CIRAS SPOTLIGHT – Jeff Mohr
CIRAS project manager Jeff Mohr is easing his way into an early-June retirement. We managed to make him stop on his way out the door to share some of his wisdom.
Internet Marketing Is at the Core of Any Growth Strategy
For most of the online era, companies were able to maintain two separate growth strategies: a traditional marketing plan and a web/e-commerce plan. Not anymore.
Buyers, from consumers to professional B2B purchasing agents, have changed. It is now imperative to include your website, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, and web analytics as integrated pieces of your overall marketing plan.
Digital Manufacturing—Better Efficiency via an Internet-linked Vending Machine
Asked to explain the value of his two-year-old electronic supply cabinets, the comparison Joe Greving reaches for is to a major technological shift.
“I can’t imagine going back to the way we used to do it,” said Greving, president of Iowa Steel Fabrication in Osceola. “Once you have an iPhone X for 30 days, you’re not going back to a flip phone.”
CIRAS Helps Avoca Surface Take Smooth First Steps into Government Contracting
It was a quest for help with the paperwork that sent Patrick Richards to the Flying J truck stop in Avoca.
In 2016, Richards was in the beginning stages of creating what would become Avoca Surfaces, a countertop business owned by Richards, his son, and another father-son team. Lori Holste, executive director of the Western Iowa Development Association, suggested that Richards meet with Andy Alexander, a government contracting specialist with CIRAS’ Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP). And a long-term partnership was born.
CIRAS Spotlight: Andrew Friend
CIRAS employees know a lot about Iowa businesses. Here are a few questions and answers to help you learn a little more about them:
SAM Suspects Fraudulent Activity in the System
If you’re a government contractor, you may have recently received a suspicious-looking email with the subject line “ALERT: Bank Account Change Detected for COMPANY NAME / DUNS / CAGE in the U.S. Government’s System for Award Management (SAM)”?
The first thing you need to know is that the email was legit.
EVENT ALERT: Midwest Government Contracting Symposium, May 23-24
Are you a business in Construction, IT, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Support or Professional Services who is interested in strengthening its Government Contracts footprint? Are you interested in connecting with government agencies situated on the Rock Island Arsenal?
Then you should be at the 11th Annual Midwest Government Contracting Symposium, May 23 and 24 in Moline, Illinois.
UPCOMING: Veterans Breakfast, Corridor Business Development Expo
Attention veterans, business owners, and veteran business owners in the Cedar Rapids area: CIRAS would like to help fill both your minds and bodies on April 11.
CIRAS is hosting a special Veterans Breakfast on that day beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Kirkwood Hotel in Cedar Rapids – immediately preceding the Corridor Business Development Expo.
Upcoming Webinars: Successful Conferences and Capability Statements
Are you showing potential customers the best version of your company?
Capability statements are a key component of any government marketing plan and should be one of your main marketing materials for government customers. Capability statements act as a resume of your business, including all important information that a potential government customer would rely on for market research.
IMPACT: CIRAS and its Partners Sparked Improvement by the Billions
CIRAS projects have a big impact on Iowa and its communities.
Over the last five years, we’ve helped Iowa companies invest, expand sales and avoid costs to the tune of more than $2 billion.