Newsletter

• Businesses are beginning to hire. You are cautious, but the demand for brainpower is increasing across the board, but especially in technical and creative skills (it’s becoming more difficult to differentiate between these now).
• Emerging Cedar Valley-grown businesses want more, open networking with their peers, attention paid to their potential to lead our economy. This is great! Our incubators are active and graduating businesses of all kinds, the IP Institute is in startup mode itself to match talented people with existing ideas to start new operations and TechWorks Campus has a new industrial incubator and bio-composite lab in the planning stage. Bring your ideas to the Cedar Valley of Iowa!
• Our foundation economic sectors are in good shape – Deere and their advanced manufacturing colleagues are investing in productivity-improving technologies and training, here. In a volatile environment health care has repositioned to continue growing, and the R&D opportunities coming from Medical related services are better. Higher Education may hurt more as state budget cuts continue. Still, they are creating important partnerships with K-12 that shift the emphasis to experiential learning over teaching, and building skills for the “21^st Century Job.” Our creative culture on the business side is growing – especially in software and marketing. This is an organic growth sector that has huge, near and mid-term promise in the Cedar Valley.
• Waterloo’s Downtown is emerging. While Cedar Falls Main Street has been an admired fun combination of business and entertainment, Waterloo is achieving something similar in the 4^th St and RiverLoop areas of its Downtown. And Wow! Here comes a revived College Hill District, too! The health important to our quality of life, attracting talented people, and plugging the “brain drain” of young and talented people.
• Our developers and cities our investing for business growth. Whether it’s redevelopments like the Broom Factory site, Rath, 4^th Street or TechWorks Campus, or new areas like Country Club Business Park, South Port, Pinnacle Prairie, South Waterloo Industrial Park, or the Leversee Road Industrial Area, we’re preparing for tomorrow’s growth.
• Infrastructure is improving. Again, our utilities and cities throughout the Cedar Valley are paying attention to such items needed for business success as broadband, future transportation needs.
• We’re thinking Green. As the marketplace takes us in this direction, the Cedar Valley business community is curious, convince-able and investing in sustainable building and operational practices. We’re proud of the Waterloo CVB’s Cedar Valley Green Initiative leading the way.

Special Thanks to the following
David Braton; Bryan Burton; Steve Carignan; Courier Communications; Angela Dark; Design Studio Floral & Accessories; Kate Fischer; Kathy Flynn; Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center; Carol Hansen Photography; Chris Hussey; KWWL TV 7; Laser Design & Graphics, Inc; Kim Leer; Ken Lockard; Mark Nading; Chuck Orr; Ramada Convention Center; Ron Steele; Mike Walden

Task Force
DeAnne Hunter - Chair
Maggie Burger - Speer Financial
Chris Hurley - PDCM Insurance
Steve Husome - United Beverage, Inc.
Tonya Ledvina - Comfort Suites
Donna Miller
Ryan Risetter - Farmers State Bank
Nathan Toby - Veridian Credit Union
Nicole Ubben - Advanced Arm Dynamics
Chris Vadner - Matt Parrott and Sons
Michelle Wubbena - Hy-Vee Food Store

Complimentary parking for the event includes the following options:

1) MultimodalTransportationCenter (MTC) on the corner of Merner Ave. and 23rd Street.  Please note that due to construction, there are some parking restrictions.  Guests can park in any spaces except those designated "G," or Handicap (unless a permit is displayed). Please note that due to road construction, guests may be directed to 22nd and Merner Ave. for access.

2) If MTC parking is full, guests can park (complimentary) in the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center Visitor parking lot or in any A or B spots in Gilchrist parking lot, no parking in spots designated "G."

For campus maps, visit www.uni.edu/resources/maps-directions