The Gazette’s Business Notes are a compendium of the week’s promotions, new hires, certifications, new industries and business events, among others, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and the rest of the Corridor. Information and photos may be submitted to https://www.thegazette.com/business-notes/submit/
New recruits
Genevieve Johnson started as an IT manager in the Cedar Rapids Design Engineers office.
Calista Bergström is now a registered assistant at Compass Financial Partners in Cedar Rapids.
Glory
Erin Christy, wealth manager at Choreo Advisors in Cedar Rapids, was recently named a Next Generation Rising Star by the ThinkAdvisor Luminaries Award program. This award recognizes individuals with less than 10 years of industry experience who have made a significant contribution to the wealth management industry.
Newsweek named Dupaco Community Credit Union, based in Dubuque, as one of the best regional credit unions in the U.S. for 2025, one of three Iowa credit unions named in the publication’s rankings. Areas of assessment include overall financial health, profitability, exposure to risk and potential losses as well as lending and leasing activities.
Other news
New owner: James Heiriers is the new owner of Air Quality Systems, 1570 42nd St. NE in Cedar Rapids. AQS, established in 1989, provides solutions to common indoor air quality problems in homes and businesses, such as musty basements, foul odors, excess bacteria, removal of viruses and animal odors. The sale and service of electronic air purifiers is the main focus.
Entrepreneur training: The University of Iowa Venture School’s Entrepreneurial Education Program is accepting applications for its spring classes which will take place across the state and begin the week of March 3. Sessions meet one evening per week for seven weeks in hybrid format (in-person/online), fully remote, or in-person, depending on location. The last class of the session is a Venture School Launch Day competition which will take place the week of April 21st. The cost is $299 per team, and each Venture School team will be assigned a local entrepreneur as coach. To apply, visit venture-school.com. The deadline to apply is February 28.
Business Networking: SCORE in-person roundtables for networking and business skills development will take place on Thursday, January 23 in Cedar Rapids. Breakfast will be from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Scott’s Family Restaurant, 1906 Blairs Ferry Road. BORN. The lunch meeting in Cedar Rapids will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Parlor City Pub & Eatery, 1125 Third St. SE. A panel discussion will take place in Waterloo on January 28 from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Cabin Coffee, 2040 Kimball Avenue. For more information, send an email mark.hermann@scorevolunteer.org
Ernst highlights Jones County activities: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, last week named Boomerang Corp. of Jones County as its Small Business of the Week.
Bryce Ricklefs opened Ricklefs Excavating in Anamosa in 1998 to support construction projects, later adding larger grading and excavation work and expanding to wastewater management, roadwork and large-scale infrastructure . In 2017, the company was renamed Boomerang Corp. The company, which employs 200 people, uses trenchless technology to replace pipes with minimal destruction.
Ernst, chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee, names an outstanding small business of the week in each of Iowa’s counties during this session of Congress.
Commercial notes of January 19, 2025
Calista Bergstrom, Compass Financial Partners
Erin Christy, choreography advisors
James Heires, Air Quality Systems
Geneviève Johnson, design engineers
