|
|
|
|
Much respect to the hard work put in by our friends on the eastern side of the state this week in dealing with #Flood2016 preparations. As of this morning, it looks like the Cedar Rapids community did what needed to be done to avoid another disaster like the 2008 flood and that is such a relief (unfortunately, some smaller communities didn't fare as well).
It was pretty amazing to see that community—including so many of those in the orbit of NewBoCo—come together from afar and follow their work in this age of social media. The 2008 flood pre-dated Facebook and Twitter (at least for me) and since I lived two states away at the time most of my updates came from the national news. I grew up about four blocks west of the Cedar River just north of downtown Cedar Rapids in a neighborhood that was devastated the last time. Thankfully, my family had already moved from the area. I remember a truly surreal image from a news broadcast at the time of a police boat patrolling near my old house where the water level was nearly at the same height as the street signs. While the 2016 flood waters haven't receded, yet, reports indicate that we shouldn't see a repeat of anything like that this time.
On a different note, I'm headed to Baltimore today to participate in the Startup Champions Network Summit. This is the second summit that I've had the good fortune to attend and I look forward to talking with other community builder-ish folks from around the country about what is working (and not working) in their local entrepreneurial ecosystems. More on that to come!
Geoff
|
|
2016 Waislitz Award Winners
GlobalCitizen.org (Phineas Rueckert, September 23)
Elise Kendall, co-founder of Ames-based food dehydrator startup KinoSol, was honored as one of three winners of in the Global Poverty Project's annual Waislitz Award. Elise was one of ten finalists and took home $35,000 from the Waislitz Foundation in recognition of her second place finish.
The award was presented at the Global Citizen World on Stage event in New York City.
|
|
Truck Driver Appreciation: Walking the walk
American Trucker (Kevin Jones, September 9)
Des Moines-based truck driver retention platform WorkHound was featured in a post on American Trucker following the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas. In the post, co-founder Max Farrell talked about the impact they've made in the industry: “We’ve grown to provide thousands of drivers a voice with trucking companies across the country, helping them make significant improvements ... Carriers have changed load planning procedures, retained drivers that were hours away from quitting, and drivers have had their pay issues resolved" as well as "hinted that WorkHound would soon be announcing its newest—and largest—fleet."
|
|
Two Iowa startups in Kauffman's "1 in a Million" contest
Kauffman (September 23)
More than 250 past presenters at the Kauffman Foundation's 1 Million Cups pitched their businesses to the organization's "1 in a Million" competition and the 40 quarter finalists have been selected including two Iowa companies. Voting is open until through this Friday, September 30. The top 15 vote getters will go on to the semi-final round en route to an eventual champion and a grand prize of $25,000. Votes can select up to five videos in this round.
|
|
Coffee Shop Coworking: Caribou, Panera, Scooter's and Starbucks (Chain Edition)
Megan Bannister
There’s a lot to love about working from a coffee shop. From cozy corners and steaming handmade mugs to local art on the walls and neighborhood connections, you won’t be hard pressed to find a Des Moines cafe where it’s unpleasant to get at least some aspect of your work done.
But when it comes to coffee shop coworking, we also recognize that your local favorite isn’t always an option. Sometimes you’re across town and in need of some free wifi, or you’re working during the late hours or weekend days your go-to joint is always closed. When that happens we fully understand that you need to take all of the caffeine and free wifi you can get, and head to a coffee shop chain.
While there are pros and cons to each major chain we see in the metro, their common appeal remains the same—predictable hours, consistent offerings, and a general acceptance of patrons who camp out all day long.
|
|
The best coffee shops to work from in Des Moines
Megan Bannister
All summer long, Megan Bannister has been touring cafes and coffee shops around the Des Moines-area seeking the best places for for entrepreneurs, freelancers, creatives, and remote workers to get things done. This is our list of the very best. We call it: Coffee Shop Coworking
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
