The PEC is hiring, Myers said. “The Baby Boomers are going into retirement and we are, absolutely, backfilling those positions. Our goal is to maintain our employment levels right now.” “We (at PEC) have not been impacted in the same way you’ve seen the factories,” Wittenburg said, where layoffs have occurred. “We continue to invest in our products in all market conditions.” “It takes anywhere from 2 1/2 to four years to develop a new tractor, or a major upgrade,” Myers said. “You can’t react and take money out of the engineering operations only to miss the next upswing in sales. That’s not good business.” That work has to continue to be on top of improving conditions when they occur. Significant investment also was required to meet new emissions requirements for off-road equipment worldwide. “It’s quality of life in all parts of the world,” Myers said. “Those are very significant investments.” Of the engineering and supply management employees at the PEC, “more than 70 percent are degreed engineers, 35 percent plus have advanced degrees and they come from more than 15 countries. We have some very talented engineers and technicians here.” Myers, Wittenburg and PEC facility services and test lab operations manager Kris Dunkin also indicated there’s another pretty simple reason for the expansion: Tractors are a lot bigger than they were in 1955 or even 1981. The various test bays, even the wash bays, required higher and wider clearance. The Cedar Falls PEC is responsible for the worldwide product development for Deere’s large tractors and engines. Unlike the open shop floor of many of Deere’s assembly operations in Waterloo, the PEC has a myriad of testing bays. “Our tractor design work includes transmissions, axles, cooling systems, operator stations, hydraulic systems, braking/steering systems, hitch systems, embedded control systems and the integrated overall tractor,” Myers said. “We have very complex and advanced engineering analysis and test capabilities, including those for advanced drivetrains, embedded controls and engine/after-treatment systems.” The company increasingly relies on advanced virtual analysis and lab tests as opposed to field testing. That’s the reason for the investment in the expansion. But it’s more than physical facilities. “As with any investment, the people here are what make it work,” Wittenburg said. “The investments here continue to help us attract, retain and develop the best people. We believe we have that today. This investment was really about continuing that tradition. “The majority of the project is complete,” he said. “The last major project in process is a state-of-the art building and test cell supporting overall vehicle efficiency.” That is anticipated to be completed in about June. “The technology here is amazing,” Wittenburg said. “The engineers and technicians we have are highly skilled. We partner with Hawkeye (Community College), and we have programs where we’re really focused on training and development of our technicians. It’s humbling to go out there and understand some of the work they can do.” Their “hobbies” range from building race cars to restoring tractors to radio and television repair. They also participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities with local schools. There’s even a car and tractor show held on the PEC grounds. “Our employees are great. There’s no other way to say it,” Myers said. Joe Carlson of Cedar Falls, a 14-year employee, said, “It’s a great place to work. If you’re a good employee, they’re a good employer. It’s different every day.” In addition to his Deere job, he’s a Janesville firefighter and farms — with John Deere equipment. “It takes a while to wear all this stuff out so I can afford it,” he quipped, working in a test lab. Dunkin noted Brad Johnson, an eight-year Deere employee, and other co-workers in his axle testing work area came forward and proposed improvements to make that area more efficient. “Everything keeps getting bigger in the product lines, and we had to do something to keep up with that,” Johnson said. “We were getting to where our equipment was undersized and we needed to do somethings to make it more ergonomic, a little safer and a better work area.” It was a simple as putting blueprints up on a flat video screen for everyone in the work 2016 PROGRESS
area to see. “I really enjoy working here,” said Johnson, of Waverly, a member of United Auto Workers Local 838 who attended Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar. “Everybody’s pretty decent about meeting your needs and changing with the times.” Dave DeVault, general manager of Deere’s Waterloo operations, said the PEC expansion is part of the company’s overall effort to meet customer needs, stay ahead of the market and be on top of it when it rebounds. “Deere remains well positioned to serve its customers while continuing to make investments in quality and innovation that are designed to drive growth in the future,” DeVault said. “John Deere continues to invest in R&D and continue to enhance the internal operational effectiveness between our factories and with suppliers/logistics for each factory. “ He also noted Deere workers remain involved, engaged and invested in the Waterloo community in many ways, ranging from United Way contributions to packaging meals for the Northeast Iowa Food Bank to assisting and promoting STEM education and Leader in Me activities in local schools.
Technician Joe Carlson tracks progress on an axle durability test in a drivetrain test cell to verify its design life.
Amanda Owen shows Stan Huhman, Shawn Simons and Will Conrad her latest cab design concept.
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Bertch Cabinet Manufacturing’s $16.7 million assessed value makes the 35-year-old family-owned and operated company the city’s sixth largest payer of property taxes.
Things are cruising again at Bertch Text by PAT KINNEY Photos by COURTNEY COLLINS
Things are looking up at Bertch Cabinet Manufacturing. So much so, about a year from now, one may be able to look up at the sky and see Bertch employees flying out of town en route to a Caribbean cruise. For the first time since 2005, Bertch called its employees together for a “state of the company” meeting and offered the cruise to its entire work force as an incentive if it met some very ambitious production goals. The company has seen a rebound and is in a position to be able to offer that incentive, company president Gary Bertch said. “We need people to feel good about themselves. And also, it’s the visibility. We are coming back,” Bertch said. Company employment had dipped below
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600 in 2011 after hitting an apex of well more than 1,000 workers. Now, total employment at Bertch tops 800 — the most in five years — and “we’re hiring,” Bertch said. “We’ve been slowly coming back each year,” he said. “The housing recovery has been slow — you have pockets across the country maybe doing pretty well, but on a national basis, it’s still lagging. It’s been a battle, but we’re coming back. We expect this year to grow a bit more and, of course, we’ll need some additional associates to be able to accommodate that growth.” Much of Bertch’s business is driven by the home construction industry, which collapsed in 2009, about a year after the 2008 recession. All that time, though, Bertch has continued to try new ways to stay competitive in the market. “It’s just continuing to expand the cabinet lines — the styles, the colors. Everyone’s
fighting limited sales opportunities. You do what you can to get new stuff out, and the big thing for us is tying it to great customer service and reliable delivery of goods with our dealer base.” Bertch also has picked up business from the furnishing of hotel and motel construction projects. Cabinet companies like Bertch continue developing new products in slow times, much the same way Deere does in the ag equipment industry. “That’s a good comparison,” Bertch said. “When we were way down on sales, we were busier than ever in some areas because we were working on new products, trying to get some traction with something people would want to buy,” Bertch said. “We had a number of years there where we were cranking out all kinds of stuff, trying to get some additional sales and attention out there.” Renovations and capital expenditures to produce those new products also are ongoing,
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Bigger and better than ever
Grundy fire
Heavy Equipment Manufacturing bounces back Text & Photos by DENNIS MAGEE
Running a large, national business is difficult. Rebuilding after a major fire with everything that entails, Roger Bockes including insurance settlements and contractors, represents a major headache. Doing both at the same time, well, that takes the definition of difficult to a new level. “It’s been very challenging,” CEO Roger Bockes said. Heavy Equipment Manufacturing started in 1996, designing and building machinery for the concrete paving industry. In December 2014, though, a severe fire swept through the company’s plant and headquarters in Grundy Center, easily causing more than $1.5 million in damage. Grundy Center Fire Chief Jeff Latwesen at the time estimated a quarter of the building burned and smoke and water infiltrated most of the rest of the space. 8
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Even so, despite a major disruption to every aspect of its operation, Heavy Equipment barely skipped a beat after that historic Saturday. “We never stopped. We were up and running in temporary facilities by the Monday after the fire,” Bockes said. “Man and management stepped up to the plate and kept it going,” he added. The former main building is at 601 E. First St. Heavy Equipment’s new primary digs are across the street in what was formerly a warehouse for a furniture store. The company officially took possession of the building in August, according to Bockes. “We’ve been trying to get in the remodeled building as fast as possible,” Bockes said. While hardly the way Bockes would have planned such an expansion or move, the fire did provide an opportunity. Heavy Equipment picked up more space in the process and will be able to streamline production. “Like you say, that’s the silver lining,” he added. “We were full — pretty tight quarters.” The new location and building also pro-
vides what Bockes calls a “nicer highway presence” along G Avenue. The city street is part of Iowa Highway 175 on Grundy Center’s east side. Heavy Equipment before the fire had 18 employees. During the transition, the company actually added a few more. “And they will stay on,” Bockes said. Besides employees, Bockes also thanked Grundy Center city administrators and its utility workers. He said the officials helped facilitate reconstruction, which kept Heavy Equipment moving forward. The remodel and construction at the end of January was nearing completion. Bockes expects the entire project will wrap up early this year, though he’s not yet ready to announce a date for an official grand re-opening. Bockes and the Heavy Equipment crew are, however, looking forward to the end. “Oh, boy, we are. It’ll be nice to have everything under one roof,” he added.
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Randy Lawson and Bonnie Vesper assemble wiring wiring harnesses at the Winnebago facility in Waverly.
Winnebago rolling in Waverly Text by JIM OFFNER Photos by BRANDON POLLOCK The new Winnebago plant in Waverly is rolling. Work at the new plant got going in July, but there is more to come, officials said. The building offers 33,400 square feet, 30,000 of which is production space, said Daryl Krieger, vice president of manufacturing. The new Waverly facility is used for wire loom assembly activities for the company’s motor homes. Wire loom assemblies are a motor home’s 12-volt wiring system. Operations moved from Forest City. The building required weeks of retrofitting to Winnebago’s specifications, Krieger said. “We purchased the property last spring, and we had some renovations we wanted to do,” he said. “We removed offices and added a truck dock and made it more a manufacturing setup.” The building, in Waverly’s Southwest Business Park, had served as a call center, so Winnebago had to remove a lot of wiring and upgrade fiber to accommodate its computer systems, he said. “During that time, we started hiring, and by mid-July, we had 15 employees hired,” Krieger 2016 PROGRESS
said. “Every day, they’d drive and train here in Forest City. They were the seed to start the knowledge base in Waverly. We had to start some new wire cutting and crimping equipment, and that arrived in mid-September. Since then, the company has added 10 more workers, Krieger said. The plant manager is Brad Kuntz, who had been an assembly line supervisor in Forest City. “Before that, he was a supervisor in the wire prep, wire harness part of our business,” Krieger said. “He was one of our supervisors being groomed for advancement. It so happens, he has family in the area and was anxious to move there. He’s doing a great job so far.” The Waverly production facility is expected to employ 70 full-time workers with a capital investment of $1.5 to $2 million, Winnebago reported when it announced its decision to go to Waverly. “We are very excited that Winnebago Industries has chosen Waverly as the site for their new sub-assembly facility,” Bill Werger, community development director with Waverly Economic Development said when Winnebago announced it had chosen Waverly. “The addition of a quality employer like Winnebago to Waverly and the Cedar Valley will have a positive impact on
the entire region.” Hiring has lagged behind the original plan, but not by much, Krieger said. “We’re a little behind where we wanted to be,” he said. “Our hiring plan all along was to hire three people per week.” Some hires couldn’t start until the first of the year, which caused some of the delay, Krieger said. The plan calls the 70 full-time employees to be hired and on the job by March, Krieger said. “As we do that, there’s an offset,” he said. “Our ultimate goal was to free people in Forest City. Our labor base in Forest City — I don’t want to say it’s tapped out, but we wanted to tap into a different labor base.” There has been plenty of interest in the Waverly-area labor base, Krieger said. “Applicant flow has been good,” he said. “We’ve had good candidates and have had good success with the hiring plan.” The training process is detailed, Krieger noted. “It’s a process of bringing the folks in and training them specifically on different skill sets,” he said. “Everything from operating the automated cutting machine, that cuts wire to length for different jobs. Every wire in our www.wcfcourier.com/progress
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Startup Weekend is the entrepreneurial ‘idea farm’
Michael Caraway talks with the group as part of a check-in during the Startup Weekend Cedar Valley at Tech Works in Waterloo. Text by TIM JAMISON Photo by TIFFANY RUSHING Dozens of young entrepreneurs descended on the Cedar Valley TechWorks last fall to run their ideas around a test track. While many of the business models crashed and burned under the scrutiny of colleagues and market studies, the Startup Weekend Cedar Valley may have helped accelerate the area’s next great business venture. “It completely changes the way you think about starting a business,” said Keevin O’Rourke. “It takes the traditional methods of writing a business plan and later validating it with customers and throws it out the window. It’s a more agile way to create a business.” O’Rourke, a University of Northern Iowa marketing major from Maquoketa, was one of those participating in the second annual event which took place Nov. 20-22. He joined others in pitching ideas for startup businesses. Teams then form around the best ideas and work to create and test a simplified business plan with area business leaders serving as mentors. Judges pick a winning team. “The Cedar Valley is really trying to build this innovation ecosystem, entrepreneurial ecosystem, where entrepreneurs and creatives are all supported by all the resources we have here in the Cedar Valley,” said Michael Caraway. Caraway, O’Rourke and other young entrepreneurs Cody Caraway, Patrick Luensmann, Valyn Reinig and Bart Schmitz organized last fall’s Startup Weekend event. Paul Kinghorn, director of UNI’s Center for Business Growth and Innovation and a Startup Weekend judge, said the program helps encourage and prepare entrepreneurs in a low-stress environment. “We all have an idea,” Kinghorn said. “This empowers and encourages people to bring those forward as opposed to sitting idle on the sidelines. “You get people that are free to then add their experience, their knowledge, their own special way to approach a problem,” he added. “They 2016 PROGRESS
realize we all can contribute to varying degrees in vetting, developing and researching an idea. …we see it as seeds that get planted.” That was the case for O’Rourke, whose idea for a business that helps gym users interact with exercise equipment via their smart phones — and also gathers data on usage for gym owners — was the winning idea last year. “At the time, this was just an idea in my head,” he said. “I don’t have a technical background, I can’t build applications, and I’m not the kind of person that writes code. That’s not my forte.” Gathered with a team of others around a white board, laptops, Red Bull cans and carryout food, O’Rourke was able to vet his idea more thoroughly using everyone’s suggestions. “You can say the stupidest stuff and it all works out OK because you’re probably going to change your idea in the next three hours anyway,” he said. By winning, O’Rourke gets six weeks tuition at UNI Venture School and gets to pitch his idea at the Young Entrepreneurs Convention in late April in Des Moines. Venture School adds the customer discovery piece of the business plan by meeting with those who may buy it. “I will be graduating in May,” O’Rourke said. “I’d love to see this continue to grow and show promise over the next month or two so I can say this is what I’ll be doing after I graduate.” Randy Pilkington, director of UNI Business and Community Services, said Startup Weekend is one of many key initiatives that have helped build an entrepreneurial culture across the Cedar Valley. “What is exciting to me is to see the entrepreneurial community stepping up to take ownership of programs like Startup Weekend, One Million Cups, Whiskey Fridays and other meet-ups,” Pilkington said. “A successful entrepreneurial ecosystem can grow only when the entrepreneurs assume some leadership.”
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HowFactory finds its niche quickly
Knowledge management sticky notes at the HowFactory startup in Cedar Falls.
App to simplify worker training is on a fast track to launch date Text by JIM OFFNER Photos by MATTHEW PUTNEY Trace Steffen and Kenny Stevenson are building a startup based on telling their customers what to do. Their company, software and service firm HowFactory, helps corporate clients — often manufacturers — streamline the way they document their standard operating procedures and employee training guides. HowFactory saw a market for such streamlining procedures after Steffen and Stevenson noticed binders and filing cabinets bulging with procedural guides. The pair developed a cloudbased application that could eliminate the stacks of paper documents. HowFactory came out of the Iowa Startup Accelerator — a 90-day program that matches tech startups with funding and guidance and propels them toward launch — in the fall of 2014 and incorporated a short time later. The company launched formally at TechCrunch Disrupt NY, one of the world’s major technology conferences for startups, in May in New York. The company’s primary service is a web app 14
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that allows companies to document standard operating procedures, work instructions and training. At TechCrunch, it qualified for the event’s Startup Battlefield, pitching against other new enterprises from around the world.
John Tudor, Kenny Stevenson, Alyx Sandbothe and Trace Steffen with HowFactory talk about the startup. Past winners at TechCrunch include Dropbox, Mint and Yammer. “Pretty clearly, we were doing things right,” Steffen said.
The company attracted instant attention, Stevenson said. That attention has not decreased since Tech Crunch, the founders said. Their company’s current workspace, Mill Race co-working space, formerly housed the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber’s Cedar Falls branch office and was originally the Cedar Falls Chamber of Commerce headquarters prior to consolidation with the Waterloo chamber under the Alliance umbrella. The Cedar Valley is full of successful startup stories, so there has been plenty of inspiration for HowFactory’s founders. At the end of January, HowFactory was asked to become an Iowa Startup Accelerator Portfolio company and take part in the accelerator’s new 10X Level UP program. “Like the 90-day program, 10x Level Up is intensive,” Steffen said. The program’s objective is to show “dramatic” improvement in a startup in one year, Steffen said. “For 2014-15 teams, this is aimed at getting your startup to an annual run rate of $1 million in 2016,” Steffen said. “Unlike the 90-day program, however, this progress is much less PROGRESS 2016
Whitewater park on course in Waterloo, Cedar Falls Text by JIM OFFNER Photos by BRANDON POLLOCK Cedar Falls is finally taking the plunge toward building a whitewater course on the Cedar River. Neighboring Waterloo is also moving forward with plans for its own course. Charles City sits upstream of both communities and set the whitewater course trend. The community opened the state’s first whitewater course in 2011 and has seen success in drawing people and community members to the river. “It certainly has had a positive effect and it seems to be growing and growing each year,” said Steve Diers, Charles City administrator. “It’s really a neat attribute to the community.” The Charles City project started with public support and an Iowa Department of Natural Resources low head dam removal grant. Cedar Falls is following the same path. The city secured a $50,000 grant for low head dam removal study and designs for the whitewater course. This is the biggest step toward constructing a park since discussion began years ago. “I’ve never been more optimistic,” said Nick Taiber, Cedar Falls City Council member. “I think it’s going to be a defining project for the city.” Cedar Falls initially asked the DNR for more than $700,000 toward the project, but the DNR was only able to disburse $150,000 — a small por18
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tion of the estimated $1.45 million cost. The city will reapply for more funds this year. The project is being designed by McLaughlin Whitewater Design Group of Denver, Colo., assisted by HBK Engineering of Chicago. Waterloo’s project is moving along rapidly as well. Waterloo firefighters and whitewater advocate Ty Graham from Recreation Engineering and Planning of Boulder, Colo., went onto the water in downtown Waterloo in December along with other company representatives to topographically map the river bed. The plan is to build a course along the east bank of the river from north of the Park Avenue bridge to about the Fifth Street bridge. While REP designs the course for the shape and hydrology of the river, the city is looking at options for improvements further downstream at a low-head dam near Sixth Street. The city is exploring three options — removing the dam, enhancing the area for fishing or designing features for whitewater boating and fishing, said Paul Huting, Waterloo leisure services director. Funding is still uncertain for the estimated $2.6 million project. Waterloo’s request for $400,000 in grants through the DNR for federal trail money in September was rejected, but the project qualified for the funds and the city will likely pursue them again this year. Black Hawk County Gaming Association and Waterloo Development Corp., which both get proceeds from gaming funds to disburse as grants, have voiced support. PROGRESS 2016
Single Speed ahead!
Brewpub and brewery on schedule despite snags Text by AMIE STEFFENEICHER Photos by BRANDON POLLOCK There are reasons Dave Morgan is optimistic about the progress at the former Hostess building in downtown Waterloo. There are also things that frustrate him. As his construction crew tears through one wall, they find possibly historic mission brick, which alters plans for a restroom. As they remove one layer of flooring, they find the hardwood layer below isn’t in a condition they’re ready to work with. “Last week, we found termite damage, more asbestos and the beer garden’s footings aren’t appropriate for outdoor use,” Morgan said, walking past electricians and construction crews demolishing walls in late January. “I’m sure we’ll find three more things this week.” But Morgan, the owner of Single Speed who is turning the building into a historic, environmentally friendly production brewery and restaurant/ pub, remained determined, even upbeat, despite these setbacks. And he has plenty of reason to be. The Waterloo City Council recently endorsed Morgan’s project as worthy of a national historic designation, an important step in getting the building on the National Register of Historic Places and freeing up federal and state restoration money for the remodel in the process. The city also finished up what it could of asbestos removal — Morgan said they revised their plan to tackle the roof asbestos in the spring — so he now has the deed to the building. Both are important steps in keeping with Morgan’s timeline. “We can’t assume historical preservation office approval, but the phase that it’s in now, we couldn’t get into until we had the deed of the building in hand,” Morgan said. They’ll know whether they are approved for a historical designation in March or April, he said. “If we get approval, we think we can get the brewing facility open by the third quarter of this year still,” Morgan said. 20
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The entire project — from taking an existing, aging building full of baking equipment, removing some pieces and repurposing others, while remodeling the inside to be a functional, aesthetically pleasing and LEED-certified production brewery and restaurant — is expected to cost about $6 million. That’s not factoring in that termite damage, the extra asbestos, the flooring that will likely have to be torn out and replaced or the footings that were appropriate for indoor use but not for temperature-extreme outdoor use. “It’s been quite a bit more than I was thinking or planning,” he said. “I’ve never done this before.” It’s worth it to Morgan, however, to return the building to its glory days — the period of time between 1920 and 1970 — because his customers will likely appreciate the work being done. To that end, Morgan has been saving pieces of the Hostess building that can play a role — even if it’s just design-wise — in his restaurant and production brewery. He’s keeping, for instance, an entire flour silo, which he’ll repurpose into a barley silo for brewing; cooler doors, which he’ll use for restroom doors; hoppers previously used to weigh baking ingredients; lockers, which he plans to use as intended; lumber that can’t otherwise be used for flooring; and as many original light fixtures as possible. “The point being, you would have this story that you reclaimed it; there’s no cost savings,” Morgan said. In an era where business owners look only at the bottom line, Morgan and his business partners — including Sidecar Coffee’s Jed Vander Zanden — have emphasized historical value and environmental value. With the Hostess building, they’re putting their money where their mouth is. “People have a lot of pride in this building,” Morgan said, surveying the space as Peters Construction and Stickfort Electric crews moved about. “If we can help bring those memories back, it’s worth it.”
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Family matters Restaurant owner Thu An Nguyen sees dreams come true with hard work, community support Tokyo-bay Text by MELODY PARKER Photos by Courtney Collins Tokyo Bay restaurant is a crisp fusion of Asian and contemporary design. Tall, frosted doors open into a spacious, casual bar area with a multi-screen TV and two-level counter. To the right, tables and booths are set up for sushi dining, and to the left, hibachi grills can seat up to 95 diners. For Thu An Nguyen – Anna to her family, employees and the community, the newly opened restaurant is a dream come true. It’s also symbolic of the Cedar Valley’s support and motivation from her faithful customers that gave her the motivation to build Tokyo Bay at Crossing Point near San Marnan Drive. “The people who came and dined at the old Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse on Ridgeway Avenue were so supportive and loyal. They kept the doors open and kept me alive. It was hard because the building was deteriorating. I knew I wanted to do something like this, to bring a restaurant for sushi and Asian cuisine that you’d find in a bigger city. I’m very proud,” Nguyen says. She also owns Asian Fusion and Sakura Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar, both in Cedar Falls, and Chilito’s Mexican Bar and Grill, located near Lowe’s Home Improvement. Owning a restaurant – let alone four – is a demanding job. The cost of overhead – food, labor and keeping the lights on and doors open – is high, and hours are long. Menus have to be created, new dishes and specialties developed, kitchen and wait staff to train in customer service so the public is happy and keeps coming back. Nguyen started as a server in a Texas restaurant at 18. She and her chef-husband Le moved to Waterloo to assist his parents at a restaurant. They fell in love with the community, and decided to put down roots here. Le develops the recipes and teaches chefs how to prepare and properly season the Asian dishes and to work the grills. “They start in the kitchen first because a chef has master the flavors first and how to cook and season for one or for a large party. Then comes working on showmanship for entertaining customers at the grills,” she explains. 2016 PROGRESS
The mother of five children ages 10 to 21, Nguyen balances the demands of motherhood and owning and managing the restaurants with help from her sister Victoria and brother-in-law Binh Vuong. And it’s all rewarding. “Yes, there is so much time and effort. I like that, I don’t mind that because that’s who I am. This isn’t just a work place. It’s like a home for me.” In addition to being the boss, Nguyen serves as a stern mother hen with her younger employees, providing encouragement, support and motivation, along with the occasional second change. Her goal is to put them on track toward successful lives. “I treat them all like family. They are my family, and I don’t treat them any differently. I’m proud of them and appreciate them,” she says. Binh Vuong concurs. “Restaurants can be revolving door for employees, but if they are treated like family and feel like they have a stake in it, they are willing to invest themselves in it and stay. They can see a future. We promote from within. One of our head chefs started here as a busboy.”
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Highly effective Tawnie Lavalee, corporate spa director for La James International College in Cedar Falls, helps Hoover Middle School student student Emily Gage determine facial shapes during the after-school Cosmo Club.
Leader in Me helps students develop soft skills Text by ANDREW WIND Photo by BRA NDON POLLOCK Leader in Me has taken hold in public and parochial schools across the Cedar Valley during the past six years. But the business community first made the case for implementing the leadership development initiative and provides funding to ensure it continues growing. That effort was started and has been coordinated through the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber, a regional economic development organization. It has since created an educational arm called Leader Valley that oversees work with educators and schools. “It was born out of a concern we’re not prepared with the necessary soft skills that the businesses needed,” said Melissa Reade, Leader Valley director. Business and industry officials had found new employees lacking when it came to being on time, interpersonal relations, effective communication and a wide range of other skills that may not be specifically taught in high school or college classes. “They weren’t taking care of the basic responsibilities they had as an 32
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employee,” said Reade. Leader in Me, created by Utah-based FranklinCovey, introduces students and teachers to the principles of Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and helps to put them into practice. A group of Alliance executives and board members advocated for the initiative’s introduction to the area. Reade said that happened after Steve Dust, the Alliance’s chief executive officer, Bob Justis, retired vice president of community development, and CBE Companies CEO Tom Penaluna, a former board member, visited the first Leader in Me school. The first two Cedar Valley schools to implement the initiative started in 2010. “Now we’re up to 19 schools, 17 schools very actively,” said Reade. In addition, an important milestone was reached when Orange Elementary was designated a lighthouse school last spring by FranklinCovey, honoring the attainment of a well-rounded leadership model. “It’s an awesome honor, the second in the state to achieve that,” said Reade. “They have been really shining their light on others and leading the way.” That’s not the only way the local effort has been recognized. Last PROGRESS 2016