If you find yourself wondering “what’s next” for Iowa manufacturers, make sure you attend the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) Advanced Manufacturing Conference on September 20.
Success sort of snuck up on Dave and Denise Conkling. Their business sprouted and grew, until one day it seemed to have grown beyond their control.
“We started really small, and we just managed everything ourselves,” said Dave Conkling, owner of Mariposa Farms. “We were looking at the business one way, because we had this 20-something years of experience. When CIRAS came in, they could look through different eyes, and it became clear to them what we needed to do.”
CIRAS government contracting specialists know a lot about Iowa businesses. Here are a few questions and answers to help you learn a little more about them:
An engaged board is a critical component to a successful business. Whether you are a privately held corporation, an ESOP, or a public company, there are steps you can take to ensure your board is creating value for your business.
For years, Loran Balvanz’s company has made money selling tougher, longer-lasting equipment to the people who grind garbage and recyclables for a living.
Now, the same technology may be poised to revolutionize how farmers till fields.
C.J. Sparks came to the Iowa Events Center on Thursday get to the lay of the land.
“My company doesn’t currently do anything in government contracting, but we always talked about it,” said Sparks, head of a software firm named The Sparks Solution. “This seemed like a good way to get started.”
The July edition of Site Selection Magazine gave national notice to Iowa’s “Year of Manufacturing” initiative.
The article, entitled “How to make $3 billion,” describes Iowa’s belief in the importance of advanced manufacturing and provides details of how industry and governmental leaders (including CIRAS) are working to improve it.
Every so often, CIRAS likes to take a moment and tall you a little bit about the people who make Iowa businesses better:
Max Droste runs manufacturing at Schumacher, a maker of farm equipment, and he’d like to see industry and education work together.
Our mission here at CIRAS is to enhance the performance of industry in Iowa through applied research, education, and technical assistance. We can’t do that in a vacuum, so we put a lot of effort into understanding what Iowa manufacturers need to help them compete globally.
For one Iowa restaurant and catering business, the recipe for success so far has included a side of government contracts.
B Fabulous BBQ in Slater has cooked up nearly $100,000 in business from public-sector clients over the last two years, said Deanna Faubus, who owns the company with her husband, Billy. “For a small joint like us, that’s a significant amount of sales.”