Cedar Rapids, IA, April 22, 2019 – Iowa is facing a workforce shortage. In February 2019, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 2.4 percent; there are only 41,200 unemployed Iowans. The Corridor is no exception to this shortage. The Regional Vision, developed by the East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) and other stakeholders, placed the Corridor’s workforce woes … Read More
Intrapreneur Academy: Strategy Recap
The inaugural Intrapreneur Academy cohort completed their final workshop before their graduation. The teams spent the quarter learning how to make innovation part of their organizational strategy and action plans. This quarter was about how to make innovation part of an organizational strategy and integrate innovation into action plans. Innovation is required for any company that is not on track … Read More
Ben and Jerry’s Co-Founder to Keynote EntreFEST
CEDAR RAPIDS, Friday, February 22, 2019 – Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of the company that makes Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, will keynote EntreFEST on May 16-17 in Cedar Rapids. Greenfield is one of the entrepreneurial and innovative minds behind one of the most talked-about and least conventional success stories in American business. Greenfield has helped to build a storefront venture … Read More
How to research trademarks and brands before your lawyer’s meter starts running
From the desk of the Grumpy Old Company Lawyer You can do some prep work and save yourself hassles by checking basic information that’s freely available on the web. This blog will cover: Why getting your domain name isn’t all you need to do to protect your new brand. What is a TM or SM? What does ® mean? How … Read More
Middle School Students Create Communities to Power the Future for Future City Iowa Regional Competition
Monday, February 4, Cedar Rapids, IA – More than 150 of Iowa’s middle schoolers presented their solutions to make city power grids that withstand and quickly recover from the impacts of a natural disaster at the Future City Iowa Regional Competition at Prairie Point Middle School on Saturday, January 26. A total of 42 teams representing 16 schools and organizations … Read More
NewBoCo’s Code.org Iowa teacher applications open for 2019-2020
Thursday, January 24, Cedar Rapids, IA – Applications are open for Iowa teachers to learn how to teach computer science through NewBoCo’s Code.org Professional Learning Program. This will be NewBoCo’s third year offering these professional development programs in Iowa. The 2019-2020 school year is especially noteworthy because Senate File 274 established the goal that, “… by July 1, 2019, each accredited … Read More
EntreFEST 2019: Announcing a new software developer track
EntreFEST is one of Iowa’s largest entrepreneurship and innovation conferences. For the past few years it has primarily focused on high-impact speakers and workshops aimed at entrepreneurs and innovators in existing companies. Previous keynote speakers include Scott Belsky of Adobe, marketing icon Seth Godin, and Warby Parker’s Neil Blumenthal. As we planned the 2019 event for May 16th and 17th, the organizing team noted … Read More
Intrapreneur Academy: Culture Recap
This quarter of Academy was all about how to build a culture that fosters innovation. What are the main factors that impact an innovative culture? A culture based on trust instead of fear A strategic commitment to innovation Shared language for innovation across all levels of the organization The space and resources for all employees to engage in collaboration, creativity, ... Read More
A new year, a new format for 1 Million Cups Cedar Rapids
As one of the oldest 1 Million Cups chapters in the U.S., we’ve experimented with a variety of approaches to our mission of helping educate and grow Eastern Iowa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Going into 2019, the team that runs the Cedar Rapids program has some exciting new changes planned. One big change we’re making is to make it easier to access … Read More
Meet the NewBoCo Launch Day Emcee: Eric Hanson
Meet the man behind the mic, Eric Hanson. If you’re like us, you start your day listening to Eric and his cohosts on Z102.9’s “The Morning Scramble” on your way to work. We wanted to put a face to the voice heard ’round the Corridor, so we asked Eric a few questions about this community. Q: How would you describe … Read More