A previous “State of the State” explored growth in Iowa’s young worker population and the fact that production jobs are a declining fraction of the opportunities available to them. The breadth of those opportunities—or at least workers’ perceptions of what opportunities exist in the labor market—can be glimpsed in trends for post-secondary education.
There are a vast number of resources available to Iowa businesses. One of the roles of CIRAS is help companies connect with the right one of those resources at the right time. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is one entity with which CIRAS partners a great deal.
Two Iowa State University professors have been named 2016 inductees to the national Meat Industry Hall of Fame.
Joseph Cordray and Joseph Sebranek, professors in the Department of Animal Science, are slated to be honored along with five other industry leaders at the International Production and Processing Expo in Atlanta on January 31, 2017.
CIRAS account managers know a lot about Iowa businesses. Here are a few questions and answers to help you learn a little more about them:
AMES, Iowa – Iowa manufacturers are projected to receive up to $37 million in research-based, business-improving services over the next 10 years after U.S. Dept. of Commerce officials on Friday moved to renew the department’s longstanding relationship with Iowa State University’s Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS).
The award means CIRAS will continue to serve as Iowa’s affiliate of the National Institute for Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Manufacturers Extension Partnership (MEP), a nationwide network of centers created to enhance the performance of U.S. manufacturing. Through this partnership, CIRAS will continue providing services to help small- to mid-sized manufacturers improve their businesses and will add new services to help all Iowa manufacturers navigate rapidly changing technologies and business models.
[ONE OF CIRAS’ REGULAR LOOKS AT A SECTOR OF THE IOWA ECONOMY. (By Liesl Eathington)]
One of CIRAS’ points of pride is our outstanding network of partners. We believe they are critical to the health of businesses in Iowa, and we just don’t talk about them often enough. So, today we’re launching a new regular feature to help showcase our great partners and the amazing things they do.
Iowa now ranks second nationwide in per capita youth membership on a FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team.
Yet, even with another year of explosive growth in Iowa youth getting a STEM boost through research and robots, Camille Schroeder, director of K–12 outreach programs at Iowa State University’s College of Engineering, said the participation milestone does not mean that Iowa’s FLL program has stopped recruiting students and mentors.
“We want to be able to provide this experience for any youth who wants it,” Schroeder said.
You hear it a lot around Iowa:
“I want to double in size in the next 5 years.”
“I just need one new OEM customer.”
The reviews are in, and it appears to have been a hit:
– “Broad range of information covered. Wide variety of businesses represented”
– “Got several ideas how to expand my business, the event opened up conversations and information in the tristate area”
– “Tons of useful info”
– “A very well balanced conference with a wide range of experts speaking candidly”
Those are just a few bits of the feedback we received after the first Tri-State Procurement Conference held in Keokuk, IA this past spring of 2016.