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Thursday, August 21 | 11:30AM - 1:00PM
Hosted by Accumold 1711 SE Oralabor Road, Ankeny We are excited to welcome Tami Madsen, CEO of Central Iowa Water Works, as our guest speaker. With leadership in the water utility industry, Tami brings valuable insights into the future of our water infrastructure and sustainability across Central Iowa. Come ready with your questions for what promises to be an engaging and informative conversation! Please click the below link to register for this meeting. |
HOST & LUNCH SPONSOR
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Taylored Expressions, founded by Taylor and Jon VanBruggen, began as a hobby business in 2008 when Taylor, a craft enthusiast, started blogging and creating handmade cards. Initially focused on rubber stamps featuring a cupcake character, the company quickly expanded as Taylor’s blog gained attention. The couple moved back to Iowa in 2009 and set up their business in Ankeny, where they faced rapid growth and multiple relocations. In 2022, they completed a 19,200-square-foot facility to house their operations. However, continued success led to the need for even more space, prompting an additional 9,000-square-foot expansion which is set to open this fall around November. Despite slow, steady growth initially, the company experienced a major surge in 2020, fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, which sparked increased interest in home hobbies. Today, Taylored Expressions employs over 40 people, continues to innovate, and even manufactures its products in-house to respond quickly to trends.
The company’s success is also attributed to its ability to manufacture in-house, enabling fast turnaround times and flexibility. The VanBruggen's apply Lean manufacturing principles, ensuring they can quickly produce new designs without large minimum orders. This agility allowed them to respond to trends and customer needs rapidly, like producing a stamp for crafters to encourage frontline workers during the pandemic. Taylored Expressions has cultivated a creative and transparent culture, focusing on product development that solves customer problems and fosters joy. Regular crafting events, like the annual Stamp Joy event, also strengthen their connection with the crafting community. The full story published in the Business Record may be found here. |
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Keen Project Solutions, an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) company, celebrates a decade of growth and announces Dustin Waters as its new President. Waters, a co-founder of Keen, has been integral to the company’s success, leading operations from the beginning and establishing strong relationships within the industry. His promotion is seen as a natural step, setting the company up for continued success. Matt Frandsen, who served as President since 2014, will now focus on business development, while Cory Larson transitions to Executive Vice President of Project Development. Both Frandsen and Larson remain active in the company and serve on the Board of Directors.
Founded in 2014 by Larson, Waters, and Frandsen in Ames, Iowa, Keen has grown from three employees to 180, with offices in Ankeny, Kansas City, and plans for further expansion. The company serves agricultural, commercial, and industrial customers across North America, offering engineering and procurement services internationally. Waters’ leadership is expected to guide Keen through its next phase of growth, embracing new challenges such as workforce retention, AI integration, and advances in engineering and construction. |
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Edward Jones is proud to announce that Brian Herbel and his team has been recognized in the prestigious Forbes rankings for America's Top Wealth Advisors. This accolade highlights our commitment to excellence in financial advisory services and our dedication to client success. The Forbes rankings are determined through a rigorous selection process that includes a 72-question survey, in-person interviews, and an evaluation of qualitative and quantitative criteria such as industry experience, compliance records, revenue produced, and assets under management. This recognition not only serves as a powerful marketing tool but also benchmarks our performance against industry peers. "We are honored to be recognized by Forbes," said Brian Herbel, CFP®, CLU®, AAMS™. "This achievement reflects our team's hard work and dedication to providing exceptional service to our clients." The rankings were published online on April 8th, 2025, and in the April/ 2025 issue of Forbes magazine.
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