Des Moines Business Record

Happy 22nd anniversary to Eileen Jackson! Eileen brings a wide range of expertise to our company and has served in a variety of roles, from insurance to accounting to human resources, during her time at Business Publications Corporation. For the last 12 years, Eileen has led our business department, building systems and processes that have taken our business decision-making to the next level. “As I’ve grown in the role, I’ve learned a lot about my own skills as a leader,” Eileen said. “That’s one of the things that I love the most.” As the business and human resources director, Eileen prioritizes the relationships she’s developed with our vendors. “Our clients are our bread and butter, but there are many people in the community that have supported us over the years,” Eileen said. Eileen is looking forward to seeing BPC continue to broaden our community-building work and the way technology will expand our services. “It’s always so fun to watch how new technologies change the way we do business,” Eileen said. “I love the way our community grows and how we at BPC can be a part of that.” Eileen, thank you so much for your years of service. Congratulations on 22 years!

At the recent Alliance of Area Business Publishers 2024 Editorial Excellence Awards, staff writer Nicole Paseka Grundmeier was honored with the award, “Best Bylined Commentary – Gold” for her column in Fearless. The judges said, “Future business leaders need a bit of aggression and a lot of perseverance, but there are times when it is best to drop something and move on. Yet young people, especially in sports, are often prodded to never give up, never quit. The commentary gives sound advice to help parents help children to identify when and how to quit when needed, and hone that skill for future adulthood. Readers are almost certain to learn something new from these well-reasoned and researched articles.” Subscribe to our weekly Fearless newsletter at https://lnkd.in/gcxATKfy

Cathy Padilla, chief information officer – enterprise service management at Wells Fargo, enjoys cycling locally and around the world. “I have a very demanding job, and I am a single mom of four kids,” Padilla said. “Between work and my family, there really hasn’t been time for me, my wellness or my own personal hobbies. But as my kids got a little older, I realized it was time to do a little more to invest in my own wellness. “Pre-COVID, in early 2019 I started to diet, exercise and focus more on my physical and mental health. I found I really enjoyed both pilates and cycling. Then during COVID when we were so limited, cycling became a great way to get out of the house, be safe and still do a little vacationing. We did roadtrips during COVID with bikes on the back to places like Colorado, Minnesota and South Padre Island, Texas.”

Congratulations to these folks who are On the Move! Make sure to connect via LinkedIn and take a second to help us celebrate their promotions, job changes, awards and other accomplishments. Find details about everyone who is on the move this week at https://lnkd.in/gJc3QdXi Want to feature your employees in the Business Record’s free On the Move section? Submit your employees at https://lnkd.in/gCDehACK This week we congratulate: Shannon Gerard, Tim Fleming, Naomi Myers, Brian Nelson Chris Steele, Paul Knutson, Jennifer Schumann

Congratulations to digital news editor and staff writer, Sarah Diehn, for receiving the award “Best Beat Reporting, Tech and Innovation – Gold” at the recent AABP Editorial Excellence Awards. Judges said, “Even the nation’s oldest and most storied companies must innovate, or find themselves falling behind. Be it John Deere adding new product lines, or banks central to the region working to protect themselves from collapse, change is at the center of it all. This reporting offers a peek behind the curtain at what is happening and who is leading the charge.” Subscribe to our InnovationIOWA weekly newsletter at: https://lnkd.in/gcBZrRgj

Business Record staff members earned the award “Best Feature, Series – Gold” at the recent Alliance of Area Business Publishers Editorial Excellence awards. Team members Emily Kestel, Michael Crumb, Sarah Diehn and Emily Wood contributed to the series titled, “Belonging: How Iowa’s culture plays a role in workplace inclusion.” The judges said, “This successful series is both well-done and much-needed. The introductory story explores the intersection of ‘Iowa nice’ and workplace inclusion, and it sets the stage for an engaging and topical trio of pieces. The stories take off the rose-colored glasses in critically looking back on Iowa’s civil rights history, and also laser focus on what businesses are doing now and what the future can look like.” Read the series: https://lnkd.in/gNCk9_Cn

Brooke Findley, senior director of strategy and impact at the Chrysalis Foundation, is a third-generation commercial fisherman in Alaska. “Each year, I take time away from my work at the Chrysalis Foundation to join a crew on the Kenai Peninsula, catching thousands of pounds of halibut and salmon for restaurants and grocery stores,” Findley said. “What makes it even more meaningful is sharing this tradition with my daughter, who joins me in Alaska every year.”

The Des Moines Buccaneers hockey team has ended negotiations to move its games to a proposed facility Merle Hay Mall. Here's what officials from the mall and city of Urbandale say is next for the former Yonkers department store space where the arena would have been built. https://lnkd.in/gbXgbHJi

Iowa companies are tempering expectations for sales, capital spending and employment over the next six months, according to the results of Iowa Business Council’s second-quarter 2024 Economic Outlook Survey. https://lnkd.in/g6PwKeCX

This week's Fearless e-newsletter was packed with information. In it, you will find: - A news story about the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision on the state’s six-week abortion ban – what will the economic and workforce implications of this decision be? - A guest column introducing Christina Fernandez-Morrow, MFA, the editor-in-chief of Jefas: Latinas in Business Magazine. Fearless will be partnering with Jefas in upcoming months. - A news story and video from our recent Fearless Focus panel about child care. Our six guest panelists (Deann Cook, Bethany Davis, Renee Hansen, Teresa Hovell, Ashley Miranda and Dave Stone) identified challenges and solutions. - In case you missed it: A new national survey from Goldman Sachs finds a lack of child care creates significant workforce challenges for small businesses. - Lots more! #GenderEquity #EmpoweringLatinas #ChildCare #SmallBusiness