CIRAS’ Second Annual Iowa Holiday Gift Guide
We make some really cool things in Iowa.
Most of them (like a robotic system from Acieta) aren’t very practical gifts. But when you produce as much as we do here in Iowa, there are tons of great gifts.
American Coating and Welding Growing Rapidly—With CIRAS by Its Side
CIRAS government contracting specialist Andy Alexander was eating breakfast in downtown Onawa one morning in 2014 when he suddenly came face-to-face with the aspirations of a Monona County sheriff’s deputy.
“He walked in and wanted to know if that was my government car out there,” Alexander recalls. “I thought he was going to give me a ticket.”
CIRAS Helps Clarion Packaging with Search for Sturdier Future
A major manufacturer of egg flats and fast-food drink carriers has turned to CIRAS for help with the next phase of improving its business.
Clarion Packaging—a 100-employee plant in Clarion, Iowa, with a sister facility in Brook, Indiana—first approached CIRAS roughly two years ago for help achieving food safety certification. The company now is working with CIRAS to test its product quality and plan for the future.
Thousands Commemorate ‘MFG Day’ – with Talks, Tours, Walking Tacos
For Eric Cook, national Manufacturing Day was a chance to show 40 high school vocational students what the future may hold.
“They get exposure,” Cook said. “Just seeing what’s out there, seeing what the job takes, what it’s really like out on the shop floor.”
CIRAS Spotlight: Kimberly Anderson
CIRAS specialists know a lot about Iowa businesses. Here are a few questions and answers to help you learn a little more about them:
CIRAS Spotlight: Chris Hill
CIRAS specialists know a lot about Iowa businesses. Here are a few questions and answers to help you learn a little more about them:
Good Strategic Planning Starts with a SWOT
Usually, when you’re trying to take a cold, hard look at your future, it’s best to do it with fresh eyes.
That, according to Greg Ervin, is partly why Marion-based Timberline Manufacturing Co. has been working with CIRAS to plan the company’s best path to growth. Timberline, a maker of wire harnesses, control panels, and custom electronics that is now in its fifth year as an employee-owned business, approached CIRAS roughly a year ago seeking help with mapping the next portion of its future.
Iowans Enjoy Manufacturing Day
For Eric Cook, national Manufacturing Day is a chance to show 40 high school vocational students what the future may hold.
“Number one, they get exposure – just seeing what’s out there, seeing what the job takes, what it’s really like out on the shop floor,” Cook said. “They’re high schoolers. They haven’t been exposed to a lot of that.”
Get Ready for Final Two Future of Manufacturing Events
CIRAS is excited for our final two events in our 2017 Future of Manufacturing series – dealing with two critical components of how manufacturing is changing – leadership and automation.
CIRAS Networking Helps Express Employment Make Good Matches
Connections created through CIRAS networking events and hands-on assistance have helped a Cedar Rapids-based recruitment company grow during the past year.
Express Employment Professionals is a full-service staffing agency specializing in the industrial, administrative, IT, and engineering fields. Michele Oswood, owner of the Cedar Rapids franchise, said her company’s client base has doubled since she purchased the business in February 2016.