business monthly, feb. 2015

CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY FEBRUARY 2015 1

cvbusinessmonthly.com2 February 2015 Cedar Valley Business monthly

CVBUSINESSMONTHLY.COM CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY FEBRUARY 2015 3

Our magazine continues to evolve, and you can be a part of that devel-opment.

Readers of the Cedar Valley Busi-ness Monthly have been numerous over the years, and we’re grate-ful. The magazine has matured in its look and con-tent, thanks large-ly to contributions of readers from an array of back-grounds.

That’s why peri-odically we send out a call for more of you to con-tribute. There are countless issues businesses have to

follow. Each issue, whether it’s hir-ing practices or health care or taxes or controlled growth, affects every entrepreneur differently. That’s why each voice counts.

What is printed on these pages af-fects everyone in the business com-munity, from employers to employ-ees. Even those contemplating a change of jobs or careers can glean wisdom from contributors in these pages.

With the exception of several is-sues dedicated to programs like 20 Under 40, Eight Over 80 and Finan-cial Superstars, we try to keep cov-er stories topical. If members of the business community are discussing certain issues at the water cooler, they’re certainly worthy of an open airing in the Cedar Valley Business Monthly. This issue, for example, takes on the issue of sick leave and how different companies approach paid time off.

Business owners across the Cedar Valley have a lot to say on a range of topics, whether it’s health care, in-vestment, expansions, hiring, human resources, community relations or taxes. Their thoughts on technology topics like search engine optimiza-tion strategies are particularly valu-

able, because that’s where business is going.

Cedar Valley Business Monthly provides two vital functions: It’s a valuable forum in which timely is-sues are discussed at length among experts. And, it also is a community in which to share your unique take on some particularly pressing trend.

It’s the only region-focused busi-ness magazine, and it’s designed with the needs of the business com-munity in mind.

Don’t think of the magazine as simply a repository of complaints; it’s also a venue in which you can share what is working well for your organization, and perhaps as im-portantly, why it’s working.

The Cedar Valley Business Month-ly always has been a tool for local entrepreneurs, a forum through which local business operators could share their expertise with ri-vals and colleagues alike.

However, much like running a company, there are responsibilities for any community to maintain its

most widely circulated publication that focuses on issues important to everyone doing business in the Ce-dar Valley.

In short, any magazine is only as effective as its reader contributions. That’s particularly true of our maga-zine, which is designed to be a voice of local and regional business. As such, it needs contributions from every corner of the constituency it is designed to serve.

It’s easy to contribute. All it takes is an essay 500-600 words long, e-mailed with the author’s photo and contact information, to [email protected].

As a rule of thumb, we set a dead-line for submissions around the last working day of each month. If you would like to contribute to the March issue, for example, the last day to submit would be Jan. 30.

Make your voice heard. Take ownership of the Cedar Valley Busi-ness Monthly. Your voice counts in strengthening the environment for commerce and the region at large.

FROM THE EDITOR

DEVICE MANAGERSWorkers bringing own gadgets to work can have implications for employers. page 6

YOU'RE HIRED!Creativity can help employers beat skilled worker shortage. page 10

CONTENTS

FROM THE COVERCompanies urging sick workers not to bring illness to the of� ce. page 8

Cedar Valley Business Monthly is a free monthly publication direct-mailed to more than 5,300 area businesses.

Contact us at (319) 291-1448 or P.O. Box 540, Waterloo, IA 50704.

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FILE PHOTO

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises prompt use of Tamiflu and other antivirals for flu patients.

4 February 2015 Cedar Valley Business monthly

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When it comes to money and in-vesting, there are several lessons many people wish they would have learned when they were

younger. While everyone’s situ-ation is unique, avoiding these six common mistakes can help you live life without finan-cial regret:

■don’t wait to start saV-ing — Home-ownership, mar-riage, kids and retirement may seem a long way off when you’re in your teens and

20s, but the financial foundation you lay when you’re young is crit-ical. If you work for a company that has a retirement savings plan, take advantage of it as soon as you can. You’ll be glad you did. Sav-ing wisely from an early age en-ables you to turn time into money through the power of compound interest and long-term investing in the market.

■ don’t just wing it; set a saVings goal — It’s hard to know how much to save when you don’t know how much you’ll need down the road. Unfortunate-ly, too many wait until retirement to figure it out and find them-selves with too little savings, too late. A professional financial ad-viser can help you identify your long-term financial needs and life-style goals, and project how much money you’ll need at retirement to achieve them. Inflation and aver-age market returns over time are part of the calculation. Knowing your retirement number also may help you make smarter financial decisions in your early years be-cause you’re working toward a definitive goal.

■ don’t forget to prioritize an emergenCy fund — Doing so can help alleviate the stress and aggravation that comes from un-expected expenses, such as a car or appliance repair. It can also serve as a resource for larger pur-

chases if the desire or need arises. ■ don’t Buy a house you re-

ally Can’t afford — There are many reasons why buying a home may be the right decision for you. If you’ve saved enough money for a down payment, have an emer-gency fund in place and plan to be in the house for five or more years, buying may be the way to go. Just make sure you’re not overextend-ing yourself and going above your price range. By starting small — perhaps with a townhouse, condo or small home — and building up equity, you may be able to trade up over time if you so choose.

It’s important to know that owning a property isn’t the right choice for everyone. For help de-ciding if ownership is a good fit for your current situation, use an online rent vs. buy calculator. Before purchasing, have a pro-fessional and reputable home in-spector examine the property to identify potential risks or prob-lems that may be deal breakers. Also, make sure you are in a loca-tion that offers unique attributes or is in demand to help increase the likelihood you can sell your property when the time is right for you.

■ don’t negleCt Building a good Credit rating — Pur-chasing items on a credit card can help you build up your credit score and make it easier for you to qual-ify for loans and other financial opportunities. Keep in mind that you should only buy items you can afford, and you should pay your credit card off at the end of the month to avoid accruing interest charges or creating debt you can’t afford to pay back.

■ don’t oVerlook your Bank statements — Whether you check your balance online or when a statement arrives in the mail, the important thing is to look it over and make sure there ar-en’t discrepancies between what you’ve charged and what you’re being billed. In addition to helping you catch and quickly dispute any inaccurate charges, it will help you keep tabs on where you money is going each month.

Avoid common money miscues

Larry K. Fox is a private

wealth adviser with Ameriprise

Financial Inc. in Waterloo.

Contact him at 234-7000.

Personal Finance

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CHERIE DARGAN

Americans love their gadgets and want to use them at work. Ac-cording to a recent Pew Research Report, 90 percent of us own cell-phones, 56 percent have smart-phones, 32 percent own e-readers and an amazing 42 percent tote tablets. There’s some overlap, of course, but it’s fair to say more than half of the workforce is tak-ing devices with Internet access to work. And that number is grow-ing as workers embrace “bringing

your own device,” also known as BYOD, to the job.

Meanwhile, American businesses are beaming

their data into the clouds. Accord-

ing to Forbes, the projected compounded annual growth

rate for cloud computing through

2016 is a whopping 36 percent. The economies of hosting applica-tions and data offsite are compel-

ling and are likely to grow.The movement of business

into the cloud runs parallel with changes in worker behavior: Hav-ing become comfortable with us-ing mobile devices for conducting personal business, e.g., banking, credit card payments, library transactions and personal corre-spondence, it’s not remarkable workers are eager to use them at work. Workers are happy to use a familiar tool while employers shed the capital costs of acquiring and maintaining hardware and soft-ware. However, there are sever-al issues workers and employers should carefully consider before plunging into BYOD.

Attempts to ban the BYOD phe-nomenon outright are futile. If we accept the premise of BYOD inevitability, employers and workers alike should examine how the gadgets alter tradition-al workplace relationships. For example, most enterprises have had electronic usage policies for decades. Employees know better

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than to use the boss’ computer to surf the Internet, especially on the clock. However, when an em-ployee is using her own iPhone with her own 4G account to con-nect to the Internet, should the boss be able to track and record the worker’s traffic? If so, there would have to be a policy explic-itly acknowledged by the work-er that allows the IT staff to look over her shoulder to monitor her activity. The policy would also need to comply with laws reg-ulating the interception of elec-tronic data.

Employers in health or edu-cation should be especially con-cerned about compliance with HIPAA regulations. The laws concerning the transmission and storage of Health Insurance Por-tability and Accountability Act apply whether the activity occurs on a device owned and managed by a health care provider or by a health care worker. Business-es that must comply with HIPAA would be wise to consult with IT

staff to come up with ways to se-cure transactions while allowing access from unmanaged devices.

Similarly, in education, where many student-teacher interac-tions are moving from physical to virtual classrooms, especially outside of normal school days, care must be taken to ensure in-formation covered by the Fami-ly Education and Privacy Rights Act is protected. If school teach-ers are connecting to online classrooms using course man-agement systems like Blackboard or Angel with any device, what are the issues school IT staff need to resolve?

IT people want to know who is doing what with which devices. One way of accomplishing this is through thin-client apps. Cis-co has been providing such apps for mobile devices since at least 2011. With a thin client, the ac-tivity involving a cloud-based session occurs only on the serv-er and is merely displayed on the mobile device. With neither

data nor application running lo-cally, and with the data running on a well-encrypted link, the pri-vacy risk is minimized. An added advantage is a client adapted to the particular mobile technology greatly minimizes IT involvement.

Thin clients for mobile devic-es are great, but no panacea. Sometimes employees will surf to uncontrolled sites to conduct business and may acquire email or SMS text messages that hold sensitive data. How can IT keep an eye out for problems while not unduly burdening the user of the mobile device? One promising way would be to use a mobile de-vice management product such as Meraki Device Management agents, a tiny piece of software that allows IT staff to monitor ac-tivity and to intervene as neces-sary.

MDM agents alone will not be the ultimate solution to protect-ing businesses from misuse of employees with BYOD. Prior to deployment of either thin clients

or MDM agents, businesses will want to create and effectively publicize policies and procedures for the BYOD-equipped employ-ees. The worker must understand sensitive transactions must occur via protected sessions and data networks. Also, the employee must understand their device is being monitored 24/7 by MDM equipped IT staff who may, if necessary, intervene to maintain compliance with legal or compa-ny restrictions.

Employees are already bringing their own mobile devices to work. They will be bringing more and more powerful devices as time passes. Successful businesses will recognize this phenomenon and adapt in a way that optimizes the experiences of staff and custom-ers, minimizes legal exposure and maximizes profits.

Cherie Dargan is professor of com-munications at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo. Contact her at (800) 670-4769 ext. 1701 or [email protected].

Attempts to ban the BYOD phenomenon outright are futile. If we accept the premise of BYOD inevitability, employers and workers alike should examine how the gadgets alter traditional workplace relationships.

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During the winter months, employers aren’t too con-cerned about absenteeism. A bigger problem may be employees who show up for work sick.

Because the flu is spread through contact with others, human resource consultants say employers should dis-courage workers from com-ing to work when they should be in bed.

Some HR specialists blame “presenteeism” on job insecurity and work-ers afraid to lose a day’s wages.

The same experts say sick workers bring lit-tle to the job but the risk of spreading germs.

Cedar Valley

employers say they actively work to minimize presentee-ism.

“It’s our responsibility to provide a healthy work envi-ronment,” said Renee Chris-toffer, senior vice president of administration at Veridian Credit Union in Waterloo.

Companies traditionally have offered employees sick leave apart from paid vaca-tion time. More employers to-day, however, are folding sick days in with vacation days under a single “paid time off”

umbrella.

Veridian has such a policy, offering four weeks of paid time off after a year of service and more as tenure increases, Christoffer said.

“We approached sick leave and vacation as PTO (paid time off), as one thing, for many years,” she said.

The policy provides more flexibility and eases employee angst about exceeding allot-ted sick days, Christoffer said.

“This allows full-time staff to manage time more holis-tically and handle their time off as they see fit,” she said. “I think employees appreciate the opportunity to make the choice, because when they have a sick child or they’re sick themselves, they can then plan more appropriately.”

Employees are encouraged to stay home if they’re not

feeling well. Managers are urged to ensure that they

do.“It’s really a com-

bined effort,” Christ-offer said.

Flexibility is key to battling

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presenteeism at Cedar Falls-based Spinutech Inc., said Marc Reifenrath, CEO.

“When individuals are sick but able to work, then work-ing from home is certainly a possibility,” he said. “As we always say, we only want peo-ple working if they can still function at a normal capaci-ty.”

Spinutech also folds sick days in with vacation time.

“So, for individuals who are not sick often, it gives them more vacation time,” he said.

It also encourages people to work when they are sick, he acknowledged.

“That wasn’t the intent, but a side effect of our setup,” he said. “For the most part, our team does a great job of knowing when to come in and not to.”

Managers communicate with employees about staying home when needed.

“At times, when the flu or colds have been going around, we’ve had chats with our team about when to and not to come in,” he said.

Presenteeism is more of a challenge for advertising agencies than in some indus-tries, said Devin Range, chief marketing officer at Cedar Falls-based EdgeCore.

That’s because advertis-ing agencies, he said, tend to attract people who “en-joy working in a demanding, fast-paced, high-energy at-mosphere.”

“The downside to this is that our employees have such incredibly high standards and expectations for them-selves that they often find it difficult to stay home when they’re clearly too sick to do their job effectively,” Range said.

Sick employees, neverthe-less, are “strongly encour-aged” to stay at home.

“We know our employees are going to want to suck it up, ignore their 103-degree fever and slog into the of-fice, but we strongly encour-age them to stay home and

completely log off until they feel better,” he said. “It’s not only substantially more cost-ly for one person to get our entire office sick, but we also want our employees to feel like they’re doing their jobs to the best of their ability — and they certainly can’t do that when their head is throbbing and they have the chills.”

EdgeCore, too, emphasizes flexibility to mitigate the chal-lenges flu season brings.

“One of our goals has al-ways been to offer our em-ployees flexibility — not just regarding their health, but all aspects of their lives,” he said. “Our employees’ dedication has created an environment of personal accountability, and this allows everyone the freedom to take time off when things come up, whether it’s a son or daughter that comes home sick from school or a car that just won’t start in the winter. Unexpected events happen, and even though we work in a 24/7 industry, we strive to do everything we can to make sure our team feels supported.”

Bryan Earnest, president and CEO of Cedar Falls-based marketing and advertising firm Amperage, agreed.

“At Amperage, while we appreciate employees want-ing to stay in the game when they are sick, our clients and other team members want our staff to be at their best,” he said.

Telecommuting also is an option.

“Technology has helped over the years to keep em-ployees plugged in as they can when they need to be home to rest and recover,” Earnest said. “Over time we have had to become more de-liberate about encouraging staff to go home and get rest to keep germs away and to speed up the healing process. There is no doubt that it has been a change of mindset and corporate culture over time, but it best for the health of our company.”

Companies urge sick workers to stay home

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CVBUSINESSMONTHLY.COM10 FEBRUARY 2015 CEDAR VALLEY BUSINESS MONTHLY

ANTHONY ARRINGTONToday employers are faced with

a new kind of challenge when it comes to hiring the best and brightest talent. Unemployment is hovering below 5 percent in Black Hawk County, and job seekers are becoming less plenti-ful. Compounding this situation is the fact most open positions require specific skills and expe-rience. Individuals with these skills — skilled trade workers, engineers, IT staff, mechanics, etc. — are in demand. There are just not enough workers with the right skills to fill open posi-tions. According to Manpower’s data, hiring is on the rise, which means finding the right talent is even more challenging.

According to the latest results of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, employers in Iowa expect to hire at an active pace this quarter. In the next three months, 21 percent of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 5 percent expect to reduce staff. Another 73 percent expect to maintain their current work-force. This yields a net employ-ment outlook of 16 percent.

Employers should act to secure the right talent for future pro-ductivity. Two simple consider-ations can be effective: identifying transferable skills from both internal and external can-didates and us-ing creativity to put people in the right positions.

Transferable skillsEmployers must move away

from a stop-gap hiring mentality to attract and retain quality talent for the long term. First, identify cur-rent employees with transferable skills for existing and future job openings. Second, expand the tal-ent pool by recruiting candidates with transferable skills from other industries. Many skills required in customer service and administra-tive roles can be applied to differ-ent jobs. This holds true for sales reps and marketing professionals as well. Candidates may lack some hard skills for a role, but their foun-dational skills often support the technical requirements, making them a “teachable fit” for a new position. Employers must broad-en their mind-sets when it comes to hiring.

Use creativityEntrepreneurs understand cre-

ativity, and applying creative vision to workforce models can produce results. By re-examining the assets right in front of them, employers can find immediate solutions to hiring challenges. We refer to this as the “race horses pulling plows” challenge. It’s vital employers en-sure their workforce’s potential is used intelligently and prof-itably. Employers must seek out untapped skills to build strong, pros-perous work-forces. The challenge b e c o m e s a p p a re n t

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when corporations need to attract junior talent, but only have highly skilled and technical roles avail-able. As a result, potential stars are working in maintenance roles when their skill set could be bet-ter utilized elsewhere. By shifting talent upward, employers can free up the more process-focused roles suitable for junior talent and allow them to hone their craft. A creative approach to hiring can help em-ployers build from within.

Employers need to take a long-term view of their talent manage-ment strategies and identify trans-ferable skills within their workforce to utilize existing talent and create the most valuable path of develop-ment for future workforces. Em-ployers adopting a more creative approach to optimizing skills will be in a stronger position to ensure their next generation of staff is skilled, stable and engaged.

Clearing barriersAs Iowa’s labor shortage wors-

ens, employers are discovering job seekers with barriers to em-ployment are a great source of talent. Barriers include physical or mental disabilities, criminal convictions, limited English profi-ciency and even long-term unem-

ployment. Employers should consider whether re-

cruiting methods and screening

requirements give ade-

quate con-sideration to these c a n d i -dates.

Many companies automatically disqualify applicants with criminal convictions. Is there good reason for such exclusion? While in some cases there’s a regulatory basis (in-dividuals convicted of fraud are excluded from certain jobs in the financial sector, for example), in other cases these exclusions arise from negative employer bias or ill-defined fears. Individuals who have overcome patterns of failure or challenges such as disability are not only highly qualified employ-ees but frequently demonstrate re-markable work ethic and loyalty.

The Iowa Job Honor Awards re-cently celebrated two Iowa compa-nies for their commitment to hire disadvantaged candidates. The honorees unanimously assert these are not “charity jobs.” Candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds add significant value and raise em-ployee morale. David Dingman, owner of T&D Repair in Burling-ton, observes, “Some of my best employees are the ones with lim-itations, because they strive harder than anyone else.”

Gary McCarthy of Winnebago Industries in Forest City echoes that observation: “They’re very loy-al, hardworking, dependable em-ployees. Because of their struggles, they value the job.”

Inspiring videos of these recruit-ing success stories can be viewed

at www.jobhonor.org.Anthony Ar-rington is branch manager of Manpower Inc. in Waterloo.

Contact him at (319) 366-7661.

Creativity can beat skilled worker shortage

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Los Angeles TimesA new building industry report found the

number of construction jobs rose in 66 percent of U.S. metropolitan areas for the year that ended Nov. 30, a sign that the economic recov-

ery is spreading to that once hard-hit sector.The Associated General Contractors of

America, the construction industry’s largest trade group, said in its report released last month demand was so strong some regions had begun to experience labor shortages.

“It is good news that construction employ-ment is now rising in two-thirds of the nation’s metro areas,” said Ken Simonson, the group’s chief economist. “But now that the unemploy-

Going up Most U.S. metro areas see gains in construction jobs

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ment rate for construction workers has fallen to a seven-year low, it has become a major challenge to find qualified workers in many fields.”

The report found employment in the indus-try grew in 224 of 339 metro areas.

The largest gains, by numbers, came in the Houston area, which added 16,200 construc-tion jobs, an increase of 9 percent over the pre-vious 12-month period.

That was followed by Dallas-Irving-Plano, Texas, with 11,000 more jobs, a 10 percent rise, greater Chicago, which added 9,100 jobs, or 7 percent, and Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash., with 8,900 jobs, or 12 percent.

From a statewide perspective, California added 41,700 construction jobs, a 6 percent rise, to a total of 697,000, the group said.

The fastest growth came from the Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine area, which added 7,700 construction jobs, a 10 percent rise, and the Los Angeles-Long-Beach area, which added 6,100 jobs, up 5 percent.

The mostly positive news in the sector was tempered by the fact that some of the fastest growth during the year came in regions that are heavily dependent on the oil and gas busi-ness and thus vulnerable to the recent plunge in oil prices.

Besides the Texas metro areas, some of the fastest growth in construction jobs, relative to the size of the market, came from such oil-de-pendent regions as Pascagoula, Miss. (24 per-cent with 1,500 more jobs); Fargo, N.D. (19 percent, 1,600 jobs); and York-Hanover, Pa. (18 percent, 1,700 jobs).

A crane works on top of a high-rise building under construction in the New York skyline. Total construction spending in the United States has jumped 2.4 per cent from a year ago to $974.9 billion.

AP PHOTO

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ALLIANCE & CHAMBERNEWSLETTERwww.cedarvalleyalliance.com

Be part of somethingGREATER!

CedarValley Art &WineContact: Kim BlakesleyPhone 319-939-4356602 State St., Ste. A1Cedar Falls, IA 50613www.cedarvalleyartandwine.comCategory: Entertainment

Hartman Reserve NatureCenter Friends BoardContact: Steve HardingPhone: 319-277-2187657 Reserve Dr.Cedar Falls, IA 50613www.hartmanreserve.orgCategory: Education

Junior Achievement ofEastern Iowa, Inc.Contact: Christine LandaPhone: 319-274-0760425 Cedar St., Ste. 320Waterloo, IA 50701www.juniorachievement.orgCategory: Associations/Organizations

WELCOME NEW alliance & Chamber INVESTORS

Join the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber! Learn how you canbenefit! Contact Sue Beach at [email protected] or

BetteWubbena at [email protected].

MonatWealth ManagementContact: Patricia MonatPhone: 319-235-7613978 Home Plaza, Ste. 400Waterloo, IA 50701www.monatwealth.comCategory: Financial Planning/Services

RDA Financial NetworkContact: Richard RyanPhone: 319-300-4975521A Lafayette St.Waterloo, IA 50703www.rdafn.comCategory: InvestmentBrokerage/Stocks/Bonds

Zuidberg North America,Inc.Contact: Rudolf de JongPhone: 319-553-48003105 CapitalWay, Ste. 1Cedar Falls, IA 50613www.zuidbergna.comCategory: Manufacturers

FEBRUARY 10Greater Cedar Valley Legislative ReceptionRenaissance Savery Hotel, 401 Locust St.Des Moines5:00–7:00 PMRSVP by February 3 [email protected]

MARCH 26Annual CelebrationPark Place Event Centre, 1521 Technology Pkwy.Cedar Falls5:30–9:00 PMTo purchase a corporate table, please email BetteWubbena at [email protected]

APRIL 7Strictly Business ExpoPark Place Event Centre, 1521 Technology Pkwy.Cedar Falls4:00–7:00 PMTo purchase an exhibitor booth, email BetteWubbena at [email protected]

APRIL 22-24Leader in Me SymposiumMaucker Union, University of Northern Iowa1227W. 27th St., Cedar FallsFor more information, contact Melissa Reade [email protected]

For more event details, visitwww.cedarvalleyalliance.com or call 319-232-1156.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS ! 2015 Cedar Valley Manufacturing ConferenceFebruary 5 | 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Building Bridges.Growing Workforce.Join Hawkeye Community College, the Greater CedarValley Alliance & Chamber, the Cedar Valley RegionalPartnership, and the Cedar Valley ManufacturersNetwork on Thursday, February 5, for a conferencefocused on making connections between manufacturingprofessionals, school administrators, and educators.Attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Network with other decision makers.• Review how to recruit new and retain currentemployees.• Discuss building relationships with local schools andengaging students.• Examine employment trends and statistics.

Don’t miss this great conference!Register today for this free event atwww.hawkeyecollege.edu/go/manufacturing.

Date: February 5Time: 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.Location: Hawkeye’s Main Campus – Tama Hall

1501 East Orange RoadWaterloo, IA

For more information or to register visit www.hawkeyecollege.edu/go/manufacturing.

Good Morning Cedar ValleyMarch 5 • 7:30 am – 9:00 am

RSVP to Bette Wubbena [email protected] or

call 319-232-1156 by February 26.

PREMIER SPONSOR

Gold SponsorsAround the Corner Productions

Community Bank & Trust

Crossroads Center, Lower Level2060 Crossroads Blvd., Waterloo, IA

Attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Discuss building relationships with local schools andengaging students.• Examine employment trends and statistics.


Date: February 5

CEDARVALLEYMANUFACTURERS NETWORK


ALLIANCE & CHAMBERNEWSLETTERwww.cedarvalleyalliance.com

Be part of somethingGREATER!

CedarValley Art &WineContact: Kim BlakesleyPhone 319-939-4356602 State St., Ste. A1Cedar Falls, IA 50613www.cedarvalleyartandwine.comCategory: Entertainment

Hartman Reserve NatureCenter Friends BoardContact: Steve HardingPhone: 319-277-2187657 Reserve Dr.Cedar Falls, IA 50613www.hartmanreserve.orgCategory: Education

Junior Achievement ofEastern Iowa, Inc.Contact: Christine LandaPhone: 319-274-0760425 Cedar St., Ste. 320Waterloo, IA 50701www.juniorachievement.orgCategory: Associations/Organizations

WELCOME NEW alliance & Chamber INVESTORS

Join the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber! Learn how you canbenefit! Contact Sue Beach at [email protected] or

BetteWubbena at [email protected].

MonatWealth ManagementContact: Patricia MonatPhone: 319-235-7613978 Home Plaza, Ste. 400Waterloo, IA 50701www.monatwealth.comCategory: Financial Planning/Services

RDA Financial NetworkContact: Richard RyanPhone: 319-300-4975521A Lafayette St.Waterloo, IA 50703www.rdafn.comCategory: InvestmentBrokerage/Stocks/Bonds

Zuidberg North America,Inc.Contact: Rudolf de JongPhone: 319-553-48003105 CapitalWay, Ste. 1Cedar Falls, IA 50613www.zuidbergna.comCategory: Manufacturers

FEBRUARY 10Greater Cedar Valley Legislative ReceptionRenaissance Savery Hotel, 401 Locust St.Des Moines5:00–7:00 PMRSVP by February 3 [email protected]

MARCH 26Annual CelebrationPark Place Event Centre, 1521 Technology Pkwy.Cedar Falls5:30–9:00 PMTo purchase a corporate table, please email BetteWubbena at [email protected]

APRIL 7Strictly Business ExpoPark Place Event Centre, 1521 Technology Pkwy.Cedar Falls4:00–7:00 PMTo purchase an exhibitor booth, email BetteWubbena at [email protected]

APRIL 22-24Leader in Me SymposiumMaucker Union, University of Northern Iowa1227W. 27th St., Cedar FallsFor more information, contact Melissa Reade [email protected]

For more event details, visitwww.cedarvalleyalliance.com or call 319-232-1156.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS ! 2015 Cedar Valley Manufacturing ConferenceFebruary 5 | 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Building Bridges.Growing Workforce.Join Hawkeye Community College, the Greater CedarValley Alliance & Chamber, the Cedar Valley RegionalPartnership, and the Cedar Valley ManufacturersNetwork on Thursday, February 5, for a conferencefocused on making connections between manufacturingprofessionals, school administrators, and educators.Attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Network with other decision makers.• Review how to recruit new and retain currentemployees.• Discuss building relationships with local schools andengaging students.• Examine employment trends and statistics.


Date: February 5Time: 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.Location: Hawkeye’s Main Campus – Tama Hall

1501 East Orange RoadWaterloo, IA

For more information or to register visit www.hawkeyecollege.edu/go/manufacturing.

Good Morning Cedar ValleyMarch 5 • 7:30 am – 9:00 am

RSVP to Bette Wubbena [email protected] or

call 319-232-1156 by February 26.

PREMIER SPONSOR

Gold SponsorsAround the Corner Productions

Community Bank & Trust

Crossroads Center, Lower Level2060 Crossroads Blvd., Waterloo, IA

Attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Discuss building relationships with local schools andengaging students.• Examine employment trends and statistics.


Date: February 5

CEDARVALLEYMANUFACTURERS NETWORK

. . . .. . . .


LEN BOSELOVICPittsburgh Post-Gazette

PITTSBURGH — Finding mil-lennials who are interested in manufacturing and have the apti-tude for it are two challenges fac-ing manufacturers trying to re-place retiring baby boomers. But there’s another: teaching millen-nials once they find them.

Employers are discovering the next generation of workers learns differently than they did.

“Millennials like to see results right now,” said Scott Covert, who runs an in-house training program at Penn United Technol-ogies, a tool-and-die shop that employs about 600.

That requires online courses and lots of hands-on work where

students learn practical applica-tions of theory.

At Beaver County Community College, which offers a number of manufacturing-related de-grees, getting and keeping mil-lennials engaged means using 3-D printers, laser cutters and other equipment that puts a fin-ished product in students’ hands quickly. The products include 3-D printed plastic molds used to make chocolate candies featuring the school’s logo.

“These students are so used to instant gratification. This feeds right into their personality,” said Mike Aikens, a natural science and technology professor. “We have to connect with them. They are digital natives.”

One of the classes Aikens teaches was developed through National Science Foundation grants promoting science, tech-nology, engineering and math, or STEM, skills. The grants fund workshops where teachers learn how to teach other teachers how

to incorporate lessons in those subjects into a semester-long class where students make cus-tom-designed electric guitars.

About 2.7 million manufactur-ing workers are expected to re-tire in the next eight years or so, according to the Manufacturing Institute, the research arm of the National Association of Manu-facturers. While the economy and a lack of retirement savings may persuade some boomers to work a few more years, manufac-turers know they will eventually have to replace them.

However, the pool of potential recruits is limited by the mistak-en impression manufacturing means doing dirty jobs in dirty places.

“Advanced manufacturing to-day is a very high-tech, high-skilled career,” said Neil Ash-baugh, who oversees training at Oberg Industries, a company that produces machined and stamped metal parts.

Ashbaugh, 45, joined Oberg as an apprentice in 1993, knowing it would take him 42 to 54 months to complete the program. Today, online courses allow apprentices to complete the program at their own pace, Ashbaugh said.

“I still enjoy seminars where I sit and get lectures. The millenni-als are a little different,” he said.

They include his son, Ian, who is pursuing an associate degree in engineering at Butler Commu-nity College.

This semester, Ian Ashbaugh and his classmates designed novelty holders for USB devic-es, then produced them on the school’s 3-D printer. Some de-signs didn’t work because they didn’t take into account the space needed to insert the USB device into a port.

Ashbaugh said his son report-ed the assignment taught him that while manufacturing creates neat things, “When you get into business, you have to create neat things that work or solve a prob-lem.”

Last year, Penn United started a semester-long program that teaches high school students basic technical skills through a combination of online learning and hands-on work at the com-pany’s training center. About 70 to 100 students are expected to complete the free course this year, Covert said.

Kennametal, a tool maker, started a high school-level pro-gram three years ago to get stu-dents interested in manufactur-ing careers. About 150 students have completed its semester-long Young Engineers program. Sev-eral graduates of the program later accepted internships with the company.

Matt Kovac, dean of Butler County Community Colleges Natural Science and Technolo-gy department, said the school’s emphasis on hands-on learning and making things fills a void in millennials’ experience.

Previous generations had plen-ty of opportunities to learn how to fix or make things, whether it was through Lincoln Log kits or getting help fixing a car from their father or neighbor. Millen-nials “don’t have the built-in fa-miliarity with fixing things, mak-ing things,” he said.

Kovacs wonders if some of the enthusiasm generated when stu-dents learn how to make guitars, USB device holders and other things comes from the fact those kinds of opportunities aren’t as abundant as they were when he was their age.

Manufacturing millennialsA new training approach to replace retiring baby boomers

TNS PHOTO

Sophomore Mike Paul works with vacuum form molds in Butler County Community College’s manufacturing

lab in Pittsburgh, Penn.

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Pam Wright came to Hawkeye Community Col-lege after 15 years in human resource manage-

ment. She wanted to alleviate a a deep-seated problem ob-served in many industries: the failure to set people up for suc-cess by providing them with training to develop the skills necessary to lead. Promoted, quality employees can become frustrated to the point of quit-ting (and some did) because they knew what needed to be done but could not effectively communicate the outcomes to produce results. After a few years of working at Hawk-eye and with more data about the diminishing labor pool of available candidates, she ob-served more employers pur-suing succession planning to better prepare the business for continued prosperity.

One aspect of succession planning involves having an

understanding of roles top leaders play in suc-cessful organizations. In an effort to provide this

kind of training, Pam and I teamed up to design the LEAD (Leadership, Excellence, Action and De-cision-making) Certificate Program. It was aimed at developing leaders and understanding their role in industry, including strengths, weaknesses and how to use this knowledge to their advantage when working with others to produce results.

The program is progressive: Each class builds on the last, and students are accountable for reporting how they had put the previous les-sons into practice at their workplace, what they learned and the results. Additionally, a variety of participants from multiple industries provide a unique and highly interactive learning perspec-tive. In 2014, LEAD’s inaugural year, 18 Cedar Valley leaders completed the training and were awarded certificates.

LEAD begins its second year this month. Each of the 10 sessions will focus on a different issue emerging leaders may encounter, ranging from strengths-based leadership to a reflective session titled “Listen to Me – The Top 10 Things Employ-ees Want You to Know About Them.”

Problem solving, remarkable leadership, em-ployee motivation, evaluations, leadership no-no’s, performance management, inspiring great-ness and handling difficult conversations are also focus areas. Participants will meet once a month

for four-hour sessions from February to June, and then again from August to December. Each ses-sion is facilitated by a different expert to give par-ticipants perspectives and fresh faces.

LEAD was designed specifically for new and emerging leaders as well as managers and super-visors who want to improve results and advance their career. For more information, please go to www.hawkeyecollege.edu/go/lead or call (319) 296-4223.

Succession planning important

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GREAT FUTURES START HERE.Volunteer or Donate today at www.cedarvalleyclubs.org

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biz card directory

Chuck RoweChief Executive Officer

k Rowecutive Officer

515 Lime StreetWaterloo, IA 50703Phone: (319)234-2839Cell: (319)830-4774Fax: (319)[email protected]

GREAT FUTURES START HERE.Volunteer or Donate today at www.cedarvalleyclubs.org

Our mission is:To inspire & enable all young people, especially those whoneed us most, to reach their full potential as productive,

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[email protected]

Ph. 319-232-6554112 West Park Lane

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Putting the right talent at the table can preventturnover. Let Express Employment Professionalsdevelop solutions to address yourworkplace challenges.

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