CBJ on Small Business
Your weekly roundup of news and views impacting small businesses around the Corridor for Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016.

Compiled by Adam Moore, adam@corridorbusiness.com
Iowa restaurants exceeded expectations in 2015
  
Iowa's restaurant industry topped both employment and revenue projections for 2015, posting more than $4 billion in sales and a net increase of 5,200 positions last year - quadruple the number of jobs expected by both the National and Iowa Restaurant Associations.

Iowa restaurants had been expected to post just over $3.6 billion in sales and create 1,230 jobs in 2015, according to the Iowa Restaurant Association (IRA).

"Nearly every restaurant in the state is seeking to increase its staff," Jessica Dunker, president and CEO of the IRA, stated in a press release. "From servers and managers to kitchen staff and dishwashers, we simply cannot find the employees to fill the positions open in the state."

The association is projecting a strong year ahead, as consumers continue to spend the savings generated from cheap gasoline in restaurants and bars. Expectations are for a net increase of 1,600 foodservice jobs and a 4.2 percent increase in sales, to $4.2 billion.

"If gas prices stay low and our consumer behavior models are accurate, it could be a banner year for Iowa hospitality operators," Ms. Dunker said.
Solon business chosen as SBDC's Small Business of the Month

Emily Elsasser and Kristen Struzynski 
America's Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) has named the Solon Learning Academy the winner of the SBDC's Business of the Month Award.

The Solon Learning Academy was founded by Kristen Struzynski and Emily Elsasser, and offers a complete preschool readiness program. Services include weekly one-on-one instruction and individualized curriculum development. The founders worked with the University of Iowa SBDC in preparation for its opening in 2012.

"It was a pleasure helping Kristen and Emily open their daycare and preschool business," Paul Health, regional director of the UI SBDC, stated in a press release. "Their goal is to offer a complete early learning experience, to ensure that children are kindergarten ready and a step ahead of the rest, and they have succeeded."

The America's SBDC Iowa program is an outreach program of Iowa State University's College of Business. Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the organization has 15 regional assistance centers located across the state.
 
For more information on Solon Learning Academy, visit its website.
Entrepreneur of the Year competition issues call for nominations 
 
Ernst & Young has opened its call for nominations for its 30th-annual Entrepreneur of the Year awards, recognized as one of the most prestigious business award programs in the country.
 
Entrepreneurs eligible for consideration include not only company founders, but also leaders of multi-generation family businesses and public and private company CEOs. The nominee's company must be at least two years old. Self-nominations are encouraged, and there is no fee.
 
Dawn Ainger, president and CEO of Cedar Rapids-based Genova Technologies, was a past winner in the Upper Midwest division of the program, which encompasses Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
 
As a group, the 2014 Upper Midwest program finalists employed more than 7,000 people and generated more than $2.1 billion in revenue.
 
Award winners will be selected in a number of industry categories by a panel of independent regional judges, including previous winners of the award, leading CEOs and private capital investors, and other regional business leaders. The winning entrepreneurs will be honored regionally in June, before being invited to the Entrepreneur of the Year national gala on Nov. 19 in Palm Springs, California.
 
Nominations are due by March 1. For information or to nominate someone, visit the Entrepreneur of the Year website.
Corridor freight brokerage marks anniversary

Awesome Logistics, a federally-licensed freight brokerage that sources shippers and carriers nationwide for dry, refrigerated and frozen loads, is marking its one-year anniversary and growing fast.
 
Located in Frytown, Awesome Logistics was founded to help local organic foods companies get their products to market. As the company continues its expansion, it has also begun working with regional and national companies. Its trucks currently run in Colorado, Texas, Indiana, Wisconsin and the Chicago area.
 
"Awesome Logistics makes customer service a priority," Jed Stramel, managing partner with Awesome Logistics, stated in a press release. "We believe reliability and excellent service are key factors that distinguish one freight company from another, and our job is to treat your freight as if it were our own."
 
In preparation for continued growth in 2016, the company is currently seeking to fill a freight logistics broker role, and is actively searching for owner-operators.
AW Welt Ambrisco Insurance named a 2016 Gem Agency
 
AW Welt Ambrisco Insurance, an independent insurance agency in Iowa, has been named to IMT Group's 2016 Gem Agencies list, which honors the highest-performing IMT Group and Wadena Insurance Agencies in its six-state territory.

The IMT Group awards the Gem distinction to agencies that demonstrate outstanding performance in the areas of rank, growth, loss ratio and profitability. Of the approximately 960 IMT Group agencies eligible for consideration, only 87 of the top performing agencies received the Gem distinction this year.

AW Welt Ambrisco was one of the Top 100 IMT Group agencies to produce a positive premium growth or policy count growth last year. In addition, AW Welt Ambrisco Insurance also sustained a loss ratio of 52.5 percent or less.
Consulting: Five steps to becoming a better listener
 
In this week's consulting spotlight, CBJ columnist Greg Dardis explains how you can harness one of the most powerful tools in business: listening.

Executive coaching is known for helping people find the right words, whether they're delivering a major presentation, pitching a prospective client or briefing the boss. That's how our company slogan came to be: "Speak as well as you think."

And yet, a vital component of our training pertains to the times you're not speaking, but listening. A precursor to our slogan could be "Listen well so you can think well." It goes in that order: listen well, think well, speak well.

Listening skills are often dismissed, relegated to the realm of second-grade etiquette. But listening is far more than a social nicety; it's one of the most powerful tools we have to unlock insight.

We can all benefit from sharpening our listening skills. The first step is to make sure you're really present and paying attention. Tuck your phone out of sight, close any other distractions and get into the mindset of active listening. Set a comfortable pace that allows the other person to think and speak. Exercise your emotional intelligence, picking up on the subtle cues behind someone's words.

Second, be open-minded. Allow yourself to be surprised by what you hear, reserving judgment and releasing the storyline you had expected to emerge. An open-minded listener is likely to pick up new and valuable perspectives. Consider unlikely sources too. Follow online comments along with board-meeting notes. Ask frontline staff for their opinions as often as CEOs. To learn as much as possible, you must get out there, listen and draw people out.

Read the full column at www.corridorbusiness.com.
From around the web: 
Corridor Stocks 
 
NAME
SYM PRICE CHG %CHG
AEGON AEG 4.96 0.03 0.61%
Alliant Energy LNT 70.03 0.86 1.24%
Deere & Company DE 79.60 0.60 0.76%
Dow Jones ^DJI 16,697.29 212.3 1.29%
General Mills GIS 60.14 1.18 2.00%
GoDaddy Inc. GDDY 29.52 -0.31 -1.04%
Great Western Bank GWB 24.50 0.27 1.11%
Heartland Express HTLD 18.60 -0.35 -1.85%
ITC Holdings ITC 41.32 0.64 1.57%
KemPharm KMPH 16.87 -0.36 -2.09%
Marsh & McLennan MMC 57.76 0.31 0.54%
MidWestOne MOFG 26.19 0.00 0.00%
Pearson PSO 11.19 0.31 2.85%
Pepsico PEP 100.67 0.99 0.99%
Principal Financial PFG 37.74 0.61 1.64%
QCR Holdings QCRH 22.38 0.39 1.77%
Rockwell Collins COL 88.64 0.33 0.37%
S&P 500 ^GSPC 1,951.70 21.9 1.13%
Tanger Factory SKT 32.58 0.75 2.36%
Procter & Gamble PG 82.34 0.78 0.96%
United Fire Group UFCS 41.57 -0.32 -0.76%
U.S. Bank USB 39.14 0.70 1.82%
Wells Fargo WFC 47.75 0.14 0.29%
West Bank WTBA 17.81 0.29 1.66%
Whirlpool WHR 151.87 0.59 0.39%
Short-Term Event Planner
     
Feb. 25 
StarPower Simulation, by the Marion Civil Rights Commission, 6 p.m., Lowe Park Arts and Environment Center, 4500 N. 10th St., Marion. The Marion Civil Rights Commission is hosting an interactive event that explores the role of power and privilege in society. This event is free and open to the public. The simulation illustrates the behavior of human beings in a system that naturally stratifies them economically or politically. The activity also explores ethics in management and leadership. Light refreshments will be provided. Free. RSVP online at www.cityofmarion.org/civilrights .

Feb. 26
Agribusiness/Bioscience Breakfast Series, by the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, 7:30-8:30 a.m., Johnson County Extension Office, 3109 Old Highway 218 S., Iowa City. David Miller, director of research at Iowa Farm Bureau, presents on international trade. An RSVP by Feb. 24 is required to attend. To register, visit bit.ly/1SwmJkp. For more information, email info@iowacityarea.com or call (319) 337-9637.

Feb. 27
"Hearti Gras" Heart Ball, by the American Heart Association, 5:30-11 p.m., Cedar Rapids Marriott, 1200 Collins Road NE, Cedar Rapids. This annual event supports the American Heart Association's mission of building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. It includes a cocktail reception, "mask" face painting, tarot card and numerology readings, silent and live auctions, dinner and more. Contact Aileen Black at aileen.black@heart.org or (319) 378-1763 to register.
Headlines from CBS 2/FOX 28
T
hese news items are provided by CBS 2/FOX 28  
Police have identified one of the gunshot victims at a Cedar Rapids apartment complex as 25-year-old Joseph Perkins, Jr. of Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Perkins was pronounced dead at the scene Tuesday night. A second person, a 21-year-old man, had a gunshot wound to the leg. He was taken to the hospital for treatment, and is expected to survive. Police said they believe a shooter got out of a vehicle at the Cedar Valley Townhouses in Cedar Rapids, located at 3000 J Street SW, and fired several rounds before leaving the scene. They are still investigating how many people were in the car and how many of them fired weapons. Police are not releasing any other information at this time.

A federal judge has sentenced the founder of a Cedar Rapids company to prison. William Aossey, Jr., the founder of Midamar Corp., was sentenced to two years in prison and a $60,000 fine. A jury last year convicted Mr. Aossey of conspiracy, fraud, and other charges. Mr. Aossey falsified packaging labels on beef sold by Midamar to sell to countries with strict meat standards.
     
T hese news items are provided by CBS 2/FOX 28 
CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast
 
Temperatures will be near and below 40 through the end of this week. Little to no precipitation is expected over the next several days, with the calm pattern continuing. Winds will stay strong today with clearing skies. Mixed clouds are the order for the evening as overnight lows dip to the mid and upper 20s.