Iowa Business Podcast
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Apprenticeship week: parents still pushing 4 year degrees?
As we recognize apprenticeship week and the massive opportunity it brings, we learned an alarming number of parents are still pushing students to get 4-year college degrees. Why? Tim Felderman, Chair of the Iowa Apprenticeship council and Superintendent of Hampton-Dumont school district is concerned. Felderman explains why Iowa’s process is far more adaptive to business,…
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Fractional executives surge 5400%. An Iowa leadership stopgap?
Iowa’s talent gap has long been a headache for local businesses, but Michelle Book, CEO of Altus CXO, reveals a “shot in the arm” solution that is currently seeing a 5,400% surge in LinkedIn roles. Unlike traditional consultants who simply hand over a plan and leave, these fractional leaders embed themselves directly into the C-suite…
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Meet Hubbell Realty’s new CEO: Kyle Gamble
He’s officially 30 days in. Meet Kyle Gamble, the brand new CEO of Hubbell Realty. Gamble touches on the future of their business, why downtown will come back, and what technology they’re looking at to lower housing costs. Gamble believes Central Iowa’s competitive edge lies in a high quality of life that outweighs the “young…
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Ai At Work: the information your company relies on is getting corrupted
Most company leaders are on guard as private information is shared with Ai tools, but most are unaware Ai can corrupt the information they use to make decisions. Chris Draper, founder of Morrigan Ai says innocent Ai use today, can cement inaccurate information tomorrow in company databases, CRM tools, project management, and other tools forever.…
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Iowa company to harvest Helium3 from the moon for fusion energy, quantum computing.
As we watch NASA’s Artemis II mission, one Iowa company is looking forward to incredible breakthrough potential. The moon has plentiful Helium3, an element not found on earth, and Vermeer’s technology can harvest it, unlocking new potential in quantum computing and fusion energy. CEO Jason Andringa explains. Andringa has a space background. He has a…
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Iowa investing 1 million into algae company to clean our water
Would you invest one million dollars into algae? Probably not, that sounds crazy. But that’s exactly what the state of Iowa just did and that one move may be key to cleaning our air, waterways, growing organic crops, and creating sustainable aviation fuel. Martin Gross, founder of Gross-Wen Technologies tells us how their process works.…
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Energy joins healthcare as growing business Iowa concern
The ABI Survey results are out and energy is now a growing concern alongside healthcare and talent acquisition for Iowa leaders. Nicole Crain, President of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI), breaks down fresh Q2 survey data out today. To be clear, energy is cheap and accessible in Iowa, but Iowa business leaders…
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As restaurants close, Hyper Energy Bar grows. Why?
Can an Iowa-based drive-through brand focused on energy drinks survive? Can it take on the likes of Starbucks? Apparently the answer is yes. After building numerous stores across Iowa, the founder of Hyper Energy Bar, Chris Whalen, is expanding throughout the midwest. Service runs in Whalen’s blood. As a kid he was surrounded by hotel…
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Dubuque developer blurs lines between property owner and investor
While some small downtowns across the country are dying, towns like Dubuque, Iowa are growing. John Gronen, founder of Gronen Development explains how their role has evolved into a hybrid of a state economic development, tourism office, and investment firm. Gronen’s approach has been profitable, but isn’t solely focused on the numbers. He doesn’t see…
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Iowa’s top CEOs are cautious as they face volatility, Ai changes, and tariffs.
Iowa’s top 21 CEOs are in between a rock and a hard place. They want to continue their traditional calculated approach, the reason for Iowa’s dependable economy, but face new market volatility, a weekly-changing regulatory landscape, Ai disruption, and future energy concerns. Is it time for change? Joe Murphy, President of the Iowa Business Council…