Government policy says that a portion of each federal spending dollar should be used to help small businesses. Federal agencies put this into practice by requiring that large prime contractors submit a plan along with their proposals demonstrating how they will utilize small businesses in the performance of each federal contract. Historically, these plans were … Continue reading Did You Know?… Threshold Changes for Small Business Sub Plans
Year: 2020
What to Watch for as Flu Season Combines with COVID-19
What does COVID-19 have in common with influenza? The foundation for keeping both from overwhelming your workplace starts with education, regular disinfection, and keeping a close eye on your employees so you can spot any outbreaks quickly. http://www.allergypartners.com/metrodc/wp-content/uploads/sites/89/2020/09/COVID-vs-Flu-vs-Cold_2020.png That was the message to Iowa manufacturers in November when Emily Law, infection prevention coordinator at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames, spoke to participants in the weekly CIRAS Roundtable for Iowa manufacturers.
Reshoring Webinar on December 10
Offshoring your components can come with a great deal of cost and risk. This is true now more than ever in the middle of a pandemic. Iowa manufacturers understand the difficulties that can come with managing an unpredictable supply chain. CIRAS would like to help. Together with the Iowa Economic Development Authority, the Iowa Area Development Group, the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, and the Greater Des Moines Partnership, we’re sponsoring a one-hour webinar on December 10 explaining the benefits of bringing your production home.
Start Your Shopping with Iowa-Made Gifts
It is time for our 5th annual CIRAS holiday gift list! This year buying products made right here in Iowa carries even more significance as it supports our businesses and their employees that have kept our economy running through the pandemic. Here are just some of the great Iowa gifts you can give:
There’s Still Time to Renew your ILC Membership (or Join Today)!
Membership in the Iowa Lean Consortium is a gift that keeps on giving, with year-round training opportunities in continuous improvement -- and now, more choice in how you use your membership. Join today!
SSAB Finds Valuable Partner in Iowa State Students, Faculty Research
A Muscatine steel factory is on the verge of innovation after increased student involvement developed into major research at Iowa State University. SSAB, an international steel producer, recently completed CIRAS-arranged research and filed for a patent on a new optical fiber technology for measuring the temperature of molten steel in electric arc furnaces in real time. The company also is experimenting with Ames Laboratory on ways to improve the rolled-steel alloys SSAB manufactures.
ILC Virtual Annual Conference Builds Lean Leaders
Good leadership should be purposely developed in yourself and others by building strong relationships with those on your team, an Iowa-born Army colonel told more than 200 Iowa business leaders in October. Col. Candice Frost was the keynote speaker for this fall's first-ever Annual Virtual Conference by the Iowa Lean Consortium. The event, customarily the largest single educational event put on by the ILC, was held online in 2020 for the first time due to COVID-19.
Mary Greeley Medical Center Uses Lean as Bridge to Baldrige
Mary Greeley Medical Center capped a 10-year journey in 2019 when the hospital became Iowa’s first-ever organization to receive the Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award. It happened, in part, because Mary Greeley used Lean techniques to trim waste from hospital activities and create a more efficient, more patient-centered environment.
GovTalk: CIRAS Helps Copywriter+ Ink Contract
A Des Moines freelance writing business found financial stability in the opening months of the pandemic after CIRAS helped it pursue and obtain a government contract. Kristi Kenyon, owner of Copywriter+, said her company was roughly three years old when she met Justin Niceswanger, a government contracting specialist with the CIRAS Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), at a networking event. Before that, government contracting “wasn’t something that I even knew was a possibility” for writing jobs, Kenyon said.
CIRAS PTAC: A Smart Way for Construction Companies to Build Their Teams
Building a new federal courthouse in downtown Des Moines is much more complicated than signing the paperwork and pouring concrete. “It comes with significant challenges,” said Elizabeth Campbell, director of Emerging Business Inclusion for Ryan Companies, the Minneapolis-based firm that landed the Des Moines courthouse’s three-year, $105 million contract. One of them is the subcontracting.