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The Insider Notebook

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NOTEBOOK: Drop and give me 20, lieutenant governor?

When Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg was in Pella last week to help Lely North American celebrate the start of construction of its new headquarters, he took a little good-natured ribbing from his former college football …

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NOTEBOOK: AE takes a trip down memory lane with vintage carton designs

Hearing that song that played on the radio while you were riding in the back of your parents’ station wagon. Finding that toy you thought was gone forever, stored in a box in the basement. …

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NOTEBOOK: Q&A: Reflecting on downtown changes

Jennifer Chittenden, executive director of the Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce, stepped down from her role to take on a new opportunity effective Oct. 23. I recently talked with Chittenden about some of the …

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NOTEBOOK: ‘It’s good for business’: Hiring people with disabilities subject of recent Untapped Talent event

I tuned in to the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s most recent Untapped Talent event focused on employing people with disabilities, which is timely as October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The program and immersive …

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NOTEBOOK: What we lose when businesses close

The year 2020 keeps taking from us — this time, it was Vaudeville Mews. 

Observers and business owners keep warning us how intense the loss of small businesses will be in the aftermath of COVID-19. …

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NOTEBOOK: Oakridge Neighborhood students debut “Success is My Protest” video

 

Students from Oakridge Neighborhood in Des Moines want you to hear their voice. They want you to hear their message.

To do that, they produced a music video that recently went live on YouTube. Their message …

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NOTEBOOK – ONE GOOD READ: Getting serious about diversity: Enough already with the business case

As diversity issues within business have become paramount while movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter have swept the country, underrepresented people have brought to light the need to not just be represented, but to …

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NOTEBOOK – ONE GOOD READ: Editorial from Sarasota newspaper points to inadequacies in long-term care system

The John A. Hartford Foundation reprinted an editorial from my hometown newspaper, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, about how the pandemic is shining a light on the inadequacies in the current way that elder care is funded …

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NOTEBOOK – ONE GOOD READ: 21-day Equity Challenge kicks off

The United Way of Central Iowa’s 21-day Equity Challenge kicked off this week and provided participants with a variety of resources to learn more about racial inequity. Here were some of the resources I found most powerful:…

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NOTEBOOK: Two Drake students serving as Business Record interns

The Business Record newsroom is excited to announce we have two bright Drake University students who will be interns for us. Sarah Bogaards is serving as a news intern helping with reporting projects, and Caitlin …