All Stars 2018
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Meet Derek Powers and<br />
other ALL STARS who are<br />
making an impact in the<br />
region’s business sectors.
CONTENTS<br />
ALL STAR SECTORS<br />
ARCHITECTURE, CONSTRUCTION,<br />
ENGINEERING (ACE) SECTOR<br />
3 Sam Jones<br />
4 Derek Powers<br />
5 Nathan Vanderweide<br />
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SECTOR<br />
6 Chris Biechler<br />
8 Laura Tietz<br />
FINANCIAL SERVICE, INSURANCE,<br />
CUSTOMER SERVICE SECTOR<br />
10 Linsey Eiben<br />
12 Diana Rodriguez<br />
HEALTHCARE SECTOR<br />
20 Alison LaGrange<br />
22 Abby Siek<br />
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECTOR<br />
24 Cody Metz<br />
26 Madison Williams<br />
TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS SECTOR<br />
28 Chad Peska<br />
INTERNSHIP<br />
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT<br />
No matter where you are from in our seven-county area of Benton, Cedar,<br />
Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Washington counties, we’re all part<br />
of a larger community known as the Iowa City Cedar Rapids Region<br />
(ICR IOWA). We share many of the same needs that are<br />
central to the overall strength of our area. A major factor<br />
behind that strength is our local economy and workforce.<br />
Kirkwood Community College has always been a<br />
leader in developing our region’s talent pipeline. Over<br />
time, that role has grown from technical training to<br />
modern-day career exploration and advancement with<br />
proven educational programs. Today, Kirkwood partners<br />
with industry leaders to develop relevant curriculum for<br />
Mick Starcevich in-demand careers. Businesses get the well-trained staff<br />
they need and members of our community get goodpaying<br />
jobs. It’s a win-win situation.<br />
These sector board partnerships support important<br />
initiatives to develop our workforce into a powerhouse<br />
that strengthens our local economy. The educators, industry<br />
professionals and community leaders in these groups<br />
bring their expertise to the table to support career pathways<br />
that will foster the growth of future <strong>All</strong> <strong>Stars</strong> like you<br />
see in this publication. They volunteer for these important<br />
Lori Sundberg partnerships, and I thank them all for their dedication.<br />
As you turn the pages of this magazine, you’ll meet a<br />
few of the most talented employees in some of the ICR IOWA’s most<br />
vital industries. Let these stories inspire you. Use them as examples of<br />
what YOU can do if you put your mind to it. If you’re ready to find YOUR<br />
future, or know someone who is, you’ll also find information on how<br />
Kirkwood guides students to reach career goals and how to get started.<br />
At the end of July, I will be retiring after 15 years at Kirkwood. It has<br />
been an honor to serve as president of this college – and I will certainly<br />
miss it. However, I take comfort in knowing that our next president,<br />
Dr. Lori Sundberg, is ready to continue the great work that has been<br />
done at Kirkwood for more than 50 years. This community will be in<br />
good hands for many years to come.<br />
Mick Starcevich<br />
President, Kirkwood Community College<br />
30 Alivea Carnahan<br />
INFORMATION<br />
AND RESOURCES<br />
11 How Can I Be an <strong>All</strong> Star?<br />
14 About Sector Boards/Resources<br />
15 Pathway to an <strong>All</strong> <strong>Stars</strong> Career<br />
31 <strong>All</strong> <strong>Stars</strong> Honorable Mentions<br />
Main Campus, 6301 Kirkwood Boulevard<br />
Southwest, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404<br />
(319) 398-5411 • www.kirkwood.edu<br />
A print product of the<br />
Corridor Business Journal<br />
<strong>2018</strong><br />
Shuva Rahim, Writer, Photographer & Video Producer<br />
Julia Druckmiller, Designer<br />
Judith Cobb, Media Consultant<br />
Want to be a future<br />
<strong>All</strong> Star?<br />
Learn firsthand from<br />
the <strong>All</strong> <strong>Stars</strong> about their<br />
training and career paths<br />
by exploring videos of the<br />
<strong>All</strong> Star award winners on<br />
the online version of this<br />
publication, http://bit.<br />
ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR<br />
2 <strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR
SAM JONES<br />
Interior Carpenter<br />
McCreedy-Ruth Construction<br />
Riverside, Iowa<br />
What are your job duties?<br />
I finish houses. I set doors, cabinets, and do all the<br />
interior stuff to make the finished home.<br />
What skills are important to do your job well?<br />
It’s important to have a strong work ethic and be<br />
adaptable. Things don’t always go as planned and<br />
you need to be able to adjust to new situations.<br />
What is a typical day like for you?<br />
Every day is different for me. When I’m building a<br />
house, finishing a house, I’ll usually come to the shop,<br />
meet with one of my guys, we’ll go to the house and<br />
work there all day depending on what we’re doing.<br />
We’re there all day or I’ll be here. I do a lot of finish<br />
spraying and painting, so sometimes I’ll be here for a<br />
couple of hours doing that and then I’ll go to my job<br />
site and work.<br />
What is the most interesting part of your job?<br />
I think the most interesting part is being able to create<br />
something out of nothing and being able to produce<br />
an end product. I really like to build custom things<br />
that go into either remodels or new houses. I like to<br />
build furniture and different kinds of custom aspects<br />
of the house, such as benches and mantels.<br />
What is the most rewarding part of your job?<br />
I think the most rewarding part is to make people’s<br />
dreams come true and make something they really<br />
wanted in their home.<br />
What’s one thing you do with your job most people<br />
don’t realize?<br />
Most people don’t realize how involved I am with the<br />
customers on a day-to day basis. A lot of times it’s just<br />
me and the customers talking about what they want<br />
and then us getting it done and making it happen.<br />
WATCH SAM’S VIDEO<br />
http://bit.ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR<br />
What was your career path?<br />
I started working for a construction company in<br />
high school and then I decided to go to Kirkwood<br />
for the construction management degree. I got<br />
hired by McCreedy-Ruth for my internship my freshman<br />
year of college and I’ve been here ever since.<br />
What attracted you to this industry?<br />
When I started working in construction in high<br />
school, I really enjoyed it and felt like it was something<br />
I was good at and I could make a career. So,<br />
after going to Kirkwood, I kept learning different<br />
things every day. I enjoyed learning more about the<br />
industrial and construction industry.<br />
What advice would you give someone interested<br />
in going into construction?<br />
To be successful in the construction industry, you’re<br />
going to have to be willing to work hard, put in<br />
some long hours and basically do a lot of different<br />
things in order to get the job done. You also have<br />
to be very detail-oriented and produce good quality.<br />
Every aspect of your job should be your best,<br />
so the homeowner in the end is happy about every<br />
little part of the house. H<br />
ARCHITECTURE, CONSTRUCTION, ENGINEERING (ACE) SECTOR<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 3
ARCHITECTURE, CONSTRUCTION, ENGINEERING SECTOR<br />
DEREK POWERS<br />
Architectural Associate<br />
& Digital Media Manager<br />
Martin Gardner Architecture<br />
Marion, Iowa<br />
What does your company do?<br />
We are people and community members who love<br />
problem-solving and design. We specialize in planning,<br />
design and creative place-making, and have<br />
made our home in Eastern Iowa for 35 years.<br />
What are your job duties?<br />
I work with architects, project managers and<br />
our entire design team on various project types<br />
throughout all phases of design. I work on schematic<br />
designs, construction document preparation,<br />
building information modeling and product team<br />
coordination. I also specialize in presentation drawings,<br />
architectural renderings, 3-D modeling and<br />
other various forms of digital media.<br />
What skills are important to do your job well?<br />
Learning to adapt to various situations and opportunities<br />
has helped me a lot. I do my best to listen,<br />
communicate, absorb information and create working<br />
solutions to challenges. I love that uncomfortable<br />
feeling of doing something new, and that’s how<br />
I know I’m learning and pushing to better myself.<br />
What is the most interesting part of your job?<br />
Working with all types of tools and technology to<br />
produce everything from construction documents<br />
to high-end renderings. Communicating through<br />
pictures and drawings is really exciting and challenging.<br />
With today’s rapid technological evolution,<br />
there’s always something to learn.<br />
What is the most rewarding part of your job?<br />
Getting to meet and work with people from all<br />
backgrounds of life, and working on all kinds of<br />
projects and seeing how they evolve and positively<br />
impact the communities they reside in. It’s a great<br />
feeling and it serves as an excellent motivator to<br />
continue to work hard. I couldn’t imagine a better<br />
WATCH DEREK’S VIDEO<br />
http://bit.ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR<br />
staff to be a part of and it really feels like working with family.<br />
In addition, working with the ACE Sector Board – area<br />
professionals from architecture, construction, engineering<br />
– to help students find their own path to an ACE career is<br />
something that I find very rewarding.<br />
How did your interest in architecture begin?<br />
In my freshman year of high school I took a class called<br />
mechanical drafting. I learned about perspective drawing,<br />
drawing floor plans and a little bit about architecture. A few<br />
weeks into that class I was hooked and I knew right then<br />
that I absolutely wanted to be an architect. Throughout high<br />
school, I was very fortunate to have access to different types<br />
of architectural technology, from hand-drafting and creating<br />
real blueprints to 3-D modeling. None of it would’ve been<br />
possible without a teacher who was an incredible mentor<br />
and support from my family. Eventually, I chose to go to<br />
Iowa State for architecture.<br />
What’s a career obstacle you overcame and learned from?<br />
When I got to Iowa State, I thought I was prepared. In your<br />
first year, all students apply into the professional program. I<br />
didn’t get in the first time. That was a pivotal moment for me<br />
and reinforced that I really did want to become an architect.<br />
I worked really hard my second year and eventually I was<br />
accepted. So, that failure was tough to deal with at first. But<br />
then I figured failure is a great tool if you decide to use it.<br />
Overcoming my self-doubt, trusting myself to keep working<br />
hard and not giving up were important for me. I wasn’t the<br />
best student at first, but I just try to find a way to learn from<br />
my mistakes and get myself to where I want it to be. H<br />
4 <strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR
NATHAN<br />
VANDERWEIDE<br />
Superintendent<br />
Iowa Bridge & Culvert<br />
Washington, Iowa<br />
What does your company do?<br />
We build bridges, culverts, water treatment and<br />
wastewater treatment facilities for state, county and<br />
city municipalities.<br />
ARCHITECTURE, CONSTRUCTION, ENGINEERING SECTOR<br />
What are your job duties?<br />
I’m responsible for coordinating with suppliers, subcontractors<br />
and my crew to make sure projects are<br />
done safely, on schedule and within budget.<br />
What skills are important to do your job well?<br />
It’s important to have a strong work ethic and be<br />
adaptable. Things don’t always go as planned and<br />
you need to be able to adjust to new situations.<br />
What is the most interesting part of your job?<br />
The most interesting part is seeing the new ways<br />
engineers and architects are using concrete to build<br />
innovative, new structures.<br />
WATCH NATHAN’S VIDEO<br />
http://bit.ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR<br />
What is the most rewarding part of your job?<br />
The most rewarding part of the job is knowing that when<br />
you leave a project, it’ll still be used in 60 years.<br />
What was your path to get to where you are today?<br />
I started with the company shortly after graduating high<br />
school. I got on-the-job training and industry-specific<br />
training courses.<br />
What attracted you to this industry?<br />
I have a lot of family who work here. I have three uncles<br />
and father who all have over 30 years at the company.<br />
Two cousins worked for the company and my grandpa retired<br />
from here. So, I grew up learning about bridges. H<br />
ACE Sector<br />
Median Hourly<br />
Earnings<br />
$<br />
25.18<br />
EMSI occupation employment data are based on final EMSI<br />
industry data and final EMSI staffing patterns. Wage estimates<br />
are based on Occupational Employment Statistics (QCEW and<br />
Non-QCEW Employees classes of worker) and the American<br />
Community Survey (Self-Employed and Extended Proprietors).<br />
Occupational wage estimates also affected by county-level EMSI<br />
earnings by industry.<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 5
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SECTOR<br />
CHRIS BIECHLER<br />
Production Manager<br />
Clickstop<br />
Urbana, Iowa<br />
What does your company do?<br />
Clickstop is a company that owns and operates business<br />
units of different sizes, serving multiple industries<br />
and markets. The largest business unit at the<br />
moment is our US Cargo Control brand. This is the<br />
brand that I work most closely with.<br />
What are your job duties?<br />
I work with a team of people to ensure our customers<br />
receive quality products on time. It’s my job to<br />
make sure our team has the necessary equipment<br />
and resources to complete their job well, and to<br />
inspire our team to be great every day.<br />
What skills are important to do your job well?<br />
One of the things I need to do well with each and<br />
every day is really listening to our team to be able<br />
to understand their needs and make sure that I<br />
continue to provide them with the tools or opportunities<br />
they are looking for in their own careers. I<br />
support their needs the best I can and am there for<br />
them to lean on during the day when they’ve got<br />
ideas or things they need to share – not only workrelated,<br />
but also in their personal life.<br />
WATCH CHRIS’ VIDEO<br />
http://bit.ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR<br />
What is the most interesting part of your job?<br />
I appreciate that no day is the same. Each day is a different<br />
opportunity to tackle a new challenge. Because<br />
the work varies, it usually leads into something that’s<br />
new, fun and exciting.<br />
What is the most rewarding part of your job?<br />
Really, the most rewarding part of my job is the people<br />
I get to interact with every day. They challenge me<br />
to be a better person and better leader for them. I’m<br />
inspired to be great because of the people I work with,<br />
and the effort and the commitment they have to the<br />
success of our company.<br />
What was your career path to your current position?<br />
I spent most of my early career in retail management<br />
within the Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin areas. Clickstop<br />
was an opportunity for me to be closer to family.<br />
I started with Clickstop almost three years ago and<br />
have held various roles throughout the manufacturing<br />
department. I was excited to work at Clickstop because<br />
I wanted to work with a team of people that were<br />
committed to each other and each other’s successes.<br />
As a young company, getting to know the people that<br />
were involved in making this happen also drew me. The<br />
6 <strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR
culture is what has kept me here and makes<br />
me want to continue to do great things for<br />
this place.<br />
Why is safety important for your job?<br />
I have a background of working for a<br />
company that had safety top of mind at all<br />
times. So that has been ingrained in me.<br />
It’s not just being safe here at work, but<br />
keeping safety in mind when you’re outside<br />
of work. For example, if you’re working on<br />
a project at home, you should be wearing<br />
safety glasses or making sure that you have<br />
the right tool to perform the job. Those<br />
behaviors carry outside the Clickstop walls,<br />
too. But when we’re here, the important<br />
thing I tell everybody, is that my job is to<br />
make sure you go home to your family or<br />
loved ones, in the same way you came in<br />
that day. H<br />
Advanced Manufacturing Sector<br />
Median Hourly Earnings<br />
Machinists: $20.62<br />
Maintenance Workers Machinery: $21.33<br />
Production Workers: $22.46<br />
Sheet Metal Workers: $22.46<br />
Millwrights: $25.80<br />
Welders: $18.12<br />
CNC operators: $24.19<br />
EMSI occupation employment data are based on final EMSI industry data and final EMSI<br />
staffing patterns. Wage estimates are based on Occupational Employment Statistics (QCEW<br />
and Non-QCEW Employees classes of worker) and the American Community Survey (Self-<br />
Employed and Extended Proprietors). Occupational wage estimates also affected by countylevel<br />
EMSI earnings by industry.<br />
“<br />
Growth at Clickstop has been fueled<br />
by hiring people who work according<br />
to our values. Chris consistently<br />
operates according to the values<br />
of the impact he’s had on<br />
the Manufacturing Team.<br />
”<br />
- Jeremy Meyer<br />
Director of Manufacturing<br />
Jeremy Meyer<br />
Director of Manufacturing<br />
Chris Biechler<br />
<strong>2018</strong> <strong>All</strong>-Star<br />
Advanced Manufacturing Category<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 7
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SECTOR<br />
LAURA TIETZ<br />
Job & Logistics Manager<br />
Barnes Manufacturing<br />
Cedar Rapids, Iowa<br />
What does your company do?<br />
We are a metal fabrication and machine shop<br />
doing everything from small to very large parts.<br />
What are your job duties?<br />
My job duties are to write up orders and jobs.<br />
I order all the materials necessary for the jobs<br />
and converse with the customers, and I make<br />
sure that our shops have everything they need<br />
in order to do the job. When the job is finished,<br />
I handle all the shipping to get the parts<br />
where they need to go, including the packing<br />
slips and bills of lading. I also do general office<br />
duties. I help out with quoting by getting in<br />
material and subcontractor quotes.<br />
What skills are important to do your job well?<br />
I feel I’m detail-oriented and I have a long customer<br />
service background. My first job was in<br />
a movie theater in town and I worked there for<br />
four-and-a-half years. From there, I moved on<br />
to Ace Hardware in Marion and worked there<br />
for six years, ending my career there with two<br />
years in the store management position.<br />
What is interesting about your job?<br />
Every day is different. You never know what tomorrow’s<br />
going to bring. You don’t even know<br />
what today’s going to bring. You will come in<br />
thinking you’re going to do this, this and this<br />
and end up not even getting anywhere close to<br />
that because something else has come up.<br />
What is the most rewarding part of your job?<br />
I love what I do and I don’t see it as work. I<br />
come to work every day and I’m excited to be<br />
here and I look back and think, ‘You know, five<br />
years ago I wouldn’t have ever seen myself<br />
here doing what I do, learning what I learned.’<br />
What are some obstacles you overcame to<br />
get to where you are today?<br />
It was a brand new industry for me. I wasn’t<br />
going to come in the gate knowing everything.<br />
I would say the biggest one was learning Auto-<br />
CAD. I had never heard of it, never touched it.<br />
So, I taught myself from online forums and an<br />
old book that my boss had.<br />
What qualities does it take to succeed in this<br />
industry?<br />
It helps to be detail-oriented, self-competent<br />
and willing to learn new things. H<br />
WATCH LAURA’S VIDEO<br />
http://bit.ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR<br />
8 <strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR
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AS A FEDERAL EMPLOYEE YOU MAY BE<br />
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INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:<br />
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• Group health insurance plans, including<br />
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after beginning duty.<br />
• Term life insurance, with family and additional<br />
coverage options available<br />
• Health care and dependent care Flexible<br />
Spending Accounts<br />
• The Federal Employees’ Retirement System<br />
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<strong>2018</strong> ALL STAR<br />
barnesmfg.com<br />
560 31st Street, Marion, IA<br />
(319) 377-3442<br />
Custom Manufacturing | Painting and Finishing | Product Development | Capital Equipment Infrastructure | Architectural Steel<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 9
FINANCIAL SERVICE, INSURANCE, CUSTOMER SERVICE SECTOR<br />
LINSEY EIBEN<br />
Account Manager<br />
TrueNorth<br />
Cedar Rapids, Iowa<br />
What does your company do?<br />
We create solutions for companies to protect and<br />
maximize their assets, resources and opportunities.<br />
What are your job duties?<br />
I assist clients by being knowledgeable in the insurance<br />
industry so I can answer questions for them in<br />
regard to their policies. I work with insurance carriers<br />
and brokers to find the right product for insurance. I<br />
also work with new and upcoming account managers<br />
at TrueNorth and the risk management department<br />
to help them grow in the company and learn<br />
the industry.<br />
What skills are important to do your job well?<br />
Being organized is key. I have many different tasks<br />
during the day and get phone calls so I have to stop<br />
one thing and do another. As long as I stay organized,<br />
I can get what is needed in a timely fashion.<br />
Another quality is the eagerness to learn. TrueNorth<br />
gives us so many different opportunities to take<br />
classes or work with carriers to learn about products.<br />
So, I’m able to help the insured and educate them<br />
on what they’re purchasing.<br />
What is the most interesting part of your job?<br />
It’s something different every day. One day I can be<br />
working with a doctor who has decided that he’s<br />
going to fly across the United States to practice<br />
medicine and he needs coverage. And then the next<br />
day I can work with a municipality deciding if they’re<br />
going to build a $60 million building, so I can work<br />
with them trying to find the coverage they need to<br />
stay protected.<br />
What is the most rewarding part of your job?<br />
The most rewarding part is helping others succeed. If one<br />
of our clients gets a new administrator in their office, they<br />
will call and I go through the insurance they currently carry.<br />
I can help educate the new administrator on what they<br />
have so they can explain that to their doctors, who are the<br />
owners of their company.<br />
What was your path to get to where you are today?<br />
I was at Kirkwood in the nursing program and had been<br />
working at TrueNorth part-time at the front desk. During<br />
nursing school, I figured out that wasn’t what I wanted to<br />
do, but I still wanted to be a part of the healthcare industry.<br />
There was an opening here on the professional liability<br />
team where I could work with hospitals and physicians<br />
– just in a different way. So, I finished with my two-year<br />
degree and then started here working on the other side of<br />
the healthcare industry.<br />
What are some community activities you’re involved in<br />
outside work?<br />
I was born and raised in Central City; now my husband<br />
and I are raising our family there. When I was a kid, there<br />
wasn’t much to get involved in until middle school. After<br />
I had children, I wanted to change that. My husband and<br />
WATCH LINSEY’S VIDEO<br />
http://bit.ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR<br />
10 <strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR
I worked to create a basketball<br />
program for pre-K–second graders<br />
for eight weeks. After that,<br />
I wanted to start a running club<br />
for pre-K–eighth grade. I worked<br />
with the school to use the track,<br />
where we meet in June twice a<br />
week. I created a youth volleyball<br />
club for girls and boys, pre-K–<br />
sixth grade. I worked with the<br />
city and a theater director to put<br />
on a weeklong camp for third–<br />
sixth grades. We worked with<br />
the library and school to create a<br />
Reading Buddy Program for six<br />
weeks in the summer so older<br />
students meet with younger ones<br />
and read together. This summer<br />
we will start Central City Youth<br />
Golf for kids K–sixth grade. H<br />
How can I be an<br />
<strong>All</strong> Star?<br />
<strong>All</strong> <strong>Stars</strong> represent outstanding employees who are between<br />
the ages of 18-35 and have great stories to tell about their<br />
achievements. <strong>All</strong> Star and Honorable Mention winners<br />
represent careers within one of these industries:<br />
• Architecture, Construction, Engineering (ACE)<br />
• Advanced Manufacturing<br />
• Financial Service, Insurance, Customer Service<br />
• Healthcare<br />
• Information Technology<br />
• Transportation, Logistics<br />
<strong>All</strong> <strong>Stars</strong> can represent any career area within the six identified<br />
industries and are nominated by ICR, Iowa City/Cedar<br />
Rapids region employers and partners. Please see page 14<br />
for contact information.<br />
TO<br />
THE ONLY WAY DO<br />
GREAT WORK<br />
love<br />
IS TO<br />
WHAT YOU DO.<br />
-STEVE JOBS<br />
CONGRATULATIONS<br />
on being selected as an<br />
ALL STAR by the Iowa City/<br />
Cedar Rapids Region Industry<br />
Sector Boards. TrueNorth is so<br />
proud to have you on our team!<br />
LINSEY EIBEN<br />
truenorthcompanies.com<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 11
FINANCIAL SERVICE, INSURANCE, CUSTOMER SERVICE SECTOR<br />
DIANA<br />
RODRIGUEZ<br />
Recruiting Manager<br />
Hibu<br />
Cedar Rapids, Iowa<br />
What does your company do?<br />
Hibu is a leading provider of digital marketing<br />
solutions to small businesses across the<br />
United States. We provide a comprehensive<br />
portfolio of services, including digital listings<br />
management, website design and development,<br />
search engine marketing and optimization,<br />
online and mobile display as well as social<br />
campaign creation and management. Hibu has<br />
simplified the digital marketing process, allowing<br />
clients to partner with a single provider to<br />
achieve their marketing objectives. Hibu is a<br />
Facebook Marketing Partner, Google Premier<br />
Partner, Yahoo Preferred Partner and Bing Ads<br />
SMB Select Partner.<br />
What are your job duties?<br />
I’m responsible for developing and implementing<br />
recruiting strategies to identify and hire the<br />
best candidates to fulfill our company openings.<br />
This includes developing creative sourcing<br />
strategies and building relationships with<br />
candidates in the marketplace. I also help build<br />
community awareness through career fairs at<br />
universities and events, such as the Cedar Rapids<br />
Farmer’s Market and Uptown Friday Nights.<br />
What skills are important for you to do your<br />
job well?<br />
One of the most important aspects of my job<br />
is developing relationships with hiring managers<br />
and candidates. It is very important for me<br />
to understand the departments I support and<br />
provide a best-in-class experience for our candidates,<br />
from recruitment to onboarding. I also believe<br />
to be successful you must be determined, focused and<br />
resilient along with having the ability to multitask.<br />
What is the most interesting part of your job?<br />
There are a variety of exciting and interesting parts to<br />
my job. Not only do I get to work with top talent in the<br />
area and share my passion about Hibu, I also get to work<br />
with candidates who are just entering the marketplace.<br />
It’s so exciting to see their careers develop and grow<br />
within the organization. Doing my job well means I can<br />
effectively change the direction and success of Hibu by<br />
hiring high-value, diverse and innovative candidates.<br />
This means our products get to our clients faster and<br />
the talents of our employees set Hibu apart from the<br />
competition.<br />
What is the most rewarding part of your job?<br />
Apart from hiring great talent and watching their careers<br />
develop, I also love being part of a company that<br />
gives back to the local community in a variety of ways. I<br />
am honored to co-lead our award-winning United Way<br />
campaign. My team and I are responsible for planning,<br />
organizing and implementing the campaign in the Cedar<br />
WATCH DIANA’S VIDEO<br />
http://bit.ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR<br />
12 <strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR
Rapids office. Each year we work hard to come up with new and fun<br />
events to keep our campaign creative and exciting. In the past six<br />
years Hibu has raised nearly $1.6 million for United Way’s efforts to<br />
help local communities like our own.<br />
What motivated you to pursue your career path?<br />
My parents instilled a value that education has the power to change<br />
your life. Because of their constant encouragement – even as a fulltime<br />
employee of Hibu and having the responsibilities of a single<br />
parent – I enrolled in the adult accelerated program at Kirkwood and<br />
subsequently earned my bachelor’s in Business Administration with<br />
honors from Mount Mercy University. I am proud to say I am a firstgeneration<br />
college graduate. H<br />
Customer Service,<br />
Financial Services and<br />
Insurance Sector<br />
Median Hourly<br />
Earnings<br />
$<br />
17.45<br />
GROWTH <strong>2018</strong>-2022<br />
Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage: +17%<br />
Claims Adjusters, Examiners, Investigators: +16%<br />
Bill and Account Collectors: +10%<br />
Credit Analysts: +10%<br />
Personal Financial Advisors: +8%<br />
Loan Officers: +5%<br />
EMSI occupation employment data are based on final EMSI industry data and final<br />
EMSI staffing patterns. Wage estimates are based on Occupational Employment<br />
Statistics (QCEW and Non-QCEW Employees classes of worker) and the American<br />
Community Survey (Self-Employed and Extended Proprietors). Occupational wage<br />
estimates also affected by county-level EMSI earnings by industry.<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 13
ABOUT ICR, IOWA<br />
SECTOR BOARDS<br />
Employer members of ICR,<br />
IOWA Sector Boards work to<br />
collectively develop workforce<br />
solutions tailored to an industry<br />
sector. Workforce solutions include<br />
developing and sustaining<br />
a comprehensive regional career<br />
pathway system that is targeted<br />
to meet the needs of the talent<br />
pipeline, employers and workers.<br />
Sector Boards use data to forecast<br />
labor needs and identify specific<br />
jobs and skill needs, develop career<br />
and training pathway maps,<br />
and develop workforce strategies<br />
that address supply and demand.<br />
These Sector Boards are<br />
employer-led, and membership<br />
is comprised of employers as well<br />
as economic development, workforce,<br />
education, nonprofit and<br />
community groups. The region’s<br />
six Sector Boards include:<br />
• Architecture, Construction,<br />
Engineering<br />
• Advanced Manufacturing<br />
• Financial Service, Insurance,<br />
Customer Service<br />
• Healthcare<br />
• Information Technology<br />
• Transportation, Logistics<br />
Through this partnership, the<br />
ICR, IOWA Sector Boards are able<br />
to collectively promote opportunities<br />
for training and employment<br />
for the region’s growing<br />
industry sectors through various<br />
activities and projects, including:<br />
• <strong>All</strong> <strong>Stars</strong><br />
• Job Fairs<br />
• Industry Tours<br />
• Employer Panels<br />
QUESTIONS?<br />
If you are interested in learning more about<br />
the ICR Sector Boards, or want to become<br />
an employer board member, please contact:<br />
Architecture, Construction, Engineering (ACE)<br />
Amy.Lasack@kirkwood.edu<br />
Advanced Manufacturing<br />
Barbara.Rawson@kirkwood.edu<br />
Financial Service, Insurance, Customer Service<br />
Judy.Stoffel@kirkwood.edu<br />
Healthcare<br />
Judy.Stoffel@kirkwood.edu<br />
Information Technology (IT)<br />
Gary.Vogt@kirkwood.edu<br />
Transportation, Logistics<br />
Ashley.Grimm@kirkwood.edu<br />
This could<br />
be you!<br />
Alpla’s success<br />
is driven by employee<br />
excellence.<br />
ALPLA, a place to learn and grow.<br />
Heather Quigley<br />
www.alpla.com<br />
(319) 337-8040<br />
Alpla’s <strong>All</strong> Star<br />
Iowa City EBM<br />
2258 Heinz Road<br />
Iowa City<br />
Iowa City ISBM<br />
2309 Heinz Road<br />
Iowa City<br />
14 <strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR
THE ROAD TO GREAT<br />
CAREERS STARTS AT<br />
KIRKWOOD<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 15
THERE’S MORE THAN ONE<br />
WAY TO GO TO COLLEGE<br />
Career Academies<br />
Explore careers and earn college credit while in high school!<br />
Kirkwood Career Academies give you hands-on experience in<br />
various fields while making progress on a college degree! Talk<br />
with your high school guidance counselor for more details.<br />
High School<br />
Completion<br />
Looking to earn your high school diploma? Kirkwood has<br />
many options for you to obtain your diploma and get<br />
started in your career. Learn more by talking to the High<br />
School Completion team.
KIRKWOOD GIVES YOU<br />
MANY OPTIONS TO GAIN<br />
MARKETABLE SKILLS<br />
Short-Term Career<br />
Training Opportunities<br />
Did you know you can get career training without spending<br />
a lot of time in the classroom? Advance your career with no<br />
lost time. Plus, several of the programs offered can go toward<br />
earning a college degree! Contact the Kirkwood Continuing<br />
Education or KPACE team for more information.<br />
Tuition Assistance<br />
Facing roadblocks to training? The GAP tuition assistance or<br />
KPACE pathway program are here to help! Contact Kirkwood<br />
Continuing Education, GAP or KPACE for more information.<br />
With more than 120 program options,<br />
plus agreements for direct admission to Iowa,<br />
Iowa State and UNI, a two-year degree from<br />
Kirkwood means finding your future has never<br />
been easier—or more affordable.<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 17
READY TO GET<br />
STARTED?<br />
Here’s who to contact:<br />
Career Academies<br />
Contact your high school guidance counselor<br />
or go to www.kirkwood.edu/earncredit.<br />
High School Completion<br />
or Equivalency<br />
Call 319-784-1510 or go to www.kirkwood.edu/hs.<br />
Kirkwood Community College<br />
Call 319-398-5517 (toll free: 800-363-2220)<br />
or go to www.kirkwood.edu/admissions.<br />
Short-Term Career Training Opportunities<br />
Continuing Education<br />
Call 319-398-1022 or go to www.kirkwood.edu/ce.<br />
GAP Tuition Assistance<br />
Call 319-365-9474 ext. 31188, go to www.kirkwood.edu/gap<br />
or email skillstoemployment@kirkwood.edu.<br />
KPACE Pathway Training<br />
Call 319-784-1518 or go to www.kirkwood.edu/kpace<br />
or email kelly.foresman@kirkwood.edu.
IowaWORKS Job Seeker Ad (Outlines).pdf 1 4/12/<strong>2018</strong> 8:29:43 AM<br />
C<br />
M<br />
Y<br />
CM<br />
MY<br />
CY<br />
CMY<br />
K<br />
iowaworks.gov<br />
CHAD W.<br />
Employee-Owner<br />
CHANGE<br />
YOUR LIFE.<br />
If you’re ready for more than a job, you’re ready to join our team. Everyone here is an<br />
employee-owner. That means your ideas are valued, your voice is heard and our success is<br />
your success. When we all come together as owners, it suddenly doesn’t feel like work.<br />
OPERATIONS<br />
DELIVERY DRIVERS<br />
AND MORE<br />
With branches across the Midwest and openings in operations,<br />
delivery and more – Van Meter is ready to help you OwnUp.<br />
Contact us today at vanmeterownup.com/contact<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 19
HEALTHCARE SECTOR<br />
ALISON<br />
LAGRANGE<br />
Family Nurse Practitioner<br />
Vinton Family Medical Clinic<br />
Vinton, Iowa<br />
What does your company do?<br />
We provide services to all ages of people<br />
from prenatal care up to hospice and elderly<br />
patients in the nursing home. Virginia Gay<br />
Hospital is a critical access hospital and then<br />
Vinton Family Medical Clinic is a rural clinic,<br />
which makes us a little bit different from your<br />
standard clinics and hospitals.<br />
What are your job duties?<br />
My primary job duty is to provide primary<br />
care to people of all ages starting around<br />
the newborn phase, generally seven days of<br />
life, up until death. I also provide acute care<br />
services to patients which involve illnesses,<br />
injuries, etc.<br />
What skills are important for you to do your<br />
job well?<br />
First and foremost, I grew up in Vinton so I<br />
know the geographic location, I know a socioeconomic<br />
status, I know families, I know the<br />
people who live here. I did an internship here,<br />
so I knew how the clinic worked and liked it<br />
before I even started. I enjoy generational<br />
care greatly, so that has helped me. As far as<br />
your basic skills, organization and listening<br />
have really helped me to succeed.<br />
What is the most interesting part of your job?<br />
No two days are the same. No two patients are the<br />
same. It keeps me on my toes. It keeps me constantly<br />
learning. Another interesting part is we have a new<br />
building, so we transitioned from a small clinic to a twostory<br />
clinic that expanded our ability to have more staff.<br />
And then the coolest of the things in the last year is we<br />
have a new scribe service. It’s a virtual scribe service, so<br />
we wear Google Glass to see our patients and we have<br />
someone on the other side transcribing in real time.<br />
So, our charts are done in a more accurate and quick<br />
process and it takes a lot of stress off of us providers as<br />
well. It’s really cool.<br />
What is the most rewarding part of your job?<br />
The most rewarding part is taking care of patients I see<br />
in town: friends, family and the family members of my<br />
friends. I’m starting to, at my age, see my friends’ babies<br />
as they grow up and through their well-child years.<br />
What was your educational path that led you here?<br />
When I was 16 years old in high school, Kirkwood Community<br />
College partnered with the local school district<br />
to provide a nursing assistant class. I took that, and<br />
started working at our nursing and rehab facility until<br />
I moved to Iowa City. I got into the nursing program<br />
WATCH ALISON’S VIDEO<br />
http://bit.ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR<br />
20 <strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR
at the University of Iowa getting my BSN and RN and then<br />
worked in the pediatric intensive care unit at the University<br />
of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. I then moved away with my<br />
husband to Washington state and wanted to do more with<br />
my nursing career. Since nursing is so versatile, I decided<br />
nurse practitioner was the route for me. I got accepted into<br />
Georgetown University’s online master’s program. That allowed<br />
me to move back to Iowa to finish the program.<br />
Why did you decide to go into nursing?<br />
My brother was in a motorcycle accident when he was 16<br />
and spent a while in the hospital. I saw the great impact<br />
the nurses had on my brother. It just inspired me how many<br />
people one person can help. H<br />
Healthcare Sector<br />
Median Hourly<br />
Earnings<br />
$<br />
20.27<br />
GROWTH <strong>2018</strong>-2022<br />
Home Health Aides: +12%<br />
Nurse Practitioners: +10%<br />
Personal Care Aides: +10%<br />
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks: +8%<br />
Registered Nurses: +5%<br />
EMSI occupation employment data are based on final EMSI industry data and final EMSI staffing patterns. Wage estimates are based on Occupational<br />
Employment Statistics (QCEW and Non-QCEW Employees classes of worker) and the American Community Survey (Self-Employed and Extended<br />
Proprietors). Occupational wage estimates also affected by county-level EMSI earnings by industry.<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 21
HEALTHCARE SECTOR<br />
ABBY SIEK<br />
Acute Adult Float Nurse<br />
& Nursing Supervisor<br />
UnityPoint - St. Luke’s Hospital<br />
Cedar Rapids, Iowa<br />
What does your company do?<br />
St. Luke’s is a 532-bed inpatient hospital. We have 40 years<br />
of cardiovascular care and open-heart surgery. We’re taking<br />
care of patients the way we’d like our loved ones to be<br />
taken care of.<br />
What are your job duties?<br />
I provide after-hours and weekend administrative leadership<br />
to the different inpatient departments and to our<br />
affiliates in the community. I oversee clinical staffing,<br />
hospital admissions and act as a team member for our<br />
rapid response and code blue teams. I also provide patient<br />
care, nursing support and leadership at the bedside to<br />
help facilitate excellent patient care, including patient care<br />
advocacy services.<br />
What skills are important for you to do your job well?<br />
House supervisors need excellent communication skills,<br />
bedside nursing skills and an understanding of how hospital<br />
operations work. We also need to be able to interact well<br />
with people and build relationships. Critical thinking and<br />
problem-solving are part of what we do every day; and, in<br />
a lot of regards, the knowledge of the hospital policies and<br />
procedures is one of the most important functions of what<br />
we do. We provide the expertise to interpret policies and<br />
procedures into excellent patient care. We also get to know<br />
our patients both in the inpatient setting and in the community.<br />
It puts us in a unique position to be able to assess<br />
what the needs of the patient are to most closely match<br />
those needs to the services we have at St. Luke’s.<br />
What is the most interesting part of your job?<br />
I know I am going to be challenged every day, and I know<br />
I am going to learn something. But sometimes the lessons<br />
aren’t exactly what I would have thought, or sometimes the<br />
greatest learning opportunities come when least expected.<br />
22 <strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR<br />
I really enjoy the fact that I can’t necessarily predict<br />
the way the day will go. But at the end of the day, I<br />
have an opportunity to serve other people, including<br />
the people I work with and members of the<br />
community. To me, it’s a really awesome feeling to<br />
come to work every day and know something great<br />
is going to happen.<br />
What is the most rewarding part of your job?<br />
The most rewarding part of nursing is seeing firsthand<br />
the difference healthcare workers can make<br />
in the lives of other people. We tell the students:<br />
‘You don’t study for the test; you study for the day<br />
that the patient will breathe easier because of you<br />
or have a better outcome because you were there.’<br />
I think when you have the opportunity to make<br />
a firsthand difference in the life of a patient or a<br />
family or make the difference for someone who’s<br />
new to the profession, it gives you a real sense of<br />
accomplishment to have paid forward the skills and<br />
opportunities given to you.<br />
What motivated you to get into nursing?<br />
I started out working in cereal processing. When<br />
my mother-in-law became terminally ill, I took<br />
some time off from work and helped take care of<br />
her. During that difficult time, I really felt inspired<br />
to do something different with my life. I took the<br />
things I had learned about myself and healthcare<br />
and turned that into a great second career. I have<br />
learned something every day I’ve been a nurse and<br />
I’ve never regretted the decision to switch careers.<br />
I still use engineering knowledge every day. I take<br />
things apart and I put them back together and<br />
sometimes I break them in the process. But, I take<br />
the things I know about operations and combine<br />
them with the things that I’ve learned about nursing.<br />
It makes me a different kind of nurse. H<br />
WATCH ABBY’S VIDEO<br />
http://bit.ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR
ADVERTISEMENT<br />
Why choose a career with<br />
UnityPoint Health - Cedar Rapids?<br />
As a team member, regardless of your position,<br />
you will have the opportunity to<br />
change lives on a daily basis, delivering on<br />
our vision of Best Outcome for Every Patient<br />
Every Time. That privilege drives employees’<br />
passion for making a difference in the lives<br />
of our patients, helping them create healthier,<br />
more rewarding lives. UnityPoint Health<br />
sets high expectations for team members in<br />
order to establish a trusted team capable of<br />
taking on the toughest of challenges.<br />
Our team members strive to work as one<br />
through four key values:<br />
1. Foster Unity<br />
– We use the skills and abilities of each<br />
person to enable great teams.<br />
– We collaborate across departments,<br />
facilities business units and regions.<br />
– We seek to understand and are open to<br />
diverse thoughts and perspectives.<br />
2. Own the Moment<br />
– We connect with each person treating<br />
them with courtesy, compassion,<br />
empathy and respect.<br />
– We enthusiastically engage in our work.<br />
– We are accountable for our individual<br />
actions and our team performance.<br />
Our Mission: Improving the health<br />
and lives of communities and<br />
patients we serve<br />
Our Vision: Best Outcome Every<br />
Patient Every Time<br />
Our Values: At UnityPoint Health,<br />
we know our collective actions<br />
determine the experience we<br />
create.<br />
3. Champion Excellence<br />
– We commit to the best outcomes and the<br />
highest quality.<br />
– We have a relentless focus on exceeding<br />
expectations.<br />
– We believe in sharing our results,<br />
learning from our mistakes and<br />
celebrating our successes.<br />
– We take responsibility for solving<br />
problems regardless of origin.<br />
4. Seize Opportunity<br />
– We embrace and promote innovation<br />
and transformation.<br />
– We create partnerships that improve care<br />
delivery in our communities.<br />
– We have the courage to challenge the<br />
status quo.<br />
UnityPoint Health team members come for a job, but stay for a career.<br />
When will you begin yours?<br />
Career Opportunities<br />
Our award-winning providers,<br />
specialists and care teams<br />
contribute to our communities,<br />
support patient’s family members<br />
in time of need and make a difference<br />
in the lives of our patients<br />
every day. And they wouldn’t<br />
have it any other way because<br />
that is why they are in this business<br />
in the first place – to care for<br />
others. To us, everything begins<br />
and ends with delivering an<br />
unparalleled health care experience<br />
for our patients. That begins<br />
with a culture that leverages our<br />
most powerful resource – our<br />
team members – who make a difference<br />
on a grand scale across<br />
our organization, regardless of<br />
the role:<br />
Clinical Opportunities<br />
Registered Nurse<br />
Certified Medical Assistant<br />
Home Care Coordination<br />
Hospice and Palliative Care<br />
My UnityPoint Nurse Call Center<br />
Pediatrics<br />
Pharmacy<br />
Laboratory<br />
Advanced Practice<br />
Therapy/Behavioral Health<br />
And More!<br />
Non-Clinical<br />
Administration/Clerical<br />
Billing Office<br />
Environmental Service<br />
Finance and Accounting<br />
Home Medical Equipment<br />
Human Resources<br />
Information Technology<br />
Patient Registration<br />
Procurement, Supply, Distribution<br />
And More!<br />
Come for a<br />
job, stay for<br />
a career.<br />
unitypoint.org/career<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 23
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECTOR<br />
CODY METZ<br />
Software Developer<br />
Bio::Neos<br />
Coralville, Iowa<br />
What does your company do?<br />
We make custom software for life science<br />
researchers.<br />
What are your job duties?<br />
As a software developer, I work on programming<br />
applications for businesses and researchers.<br />
I’m also involved in designing and testing<br />
our applications to make sure they meet our<br />
clients’ goals.<br />
What skills are important for you to do your<br />
job well?<br />
I think critical thinking and problem-solving skills<br />
are really important for a software developer.<br />
Being able to debug the code that you write,<br />
having the ability to think ahead and anticipate<br />
problems and planning out how to implement<br />
new features all require those two skills.<br />
What is the most interesting part of your job?<br />
I think the most interesting part is being able<br />
to create something from code, being able<br />
to build something, see it work, and actually<br />
do what you want it to do. I think that’s really<br />
exciting. One of my first projects working<br />
here was to help create a web application for<br />
researchers to keep track of how their experiments<br />
run and the results of their experiments.<br />
So, being able to work on that and then see it<br />
actually come to fruition was really cool.<br />
What is the most rewarding part of your job?<br />
The most rewarding part of the job for me is<br />
building something that I know other people<br />
are going to use with the expectation that it<br />
helps them do their research or accomplish<br />
WATCH CODY’S VIDEO<br />
http://bit.ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR<br />
their task, which in turn will hopefully help better other<br />
peoples’ lives.<br />
What is one thing about your job most people don’t<br />
realize you do?<br />
I think a lot of people think a software developer probably<br />
just sits at the computer all day. Obviously, that’s a big<br />
part of the job, but there’s definitely a lot of collaboration<br />
and communication with my teammates when we’re<br />
designing something or fixing bugs.<br />
How did your interest in IT begin?<br />
I got interested in computer science and programming<br />
during college. I was majoring in biomedical engineering<br />
and during my coursework, I took a couple of computer<br />
programming classes and found that I really enjoyed it.<br />
As my college career went on, I just took more and more<br />
electives in computer science. When I got out of college<br />
and looked around, I struggled to find a job in the<br />
biomedical engineering field. So instead, I found a job as<br />
a software tester. After that, I applied to Bio::Neos and<br />
became a software developer.<br />
24 <strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR
How are you involved in IT<br />
outside your job and why is that<br />
important?<br />
I’ve been involved with Hour of<br />
Code which is a program that<br />
runs during Computer Science<br />
Week, and I’ve had experience<br />
working with kids at local schools<br />
around the area and introducing<br />
them to computer science and<br />
programming and the logic that<br />
goes with it. I think it’s important<br />
to be involved in the community<br />
because as a kid, I didn’t really<br />
have the opportunity to learn<br />
about computer science or tech<br />
until college. So, I think it’s cool<br />
giving kids the opportunity to<br />
learn about that now and they<br />
can see if they like it. If they do,<br />
then that gives them a head start<br />
on their careers. H<br />
IT Sector<br />
Median Hourly Earnings<br />
Software Developers, Applications: $40.22<br />
Web Developers: $26.81<br />
Database Administrators: $40.12<br />
Computer Programmer: $33.69<br />
Network and Computer Systems<br />
Administrators: $34.63<br />
EMSI occupation employment data are based on final<br />
EMSI industry data and final EMSI staffing patterns.<br />
Wage estimates are based on Occupational Employment<br />
Statistics (QCEW and Non-QCEW Employees classes<br />
of worker) and the American Community Survey (Self-<br />
Employed and Extended Proprietors). Occupational wage<br />
estimates also affected by county-level EMSI earnings by<br />
industry.<br />
Tara Edmund was<br />
named Honorable<br />
Mention from the<br />
Financial Services,<br />
Insurance and<br />
Customer Service<br />
sector board.<br />
Congratulations!<br />
Member FDIC<br />
7045 C Avenue NE, Cedar Rapids<br />
2701 Edgewood Parkway SW, Cedar Rapids<br />
bankiowa.com<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 25
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECTOR<br />
MADISON<br />
WILLIAMS<br />
Project Manager<br />
ProCircular<br />
Coralville, Iowa<br />
What does your company do?<br />
We are an information security and privacy<br />
company that offers customized, full-service<br />
programs to help our customers protect their<br />
corporate data and client data. We do so by<br />
identifying, prioritizing and remediating security<br />
risks within three key areas: People, Technical<br />
and Compliance. Our goal is to build active<br />
partnerships with each of our customers that<br />
uniquely meets their specific needs and wants.<br />
What are your job duties?<br />
We’re a startup company, so naturally, that<br />
means “wearing multiple hats.” The majority<br />
of my time is spent balancing the duties of a<br />
Project Manager and a Lead Trainer. For project<br />
management, I ensure customer deliverables are<br />
executed according to our quality, scoping and<br />
scheduling standards. I enjoy working directly<br />
with customers, creating and communicating<br />
“game-plans” and tracking our internal efficiencies<br />
and successes. It’s very rewarding to be<br />
involved with a project from initiation all the way<br />
to closure and witness the benefits our customers<br />
receive. For my training responsibilities, I<br />
own the delivery of all our end-user training engagements.<br />
Within this area, I create and share<br />
unique training programs with customers from<br />
multiple industries. With every training, my goal<br />
is to relay a message that is engaging, relevant<br />
and immediately applicable to the audience.<br />
WATCH MADISON’S VIDEO<br />
http://bit.ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR<br />
What is the most interesting part of your job?<br />
Something I really love about my job is delivering end-user<br />
training. As ProCircular’s Lead Trainer, I routinely get in<br />
front of customers from multiple industries and share the<br />
importance of cybersecurity from an end-user perspective.<br />
Technical controls are critical in order to have an effective<br />
security program; however, you cannot just stop there. It’s<br />
also extremely important to address the human element of<br />
a security program. I enjoy the chance to teach users how<br />
they can play an active role in protecting their company’s<br />
data and how they can easily incorporate this responsibility<br />
into day-to-day tasks. To avoid falling victim to cyber and<br />
social engineering attacks today, you need a solid technical<br />
firewall and a solid human firewall.<br />
What is the most rewarding part of your job?<br />
The most rewarding part is winning the trust of our customers<br />
and building genuine, ongoing relationships. We<br />
understand the apprehension or uncertainty that can come<br />
with trusting a vendor to protect a company’s most sensitive<br />
data. I love the “shift” when it’s clear that we’ve overcome<br />
the challenge of uncertainty and when our customers<br />
begin viewing us as partners, not just vendors. I think<br />
we gain this trust by ensuring our actions are transparent,<br />
26 <strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR
acked by evidence and expertise, and<br />
committed to providing the best outcome<br />
for our customers’ unique needs.<br />
What was your path into this field?<br />
I graduated from the University of Iowa,<br />
where I majored in marketing and management<br />
with an emphasis in leadership. Prior<br />
to joining ProCircular, I had never worked<br />
for a start-up company. However, when<br />
the opportunity to join ProCircular came,<br />
I found myself interested in the chance to<br />
join something brand new and be a part of<br />
building something from the ground up. I<br />
didn’t know much about cybersecurity at<br />
the beginning, but I knew I could learn the<br />
industry, I knew my skillset would be beneficial<br />
to a start-up, and I knew I was ready to<br />
take on the challenge of being a company’s<br />
sole Project Manager. Over a year later, I am<br />
still very happy and confident with my decision<br />
to join the ProCircular team. H<br />
It’s very rewarding<br />
to be involved<br />
with a project from<br />
initiation all the way<br />
to closure and witness<br />
the benefits our<br />
customers receive.<br />
Madison Williams<br />
People are at the<br />
heart of successful<br />
cybersecurity.<br />
ProCircular’s Lead Trainer<br />
Madison Williams<br />
No one demonstrates that more genuinely than<br />
Madison Williams, ProCircular’s lead trainer,<br />
project manager, and celebrated <strong>2018</strong> <strong>All</strong> Star<br />
of the Corridor.<br />
ProCircular engages your employees as active<br />
participants in cybersecurity, linking the power of<br />
their awareness and knowledge directly to your<br />
success. Through her leadership, poise, and affable<br />
instruction, Madison is the nexus of that endeavor.<br />
Congratulations, Maddie, and thanks for all the<br />
ways you make ProCircular shine!<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 27
TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS SECTOR<br />
CHAD PESKA<br />
Service Manager<br />
Papa’s Truck & Trailer Repair<br />
Cedar Rapids, Iowa<br />
What does your company do?<br />
We are a medium- to heavy-duty repair facility<br />
of semis and trailers. Our typical workload<br />
varies week-to-week from 50 units to<br />
200, depending on what repairs are needed.<br />
What are your job duties?<br />
I run the shop day-to-day, managing the<br />
mechanics and giving them their job duties.<br />
I talk to the customers about what repairs<br />
are needed on their trucks and help them<br />
diagnose what’s going on with the unit.<br />
What skills are important for you to do<br />
your job well?<br />
The biggest thing that helps me with my<br />
job would be problem-solving. Every day<br />
there’s a new issue that needs solved every<br />
minute. There’s always something different<br />
going on with trucks and trailers. Every day<br />
we have to put our heads together, really<br />
think about what is wrong with the unit or<br />
what we have to do to fix it. There is some<br />
repetitive work, but every day the same<br />
unit doesn’t break twice for the same issue.<br />
My biggest advice for anybody looking to<br />
be a diesel mechanic is to not get discouraged.<br />
Things can get chaotic and difficult<br />
around a successful repair facility. As long<br />
as you stay focused and consistent in your<br />
WATCH CHAD’S VIDEO<br />
http://bit.ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR<br />
work and utilize the resources around you, things will<br />
work out well.<br />
What is the most interesting part of your job?<br />
Because there are people from all different countries<br />
and states that come to us, we get to meet many backgrounds<br />
of people. One day we might be dealing with<br />
somebody from Texas, another day it might be somebody<br />
from Turkey. It’s amazing how many people we<br />
meet. People find out about our company through the<br />
internet (mainly Google) but word of mouth goes a long<br />
way in this area as well.<br />
What is the most rewarding part of your job?<br />
The saying goes, “If you bought it, a truck brought it.”<br />
Knowing that with every truck we repair and get back<br />
on the road, helping necessary goods get from A to B is<br />
rewarding.<br />
What’s one thing most people don’t realize you do?<br />
We have diagnostic software for trucks. We hook trucks<br />
up to a computer multiple times daily. Typically, people<br />
don’t picture mechanics as doing “computer work” but<br />
every day we diagnose problems with large wiring schematics<br />
all based off a software program.<br />
28 <strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR
Transportation, Logistics Sector<br />
What sparked your interest in this industry?<br />
I’ve tinkered with and worked on things with<br />
engines since I was a boy. I lived on a rural<br />
acreage and saw my father work on demolition<br />
derby cars. I looked at the job growth<br />
and the stability of diesel mechanics, knowing<br />
that goods are always going to need delivered.<br />
I thought that was a really good deal<br />
– that nothing can come in and replace me. I<br />
went to school at Kirkwood in Cedar Rapids<br />
and got an associate’s degree of applied science<br />
in diesel truck technology.<br />
What motivates you to do your job?<br />
I’m always thinking about what I can do better<br />
at my job to help my company. But my<br />
biggest motivation in life in general is my<br />
family – my wife and two kids – being able to<br />
support them by doing something I am passionate<br />
about is a great motivator. My family<br />
is everything to me. H<br />
In <strong>2018</strong>, there are 14,293<br />
jobs in ICR region.<br />
30 % above national<br />
average<br />
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators, there<br />
is a 10% growth from <strong>2018</strong>- 2022<br />
Production, Planning and Expediting Clerks,<br />
5% growth from <strong>2018</strong>-2022<br />
EMSI occupation employment data are based on<br />
final EMSI industry data and final EMSI staffing<br />
patterns. Wage estimates are based on Occupational<br />
Employment Statistics (QCEW and Non-QCEW<br />
Employees classes of worker) and the American<br />
Community Survey (Self-Employed and Extended<br />
Proprietors). Occupational wage estimates also affected<br />
by county-level EMSI earnings by industry.<br />
Don Hummer Trucking Salutes the<br />
<strong>2018</strong><br />
ALL STARS<br />
Don Hummer Trucking is proud to help Eastern Iowa develop a<br />
sustainable workforce by offering great career opportunities. We<br />
believe in developing and fostering local talent to make our region<br />
more competitive, successful and a better place to work.<br />
888-323-6115<br />
donhummertrucking.com<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 29
INTERNSHIP<br />
ALIVEA<br />
CARNAHAN<br />
Certified Nursing<br />
Assistant<br />
and<br />
Kirkwood Nursing<br />
Student<br />
Oaknoll Retirement Community<br />
Iowa City, Iowa<br />
WATCH ALIVEA’S VIDEO<br />
http://bit.ly/<strong>2018</strong><strong>All</strong><strong>Stars</strong>ICR<br />
What are you doing currently?<br />
I am currently working as a CNA at Oaknoll and I am<br />
going to Kirkwood for nursing.<br />
What are your job duties as a CNA?<br />
When I get to work, I am assigned a section of the<br />
nursing home and a specific hallway. I usually have<br />
about five to six residents I look out for the entire<br />
second shift that I’m on. I help them with getting<br />
dressed. I help them go to the bathroom. I help them<br />
with anything in their daily life. I’m there to help them<br />
if they are not able to do it themselves.<br />
What skills are important to do your job well?<br />
In my current position being very open-minded is<br />
important. One thing you really have to be cautious<br />
of is always having a positive attitude because when,<br />
for instance in a nursing home, people see you being<br />
negative, then they’re going to think negative. You<br />
just want to be positive and love what you do.<br />
What is the most interesting part of your job?<br />
The most interesting part of my job is there’s never a<br />
dull moment. Every day is different. I constantly am<br />
laughing because the residents just put a wonderful<br />
smile on my face. They’re constantly telling me stories<br />
about their life in the past or even now. It’s definitely a<br />
very fun job.<br />
What is the most rewarding part of your job?<br />
The most rewarding part of the job I would say is<br />
definitely seeing the smiles on the residents’ faces. As<br />
soon as they see you, it’s almost like you’re their own<br />
family and that’s how they treat you and it makes you<br />
feel really wonderful.<br />
What is one thing about your job most people<br />
don’t realize you do?<br />
We take care of residents to the ability where they<br />
aren’t able to do things themselves. Most of the time<br />
it’s helping them emotionally, not just helping them<br />
to their room. A lot of them are going through some<br />
things because they’re in a new place. It’s not their<br />
actual home and there’s a lot of emotions that go along<br />
with it. It’s not just the aspect of we’re there to take<br />
care of them, but we’re also there to be there for them.<br />
What sparked your interest in healthcare?<br />
Growing up, I’ve always wanted to help people. I’ve<br />
had family members in the field. My grandpa was a<br />
30 <strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR
H<br />
NORABLE<br />
MENTION<br />
The following individuals are <strong>All</strong> Star Honorable<br />
Mentions and are to be commended for the<br />
contributions they make to their industry:<br />
Ram Adhikari<br />
Raining Rose<br />
Robert Akerson<br />
Reinhart Foodservices<br />
Gabriel Glambo Akpalo<br />
Raining Rose<br />
Jess Bertling<br />
The New Bohemian Innovation<br />
Collaborative (NewBoCo)<br />
Janelle Beswick<br />
Iowa City VA Health Care System<br />
Chelsey Blue<br />
ESP International<br />
Erik Bussey<br />
Collabrance<br />
Caley Conry<br />
Living Center East<br />
Kyle Cowman<br />
Ovation Networks<br />
Tara Edmund<br />
BankIowa<br />
Maria Gaffney<br />
hibu<br />
Jennifer Germaine<br />
Germaine Law Firm<br />
Mallory Gritton<br />
UnityPoint-St. Luke’s Hospital<br />
Colton Halder<br />
Boyens Machining<br />
Sandra Hawes<br />
Clickstop<br />
Geoff Knoop<br />
UFG Insurance<br />
Jennifer Lahey<br />
IowaWORKS<br />
Anthony Lauber<br />
Engineered Building Design<br />
Michael Lyon<br />
Bio::Neos Inc.<br />
Casey Martin<br />
Rockwell Collins<br />
Michael Nielson<br />
TSF Structures Inc.<br />
Dalton Ott<br />
GreatAmerica Financial<br />
Heather Quigley<br />
Alpla<br />
Michael Rozum<br />
Benefit Solutions Inc.<br />
Eric Schmitt<br />
Rapids Foodservice Contract<br />
and Design<br />
Jeff Talbot<br />
Greiner Buildings<br />
Courtney Upah<br />
Kirkwood Community College<br />
Shamus Veach<br />
Modern Sheet Metal Inc.<br />
Aaron Voss<br />
TrueNorth Companies<br />
Cory Witham<br />
Timberline Manufacturing<br />
general surgeon. My mom’s in healthcare. My dad is,<br />
too. So, it’s just been running in my family and I’ve<br />
always looked up to them.<br />
What is your plan for the future?<br />
I would like to graduate from Kirkwood with my RN and<br />
continue to get my BSN elsewhere. I am looking to go<br />
into labor and delivery as a nurse or pediatric oncology.<br />
What motivates you to pursue a nursing career?<br />
There are always people out there who need more<br />
help and there’s that part of me that says, “I can help<br />
them.” Every day I just think about before I go to<br />
work: “I’m going to help someone today, I’m going<br />
to put a smile on someone’s face.” That motivation to<br />
think ‘I’m going to make somebody else’s day’ makes<br />
your own day as well. H<br />
<strong>2018</strong> ALL STARS of ICR 31