Ron Sims, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), toured the Oakridge neighborhood yesterday while touting the impact of $6 million in federal stimulus money that was invested in the renovation of 300 apartment units. Sims, who was sworn into his position on May 8 and is responsible for managing the department’s day-to-day operations, told a crowd of city and state officials and neighborhood leaders at Oakridge that HUD is making a “stronger investment” in housing than in years past, RadioIowa reported. “I think what we see in the (American Recovery Reinvestment Act of 2009) and what we see happening at Oakridge is the fundamental belief that the next generation’s life will be better than ours,” Sims said

Employment among 16- to 19-year-olds grew by 497,000 jobs in June, but that was down 29 percent from the growth of 698,000 jobs in June 2009, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. It was the lowest midsummer job growth for that particular age group since 1951, when employers added just 455,000 teens.

West Bancorporation Inc. will report its results for the second quarter of 2010 on July 30 before U.S. markets open. The company will discuss its results in a conference call scheduled for 2 p.m. on the same day. The call can be heard by calling (800) 860-2442. A recording of the call will be available until Aug. 30. For more information, click here.

Gov. Chet Culver announced that 71 Iowa communities will receive a combined total of $35 million to enhance water infrastructure in their communities. “The I-JOBS awards announced today mean that 71 small communities will receive the support they need to move forward with water infrastructure improvements that will create a safe, quality water supply for their residents,” Culver said in a release. “These projects are further evidence that I-JOBS is continuing to move Iowa forward.” The funding comes from the Water Quality Financial Assistance program as part of the I-JOBS initiative.

American Equity Investment Life Holding Co. will release its second-quarter earnings following the close of U.S. markets on Aug. 4. The West Des Moines-based company will post the earnings release and a financial supplement on www.american-equity.com at that time. A conference call has been scheduled for 10 a.m. on Aug. 5 to discuss the earnings. It may be accessed via telephone at (800) 573-4842 or via the Internet.

Shakopee, Minn.-based Cat Auction Services, which entered the heavy equipment auction arena in late 2008, announced Thursday that its recent auction in Des Moines generated more than $9 million in sales. Cat Auction, a partnership of Caterpillar Inc. dealers, said its next public auction, which is scheduled to take place on July 29 in Greenwood, Neb., will focus more on agricultural equipment than it has in previous auctions. “We’ve proven that we can draw a large audience for our big equipment auctions, and we’re confident that our success in that segment of the business will transfer seamlessly to the ag arena,” said Rick Albin, Cat Auction’s president. “The people who deal in big iron know what we’re about.”