Members of the CyLaunch team headed back to Huntsville, Alabama, in April for the NASA Student Launch Competition. There, the team showcased their skills and resilience. Their participation was marked by both triumphs and challenges, highlighting the intense nature of the competition. CyLaunch is a student rocketry team at Iowa State University that designs … Continue reading CyLaunch Rockets to Success at NASA Student Launch
John Michel joined CIRAS as a Government Contracting Specialist with the APEX Accelerators, serving clients in Western Iowa. John brings over seven years of expertise in public procurement and contracting, specializing in various commodity areas, including scientific, medical (veterinary), construction, and MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations). In his past duties as a Senior Procurement Agent, … Continue reading CIRAS Staff News: Meet John Michel
Kathy has more than ten years of contracting-related experience in construction and consultant contracts and in sponsored research. In her duties as Manager, Contract Administration at FPM, she leveraged contract administration skills to oversee over $100M in annual expenditures and ensure compliance for federally-funded projects up to $40M. Kathy works with Iowa companies to develop … Continue reading CIRAS Staff News: Meet Kathy McKown
Exploring Best Practices for Engaging with State/Regent Universities Being well-prepared and strategic is crucial before approaching a State/Regent University with your products or services. Here are some refined practices to enhance your approach: In-depth Research: Delve into the university’s strategic goals, active initiatives, and existing contracts. Regularly check their websites for details on current contracts, … Continue reading Best Practices in Selling to Iowa’s Regent Universities
In business development, the strategic use of secondary market research is a pivotal tool for companies aiming to optimize their decision-making and enhance their competitive edge. This type of research involves analyzing existing data collected from various sources, such as government reports, industry statistics, and market analysis studies. Understanding how to leverage this data can … Continue reading Unlocking Business Potential Through Secondary Market Research
Nearly 450 people attended the 2024 Business Analytics Symposium, held on April 2 at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in downtown Des Moines. The annual event is hosted by the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business. Iowa’s premier analytics event brought together industry leaders and analytics professionals from some of the nation’s leading … Continue reading Annual Business Analytics Symposium draws big crowd in Des Moines
With a career of more than 40 years in the manufacturing industry, I can look back now and see that I was greatly influenced by my father, who worked for an engineering firm. He shared his vast mechanical know-how with me. The two of us worked on many projects together, including rebuilding my car’s engine … Continue reading Making it Happen in a Man’s World
In Iowa’s competitive job market, enhancing the leadership capabilities of a company’s management team is crucial for drawing and keeping the best manufacturing professionals. Local enterprises must maximize the productivity of their existing workforce. To aid in this endeavor, CIRAS has appointed Steve Wilson as a dedicated project manager, who will assist Iowa companies in … Continue reading Q & A with Steve Wilson
Every year, without fail, there are disaster declarations in Iowa and other states, and our APEX team helps businesses prepare to do business with the government to help in recovery efforts. Our goal is to prepare your business now to be able to respond to disaster contracting opportunities in the future. Below are some basic … Continue reading Disaster Contracting in Iowa
AMES, Iowa – For Cassandra Swacker, engineering is a way to help people. Majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in biomedical engineering at Iowa State University equipped Swacker with the skills to design and manufacture personalized utensils and devices for people with traumatic brain injuries. Her quest to help others through engineering began while she was in high school, … Continue reading ISU graduate’s engineering expertise helps patients recover from brain injuries