create the Cedar Valley TechWorks ag product development complex on former Deere property at the Westfield site.

The company remains committed to reinvesting in the Cedar Valley, Nevitt said. The company continues to find enough quality labor locally as well as recruiting qualified individuals to come to the community. The company’s reinvestment in “quality-of-life” community projects attracts and keeps people in the community, preserving and enhancing that labor pool. For example, the John Deere Foundation recently announced it donated $2.5 million to the proposed SportsPlex recreation project in downtown Waterloo. Deere and its union-affiliated work force with United Auto Workers Local 838 teamed up to give more than $1 million to the Cedar Valley United Way for a third year in a row. And the company is committed to establishing a tractor history museum in Waterloo, adjacent to the Cedar Valley TechWorks, anticipated for late this year. Recently retired Deere Waterloo operations general manager Dave Rodger will be instrumental in making that project happen. F 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

Waterloo: (319) 232-0900 Cedar Falls: (319) 277-1091 Waverly: (319) 352-4099

“MAKE IT MIKE, A NAME YOU CAN TRUST!” BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

Nermin Ferkic is the manager of public safety at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo.

Bosnian community thriving

holly.hudson@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — Early last year, the Bosnian community in the Cedar Valley celebrated the 15th anniversary of refugee resettlement in Iowa. Marked with concerts and dance performances, the milestone gave the refugees the chance to show their pride in their heritage as well as revel in the accomplishments made since their arrival. Since the resettlement, which brought more than 3,000 Bosnians to the area, as a group they have accomplished much. With such notables as artist Paco Rosic, of Galleria de Paco fame, and Anesa Kajtazovic, the first Bosnian-born American elected to the Iowa Statehouse, among their ranks, the refugees have a lot to be proud of. The first refugees arrived in the mid-’90s, fleeing the turmoil of a civil war, and were brought in to work at IBP Inc. Since then, many Bosnians have become business owners, pursued higher education and flourished in professional fields varying from medical to academic. While IBP, now Tyson Fresh Meats, attracted a large number of Bosnian workers — at one time, about a third of Tyson’s Waterloo work force was Bosnian — others found ways of using their existing skills to make a living in their new country and add to the local economy. While living in Bosnia, Senad Dizdarevic worked with his father, who is a carpenter. When the war broke out, Dizdarevic fled to Germany and then to the United States with his wife and children. He spoke little English, but found employment in his field at Trost Designs and then at Prairie Cabinet Co. He took classes at Hawkeye Community College to improve his English. In 2003, Dizdarevic opened his own business, Dizdarevic Construction. “Ninety-eight percent of my business is word-ofmouth,” he said. 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

Dizdarevic employs other Bosnians, including his son, who was 7 when he came to America. “Now he is 20,” Dizdarevic said. “He works with me a couple of days a week and goes to school at UNI. He studies accounting.” The refugees have earned a reputation for close families, taking care of their homes and a strong work ethic. Nermin Ferkic is an example of that work ethic and of the progress made by Bosnian refugees in the relatively short amount of time they have been in this country. At age 23, Ferkic came to America after fighting in the war and being shuttled between four refugee camps over two years. On March 6, 1997, he arrived with little money and speaking no English. While many of his fellow refugees were taking entry-level jobs at IBP, Ferkic decided on another route. “I never wanted to be average. I wanted something different,” he said. “I would walk to Covenant every day and ask for a job.” After his persistence won him a job as a custodian, Ferkic began taking classes at HCC. Meanwhile, he taught himself English. Ferkic rode his bike to class every day, worked multiple jobs and earned a degree in police science at HCC. He then went on to the University of Northern Iowa to study criminology. Today, Ferkic has a master’s degree in communications and public relations, is planning to pursue a doctorate in psychology, and works as the manager of public safety at HCC, as well as an adjunct teaching communications. He became a U.S. citizen in 2003. “That was the greatest day of my life,” he said. “I try to tell young people what they can accomplish,” he said. “I always show them my paycheck. If you work hard, you can achieve anything.” F

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WO-042911029

By HOLLY HUDSON

"Building Something Greater"

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TechWorks envisions being regional power By JIM OFFNER jim.offner@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — It may not be apparent from a casual glance at the Cedar Valley TechWorks campus, but the process of molding the region’s agricultural past and its technological future into a vibrant business center is humming along in high gear, although the realities of the national economic downturn have altered its pace somewhat, its leaders say. “We have adjusted, like many businesses, to the path of the economy,” said Cary Darrah, TechWorks general manager. The business of building TechWorks continues. The last year brought its first tenant, as the University of Northern Iowa’s National Ag-Based Lubricants Center moved into “Tech 1,” one of the two sixstory buildings on a 40-acre site that Deere & Co. donated to the project. The addition of NABL is emblematic of TechWorks’ potential role in the region’s economic might, said Terry Johnston, marketing and facilities manager at TechWorks. “As I travel around and talk to people in job-creation roles, they say if you’re going to grow, it has to be technology-focused,” he said. “That’s where the jobs are in the future, and that’s what TechWorks has to offer. We’ve got the building blocks to really put Iowa on the map as it relates to biotechnology and ag-tech development.” The public-private partnership that fuels TechWorks is central to its success, Johnston said. “We need to make sure we engage our local elected officials,” he said. “We need to keep telling them the story and make sure everybody is aware of the many benefits and, of course, focus on agriculture commodity groups. We’re trying to get ag business engaged, along with the bio economy and bio products industries because that’s where we feel we can recruit tenants. We want support from all the other organiza18

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The Cedar Valley TechWorks campus, photographed in summer 2010.

tions.” TechWorks organizers revised their business plan in the last year in deference to certain economic realities, sharpening their focus on opportunities in renewable energy and biotechnology, Darrah said. “When we revised our business plan to adjust to the changes going on globally,” she said. “We recognized in our presentations to legislators that the piece of the TechWorks project that was most exciting for them to get behind was the renewable energy opportunities, and rightfully so. In including renewable energy projects, it (the Legislature) will support what’s going on with biotech and ag businesses, which can be supported by an over-arching energy umbrella.” That’s no real stretch for TechWorks planners, Darrah said. “We won’t be held to part of the market that isn’t appropriate at the moment,” she said. “We’ve always intended on being open to wherever the market will take us with respect to ag biotech and renwable energy.” Through its ability to adjust, Tech-

Works has transcended the biofuels area, which remains a core business, Darrah said. “With the revisions of the business plan, we’re now working with manufacturers in two renewable energy sources that are very interested in TechWorks,” she said. She was referring to solar and wind energy. “We have a have a viable relationship with solar and small wind manufacturers to use those on the campus as a showplace, and people can see how they work,” Darrah said. “It’s a good opportunity to support biotech and ag businesses to provide resources for them to do business better.” Darrah acknowledged that the pace of visible changes on the campus has slowed in the last year or so. However, she also said the Tech 2 building also will be getting plenty of work over the next year or so, as work on Tech 1 proceeds apace. “You don’t notice the tangible improvements like the extension of Commercial Street and cleaning up the site,” she said. “But you

COURTESY PHOTO

can’t ignore the fact that John Deere is making two major investments in their Waterloo facility, with the foundry and the Deere museum. While those aren’t TechWorks, the museum is on the campus and their investment in a location that’s near the project that is on the bubble to bust wide open is exciting.” Deere’s ag-exhibit center has been scheduled to open by next fall, although no firm date has been set. Construction has not yet begun. Dave Rodger, retired director for large tractors at Deere in Waterloo, is managing the project. “This is an exciting time for Waterloo and the Cedar Valley,” Rodger said. He added that the museum, along with other downtown projects like the Riverloop, the proposed SportsPlex, TechWorks and the Waterloo Center for the Arts, “all work together to create an environment for success, investment, and job growth.” “Now is the time to intensify the work to distinctively position the Cedar Valley for the future,” Rodger said. F 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

More banks adopting mobile phone apps By JOSH NELSON

josh.nelson@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — Anymore, it seems the only connection that can be considered hard-wired is the one between mobile phones and their users. Movies, music, email, Facebook — it’s all a click away with a smart phone. No wires, brick, mortar or anything else. Just the cloud. It makes sense, then, that community banks are jumping into that cloud with mobile banking applications. “It’s more just following what the industry is following,” said Susan Evans, chief operating officer at MidwestOne Bank. MidwestOne is considering such a mobile application. The big boys — Citi Bank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and so on — all have advanced mobile applications that mesh with their physical stores and online sites. But several smaller community

MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor

T8 Web Ware in Cedar Falls has been a leader in the development of software for mobile bank websites.

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2011 PROGRESS EDITION

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American Pattern molding a bright future CEDAR FALLS — In 1995, Burk “Skeet” Miehe and Ron Klein founded American Pattern & CNC Works in the Cedar Falls Industrial Park. The described goal at the time was to service production pattern tooling needs demanded by agricultural businesses and other industries. Since then, a time line shows a steady expansion of available technologies and facilities. American Pattern started with a handful of employees in a building covering 5,000 square feet. Today, combined facilities in a number of locations include at least 70,000 square feet of space, and the business keeps about 65 workers busy. Customers read like a who’s who of industry — John Deere, Caterpillar, Toro, Case IH, New Holland, Bobcat and Tenneco. Miehe downplays his role in building American Pattern into a power player. “I’ve been fortunate to have some good contacts,” he says. More to the point is what the company offers, Miehe says: one-stop convenience for companies that don’t have time to fool around. From designing a concept to sculpting patterns to pouring castings, American Pattern’s technicians and workers

Eric Masteller connects a set of molds crafted by workers at American Pattern & CNC Works in Cedar Falls. The company has shown steady growth since it was established in 1995.

can carry a client’s project from start to finish. “They get a finished, painted product fully machined,” says Fred Schulte, a supervisor and manager at American Pattern. Speed and size also matter, Miehe adds. American Pattern likely has more computer numerical controlled machine tools — and probably the largest — of any shop in the Midwest. “We can turn around a prototype casting in a matter of days, and that has really opened doors big time,” he

says. Scott Hahn, a sales representative, works with some of the company’s biggest clients. Over the years, he has seen how manufacturers rely on American Pattern to get from concepts to showrooms. “They use us as a bridge between prototype and product,” Hahn says. “We’ll support them until production suppliers are up and running.” He understands why they are interested in taking research and development concepts to showroom models without delay.

“You’re trying to get to that product as fast as possible,” Hahn says. When demand exceeds the plants’ capacities, Miehe turns to other machine shops and foundries in Northeast Iowa, like Denton Castings in Brandon. “We keep it local,” he says. American Pattern’s arsenal also includes cold-jet cleaning service, which blasts parts with crushed dry ice rather than sand. The ice cleans without damaging metal surfaces. For some applications, the company also can turn to a water jet, which generates 60,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. The force is sufficient to cut through 12 inches of steel. Miehe predicts 2011 will be another successful year. Beyond that, he is optimistic the company is on the right track: A second generation is getting ready to keep the company rolling. Blake Miehe, 22, is a business major, and his sister, Beth, 20, is studying communications. Both work part time for their father and likely will play a larger role in the future. “When they decided to come into the company, that was a big thing,” Miehe says. American Pattern & CNC Works is at 5540 Westminster Drive in Cedar Falls. For sales, call 266-6651. For operations, call 268-2233. F

banks aren’t riding that wave yet. And many are still waiting for their surfboards to be built. One of those board manufacturers — T8 Web Ware in Cedar Falls — has been busy as more and more banks make the jump into the mobile market. “Everything mobile is exploding right now,” said Wade Arnold, T8’s chief executive officer. Arnold said mobile applications like banking are appealing for people because they often find themselves on the go, away from a computer or ATM, to find out how much money is in their accounts. There are more than 230 million mobile phone subscribes nationwide, according to Fiserv Inc., a banking

technology company in Wisconsin. A survey of 3,000 of those subscribers showed that 75 percent were interested in using a mobile service, Fiserv said. T8 works with 230 banks or credit unions around the country, including Bank Iowa in Des Moines and Dubuque Bank and Trust. The company works to bridge the gap between the online and physical operations banking by developing mobile applications. That includes access to accounts and more advanced features like text updates or personalized financial tools to help track spending habits, he said. That personalized aspect is where much of the industry is headed, Ar-

nold said. “Our biggest hurdle will be to keep up with investments from companies like Chase and Wells Fargo,” he said. The increase in interest of mobile banking is pretty evident in the staff at T8. Of the 36 employees at the company, 13 were hired in the last year. The company also is looking to hire more in the near future, he said. When a company looks to add the mobile option, the interest can be driven by a few different factors. One is industry trends. Another is customer requests. Veridian Credit Union had a combination of both when it launched its mobile application in August, said Eric Kinman,

Veridian’s communications manager. Veridian put a lot of thought into mobile, however, before rolling it out. “The industry is changing so fast and we try to be as current as we can without going down paths that don’t develop,” Kinman said. Veridian’s mobile option doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles like the personalized banking, but there could be other services offered in the future. That incudes personto-person fund transfers. At MidwestOne, Evans said they’ll probably make a decision about their mobile operation within the next two months. F

By DENNIS MAGEE

dennis.magee@wcfcourier.com

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DENNIS MAGEE / Courier Regional Editor

2011 PROGRESS EDITION

Generational businesses at heart of community By JON ERICSON

jonathan.ericson@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — The story is as old as storytelling itself. Man embarks on career, has a son and eventually the son takes over and follows in the footsteps of his father. Even hunters and gatherers passed down their skills to their offspring. Through the ages, all sorts of family businesses have been passed on through generations, from blacksmith shops to banks to grocery stores. While today the job prospects are much more diverse, generational businesses still form the backbone of local economies. The Cedar Valley is no exception, as evident in nearly every sector of the economy. To celebrate the tradition, we highlight a few of those businesses today in Progress.

im Mudd Sr. started his Cedar Falls advertising agency in 1981, after he owned a radio station and worked with local auto dealerships. The Mudd Group has grown up through the years, meeting the advertising needs of 3,000 car dealers across the country. Today the company employs 170. Now the company’s founder has passed the primary management of the company on to his family. Jim Jr. serves as chief executive officer, Chris is president of Mudd Direct, and Rob heads up Mudd Hypercasting, which focuses on online efforts.

on Landau has been in the Cedar Valley food business for half of a century. He started out with a College Hill grocery store before going into restaurants. He launched The Other Place on College Hill before selling it to a friend. He opened another couple of places before settling on some of his primary claims to local fame: the Brown Bottle restaurants in Cedar Falls and Waterloo.

2011 PROGRESS EDITION

DAWN J. SAGERT / Courier Staff Photographer

Patrick Moore, left, and Mason Moore stand at Overhead Door, their family owned-and-operated business in Waterloo.

In the 1980s, the two Cedar Valley Brown Bottle locations were sold to his sons, Chuck in Waterloo and Jim in Cedar Falls. Jim and his wife, Jodi, added the Montage restaurant in downtown Cedar Falls. Chuck and his wife still own and operate both the Waterloo Brown Bottle and Doughy Joey’s Peetza Joynt. A third son, David, would later take over restaurants in the Iowa City area. Don Landau said his boys started out doing dishes and put plenty of

time into the restaurants before eventually buying them. “I pretty much started from the bottom and worked my way up,” said Jim Landau. Chuck Landau’s sons have carried on the tradition. Mike Landau has the Doughy Joey’s restaurants in Waterloo and Cedar Falls, while Blake Landau operates Newton’s Paradise Café in Waterloo. Today, the senior Landau operates the Highway 63 Diner in Waterloo and East Bremer

Diner in Waverly. “I was going to retire, but decided I didn’t like that,” he said. “I don’t know what I would do.”

ohn Deery Sr.’s drive to succeed in the automotive business spawned a family business that stretches across generations and across the state. Deery started out with car dealerships in Illinois and Wisconsin before buying a Buick dealership in

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Cedar Falls in the 1960s. His business expanded, and as his sons grew up, they followed him into the business. Dan Deery and John Deery Jr. both operate Cedar Valley car dealerships, and cousin Brad Deery operates another in Maquoketa. The group also owns other dealerships in Iowa City, Burlington and Mount Vernon. The drive and work ethic passed down from John Deery Sr. has led directly to the success of all the Deery ventures, according to Dan. “My dad worked harder than I ever did. My dad put us in the position we’re in,” he said. Now a new crop of Deerys are in the business, with Dan’s son D.J. set to graduate from the University of Northern Iowa in the spring and go to work full time in the business. D.J.’s younger brothers are both in college and work part time at the business. In addition, John Deery’s son, Johnny, works with his dad. Dan Deery knew the car business was for him and he went straight to work. While his sons have worked at the dealership for years, he wanted them to have options. “I really wanted my boys to go to college. Then they could decide for themselves if the car business is right for them,” he said.

oung Plumbing and Heating has been passed down through generations in not only one, but two families. The business can trace its roots back to the 1880s, when the Young Coal Co. sold coal, later branching out to harvest, store and sell ice from the Cedar River. Young Heating Co. was established in 1943 by Bob and Dick H. Young. The business eventually was incorporated in 1968, with employee Arnold Becker joining the Youngs in owning the business. Mark Tink, Becker’s son-in-law, now serves as company president. Before him, Rick Young operated the company, and Rick’s son, Travis, also is in the business. “Transitions have been very smooth,” Tink said. Like most generational businesses, the younger sons at Young learn the business from the ground up, or in this case sometimes even lower. “Typically they start in the trades and they work from the bottom up,” Tink said. “They start off in the ditch or whatever the trade requires.”

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ce Fogdall RV can trace its origins back to 1933 when its namesake started up the Black Hawk Cab company. The business morphed through those years from a cab company to a car dealership. In 1963, Fogdall started selling recreational vehicles out of its longtime location on University Avenue. Current owner Jim Fogdall got into the business in 1970 and eventually moved it to its current, high-profile spot at Iowa Highway 58 and Ridgeway Avenue in Cedar Falls in 2004. Jim’s daughter, Sara Miller, serves as office manager at the dealership.

he automotive business is filled with family history. Rydell Chevrolet first opened its doors in Waterloo in 1984. Jim Rydell learned the business from his father, Leonard Rydell. Leonard had started in the business in the 1940s in Montgomery, Minn. Leonard Rydell would move to Grand Forks, N.D., to operate a Chevrolet dealership there and in years since, the Rydells have had a hand in opening nearly 70 dealerships in 11 states. Jim Rydell now owns dealerships in Waterloo, Center Point and Cedar Rapids, all operating on the no-haggle, Best Price Up Front policy. These days Jim’s daughter, Krissy, and her husband, Matt Kalbur, have been working in the family business since 2006.

t would be nearly impossible to get anywhere without using the fruits of the labor of Peterson Contractors Inc. The Reinbeck company does heavy construction work stretching from Reinbeck to all parts of Iowa and well beyond. Its earth moving formed the base for much of the network of roads we drive on every day. Cordell Peterson started the company in 1964 and was later joined by Gale “Cork” Peterson. The two company leaders are unrelated, each have sons who grew up in the business and remain major components to this day. Cordell Peterson’s boys, Mark and Mike, are joined by Todd Peterson, Cork’s son. “They all worked there in high school and have ever since,” Cork Peterson said.

atrick Moore’s grandfather, Elmo Moore, established the Overhead Door Co. of Waterloo in 1957. The business started out selling windows and overhead doors, but soon

narrowed the focus to just the overhead door aspect. In the early years, it started at 311 W. Mullan Ave., in the basement of Elmo’s father’s coal business. As the business grew, it moved to locations a location on 15th Street and eventually to its current location at 800 Commercial St. By 1985, Elmo Moore retired and turned it over to Patrick. Patrick’s son, Mason, grew up around the business, sweeping up the shop and doing odd jobs around the building. “Everybody starts out working until you learn the trade, until you can do all the aspects yourself,” Patrick Moore said. Such was the case with him and with Mason. By 2000, Mason moved up to vice president and these days he is president of the company as Patrick phases himself out of the business. But even as he runs the company, Mason Moore stays true to his roots. “I still sweep the shop,” he said.

ary Bertch started making cabinets with his brother in 1973. A few years later Gary bought out his brother’s share of the business and Bertch Cabinet Manufacturing was officially born in 1977. Since then, the cabinet company has grown, becoming one of Waterloo’s largest manufacturing employers and adding additional facilities in Jesup and Oelwein. In 2001, Gary and his wife, Becky, opened Lost Island Water Park to the public. Their son, Eric Bertch, now serves as general manager of Lost Island Waterpark.

itham Auto dealerships in the Cedar Valley gave way to the latest generation more than five years ago. At that time, brothers Jason and Jeremy Witham joined with a partner, Tim Godfrey, and bought the business from Dick Witham. Now the team reserves an office for Dick, but the business is wholly owned and run by the new generation. Jason, the general manager, grew up in the business, first playing in the dealership on Saturday when he was young. When he grew up a little, he would mow lawns and wash the cars. “I always envisioned myself being in the car business. I grew up in this environment,” Witham said. Witham said he learned all about the business from his dad and enjoyed several years of working side by side with him before the sale. F

2011 PROGRESS EDITION

Historic Cedar Falls places get makeovers By JON ERICSON

jonathan.ericson@wcfcourier.com

CEDAR FALLS — Even as the downtown Cedar Falls streetscape was still in planning, College Hill supporters wondered, “Why not us?” Soon, College Hill’s version of extreme makeover will be complete, leaving two historic Cedar Falls business districts with a brand-new charm. Former Community Main Street Director Marabeth Soneson thinks merchants on College Hill will feel a big difference with the new look. Rose Lorenz, president of University Book and Supply, said customers struggling to work their way through construction this summer were already starting to share positive comments on the streetscape. The street reconstruction and beautification efforts on College Hill began way back in 2008 and will be completed in coming months. “We’re sure in the long run it will make a big difference,” Lorenz said of the project. Lori Vest of the Henry W. Myrtle Gallery agreed. “It looks absolutely beautiful. We can’t wait until springtime when they get started on the plantings,” Vest said. Work continues on the College Hill streetscape in the spring, as the brick sidewalks will continue to be installed west of University Book and Supply on 23rd Street. After that, further aesthetics will be completed, like flower and tree plantings. “Hopefully as soon as we get decent weather we can get out and get this done,” said city engineer Dave Lipinski. Downtown Cedar Falls has been reaping the benefits since its streetscape was finished in 2004. Soneson frequently hears about the importance of a business district’s appearance in conferences and workshops she attends. It

‘‘It looks absolutely beautiful. We can’t wait until springtime when they get started on the plantings.” Lori Vest

Henry W. Myrtle Gallery

bodes well for the Parkade, where Soneson often hears compliments for the area’s aesthetics. “It makes all the difference in the world,” Soneson said. “How a place looks is so important to its success.” The signature mark of the downtown streetscape is the red bricks used for sidewalks and crosswalks. David Sturch of the city’s planning staff said the bricks have held up well, not often needing repair. Just this summer the bricks were cleaned and sealed, the first regular maintainance to be done on them since the project was completed. But other aspects of the downtown streetscape also add to the atmosphere downtown. For example the lightposts bring a more classic design, avoiding the utilitarian look of regular aluminum poles. And public art pieces incorporated into the project often draw attention, particularly from visitors from outside the community. “We feel very fortunate to have that aspect. It’s not something every downtown has,” Soneson said. While the physical improvements downtown have added pizazz, volunteers ensure the district stays vibrant. Community Main Street changes banners on display up and down the Parkade several times each year. Volunteers combine to spend about 40 hours on each changeover. Keeping trees alive and thriving in a high-traffic area has proven a challenge. F

BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

College Hill has been dressed up as the new streetscape has taken shape. New banners beckon visitors to “Head for the Hill.”

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Neighborhood business districts flourish By JIM OFFNER

jim.offner@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — Many Cedar Valley residents don’t have to go far from home to hear the happy sounds of cash-register beeps and bells. Some neighborhood shopping districts continue to thrive across generations. Others have seen down periods but are climbing back to success levels of yore. “I think all these economic groups are important to the local economy in general,” said Bob Seymour, community services manager for the city of Cedar Falls, which numbers College Hill and Thunder Ridge among some of its successful neighborhood business clusters. “When they’re successful, it seems to have a spinoff effect.” The so-called “big-box” stores and shopping malls are natural — and important — draws to shoppers, but the traditional neighborhood merchants play roles that the bigger businesses can’t. “You need the mom-and-pop specialty stores, where you can get something different you’re not going to find at the mall,” Seymour said.

College Hill

College Hill is a good example, Seymour said. Efforts are under way to help the area adjacent to the University of Northern Iowa campus evolve to meet the needs of residents as well as students. The city views College Hill as a destination point for families, in a variety of retail shops and restaurants, as well as the traditional student-oriented venues. “To be honest, the biggest challenge I see there is getting new investment,” Seymour said. “They’ve been kind of in transition the last couple of years.” The city is working to get College Hill designated as an urban-renewal area, not unlike its work on behalf of the city’s downtown shopping district a couple of decades ago, 24

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Kimbly Baker shops at Hometown Foods in Waterloo earlier this month.

Seymour said. That would put the district in line for grants and incentives that could propel growth. More than $1 million already has been spent on streetscape projects on College Hill. “We can sit here and do nothing, but we see what can happen when you do that: not a whole lot,” he said. A newly formed organization, the College Hill Partnership, is working to build the area, said Darin Beck, CEO of Barmuda Cos., which operates a restaurant/bar in the neighborhood. “There has been a tremendous coming-together of the neighborhood,” Beck said. “It’s working out nicely.”

Thunder Ridge

The Thunder Ridge shopping district, on the northwestern edge of Cedar Falls, is comparatively new, having sprung up in the last 30 years amid a cluster of new housing developments. The Thunder Ridge Plaza now has 24 tenants, “which is more than

we’ve had in years,” said Jim Benda, a broker for Lockard Realty, which leases space to a variety of businesses there. “We’ve done some remodeling along the way,” Benda said. “We’re providing a turnkey space for the tenant, and it’s all-inclusive leasing that covers their utilities, tax contribution, everything. That’s been very popular.” Thunder Ridge has a need for more restaurants and service-oriented businesses. That’s bound to happen, once the economy rebounds, Benda said. “I think the market is still spooked a little bit,” he said. “The bigger companies aren’t expanding yet, and the small ones can’t necessarily afford some of the rents for strip spaces.” But the strip mall and the area surrounding it are healthy, Benda said. “It’s a pretty convenient spot for the neighborhood,” he said.

Kimball Ridge Waterloo also boasts a number of thriving neighborhood business

DAWN J. SAGERT / Courier Staff Photographer

districts. Merchants say accessibility and customer loyalty go hand in hand. Kimball Ridge, clustered around the intersection of Kimball and Ridgeway avenues on Waterloo’s west side, is growing. A new Cabin Coffee business just opened, and the long-established men’s clothing store Palace Clothiers opened there in February. “I think it’s a very positive area, and there’s continued growth in that area,” said Steve Volz, co-owner of Palace Clothiers. “There’s a good mix of merchants. One of the biggest things about retail is that retail follows people. When there are stores in a convenient area and a residential area, there are people that are going to be attracted to go there.” Aram Susong, co-owner of Facets by Susong and a spokesman for the Kimball Ridge Association, agreed the mix of businesses is a key to success. “I think the strength is our diverse business group,” he said. “We’ve got everything from medical to professional businesses to a lot of retail 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

DAWN J. SAGERT / Courier Staff Photographer

and restaurant-type businesses. You can get everything need to get done in a small neighborhood-type setting.”

David Susong, co-owner of Facets by Susong in the Kimball Ridge district, sands down edges before soldering a ring at the jewelry repair and design shop.

Logan Plaza

That assessment also applies to Waterloo’s other neighborhood business districts, such as the Logan Plaza area, said Aric Schroeder, Waterloo city planner. “We’ve been working very diligently to try and get additional development in there,” Schroeder said. “We continue to work with landowners in the area to try and encourage infill development and redevelopment.” The Waterloo City Council has looked to help the area by creating a tax-increment financing district encompassing property on both sides of Logan Avenue from Donald Street north to Ralston Road. Hy-Vee has a new, larger store in the neighborhood, and nearby Allen Hospital has gone through some major renovations. A new Walgreens and a physician’s clinic are just east of the shopping center. The newest project in the neighborhood is a 5,600-square-foot strip mall that Subway restaurant franchisees Kevin Loy and Bob Denny have built on the northwest corner of U.S. 63 and Heath Street, just north of the Logan Avenue Hy-Vee across the street from Logan Plaza. “I guess we’ve been there 18 years in the other location, and it has proved to be a very good store for us and very good area,” he said. “We’re confident it’s going to stay that way and probably get better. We look at the new Hy-Vee store and gas station. There’s new Dollar General and Family Dollar coming in down the road. It’s a very vital part of the town.” The Highway 63 Gateway Community Development Corp. has placed development of the Logan Plaza area at the top of its to-do list. The organization has seen progress, with the construction of a new Subway restaurant among the latest developments, said Morgan Wortham, executive director of the GCDC. “Things have been looking good for us over the past few months,” 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

Wortham said. “I’ve been very optimistic, as far as retail business has been there for activity in that area. I think there’s been some difficult times, but over the last couple of years, we’ve been trying to promote more business, and we’re interested in more activity along that corridor.” Would-be occupants of space around Logan Plaza have come forward to express interest, Wortham said. “We’re going to see more activity with some retailers this coming spring, so we’re seeing interest picking up that we haven’t seen before,” Wortham said. Menard’s owns land in the area and hope runs high that the hardward/home improvement retailer will build soon. “We continue to be in conversations with them,” Wortham said. “We know it’s currently still on hold, but they still own the property and are still committed to building there. The economy is such that they’re not building in any new markets. They’re not singling us out.”

Ninth and Mitchell

Hometown Foods serves as an anchor business for this district, which relies on neighborhood trade, said Jill Eilderts, manager of the store

at 1010 E. Mitchell Ave., which had been known as Adams Grocery Store until 2003. “I think the neighborhood is very important to the business, and we have tried to tailor our store to meet the needs of the neighborhood,” Eilderts said. As an example, Eilderts said, many customers are immigrants from Bosnia, and the store stocks items those customers regularly use. “We try to cater to them, and that has helped us a great deal,” Eilderts said. The neighborhood also has taken in a lot of younger families, which also has led to strong sales, Eilderts noted. “We see the same people on a daily or at least a weekly basis,” she said. “I think people might not buy all their groceries here, but if they’re on their way home, it’s a lot easier to stop here.” She noted neighboring businesses have been thriving, as well. “The laundromat nearby expanded last summer with more commercial-sized washers,” she said. Other established businesses in the neighborhood include a dentist and insurance agency. “Things have been going well over here,” Eilderts said.

Falls Avenue

The new Leer’s Cycle Center, at 101 Fletcher Ave. in Waterloo, is emblematic of growth in the Falls Avenue district, said Andy Mullinex, creative director of Impact Marketing, a marketing, advertising and Web-development firm that does business on the same block. “All I have to do is look out my window and look at the giant building at Leer’s Cycle, and that’s a testimony to the local progress going on in this area,” Mullinex said. “That’s a pretty impressive new facility, and it’s really encouraging.” That’s because it feeds optimism among the neighbors, and brings in new businesses, Mullinex added. “I think progress breeds progress,” he said. “Advantage Screen Print moved in two doors down. Scarborough Automotive is real good about taking care of us, and it’s a real convnience to have somebody like that next door. It’s nice to see additions and development for restaurants in the area.” That’s as it should be, the city’s Schroeder said. “It’s really about having a neighborhood commercial center so you don’t necessarily have to drive across town to get some of the basic necessities you need. You have it right there, and that’s important.” F "Building Something Greater"

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Malls offer one-stop shopping By KAREN HEINSELMAN

karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com

CEDAR FALLS — If Michele Block needs an outfit, a haircut or a bite to eat, she can check each item off her list with just one stop. Block, a Cedar Falls resident, is a regular at College Square Mall on University Avenue. She enjoys the tidy atmosphere, store selection and customer service. “I really like this mall,” Block said. “It’s always really clean.” Block may shop online for some products, like cosmetics, but when it comes to clothing, for her there’s no replacement for a dressing room and a helpful sales clerk. “I like to absolutely try it on and see what it looks like,” Block said. That’s music to the ears of shopping mall owners and tenants, who are invested in the one-stop shop concept. The Cedar Valley’s two largest shopping malls have been around for 40 years. “I think there will always be a place for the mall,” said Gary Ogzewalla, general manager at Crossroads Center in Waterloo. Crossroads Center opened north of U.S. Highway 20 in 1970. A year earlier, College Square celebrated its grand opening in 1969, while riding a retail trend sweeping the country, said Marianne Fasano, a spokeswoman for GK Development Inc. The company took over College Square Mall in 2004. Over the years, mall officials, academics and analysts say, the shopping model has faced challenges: a lagging economy, online competition and changes in consumer and retailer habits. The Cedar Valley isn’t immune. However, spokespersons for shopping centers in Waterloo and Cedar Falls expressed faith in their product. “Customers continue to want the opportunity to see, touch and try on the merchandise before making a purchase,” Fasano said. “There is really no substitute for live shopping.” 26

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MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor

Shoppers walk in College Square Mall in Cedar Falls.

Malls can benefit from a diverse shopping environment like that which exists along the San Marnan Drive corridor, Ogzewalla said. Consumers can visit the mall and its surrounding properties, standalone mega stores and strip malls. Malls must continue to respond to consumer trends in order to survive, Ogzewalla said. With the emergence of online shopping, some brick-and-mortar stores saw an opportunity to utilize the Web to supplement traditional customer service. College Square keeps a website and encourages shoppers to join its e-mail program. Crossroads Center maintains a website and is on Facebook and Twitter, Ogzewalla said. “Malls have adapted,” he said. “The successful ones have adapted.” Other adaptations include retailers offering more discounts and malls hosting giveaways and promotions, he added.

In retail, progress and success are defined in terms of sales, Ogzewalla said. And sales often dovetail with high occupancy rates. “We keep the mall as fully occupied as we can,” Ogzewalla said. Crossroads Center offers 65 stores, according to statistics assembled in 2010 by Jones Lang LaSalle IP Inc. Ogzewalla reported a 90 percent occupancy rate. College Square counts two department stores, 48 specialty stores and a 12-screen theater, Fasano said. She declined to comment on the vacancy rate. However, shoppers on a recent Wednesday morning could walk past 16 closed or dark storefronts. Determining the right combination of tenants is an ongoing challenge, Ogzewalla said. Tenants at both Crossroads Center and College Square include a mix of wellestablished department stores as well as newer arrivals that may address more specific niche markets

like children’s or teen clothing, automotive needs or entertainment. Malls across the country are being used for nonretail purposes such as classrooms, medical and church services and office space. Fasano pointed out College Square officials are responding to a demand for multiple dining establishments, located both inside the main building and on outlying mall properties. “Malls respond to the tastes that consumers have,” she said. In 2009, Old Chicago Pizza and Pasta joined an ensemble of eateries at College Square. The chain counts locations in or near other shopping centers as well as stand-alone stores, said spokesman Jim Ulman of the Old Chicago franchise. In Cedar Falls, the site’s association with the mall and its visibility were selling points, Ulman said. “It’s a known reference point,” Ulman said. “Everyone knows where the mall is.” 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

Block doesn’t understand the reason for the number of empty storefronts at College Square. She knows The Gap pulled out of the Cedar Valley all together. Scheels recently announced plans to exit malls in both Cedar Falls and Waterloo and relocate at Viking Plaza. While it would be nice to have a store like Old Navy, all in all Block is content to use her coupons at favorite stores Von Maur and Younkers. Recent changes at College Square include a $20.5 million improvement project in 2006 that included a renovation of the mall’s interior and the relocation and expansion of a nearby Hy-Vee Foods store. Many pieces are in place for College Square to continue to improve, Fasano said, and talks of improving the University Avenue corridor are encouraging. Even with retail alternatives to the traditional shopping center, champions of Cedar Valley malls expect to survive. With a few exceptions, mer-

RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer

The Waterloo Younkers store at Crossroads Center opened nine minutes before its scheduled 4 a.m. time on Black Friday in 2009.

chants have held their ground at Crossroads, Ogzewalla said. Confidence comes in the form of improved storefronts by existing tenants and newer arrivals

like rue21, The Children’s Place and Things Remembered. Many retailers renewed their leases, he added, which is always good news.

The shopping mall will survive, if it evolves, Ogzewalla said. “As long as we adapt and stay up with what’s going on and what’s timely and typical,” he said. F

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2011 PROGRESS EDITION

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New arrivals find all the comforts of home By META HEMENWAY-FORBES

meta.hemenway-forbes@wcfcourier.com

CEDAR FALLS — As a successful businessman, Ron Rabune has done his share of negotiating. But telling his kids the family was moving from California to Iowa was a pretty tough sell. “I really had to sell them on quality of life,” he said. “They are very special kids. They’ve moved a lot — three times in four years. This move was it.” Rabune was recruited by PFGBest chairman and CEO Russ Wasendorf Sr. to join the company at its new headquarters in Cedar Falls. The family arrived in early August and settled in quickly. The kids couldn’t be happier, Rabune said. This fall, Ryan, 7, hit the turf in a local flag football league, and Alexa, 13, and Aliya, 11, are putting their best feet forward on Cedar Valley soccer teams. “My 13-year-old played for a club team in California, and we were concerned the competition would be different here. That wasn’t the case. They’ve got a great bunch of programs here.” Rabune has found time for his own fun, too. “I’ve played golf more in the five months I’ve been here than ever before. I’ve gone to more sporting events. I’ve gone to every UNI basketball game. We go out to dinner — MyVerona, Brown Bottle, Montage, Becks.”

The PFGBest move

That’s the life Wasendorf aimed to create for employees of PFGBest Cedar Falls headquarters. An Iowa native, Wasendorf started PFGBest in Cedar Falls and has grown it to become a leader in world financing, online trading and the largest nonbank currency trader in the world. He can hold meetings face to face with any of the company’s offices in 25 countries around the world via video conferencing from his Cedar Falls “war room.” Wasendorf christened the new headquarters, an $18 million office 28

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"Building Something Greater"

MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor

The Rabune family, left to right, Jeane, Ryan, 7, Aliya, 11, Alexa, 13, and Ron have appetizers before dinner at My Verona in Cedar Falls. Ron Rabune moved his wife and kids to Cedar Falls from California to work for PFGBest.

complex, in September 2009 in the Beaver Hills area of Cedar Falls, uprooting his Chicago-based operation and moving its nerve center to this region. “Most of the employees, particularly those who are married and have kids, live in the suburbs; the culture shock will be getting to work in five minutes rather than an hour,” he predicted in a September 2009 Courier story. He was right.

Happy to relocate

Dan McMullin, senior wealth manager of the Wealth Management Group at PFGBest, had lived in Chicago for 19 years before moving to Cedar Falls more than three years ago in the early stages of the company’s relocation. “It wasn’t mandatory to move. I was the first one to raise my hand. I was looking for something different. (Without a long commute) I gained a couple hours of life every

day,” he said. Wasendorf has a similar story. He lived in Chicago from 1994 until last year when he moved to Cedar Falls. “My commute went from three hours a day to three minutes a day,” he said. “That’s 15 (more free) hours a week. The quality of time I have with my family is much greater.”

Lots to like

For McMullin, the commute is one reason among many that he’s happy to live and work in the Cedar Valley. The area has great shopping, restaurant and entertainment options, he said. Also, there’s friendly, small-town atmosphere you just can’t find in the Windy City. McMullin is most impressed with the trails system, though. “So many other cities have longterm plans for bike paths, but Cedar Falls already has it in place and being enjoyed throughout the year,” he said.

For both McMullin and Rabune, the relative low cost of living in the Cedar Valley is a major draw. “It’s interesting because I grew up in South Carolina and California. The last place I thought I’d be was in Iowa,” Rabune said. “But the quality of life is so much more in the Cedar Valley. Income-to-expense wise, you can definitely go a lot further on a dollar here. “We’re in the process of building a home, and the kids are ecstatic about it. Doing it in California or Minneapolis was never going to happen. The economy here has been somewhat insulated. To know that I can provide a better quality of life for them, it couldn’t be any better. I’m very fortunate to be where I’m at right now.” McMullin concurs. “I absolutely love the Cedar Valley and plan to stay here indefinitely,” he said. “Cedar Falls has the perfect balance between small town and bigger city.” F 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

Housing a bright spot in the Cedar Valley By MATTHEW WILDE

matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com

CEDAR FALLS — Housing contractors and real estate agents stayed busy last year, and building officials don’t expect the workload to let up any time soon. That’s just fine with the companies building new homes and the people selling existing ones. Landlords also report a fairly tight rental market in the Cedar Valley. In other words, the overall housing picture was pretty bright in 2010. And it very well could glisten this year. “I don’t see anything to discourage us having a very nice year in 2011. I think we will,” said Craig Witry, Cedar Falls building official. “There are more buyers looking to get into their first new home, interest rates are low, the Cedar Valley economy is good and people still have their jobs.” That appears to be the case as more houses were built in Cedar Falls and Waterloo in 2010 than the previous year. Permits for 211 new single-family homes were taken out in Cedar Falls last year compared with 158 in 2009. However, the average value of a new home based on permit information decreased by about $5,500 in 2010 to $190,634. “That’s more typical of the economy,” Witry said. While new housing starts aren’t as robust now as the boom times in the early 2000s, city building officials and contractors are pleased with current numbers. Waterloo issued 42 permits for single family and 20 permits for multi-family residences in 2010. That’s compared with 33 and 32, respectively, in 2009. According to permits, the new houses last year are worth a combined $5.2 million. New multi-family domiciles like apartments and duplexes are valued at a little more than $2.2 million. Craig Clark, Waterloo interim building official, believes 2011 will be busier than 2010. 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

A townhouse complex is under construction in early January at 26th and Walnut streets in Cedar Falls, one of the few new rentals being constructed locally, building officials said.

“I’m just judging from the amount of work already started and talking with architects,” Clark said. Housing experts say the Cedar Valley didn’t suffer like the rest of the country during the Great Recession, but that doesn’t mean the area wasn’t affected. Clark said more moderately priced homes — in the $160,000 range — are being built than $300,000 ones. One developer filling that need is former Waterloo Mayor John Rooff. As owner of Black Hawk Contracting, he’s working with buyers who qualify for state down-payment assistance grants to put them in All American Homes on Waterloo’s east side. Last year Rooff’s company put up 15 modular units. He anticipates 30 will be completed this year. In some neighborhoods where Rooff plans to build, he said, there hasn’t been a new home constructed in 100 years. “It’s really a need. You put a new house in and it seems to lift up the entire area,” Rooff said. “Waterloo needs good housing on the east side.” There are still plenty of people willing to spend $300,000-plus in Cedar Falls for a new home, said Sam Runyan of Runyan Custom Homes. The contractor said people are starting to feel better about the economy and

the direction of the country, and that will result in more construction. “I’m thinking it should pick up this year. Things look positive in the Cedar Valley,” Runyan said. However, he said, it is getting harder to find lots. Tougher regulations and the cost make it difficult to develop a new housing addition, Runyan said. Existing home sales were up slightly in 2010. Bob Reisinger, executive vice president of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Board of Realtors, reported 2,201 transactions last year. The median sale price was $115,000. The average time on the market was 71 days. In 2009, there were 2,173 sales with an average price of $114,900. It took 74 days, on average, to sell a home. Considering how bad the national economy was, Reisinger considers the numbers encouraging. “The market is pretty flat, not dropping like the national market. Looking into my crystal ball for 2011, I think we’ll stay at an even keel,” Reisinger said. With interest rates in some cases under 5 percent, he said, it’s an excellent time to buy. Reisinger said the market isn’t oversaturated with homes by any means, which is good for those looking to move up or build.

Housing officials said tax credits for first-time home buyers and those wanting to move up spurred sales last year. Real estate agent Deanna Wheeler said she had an excellent 2010 and expects the same this year. She closed on 91 homes last year worth about $22 million. The region’s strong manufacturers, hospitals and schools help, Wheeler said. “I’m definitely busy,” she said. “We’re fortunate to have a stable market. A lot of relocations.” Property owners and managers say rents locally are holding steady. Officials consider it a tight market, with few upper-end rental properties available. Building officials report little activity when it comes to building new apartments or other complexes for rent. A contractor is currently constructing four five- and six-unit townhouse-style rentals in Cedar Falls, officials said. The rental market general reflects the employment figures, property owners said. Stability for wage earners has translated to stability in rental housing. “I’m happy to see a tight market,” Karen Atwood, a property manager, told The Courier earlier this year. “Good apartments are hard to find.” F "Building Something Greater"

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BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

Crews with Peterson Contractors Inc. work in early December on concrete forms to shape what will become an amphitheater on the banks of the Cedar River near the Phelps Youth Pavilion and US Bank in downtown Waterloo. It’s been eight years since Waterloo received a Vision Iowa grant for a number of downtown projects expected to wrap up this year.

Transformers

Three Waterloo mayors have led push to revitalize downtown By TIM JAMISON

tim.jamison@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — Three mayors have overseen Waterloo’s decadeold quest to remake its downtown for the modern economy. Mayor John Rooff pulled together major industry leaders, spearheaded the planning efforts and ultimately landed the Vision Iowa grant in 2003 to help pay for improvements to the Cedar River dam and construct riverfront trails and a public amphitheater. Mayor Tim Hurley took the reins in 2004 as the city ratcheted 30

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"Building Something Greater"

up designs, hired contractors and watched as heavy machinery became a fixture in the downtown landscape. Related attractions like the Phelps Youth Pavilion, RiverLoop Expo and Public Market and Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum opened for business. Now current Mayor Buck Clark is at the helm as the city races to complete the projects by the end of 2011, a deadline established by the Vision Iowa board, while new plans are under way to break ground on the Cedar Valley SportsPlex, a $26 million downtown recreation fa-

cility to include a large fieldhouse, swimming pools, basketball courts, running track and fitness center. “It’s exciting, and I’m anxious to see those things we’ve been talking about for years actually coming to fruition,” Clark said. “I’m hoping by the end of the next construction season that our downtown is going to have a completely different look to it.” Rooff and Hurley share that enthusiasm. “When it’s done it’s going to be a pull for people to come down and enjoy their river and enjoy events

…just getting used to having downtown be the center of our social life again,” Hurley said. “This shows everyone we were serious about it,” he added. “People probably had their doubts in the beginning, but we did it and we’re doing it.” Rooff said he’s pleased with how the projects are taking shape, noting the face of downtown has changed dramatically since he pulled together the Waterloo Development Corp., a group of major business leaders to guide the effort. “This started at a time when you 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

had to roll the dice a little bit,” he said. “I hope Waterloo remembers how downtown used to be. It’s easy to forget about how things were.” Mike Triplett, who was general manager of John Deere’s Waterloo operations at the time, summed up the significance of the Riverfront Renaissance project in a 2001 letter encouraging the Vision Iowa board to support the project. “Every major employer in the Cedar Valley area realizes a good-paying job is only one piece of the employment puzzle,” Triplett said in the letter. “To attract and maintain a quality work force, we must also offer recreational, cultural, educational and entertainment amenities.” Clark said that sentiment still holds true. “As we do surveys and ask the Peregrine Financial’s and other major employers what’s important, people are looking for towns that invest in themselves and create quality-of-life amenities for their residents,” Clark said. “There are people that say we can’t afford this, but they just don’t realize these are projects we can’t afford not to do if we want to grow the

At left, an artist’s rendition shows the 125,000-squarefoot, $26 million multi-purpose Cedar Valley SportsPlex planned for construction in downtown Waterloo.

community.” Among the $20 million in Vision Iowa projects, the city has already completed most of the trails and overlooks along both sides of the Cedar River from U.S. Highway 63 to 18th Street; a rubber bladder has been added to the dam near Park Avenue, ready to be inflated to provide 4 more feet of recreational water upstream; work on a riverfront amphitheater and play area is under way near the Center for the Arts; and a bid opening is pending for an elevated plaza above the amphitheater. Kirby Baumgard, president of Cedar Valley Cyclists, said the trails alone will improve the downtown

business climate and interconnect Waterloo and Cedar Falls. “The trails downtown look really nice,” Baumgard said. “I took the one through Exchange Park down to Screaming Eagle. I think more people are using the trails for transportation now; instead of driving to (events like) People in the Park, they’ll ride their bikes down there.” The latest announcement, which came in late 2010, was the SportsPlex. The WDC is raising the construction funds privately and plans eventually to turn over the building to the city. Rick Young, who is helping with the fundraising effort, was in a meet-

ing two years ago when one of the area’s “major employers” talked about their difficulties recruiting professional workers to the Cedar Valley. “When you’re bringing in a (potential employee) to come in and work for you, you’ve got to not only pay them what everybody else is paying, you’ve got to sell them on the community,” Young said. “And we’re hurting up here in the winter time.” The SportsPlex, just like the other downtown projects, is as much about economic development as it is entertainment. “We need to keep our young people in the area,” Young said, “and bring in new ones.” F

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"Building Something Greater"

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Brothers band together to buy Baird By MATTHEW WILDE

matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — The Abbas brothers knew buying a company during the nation’s worst economic downturn since the Great Depression was a gamble. But Sean and Ben also knew they had two aces in the hole — each other. Instead of folding, the brothers went all in and purchased Baird Industries in October 2008. The risk paid off. Now called Baird Mounting Systems, the company on the south side of Waterloo is considered a world leader when it comes to building mounting systems for antennas, satellite dishes, solar panels and small wind turbines. Mounting systems are fabricated at the shop, 3160 Logan Ave., and shipped to suppliers worldwide. The day the Abbas brothers took control of the company, Sean said RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer a Wall Street Journal story inferred Brothers Sean, left, and Ben Abbas stand by pallets of mounting hardware for satellite dishes at Baird Mounting Systems, 3160 the nation’s economy was on the Logan Ave. The Abbases purchased the company in 2008 and run it together. brink. “It was the perfect time to buy,” college, Sean went to work for Iowa Cedar Falls High School. They cur- Business is good enough they’re Sean said with a chuckle. Laser in the maintenance depart- rently live in Cedar Falls with their considering a second shift to supActually, the Abbases weren’t too ment and worked his way up the families. Their father, Tom, was a ply 1,200 customers on every contiworried. The brothers knew the corporate ladder. co-owner and president of H&H nent. The company has 16 full-time company had loyal, skilled employworkers and one part-time worker. As chief executive officer and Machine Tool Co. ees and good products in demand chief financial officer of Baird, Ben’s “Our goal is to stay local and deBaird’s former owner, George around the globe. Most impor- expertise lies in — you guessed it Marquart, was a family friend. Once velop local talent,” Sean said For the time being, the Abbases tantly, Sean and Ben said, they had — finances. He graduated in 2003 a formed concrete and block comconfidence in their manufacturing, from the University of Iowa with a pany, Marquart changed directions said, most of their extra earnings finance and sales skills. degree in finance and economics. after he built a satellite mounting are going back into the company “I’ve seen a lot of tremendous The 30-year-old moved to Chi- system for a friend in the 1980s and to upgrade equipment, computers, people understand manufacturing cago and worked for Merrill Lynch realized a need with the advances boost sales and improve its website, www.BairdMounts.com, which but not understand the financial for five years as a financial analyst. in technology. side,” Sean said. “It’s kind of a bal- Most of his work dealt with comWhen Marquart wanted to retire, now features a direct purchase option. ancing act between the two. I’m not pany acquisitions. the Abbases didn’t hesitate. The future is bright for the comsure either of us would have done it “I learned the process how busi“It was a good opportunity and without the other.” nesses are bought. All this helped the timing (except for the econo- pany, the brothers said. As the Even though they’re more than a with the process of buying this my) was right for both of us,” Sean world becomes more dependent decade apart in age, the Abbas boys one,” Ben said. said. “One of the good things is we on technology, satellite and comrespect and complement each othPurchasing Baird essentially ful- got to know each other better than munication devices will always be in demand, and they need to be er perfectly. filled several goals, the Abbas broth- we ever did before.” Sean is president of Baird. His ers said, and it wasn’t by chance. It Ben added, “You can always look mounted on something. Plus, the specialty is manufacturing. The kept a 30-plus-year-old company in at it as a risk. We felt confidence in company has expanded into renewable energy as well. 44-year-old worked for Iowa Laser local hands, continued the family the upside.” “There’s a lot of companies that do Technology for 22 years, becoming tradition of running a business and So far, so good. president in 1999. it brought the brothers closer. The brothers wouldn’t divulge the it, but the big stuff is what Baird is After a four-year hitch in the MaThe Abbases were born in Wa- purchase price or sales figures, but known for,” Sean said. “Everybody rine Corps and a couple of years of terloo, but both graduated from they said the company is profitable. wants to be connected.” F 32

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2011 PROGRESS EDITION

CFU, Mediacom keep Cedar Valley on fast track tim.jamison@wcfcourier.com

CEDAR FALLS — The ability to work, shop and access entertainment is becoming more dependent on how much — and how fast — information can be pushed through little glass cables. Local telecommunications providers Cedar Falls Utilities and Mediacom made huge strides last year to ensure their customers in the Cedar Valley won’t get left behind the curve in the digital revolution. When Mediacom launched its new Ultra services in early 2010 — using DOCSIS 3.0 technology — it gave Waterloo customers the ability to access what was, at the time, the fastest residential Internet download speed in North America. And the company is continuing to enhance its local network with more fiber-optics cable to enhance telephone service and provide more digital, highdefinition television offerings. Last fall, CFU launched a full-scale effort to extend fiber into every home and business, replacing what has been a hybrid of fiber and much slower coaxial cable. The $17 million fiber-tothe-premises (FTTP) rollout provides a conduit to provide dramatically faster and much more reliable Internet and entertainment services to customers. “This is really an extension of what we did when we made the decision 15 years ago (to build the original cable system) to not be left in the dust in the communication stream,” said CFU General Manager Jim Kreig. “If you look around the world, you better be connected. “Whether it be China, India or other countries, they’ve got very high-speed Internet … but only about 15 percent (of U.S. providers) are offering fiber to the premises,” he added. “This sets up out next generation very well to compete in the global market.” The current CFU system, which utilizes a fiber backbone with coax into the homes, puts 400 customers sharing 39 megabits of downstream capacity. While maximum individual speeds are 8 Mbps, those can be restricted if too many users are using too much bandwidth. The new system will have no more than 32 customers sharing 2,400 megabits downstream and 1,200 megabits upstream. With hundreds of times more bandwidth per customer, the standard home Internet service will be boosted to 10 Mbps with no increase in cost, while 20, 50 or 100 Mbps services will be available for custom2011 PROGRESS EDITION

ers who want it. And the system will be able to deliver the advertised speeds. Kreig said the bandwidth demand has exploded with the introduction of video streaming and online gaming, which require a constant bandwidth instead of the “bursting” seen when customers are just surfing and loading website pages. “With the introduction of YouTube we saw a real surge,” he said. “Data requirements have been going up about 40 percent a year per customer.” The complete buildout is expected to take CFU through 2012. More information about the rollout schedule, pricing and FTTP in general can be found at the utility’s website, www.cfu.net. Mediacom splashed Waterloo across industry newsletters in early 2010 when it launched its “Ultra 105” broadband service with download speeds of 105 megabits per second. At the time, it was the fastest home service available on the continent and was more than five times faster than the company’s standard home Internet product. “The biggest change in 2010 is that … we’ve added more ‘flavors’ in the broadband equation, making available more choices in service levels and speeds,” said Mediacom Communications Director Phyllis Peters. “Making this robust service available demonstrates our commitment to stay at the leading edge of technology and deliver advanced services to residential and commercial customers. The company also offers a 50 Mbps service to business customers. “Our commercial sales team in Waterloo/Cedar Falls reports getting more calls and higher interest in the Ultra 50 commercial product just since mid-November than in earlier months,” Peters said, adding the company extended the ability to receive that service to Independence, Oelwein, Cedar Falls, Grundy Center, Manchester and a big radius around Waterloo in late 2010. The company has also been completing customized fiber systems for several businesses, including hospitals and financial institutions, and has extended fiber to the Cedar Valley TechWorks in anticipation of businesses locating at the downtown Waterloo site. Mediacom has also expanded its services to offer phone lines to commercial customers, allowing bundling of all telecommunication products, and has added 10 new high-definition channels to the family cable lineup in each of the past two years, “investments we make to keep pace with customer demand,” she added. F

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Viking Pump marking 100th anniversary By JEFF REINITZ

jeff.reinitz@wcfcourier.com

CEDAR FALLS — A Cedar Falls manufacturer with roots in a leaky stone quarry is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Viking Pump is marking its centennial by setting up a company museum in its headquarters later this year, said Beth Sulentic, marketing manager. Artifacts from some of the company’s history had been on display at the Wyth House, but those were put in storage to make room for items rescued from the Ice Jens Nielsen House museum in 2008. When completed, the Viking museum will be a step up from the old displays. “It will tell a better story and have interactive displays,” Sulentic said. “It will tell more about how we got to where we are.” Viking also is planning a sales and distributor meeting in June and an employee celebration. Founded in 1911 as a two-employee shop with backing of the local Danish community, Viking has seen steady growth in the past century and now employs about 500 people. The business designs and manufactures pumps for the chemical, petroleum, machinery and food processing industries, and its products are used around the world. Throughout the changes, the company has held onto its downtown roots even while expanding into the city’s industrial park.

History The spark of genius that became Viking Pump started with a drip. Jens Nielsen, a Dane who immigrated to the United States aboard a trans-Atlantic ocean liner, started a quarry near the intersection of Main and 18th streets in the late 1800s. In 1886, he designed a pump to remove water that seeped into his quarry from a nearby creek. Nielsen started by carving a wooden model with a rotary mechanism and gave 34

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Courtesy photoS

The Cedar Falls quarry that Jens Nielsen used to operate. Nielsen designed a pump to remove water that seeped into the quarry from a nearby stream. The pump was later patented and helped launch Viking Pump in 1911.

Viking Pump’s original Cedar Falls location.

his example to George “Shorty” Mathes to build. The pump was completed in 1904. Made of cast iron, it weighed 900 pounds and could move 900 gallons of water a minute. Nielsen’s design drew the attention of another Dane, machinist P.C. Petersen, who prepared a patent. In 1911, the two started the company with W.L. Hearst, a doctor of Danish ancestry, and shoe store owner George Wyth. The name “Viking” stuck because of the Danish heritage of the company officials and because 60 percent of the company’s capital came from the local Danish population. With $3,000, Viking Pump rented a washing machine factory in downtown Cedar Falls and churned out 50 pumps in its first year, bringing in $2,000 in revenue. Nielsen’s “gear within a gear” de-

sign was the first of its kind in the United States, and Viking Pump built its first factory — a 40-by-60foot facility — in 1912. The company began working on sanitary pumps for canneries, dairies and other food production. By the end of the decade, Viking expanded into three buildings and had 40 workers. In the 1920s and 1930s, oil began flowing through Viking equipment, keeping the company healthy during the Great Depression. Standard Oil sought a pump that could be mounted on the top of a rail car to distribute fuel to delivery wagons, and Viking was the only manufacturer that could deliver. Standard bought thousands of pumps from the Cedar Falls company. Viking started up the Viking Aid Society in 1922 to offer accident and

death coverage for its employees. The $1,000 policies cost 75 cents a month. When World War II broke out, Viking pumps helped battle German forces. A Viking fuel pump was aboard the Intent, a small tugboat that the Allies used to clear a barricade of scuttled ships blocking Massawa harbor on the Red Sea. This allowed ships to resupply British troops, who eventually drove German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel from Africa. Viking lubrication pumps also were installed in M-22 light tanks used by U.S. and British forces in Europe. Known as “Locusts,” the tanks fit inside gliders and were flown behind enemy lines. Locusts were used in Operation Varsity, which was part of a 1945 push to move Allied troops across the Rhine River into northern Germany. Also during the war, Viking products helped mass produce penicillin for wounded American troops. In the 1950s, Viking expanded its international distribution, worked its way into dry cleaning equipment and introduced other new products for the printing ink and chemical industries. The company’s brass foundry was renamed the alloys foundry as production began using more stainless steel. By 1960, Viking was moving into a new 50,000 square-foot shop and became the first resident of the Cedar Falls industrial park south of town. It added a 140,000-squarefoot machine shop in 1976 and iron foundry and machine shop additions in the 1980s. The downtown locations were connected into a single building and now serve as the company’s headquarters. Houfaille Industries bought Viking Pump in 1968, and the company was acquired by IDEX Corp in 1987. In recent years, Viking has opened facilities in Ireland, bought operations in Canada and England and expanded into China, Chile, India and Brazil. F 2011 PROGRESS EDITION

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