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The Insider Notebook

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NOTEBOOK – One Good Read: The surprising secrets to living longer — and better

The secrets are really not so secret in this Time magazine article on health research and interview with centenarians — exercise, eat pretty well. But there are some other bits in this piece that are …

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NOTEBOOK: Apple eyes cobalt futures

Apple is looking into buying cobalt straight from the mines to make sure it has enough for batteries, Bloomberg reported. In 2017, batteries for cars and devices consumed 55,400 tons of cobalt. By 2020, we …

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NOTEBOOK: State program can help companies determine if ESOP is a good fit

Eleven Iowa companies have used a state program that provides funding assistance for companies to evaluate whether they should form an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). The Legislature created a $500,000 fund in 2014 designed …

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NOTEBOOK: The timing for infrastructure spending might stink, but it really stinks for Des Moines

Generally any sort of public works infrastructure spending is a boon for the economy. It creates jobs and stimulates the economy, while simultaneously improving infrastructure — which is in desperate need of updating.

However, this …

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NOTEBOOK: ESOPs put employees in the owner’s seat

Building a successful business is tough. Selling it can be equally challenging. But there’s a way to find talented, dependable people to take over your company — and they’re right outside your office door.

Employee …

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NOTEBOOK: Who’s in the March 9 issue?

Here’s a list of local people in the March 9 issue of the Business Record and the page number of the article in which they are mentioned. Members can read all of this week’s stories …

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NOTEBOOK: In case you missed it…

In case you missed it…
A brief look back at news from the past week.

Northey confirmed
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey was confirmed as undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Read more

Iowa …

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NOTEBOOK: A few nuggets from Iowa’s Condition of Education Report

For the sixth consecutive year, total enrollment has increased in Iowa’s public schools, following a 17-year decline, according to the recently released Annual Condition of Education Report by the Iowa Department of Education. There were …

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NOTEBOOK: Housing study gets an icy response from some on D.M. council

The ask was relatively small, as these things go, up to $48,000, and the cause seemed reasonable: Nikki Syverson, director of Capital Crossroads, was seeking the money to round out the funding for an effort …

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NOTEBOOK – One Good Read: The not-ready-for-prime-time AI insurance agent

What do you get when you cross a Star Wars storm trooper with a bespectacled, detached insurance agent? He may look and act a lot like the befuddled star of a new ad campaign by …