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Friday PM Daily | September 1, 2017
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Mercy Health Network hires Mary Cownie as chief of staff
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Mercy Health Network today announced it has named Mary Cownie as the organization's chief of staff.
Cownie, who announced her resignation as director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs on Aug. 7, will begin her new job with Mercy Health Network on Sept. 18.
As chief of staff, she will provide strategic counsel and be a tactical liaison to Mercy Health Network's leadership team and other business units on a wide range of projects, issues and activities, the health network said in a release. Based in West Des Moines, the
regional health network includes a number of owned and affiliated hospitals and clinics statewide, including Mercy-Des Moines.
"We are excited to have Mary join our team," said Bob Ritz, president and CEO of Mercy Health Network. "Mary's community and statewide leadership experience uniquely positions her to strengthen Mercy Health Network's relationships statewide. Her strategic and administrative counsel will benefit our organization moving forward."
Cownie, who was director of the Iowa
Department of Cultural Affairs for the past six years, is an Iowa native with a degree from the University of North Carolina. She has been involved with a number of community organizations, including the Mercy-Des Moines board of directors, the Mercy Foundation Board, Character Counts, the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute, Junior Achievement of Central Iowa, and the West Des Moines Planning and Zoning Commission.
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Murdoch to retire from CIPCO; successor named
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Central Iowa Power Cooperative's executive vice president and CEO, Dennis Murdock, will retire effective Sept. 30, the organization announced. Murdock has dedicated more than 50 years to CIPCO, including more than 28 years in his current role.
The Des Moines-based cooperative's board of directors has appointed Bill Cherrier, currently chief planning and finance officer at Colorado Springs Utilities in Colorado, as his replacement. CIPCO is Iowa's largest cooperative energy provider, serving 13 electric cooperatives and associations spanning 58 of Iowa's 99 counties.
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"Dennis has skillfully directed the company to outstanding growth and success during his tenure, leading a talented organization in the delivery of safe, reliable and affordable energy for Iowans," board President Paul Heineman said in a release.
Among his accomplishments, Murdock led CIPCO through the acquisition of wind generation and the launch of the state's largest utility-scale solar system. During his tenure, CIPCO established the Iowa Area Development Group and CIPCO's wholly owned investment subsidiary, CMA Ventures.
Cherrier has 35 years of experience in the utility industry, most
recently as the chief planning and finance officer at Colorado Springs Utilities. His experience also includes time in Iowa as manager of finance and development with Alliant Energy and generation business operations at IES Industries in Cedar Rapids.
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NEWS BRIEFS
Tuition task force issues final report
Despite the fact that Iowa public university tuition has risen less than 15 percent in 10 years,
the balance of public
university funding has shifted to tuition revenue from students and families, according to a final report issued today by the Tuition Task Force commissioned earlier this year by the Iowa Board of Regents. The report also notes that Iowa tuition rates are among the lowest third of the states. "Thus far, Regent Universities have effectively managed tuition increases to ensure student educational outcomes do not suffer.
Students are succeeding at high rates," the task force wrote, noting that the aggregate graduation rate from the three universities has increased by 6 percentage points in the past decade. The task force will present the report to the Iowa Board of Regents at its Sept. 7 meeting.
Gandelsonas to discuss D.M. greenhouses at Grinnell symposium
Architect Mario Gandelsonas will discuss plans for a string of specially lighted greenhouses in downtown Des Moines as part of Grinnell College's "Our Urban Future" symposium at 11 a.m. Sept. 7 in Room 101 of the Joe Rosenfield '25 Center, 1115 Eighth Ave. in
Grinnell. Gandelsonas is a principal of Agrest and Gandelsonas Architects in New York City who was involved in the early work that led to Des Moines' Western Gateway, the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park, the Principal Riverwalk and the revitalization of the East Village. A group led by Gandelsonas and Des Moines venture capitalist Jim Cownie has proposed a series of large greenhouses and vertical farms along the railroad tracks on the south edge of downtown Des Moines.
Polk supervisors will provide $100,000 for project honoring African-American lawyers
Polk County supervisors have authorized a
$100,000 grant to the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation to support a public art project titled "A Monumental Journey." The large-scale sculpture honors 12 African-American lawyers, five from Iowa, who founded the National Bar Association in 1925 in Des Moines. The sculpture, designed by artist Kerry James Marshall, will be located along the Principal Riverwalk at Hansen Triangle Park, bordered by Grand and Second avenues in downtown Des Moines.
Leader roundtable at Grand View to discuss foreign-born talent
Four Central Iowa business and higher education leaders will participate in a panel discussion Tuesday, Sept. 5, at Grand View University on foreign-born talent in Iowa. The panelists will be Mary Bontrager of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, DMACC President Rob Denson, Grand View University President Kent Henning and Bankers Trust CEO Suku Radia. Moderated by Des Moines Register columnist Kyle Munson, the panel will address the challenges of meeting Iowa's workforce demands and the benefits that foreign-born students bring to the state's education institutions and economy. The event is sponsored by New American Economy, a bipartisan organization that supports immigration reforms to help create jobs and boost Iowa's economy. The event is free and open to the public and begins at 1:30 p.m. at the Grand View Student Center, 2811 E. 14th St.
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MEMBERSHIP EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
On the Move: Week of Aug. 28
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Rich Johnson (pictured)
NCMIC Group Inc.
Promoted to senior account executive
rjohnson@ncmic.com
Jess Kennedy
ZLR Ignition
Hired as digital media manager
jkennedy@zlrignition.com
Joe Campos
Drake University
Promoted to associate dean of students
joe.campos@drake.edu
Submit On the Moves: Submit announcements regarding company promotions, staff additions and changes, including photos, via our online submission form: Click here
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NEWS BRIEFS
Dow, DuPont complete merger to form DowDuPont
Reuters: Dow
Chemical Co. and DuPont said today that the companies had successfully completed their planned $130 billion merger to form DowDuPont. Shares of DuPont and Dow stopped trading at the close on Thursday and began trading today on the New York Stock Exchange at $66.66, under the ticker symbol DWDP. The stock closed today at $67.03.
Shares rise as automakers look to replace Houston's drowned cars
Reuters: The Big Three Detroit automakers today reported better-than-expected August sales and issued optimistic outlooks for demand as residents of the Houston area replace flood-damaged cars and trucks after Hurricane Harvey, sending their shares higher.
PayPal introduces a new cash-back credit card
CNN Money: PayPal is hoping to expand its membership by rolling out a new cash-back credit card. The PayPal Cashback Mastercard, which is only available to PayPal members, gives cardholders 2 percent cash back on every purchase.
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ONE GOOD READ
Female entrepreneurs created fake male co-founderFAST COMPANY: Penelope Gazin and Kate Dwyer faced a lot of sexism and condescension when they launched their e-commerce marketplace for weird art -- until they introduced an imaginary co-founder named Keith, writes Fast Company. Read more
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KCCI TOP STORIES
11 Iowa soldiers, 2 helicopters to be part of Harvey relief effort
Eleven soldiers and two CH-47F Chinook helicopters from the Iowa Army National Guard will deploy today to the Houston area to support response operations for Hurricane Harvey. Read more
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Tonight:
Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 58. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday:
Partly cloudy skies. High 83. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday:
Mostly sunny. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the low 70s.
Get the latest KCCI weather.
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BUSINESS RECORD IOWA INDEXThe Iowa Index is an unweighted average of all 23 Iowa-based public companies. Below is a live look at those 23, plus 14 additional companies with large operations in Iowa.
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