Stellar Industries Advances New Bumper Design with Support from CIRAS

• mworley

Stellar Industries builds product confidence through multi-phase structural testing with CIRAS, gaining data-driven insight to guide design decisions and prepare a new bolted bumper for market. Company Overview Stellar Industries is a 100% employee-owned manufacturer headquartered in Garner, Iowa. Founded in 1990, the company designs and builds service truck bodies, mechanic and tire service cranes, … Continue reading Stellar Industries Advances New Bumper Design with Support from CIRAS

Art’s Way Manufacturing builds supply chain resilience and reduces tariff risk with CIRAS

• mworley

After successfully navigating supply chain disruptions with CIRAS support in 2022, Art’s Way Manufacturing returned in 2025 to update its supply chain map—gaining renewed visibility into supplier risk, understanding tariff exposure, and confirming that earlier mitigation efforts were making a measurable difference. Company overview Art’s Way Manufacturing Co. Inc. designs and produces farm and construction … Continue reading Art’s Way Manufacturing builds supply chain resilience and reduces tariff risk with CIRAS

Update: Choose Iowa Butchery Innovation and Revitalization Grant Program Awards Announced

• gmallen

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has announced the FY25 awardees of the Choose Iowa Butchery Innovation and Revitalization Grant Program, providing critical support to strengthen Iowa’s small and mid-sized meat processors. In this funding round: Choose Iowa received 23 grant requests totaling over $1.5 million. Awards totaling $355,000 will leverage a combined … Continue reading Update: Choose Iowa Butchery Innovation and Revitalization Grant Program Awards Announced

Executive AI Strategy Turns Potential into Performance

• mworley

Artificial intelligence isn’t just the future—it’s today’s competitive edge. Across industries, businesses are reimagining how they work, make decisions, and deliver value through AI. Yet for many Iowa companies, the first question isn’t what to do with AI—it’s where to start. That’s where CIRAS comes in. Executive AI Strategy, a new service designed to help … Continue reading Executive AI Strategy Turns Potential into Performance

Collaboration Cohort Equips HR Leaders to Drive Results

• mworley

When Iowa manufacturers reported workforce challenges as a top concern in the most recent CIRAS Manufacturing Needs Assessment, one theme stood out: Companies need human resource professionals who are not just administrators but leaders. Yet for many manufacturers, HR staff is often a one-person team, with few opportunities to connect, share, and learn. To address … Continue reading Collaboration Cohort Equips HR Leaders to Drive Results

Navigating Supply Chain and Tariff Challenges

• mworley

CIRAS continues to help Iowa companies manage ongoing supply chain disruptions and navigate the challenges of changing tariffs. Through a growing library of webinars and resources, now totaling 11 sessions with more than 1,000 views, manufacturers have access to timely and easy-to-understand guidance. This work is part of the CIRAS “Managing your supply chain during … Continue reading Navigating Supply Chain and Tariff Challenges

Leveraging Market Insights to Guide Strategic Pricing

• mworley

When Molded Products, located in Harlan, began planning the launch of a new medical device, company leaders knew pricing would be critical to success. The product, developed through significant R&D investment, was expected to replace a legacy offering and compete directly with other devices on the market. To guide its strategy, Molded Products contacted its … Continue reading Leveraging Market Insights to Guide Strategic Pricing

CIRAS Helps Two Companies Unlock the Value of Fertilizer Byproducts

• mworley

What if waste wasn’t waste at all? That question led two Iowa companies—Ajinomoto and Valent BioSciences—to partner with Iowa State University to test whether industrial byproducts from their manufacturing operations could serve as effective alternatives to commercial fertilizers. Through the CIRAS Technology Assistance Program (TAP), CIRAS co-invested state appropriations with the companies to collaborate with … Continue reading CIRAS Helps Two Companies Unlock the Value of Fertilizer Byproducts

Avoiding Common Small Business Size Calculation Errors

• gmallen

A new calendar year is underway, and for many federal government contractors, it may mean recalculating whether they qualify as small businesses in their industries. For contractors working in the construction and services industries, where small business status is based on a company’s average annual receipts under rules established in 13 C.F.R. 121.104, it can be … Continue reading Avoiding Common Small Business Size Calculation Errors

Director’s Update: Looking at 2026 and Beyond

• mworley

The pace of disruption in industry hasn’t slowed. Global trade structures are being challenged on multiple fronts as digital technologies and artificial intelligence rapidly mature. Leaders are challenged like never before. Not because they don’t have ideas, but because every decision now carries more trade-offs. Increasingly, the real need isn’t an answer, but a partner … Continue reading Director’s Update: Looking at 2026 and Beyond

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