Studying the Tech Scene in Seattle

Last week I traveled with 61 fellow Kansas City Centurions on a benchmarking trip to Seattle.  Besides seeing Microsoft’s technologies of the future at their world headquarters and a surprise appearance by Eddy Vedder, we learned some great insights about the Seattle tech scene.  TechStars, the “number one startup...

Read more...

Apply for the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award

The Governor’s Iowa Environmental Excellence Awards recognize private businesses, organizations and citizens for their efforts to protect Iowa’s water, land and air. For more than ten years, this awards program has served as the premier environmental honors in Iowa, recognizing overall environmental excellence in addition to several project-specific...

Read more...

EntreFest! Announces $10,000 Dream Big, Grow Here Winner

More than 300 people gathered at the Hotel at Kirkwood in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, March 7th to attend the Dream Big, Grow Here pitch off event and to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship in Iowa at the sixth annual EntreFest! conference. Dream Big, Grow Here is an annual...

Read more...

ACES Receives City Award for Growth

A “Growing Sioux City Award” was presented to Aviation Consultant Expert Solutions, LLC (ACES) today recognizing the company’s significant growth and investment in Sioux City. The award, presented by Mayor Bob Scott, was accepted by ACES CEO, Jim Sponder and COO, Travis Stein. They were provided Sioux City...

Read more...

The Debate Continues: Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made?

Any time you wonder if entrepreneurs are born with that skill, or if instead they have learned it, just type those terms into your favorite search engine, and you will be overrun with information on both sides of the isle. So what is the key? One could conclude that, like most things...

Read more...

What do Xerox, Michelin, Ducati, and Marriott Have in Common?

A commercial. Yes that's right, Xerox has begun an aggressive television marketing campaign, but they've taken an unconventional approach. Take a moment to watch these ads before reading on: Let's deconstruct this marketing strategy. By partnering with other large corporations to produce television ads, Xerox is effectively able to achieve at least these three objectives: Cost...

Read more...