Hello, all! My name is Emily Barske and I am the associate editor at the Des Moines Business Record. I also serve on the Downtown Chamber’s marketing committee and am excited to write a twice-monthly column talking about a variety of issues our community should be thinking about and business trends. Please feel free to share personal stories about you or your organization as fodder for my column at [email protected] or 515-661-6085.
Upcoming Events
Summer concert series at Jasper Winery
Date: Every Thursday through Aug. 5
Time: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Place: Jasper Winery, 2400 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines
Details: This year’s line-up features local favorites including the Nadas, the Maytags and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Show will be on the stage outside the tasting room from 6 to 9 p.m. The concerts will take place rain or shine, with a big outdoor tent that will be used in case of inclement weather. The winery also is keeping a close eye on the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. No registration or tickets are required.
See a full lineup
Greater Des Moines Partnership hosts Top Five for Small Business (hosted on Zoom)
Top Five Ways to Improve Your Cashflow
Wednesday, July 28 | 9 – 10 a.m. | Register
Top Five Most Important Documents in Your Employee Personnel Files
Wednesday, August 25 | 9 – 10 a.m. | Register
Top Five Insights to Success from an Entrepreneur
Wednesday, September 22 | 9 – 10 a.m. | Register
Top Five Ways to Use Word of Mouth to Grow Business
Wednesday, October 27 | 9 – 10 a.m. | Register
Iowa State Fair returns
Date: Thursday, Aug. 12 to Sunday, Aug. 22
Time: The grounds are open 8 a.m. to midnight each day, but each facility and area has its own hours of operations.
Place: Iowa State Fairgrounds
Details: The Iowa State Fair is returning after having to take a break in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As usual, there will be plenty of new foods as well as returning favorites, including more than 80 food options that are on a stick. Tickets may be purchased at Iowa Hy-Vees, Hy-Vee Drugstores and Dollar Fresh stores, Iowa Fareways and participating Des Moines metro Cash Saver and Price Chopper stores. Advanced tickets are cheaper, and the discount is offered through 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 11, 2021.
Check out the schedule and full detail
Summer concert series at Jasper Winery
Date: Every Thursday through Aug. 5
Time: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Place: Jasper Winery, 2400 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines
Details: This year’s line-up features local favorites including the Nadas, the Maytags and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Show will be on the stage outside the tasting room from 6 to 9 p.m. The concerts will take place rain or shine, with a big outdoor tent that will be used in case of inclement weather. The winery also is keeping a close eye on the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. No registration or tickets are required.
See a full lineup
Greater Des Moines Partnership hosts Top Five for Small Business (hosted on Zoom)
Top Five Ways to Improve Your Cashflow
Wednesday, July 28 | 9 – 10 a.m. | Register
Top Five Most Important Documents in Your Employee Personnel Files
Wednesday, August 25 | 9 – 10 a.m. | Register
Top Five Insights to Success from an Entrepreneur
Wednesday, September 22 | 9 – 10 a.m. | Register
Top Five Ways to Use Word of Mouth to Grow Business
Wednesday, October 27 | 9 – 10 a.m. | Register
Iowa State Fair returns
Date: Thursday, Aug. 12 to Sunday, Aug. 22
Time: The grounds are open 8 a.m. to midnight each day, but each facility and area has its own hours of operations.
Place: Iowa State Fairgrounds
Details: The Iowa State Fair is returning after having to take a break in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As usual, there will be plenty of new foods as well as returning favorites, including more than 80 food options that are on a stick. Tickets may be purchased at Iowa Hy-Vees, Hy-Vee Drugstores and Dollar Fresh stores, Iowa Fareways and participating Des Moines metro Cash Saver and Price Chopper stores. Advanced tickets are cheaper, and the discount is offered through 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 11, 2021.
Check out the schedule and full detail
Des Moines Arts Festival Returns for 2021
After a year off due to the pandemic, the Des Moines Arts Festival is returning this weekend to downtown Des Moines.
The events feature more than 160 artists in the following categories: visual, performing, interactive, music, film. There will be a gallery of art to see. (Check out a preview in the festival’s Artist Gallery.) There are two stages for musical artists.
For culinary options, there will be two food courts and a handful of stand-alone booths, according to the website. There are non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages available.
Details
Date and time: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 27
Place: Western Gateway Park
Schedule
The Des Moines Arts Festival was featured in a recent Des Moines Register article about fun things to do this summer – many of them making a comeback after COVID as well.
Other events will be going on while visitors are in town for the festival. Franklin Area Neighbors will unveil public art installations by Des Moines artist and educator Nicole K. James at 9 a.m. Saturday at Campbell’s Nutrition in the Uptown Shopping Center, during the center’s Summer Art Market. The Court Avenue District’s weekend Entertainment Zone also just announced the lineup for 17 bands and guest DJ nights during Fridays and Saturdays 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., until Sept. 4.
After a year off due to the pandemic, the Des Moines Arts Festival is returning this weekend to downtown Des Moines.
The events feature more than 160 artists in the following categories: visual, performing, interactive, music, film. There will be a gallery of art to see. (Check out a preview in the festival’s Artist Gallery.) There are two stages for musical artists.
For culinary options, there will be two food courts and a handful of stand-alone booths, according to the website. There are non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages available.
Details
Date and time: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 27
Place: Western Gateway Park
Schedule
The Des Moines Arts Festival was featured in a recent Des Moines Register article about fun things to do this summer – many of them making a comeback after COVID as well.
Other events will be going on while visitors are in town for the festival. Franklin Area Neighbors will unveil public art installations by Des Moines artist and educator Nicole K. James at 9 a.m. Saturday at Campbell’s Nutrition in the Uptown Shopping Center, during the center’s Summer Art Market. The Court Avenue District’s weekend Entertainment Zone also just announced the lineup for 17 bands and guest DJ nights during Fridays and Saturdays 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., until Sept. 4.
What do you think we should be considering in our new normal for downtown Des Moines?
I think we’ve all heard the term “the new normal” our fair share of times as the ongoing recovery from the coronavirus pandemic has picked up. There are certainly people who want everything to go back to exactly the way it was pre-pandemic. There are also certainly people who learned a lot from these tumultuous times, and have no desire for our world to carry on the way it did a little more than a year ago. There are also people, like me, who want something in between.
I don’t have any profound predictions for what the “new normal” is, but I do hope that if nothing else, we’ve all learned that we should look for the best way to do something regardless of if it’s the way things have always been done in the past. And maybe we won’t need a pandemic to force us to improve our processes, or think of our work teammates as whole people with lives outside of their place of employment, or prioritize our own mental health.
The business world provides the perfect example for adaptability in the face of challenge. On a dime, businesses had to revamp the way they conducted their business online, think about new ways to engage clients, and create new products or services to meet new needs of customers. Nonprofits quickly found new ways to leverage volunteers and host virtual fundraising. The many examples out there from this time, including those from downtown Des Moines, will probably be used to tell the history of our organizations as well as our individuals.
I’ve also heard many people – whether it’s economists or simply people who have conducted business through several economic challenges – comparing the “new normal” in this time to economic recovery in the past. But the fact is, it’s truly hard to compare to anything we’ve previously seen.
“We’ve never had anything like it—a collapse and then a boom-like pickup,” Allen Sinai, chief global economist and strategist at Decision Economics, Inc., told the Wall Street Journal. “It is without historical parallel.”
The Wall Street Journal listed some of the following reasons recovery will look different this time:
And those are just a few reasons. But there are still very real challenges ahead in creating this “new normal.” I’d like to know from you: What do you think we should be considering in our new normal for downtown Des Moines? Send me a note at [email protected]
I think we’ve all heard the term “the new normal” our fair share of times as the ongoing recovery from the coronavirus pandemic has picked up. There are certainly people who want everything to go back to exactly the way it was pre-pandemic. There are also certainly people who learned a lot from these tumultuous times, and have no desire for our world to carry on the way it did a little more than a year ago. There are also people, like me, who want something in between.
I don’t have any profound predictions for what the “new normal” is, but I do hope that if nothing else, we’ve all learned that we should look for the best way to do something regardless of if it’s the way things have always been done in the past. And maybe we won’t need a pandemic to force us to improve our processes, or think of our work teammates as whole people with lives outside of their place of employment, or prioritize our own mental health.
The business world provides the perfect example for adaptability in the face of challenge. On a dime, businesses had to revamp the way they conducted their business online, think about new ways to engage clients, and create new products or services to meet new needs of customers. Nonprofits quickly found new ways to leverage volunteers and host virtual fundraising. The many examples out there from this time, including those from downtown Des Moines, will probably be used to tell the history of our organizations as well as our individuals.
I’ve also heard many people – whether it’s economists or simply people who have conducted business through several economic challenges – comparing the “new normal” in this time to economic recovery in the past. But the fact is, it’s truly hard to compare to anything we’ve previously seen.
“We’ve never had anything like it—a collapse and then a boom-like pickup,” Allen Sinai, chief global economist and strategist at Decision Economics, Inc., told the Wall Street Journal. “It is without historical parallel.”
The Wall Street Journal listed some of the following reasons recovery will look different this time:
- Consumers have trillions in extra savings.
- Businesses are eager to hire.
- Businesses and workers are poised to emerge from the downturn with far less permanent damage (at least in the economic sense) than occurred after recent recessions, particularly the 2007-09 downturn.
- New businesses are popping up at the fastest pace on record.
And those are just a few reasons. But there are still very real challenges ahead in creating this “new normal.” I’d like to know from you: What do you think we should be considering in our new normal for downtown Des Moines? Send me a note at [email protected]
Leaders of proposed soccer stadium project see it as community connector
A site that has been an eyesore for decades for both visitors coming to and from the Des Moines International Airport and residents alike could see a professional soccer game kicking off as early as 2024.
Jerry Haberman, president of Krause+, shared the vision in a recent presentation to the Downtown Chamber’s Development Insight Group (Downtown DIG). Krause+ is the commercial real estate investment arm of Krause Group, which also owns the convenience store chain Kum & Go.
The intent to bring professional soccer to Des Moines – and with it a multiuse stadium – was first announced in 2019, and since then backers of the project have unveiled plans that include the stadium, a convention hotel, a plaza and more.
Kyle Krause, chairman and CEO of Krause Group, has been working to bring a United Soccer League Championships franchise team to Des Moines. He has owned the Des Moines Menace for 25 years and in 2020 purchased the Italian soccer team Parma.
Krause+ has built its Des Moines portfolio with intentions of long-term investment and fostering community, Haberman said. The stadium was originally intended to be proposed at the site they refer to as the “Tuttle site,” which includes 18 acres south of MLK Parkway near Tuttle Street. Then the leaders heard about a different opportunity when Des Moines city officials last year announced plans to take ownership of the Dico site, which is east of the Raccoon River and south of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.
“We purchased this land thinking we were going to build our stadium project [at the Tuttle site]. But then as things advanced, we started working closely with the city, and we learned that there was an opportunity for us to even do a bigger, bolder project and revitalize the Dico site to the west,” Haberman said.
Krause+ doesn’t own the Dico site – which has been in need of cleanup since being placed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund list in 1983 – but is working closely with the city on a major redevelopment of the site.
Haberman said there is a consent decree outlining the responsibilities of cleaning up the site. He’s excited about the opportunity for the project to create a much better entrance into Des Moines.
“As you cross the bridge coming over the Raccoon River, and you look off to the right, you see this wasteland of the Dico site – and it's the front door to the city,” Haberman said. “People coming from the airport or coming up from the exit, one of the first things they see coming into the city is the Dico site. One of the last things they see when they leave the city is the Dico site. … How exciting will it be to be able to showcase this … amazing stadium complex surrounded by new development with new energy and new excitement?”
Haberman said the site could also include a Kum & Go location, as well as a training facility for the soccer team. The plaza could be used for various festivals. And with 6,300 seats in the stadium, the site offers a new size range for events that aren’t big enough for Wells Fargo Arena (which can seat just over 16,000).
Krause+ also owns the Bell Avenue Business Center, near the area for the proposed stadium and south of Gray’s Lake, and sees it as another long-term opportunity to continue developing the area, Haberman said.
“We see this as a connector, so it's going to connect the southern edge of the existing city ... down to the water trails project off the Raccoon River, and now you can even cross over the river and get to Gray's Lake,” Haberman said. “So this is going to complete that loop for pedestrians and bike riders, and just really make that complete connection through the city. So that's just another exciting advantage of bringing this to life.”
The backers hope to use sales and hotel-motel taxes generated from the Iowa Reinvestment Act to help pay for the $535 million project. The stadium’s leaders were among those from six projects across the state who were invited to present to the state leaders who will decide which ones get funding.
About Downtown DIG
Downtown DIG is a monthly educational and informational event offering insight into downtown Des Moines development projects in their infancy to get ahead of general information and promote discussion on such initiatives. Downtown chamber members can attend for free and nonmembers can get a ticket for $25. The next event is set for 4 p.m. on May 12 and will focus on the Lauridsen Skatepark, and is sponsored by City of Des Moines Office Economic Development .
A site that has been an eyesore for decades for both visitors coming to and from the Des Moines International Airport and residents alike could see a professional soccer game kicking off as early as 2024.
Jerry Haberman, president of Krause+, shared the vision in a recent presentation to the Downtown Chamber’s Development Insight Group (Downtown DIG). Krause+ is the commercial real estate investment arm of Krause Group, which also owns the convenience store chain Kum & Go.
The intent to bring professional soccer to Des Moines – and with it a multiuse stadium – was first announced in 2019, and since then backers of the project have unveiled plans that include the stadium, a convention hotel, a plaza and more.
Kyle Krause, chairman and CEO of Krause Group, has been working to bring a United Soccer League Championships franchise team to Des Moines. He has owned the Des Moines Menace for 25 years and in 2020 purchased the Italian soccer team Parma.
Krause+ has built its Des Moines portfolio with intentions of long-term investment and fostering community, Haberman said. The stadium was originally intended to be proposed at the site they refer to as the “Tuttle site,” which includes 18 acres south of MLK Parkway near Tuttle Street. Then the leaders heard about a different opportunity when Des Moines city officials last year announced plans to take ownership of the Dico site, which is east of the Raccoon River and south of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.
“We purchased this land thinking we were going to build our stadium project [at the Tuttle site]. But then as things advanced, we started working closely with the city, and we learned that there was an opportunity for us to even do a bigger, bolder project and revitalize the Dico site to the west,” Haberman said.
Krause+ doesn’t own the Dico site – which has been in need of cleanup since being placed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund list in 1983 – but is working closely with the city on a major redevelopment of the site.
Haberman said there is a consent decree outlining the responsibilities of cleaning up the site. He’s excited about the opportunity for the project to create a much better entrance into Des Moines.
“As you cross the bridge coming over the Raccoon River, and you look off to the right, you see this wasteland of the Dico site – and it's the front door to the city,” Haberman said. “People coming from the airport or coming up from the exit, one of the first things they see coming into the city is the Dico site. One of the last things they see when they leave the city is the Dico site. … How exciting will it be to be able to showcase this … amazing stadium complex surrounded by new development with new energy and new excitement?”
Haberman said the site could also include a Kum & Go location, as well as a training facility for the soccer team. The plaza could be used for various festivals. And with 6,300 seats in the stadium, the site offers a new size range for events that aren’t big enough for Wells Fargo Arena (which can seat just over 16,000).
Krause+ also owns the Bell Avenue Business Center, near the area for the proposed stadium and south of Gray’s Lake, and sees it as another long-term opportunity to continue developing the area, Haberman said.
“We see this as a connector, so it's going to connect the southern edge of the existing city ... down to the water trails project off the Raccoon River, and now you can even cross over the river and get to Gray's Lake,” Haberman said. “So this is going to complete that loop for pedestrians and bike riders, and just really make that complete connection through the city. So that's just another exciting advantage of bringing this to life.”
The backers hope to use sales and hotel-motel taxes generated from the Iowa Reinvestment Act to help pay for the $535 million project. The stadium’s leaders were among those from six projects across the state who were invited to present to the state leaders who will decide which ones get funding.
About Downtown DIG
Downtown DIG is a monthly educational and informational event offering insight into downtown Des Moines development projects in their infancy to get ahead of general information and promote discussion on such initiatives. Downtown chamber members can attend for free and nonmembers can get a ticket for $25. The next event is set for 4 p.m. on May 12 and will focus on the Lauridsen Skatepark, and is sponsored by City of Des Moines Office Economic Development .
Two 4 Things You Should Know About the Lauridsen Skatepark
You may have heard the news: The Lauridsen Skatepark in downtown Des Moines will be the host of the 2021 Dew Tour competition and festival in May. Why does this matter to downtown? Beyond this being an Olympic-qualifying event, it’s a signal that large events, which have been few and far between during the pandemic, are on the horizon. And further, it’s a signal that the Lauridsen Skatepark is going to be just as big of a deal as leaders behind it have been touting while planning and constructing the venue.
The skatepark is the biggest in the country
The skatepark is the result of a partnership among Polk County, Catch Des Moines, Skate DSM and the local skateboard shop Subset. At 88,000 square feet, the Lauridsen Skatepark is the largest in the country.
“At a base level, the skatepark is intended to provide safe, fun and challenging opportunities for skate boarders and spectators alike. ... The park has the ability to host a variety of events including demos, competitions and concerts. Attention has been given to incorporating a safe pedestrian walkway and inviting viewing/socializing areas,” according to the skatepark’s website.
The Dew Tour is a big deal
The Dew Tour will be the first event to be held there and is scheduled as part of its grand opening kickoff. The event is expected to draw more than 300 of the world’s top male and female skateboarders. It isn’t the only Olympic-qualifying event, but it will bring a lot of attention to the Midwest.
Skating is making a comeback
For many, skating has always been a passion, but it’s also been making a comeback for those leisurely involved in the sport. Skating has experienced a resurgence thanks to the pandemic and a 90s renaissance, and Des Moines is in a unique position to take it to the next level with the upcoming Lauridsen Skatepark, Axios Des Moines reports. Several local groups plan to take advantage of the new skatepark.
It’s expected to create economic success
It is the first time an Olympic qualifying event for any sport is being held in Des Moines, Catch Des Moines spokesperson Ben Handfelt told the Des Moines Register. (Iowa City hosted Olympic wrestling trials in 2012 and 2016.)
“To host an Olympic qualifying event is an awesome showcase for both this new facility and the city of Des Moines,” said Greg Edwards, president and CEO of Catch Des Moines. “Given the circumstances, this isn’t just an event, but a celebration.”
The Dew Tour alone is expected to contribute at least $4 million to the local economy.
You may have heard the news: The Lauridsen Skatepark in downtown Des Moines will be the host of the 2021 Dew Tour competition and festival in May. Why does this matter to downtown? Beyond this being an Olympic-qualifying event, it’s a signal that large events, which have been few and far between during the pandemic, are on the horizon. And further, it’s a signal that the Lauridsen Skatepark is going to be just as big of a deal as leaders behind it have been touting while planning and constructing the venue.
The skatepark is the biggest in the country
The skatepark is the result of a partnership among Polk County, Catch Des Moines, Skate DSM and the local skateboard shop Subset. At 88,000 square feet, the Lauridsen Skatepark is the largest in the country.
“At a base level, the skatepark is intended to provide safe, fun and challenging opportunities for skate boarders and spectators alike. ... The park has the ability to host a variety of events including demos, competitions and concerts. Attention has been given to incorporating a safe pedestrian walkway and inviting viewing/socializing areas,” according to the skatepark’s website.
The Dew Tour is a big deal
The Dew Tour will be the first event to be held there and is scheduled as part of its grand opening kickoff. The event is expected to draw more than 300 of the world’s top male and female skateboarders. It isn’t the only Olympic-qualifying event, but it will bring a lot of attention to the Midwest.
Skating is making a comeback
For many, skating has always been a passion, but it’s also been making a comeback for those leisurely involved in the sport. Skating has experienced a resurgence thanks to the pandemic and a 90s renaissance, and Des Moines is in a unique position to take it to the next level with the upcoming Lauridsen Skatepark, Axios Des Moines reports. Several local groups plan to take advantage of the new skatepark.
It’s expected to create economic success
It is the first time an Olympic qualifying event for any sport is being held in Des Moines, Catch Des Moines spokesperson Ben Handfelt told the Des Moines Register. (Iowa City hosted Olympic wrestling trials in 2012 and 2016.)
“To host an Olympic qualifying event is an awesome showcase for both this new facility and the city of Des Moines,” said Greg Edwards, president and CEO of Catch Des Moines. “Given the circumstances, this isn’t just an event, but a celebration.”
The Dew Tour alone is expected to contribute at least $4 million to the local economy.
Two Outdoor Gems to Check Out in Downtown Des Moines
At the risk of telling you all two of downtown Des Moines’ best kept secrets that I thoroughly enjoy, I’ll share with you two of my favorite outdoor spots that are relatively new. Sharing is caring, right?
EMC Overlook at MacRae Park
While MacRae Park has been around for a century, a relatively new feature is the park’s EMC Overlook. It’s one feature among upgrades to the park that were unveiled in 2019 and began about six years ago. The triangular overlook includes a clear view of downtown’s skyline, with 801 Grand straight ahead as you look out and the State Capitol off to the right. It’s quickly become a hot spot for photos and also provides a nice stop to take a break while out for a bike ride or walk. There is limited parking available by the overlook, although it’s not available during some winter months. (Bonus: For those who love “The Titanic,” it’s the perfect shape for a “Jack, I’m flying” photo.)
The City Council recently approved another more than $2.7 million in improvements to the park. The third phase of improvements includes completion of a pedestrian and bicycle loop of the park, addition of a boardwalk over the park’s pond, and development of a natural playscape with water features that will be located west of the pond. Among other improvements like the overlook, nature trails were added and the pond, located along Southwest Ninth Street, was dredged and a new one developed next to it.
Work on the most recently approved upgrades is expected to begin this spring and is to be completed by fall – if bids come in for the project at or below budget. The park is located at 1021 Davis Ave.
Southwest First Street bridge over the Raccoon River (on Meredith Trail)
The Southwest First Street multiuse bridge, which is part of the Meredith Trail, over the Raccoon River isn’t new, but it’s newly upgraded. The bridge received repairs to its joints, deck, arches, substructures, new concrete and more. It re-opened at the beginning of 2020.
As you walk or bike over the bridge, you can see the confluence of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers. On the south side of the bridge is Mullets, the popular restaurant famous for its breakfast and beverages. On the north side of the bridge is Principal Park, home to the Iowa Cubs. The bridge will eventually show views of the Central Iowa Water Trails project at what’s currently the Scott Avenue dam.
The Meredith Trail takes you to Gray’s Lake on one end or to the Principal River Walk on the other end. The First Street bridge is also close to the Des Moines River Trail.
At the risk of telling you all two of downtown Des Moines’ best kept secrets that I thoroughly enjoy, I’ll share with you two of my favorite outdoor spots that are relatively new. Sharing is caring, right?
EMC Overlook at MacRae Park
While MacRae Park has been around for a century, a relatively new feature is the park’s EMC Overlook. It’s one feature among upgrades to the park that were unveiled in 2019 and began about six years ago. The triangular overlook includes a clear view of downtown’s skyline, with 801 Grand straight ahead as you look out and the State Capitol off to the right. It’s quickly become a hot spot for photos and also provides a nice stop to take a break while out for a bike ride or walk. There is limited parking available by the overlook, although it’s not available during some winter months. (Bonus: For those who love “The Titanic,” it’s the perfect shape for a “Jack, I’m flying” photo.)
The City Council recently approved another more than $2.7 million in improvements to the park. The third phase of improvements includes completion of a pedestrian and bicycle loop of the park, addition of a boardwalk over the park’s pond, and development of a natural playscape with water features that will be located west of the pond. Among other improvements like the overlook, nature trails were added and the pond, located along Southwest Ninth Street, was dredged and a new one developed next to it.
Work on the most recently approved upgrades is expected to begin this spring and is to be completed by fall – if bids come in for the project at or below budget. The park is located at 1021 Davis Ave.
Southwest First Street bridge over the Raccoon River (on Meredith Trail)
The Southwest First Street multiuse bridge, which is part of the Meredith Trail, over the Raccoon River isn’t new, but it’s newly upgraded. The bridge received repairs to its joints, deck, arches, substructures, new concrete and more. It re-opened at the beginning of 2020.
As you walk or bike over the bridge, you can see the confluence of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers. On the south side of the bridge is Mullets, the popular restaurant famous for its breakfast and beverages. On the north side of the bridge is Principal Park, home to the Iowa Cubs. The bridge will eventually show views of the Central Iowa Water Trails project at what’s currently the Scott Avenue dam.
The Meredith Trail takes you to Gray’s Lake on one end or to the Principal River Walk on the other end. The First Street bridge is also close to the Des Moines River Trail.
Doctor: Business Leaders Have a Major Effect on Employee Health
One of our recent Business Record events focused on the future of health care, which was really interesting to explore with industry leaders as they reflected on how intensely health systems were – and are being – disrupted by the pandemic. There was much to unpack, but one comment offered a unique outlook on the role business leaders play.
Dr. David Williams, chief clinical officer at UnityPoint Health and one of the speakers, explained why he felt employers have more influence on health than the medical and wellness community.
“I work with brilliant docs and nurses every day. ... [Health care] accounts for probably anywhere between 5% and 15% of the health of yourselves and your employees; the rest of it's the socio-economic factors. I would argue that the [business leaders] on this call have a lot more to do with the health of their employees and team members than we do as health-care professionals,” Williams said. “It's social determinants of health. It's the behavioral factors, ... it's a living wage, it is adequate time off, it's all the things you control that I don't control, that really affects the health of your staff.”
From both a physical health and mental health perspective, employers have an important influence over people’s wellbeing.
Social determinants of health are “conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks,” according to healthypeople.gov.
One example I’ve heard before illustrates this really well. It’s easy to tell people that to be healthy they need to eat nutritious food and exercise. But what if someone can’t afford nutritious food or hasn’t been educated about what’s nutritious? Or what if someone can’t afford a gym membership and also lives in a neighborhood where it’s unsafe to simply go out for a walk? And these are just examples of systemic problems and not outright discriminations.
As you incorporate employee wellbeing into your organization’s priorities, keep in mind the ways in which your decisions create a huge influence on their health through both obvious and less obvious ways.
One of our recent Business Record events focused on the future of health care, which was really interesting to explore with industry leaders as they reflected on how intensely health systems were – and are being – disrupted by the pandemic. There was much to unpack, but one comment offered a unique outlook on the role business leaders play.
Dr. David Williams, chief clinical officer at UnityPoint Health and one of the speakers, explained why he felt employers have more influence on health than the medical and wellness community.
“I work with brilliant docs and nurses every day. ... [Health care] accounts for probably anywhere between 5% and 15% of the health of yourselves and your employees; the rest of it's the socio-economic factors. I would argue that the [business leaders] on this call have a lot more to do with the health of their employees and team members than we do as health-care professionals,” Williams said. “It's social determinants of health. It's the behavioral factors, ... it's a living wage, it is adequate time off, it's all the things you control that I don't control, that really affects the health of your staff.”
From both a physical health and mental health perspective, employers have an important influence over people’s wellbeing.
Social determinants of health are “conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks,” according to healthypeople.gov.
One example I’ve heard before illustrates this really well. It’s easy to tell people that to be healthy they need to eat nutritious food and exercise. But what if someone can’t afford nutritious food or hasn’t been educated about what’s nutritious? Or what if someone can’t afford a gym membership and also lives in a neighborhood where it’s unsafe to simply go out for a walk? And these are just examples of systemic problems and not outright discriminations.
As you incorporate employee wellbeing into your organization’s priorities, keep in mind the ways in which your decisions create a huge influence on their health through both obvious and less obvious ways.
Understanding Child Care as a Business Issue
Child care has been brought up as a major workforce issue for the past few years, so it’s probably not surprising that it’s become a priority for business groups and legislators this year. But many of the issues related to child care – the cliff effect, other affordability issues, access and quality – have existed for more than a few years. So what exactly made it become a business issue and what should leaders know about it? Here are three things to consider.
First: It shows how work and life are intertwined
It’s inevitable to say that child care has become part of our workforce conversation because our companies simply need more workers. It becomes a business issue when potential employees have to stay home with kids because they don’t feel child care is a safe or economical option for them. Any issues, far beyond child care, that are keeping people out of an already slim-picking employee pool have become part of a broader conversation among business leaders who need a workforce.
J.D. Davis, vice president of public policy for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry summed it up pretty well in a forum the Business Record hosted at the start of the legislative session.
“Pre-pandemic, employers … had the highest participation of workers in the state of Iowa, we had the lowest unemployment rates,” Davis said. “We were trying to figure out how to crack the code on child care to get more people into the workforce. The pandemic arrives, people are leaving the workforce to care for children or to educate children. Solving [the child care] problem now is still in front of us – different reasons for needing to crack the nut.
“But we have to figure that out to get people back into the workplace, creating wealth for their communities, so that we have a robust general fund so that we can do things that the state government does.”
Child care is not just a general workforce issue, though. It also points to gender disparities. The challenge affects many parents, but the burden of child raising still falls primarily to women and has been one of the major reasons more women have left the workforce during the pandemic than men. Above all, it shows that what affects workers in their personal lives directly relates to business.
Second: It’s not just happening in Iowa
While every state faces its own unique challenges with child care, it’s important to know that this is a national issue. If you want a broader national perspective on the issues, be sure to read the 19th News, which is a nonprofit news organization launched last year to better tell stories about gender issues as it relates to politics and policy. The 19th has a collection of child care related stories, which show how dire an issue it has become in the pandemic – though it wasn’t ever easy.
Needless to say, if Iowa can put more effective solutions in place, it could be a national leader.
Third: Problems include affordability, access and quality
And last, you should know this is a multifaceted issue.
Affordability: Child care affordability challenges are tied to the high expenses that sometimes push parents’ budgets over the edge or force some parents to stay home because it would be cheaper to do so than make money just to cover the expense. It’s not that assistance programs don’t exist, but sometimes they leave people between a rock and a hard place. The cliff effect comes into play when a parent receives even a small raise or promotion that puts them over the income threshold to qualify for assistance.
Access and quality: Parents living in many communities in the state don’t have easy access to child care. This is especially true in rural areas, but here in the metro, there can also be long wait lists to get into a provider. And if people do have access to child care, they aren’t always top quality solutions
Child care has been brought up as a major workforce issue for the past few years, so it’s probably not surprising that it’s become a priority for business groups and legislators this year. But many of the issues related to child care – the cliff effect, other affordability issues, access and quality – have existed for more than a few years. So what exactly made it become a business issue and what should leaders know about it? Here are three things to consider.
First: It shows how work and life are intertwined
It’s inevitable to say that child care has become part of our workforce conversation because our companies simply need more workers. It becomes a business issue when potential employees have to stay home with kids because they don’t feel child care is a safe or economical option for them. Any issues, far beyond child care, that are keeping people out of an already slim-picking employee pool have become part of a broader conversation among business leaders who need a workforce.
J.D. Davis, vice president of public policy for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry summed it up pretty well in a forum the Business Record hosted at the start of the legislative session.
“Pre-pandemic, employers … had the highest participation of workers in the state of Iowa, we had the lowest unemployment rates,” Davis said. “We were trying to figure out how to crack the code on child care to get more people into the workforce. The pandemic arrives, people are leaving the workforce to care for children or to educate children. Solving [the child care] problem now is still in front of us – different reasons for needing to crack the nut.
“But we have to figure that out to get people back into the workplace, creating wealth for their communities, so that we have a robust general fund so that we can do things that the state government does.”
Child care is not just a general workforce issue, though. It also points to gender disparities. The challenge affects many parents, but the burden of child raising still falls primarily to women and has been one of the major reasons more women have left the workforce during the pandemic than men. Above all, it shows that what affects workers in their personal lives directly relates to business.
Second: It’s not just happening in Iowa
While every state faces its own unique challenges with child care, it’s important to know that this is a national issue. If you want a broader national perspective on the issues, be sure to read the 19th News, which is a nonprofit news organization launched last year to better tell stories about gender issues as it relates to politics and policy. The 19th has a collection of child care related stories, which show how dire an issue it has become in the pandemic – though it wasn’t ever easy.
Needless to say, if Iowa can put more effective solutions in place, it could be a national leader.
Third: Problems include affordability, access and quality
And last, you should know this is a multifaceted issue.
Affordability: Child care affordability challenges are tied to the high expenses that sometimes push parents’ budgets over the edge or force some parents to stay home because it would be cheaper to do so than make money just to cover the expense. It’s not that assistance programs don’t exist, but sometimes they leave people between a rock and a hard place. The cliff effect comes into play when a parent receives even a small raise or promotion that puts them over the income threshold to qualify for assistance.
Access and quality: Parents living in many communities in the state don’t have easy access to child care. This is especially true in rural areas, but here in the metro, there can also be long wait lists to get into a provider. And if people do have access to child care, they aren’t always top quality solutions
A Conversation on Civility with Scott Raecker
The storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and ensuing events are of deep civic importance and ultimately affect our economy and business climate. So while workplaces are focused on the work at hand and have traditionally stayed out of politics, the reality is that civic engagement, civility and disruptions to democracy affect our workforce and our places of business.
As business leaders consider their role in fostering civility, it’s important to have thoughtful discussions about this topic. The morning after the events, Chris Conetzkey, Business Record publisher and executive editor, and I had a conversation with Scott Raecker, who is the executive director of the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University.
Barske: [On Jan. 6] we saw some national business and industry leaders quickly condemning the violence and the storming of the U.S. Capitol. And that's a little bit unprecedented because usually business leaders typically stay out of the political arena, at least publicly. And so what do you see as the role that businesses play in creating civility in our society?
You are correct it was unprecedented and the response was unprecedented. We've never had this happen in our lifetimes – this type of engagement at our Capitol and clearly the good governance of our country and our individual states impacts our business communities all across this country. If there is uncertainty, if there is disruption within good governance, it leads to tremendous uncertainty within the business arena. So I don't think it was that unprecedented in the fact that they responded. This is critical in their ability to do business. And I think businesses have a responsibility to be focused and raising the awareness of these civility issues in our work.
One of the things we see is that people tend to gravitate immediately to the public arena and the political side of the civility context and discussion. Civility is more than just being mannerly and nice, and etiquette. It's about how do we agree to disagree, how do we find common pathways forward, which business does a great job of to be creative, to be innovative, to resolve and solve complex problems. Business could actually be looked to as a leader for some of the challenges we're seeing in the public space right now around civility and incivility.
Barske: And obviously when employees are coming to work, it's not like they're not taking their beliefs with them. Everyone brings their own personal identities and beliefs with them when they come to work. So how can we make sure that the conversations that people have about their beliefs at work, that we can keep them civil and keep them focused on discussion and not necessarily the polarization that we're seeing?
Clearly we are a polarized society – and it's more than just the politics. There's polarization around all types of issues, but I believe in the workplace, it's like general society: We need to focus on some common elements that we know, and are probably already doing in many regards, and then with intentionality continue to do those. We hear a lot of discussion in the most recent years about workplace culture. Workplace culture is driven by core competencies of character and ethical leadership that lead to a heightened level of civility and what work is being done in any individual business to raise and elevate that culture.
Now an aside to this is it has become more difficult this last year with the heightened elements and anxiety of the global pandemic. That needs to be taken into consideration, but I'd encourage business leaders to think about what are they doing with their own workplace. We use the acronym TEAM – teach, encourage, advocate and model. What are we teaching that we want to see in our workplaces around these concepts of people that have differing opinions that we still need to get a report done together or the project together? What are we doing to encourage that? Even encouraging the time and space to build relationships within the organizational structure, which is the foundation of civility and leadership. How do we become advocates in the workplace? … Not just advocates within the organization, they become advocates within the community at large ... that this is the way we want to see business done in our community. …
If you distill it down to some simple actions of being intentional about building relationships and seeking to understand people and where they're coming from, and to be understood and … having the courage and the conviction to do that with people that are new and different to you.
Conetzkey: I want to touch on something that you've talked about a little bit, which is we're all going to go into our workplace, we're going to have business meetings that we're trying to do as a business – how do you react in that moment when you've got that meeting while something is happening that is that is so politically charged? People are coming into that situation with their own beliefs, their own set of systems, and I'm curious what your approach would be in a type of situation like that?
So we have a very tightknit high culture organization [at the Ray Center] with 10 members on our team. We meet weekly, and if [Jan. 6], or even [Jan. 7] had been one of our team meetings, we would have absolutely addressed this. … Having lived through the explosion of a space shuttle, having lived through 9/11, there are certain days within our life span that are those epic days. I was just a very young child when President Kennedy was assassinated. When those types of elements come to play in our lives and those are kind of historic moments. [Jan. 6] was a day like that. … For many people it was that stop and pause and [thinking], “Never in my lifetime did I think I would see this happening.”
And you have to be able to acknowledge that with your team members in your workplace. … I would encourage business leaders to not just gloss over this – and I don't think anybody has right now. But let's be attentive to this. Let's be intentional. Let's say, “This is a historic moment in the life of our country.” Let's recognize and appreciate the blessings of our own community and the stability that we have and the good governance that we have and the positive things happening here. And at the same time be in tune that we're also a community that's wrestling with other issues, whether that be social equity or racial justice issues that we are also trying to become better in, and we as leaders in our workplace need to model this. ...
Barske: We know from some of the social movements that we've seen in the past few years with the MeToo movement and Black Lives Matter and some of the other movements by underrepresented folks that there have been a lot of voices in the past that just haven't been at the tables for a lot of conversations within our community, within our state and around the country. So within this context of civility, how do we make sure that all of the voices that need to be heard are part of conversations?
As I look to our community right now … I think we need to be intentional about this and I'm really proud about where we're going with this. Clearly we need to get better and can continue to get better.
I'll give you a recent example. [The Business Record] just recently had an article about the Central Iowa Water Trails, and the advancement of that really generationally changing movement that's taking place and advancing here in our community. In the formation of their multiple committees has an inclusion committee. As they focused on the standards of how they were going to operate, not only maintenance standards, they focused on a tool kit for inclusion, everything from what the restrooms look like along the road or trails to meet the needs of diverse communities, but how do we get into communities that may not have naturally been attracted or drawn into water activities, to make them comfortable with that? My point is, it's that level of intentionality. It's making sure that people have seats at the table. ... It's the encouragement, it's the advocacy of those voices, and it's really not just having people at the table that might not have been there before. Let's remember some of our core communication skills as well. Let's seek to understand, and then be understood. Let's really understand what the perspective is from marginalized voices in the past and how we can build on that as an asset to our community. ...
Watch the full interview at www.businessrecord.com/video and learn more about the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University by visiting www.drake.edu/raycenter.
The storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and ensuing events are of deep civic importance and ultimately affect our economy and business climate. So while workplaces are focused on the work at hand and have traditionally stayed out of politics, the reality is that civic engagement, civility and disruptions to democracy affect our workforce and our places of business.
As business leaders consider their role in fostering civility, it’s important to have thoughtful discussions about this topic. The morning after the events, Chris Conetzkey, Business Record publisher and executive editor, and I had a conversation with Scott Raecker, who is the executive director of the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University.
Barske: [On Jan. 6] we saw some national business and industry leaders quickly condemning the violence and the storming of the U.S. Capitol. And that's a little bit unprecedented because usually business leaders typically stay out of the political arena, at least publicly. And so what do you see as the role that businesses play in creating civility in our society?
You are correct it was unprecedented and the response was unprecedented. We've never had this happen in our lifetimes – this type of engagement at our Capitol and clearly the good governance of our country and our individual states impacts our business communities all across this country. If there is uncertainty, if there is disruption within good governance, it leads to tremendous uncertainty within the business arena. So I don't think it was that unprecedented in the fact that they responded. This is critical in their ability to do business. And I think businesses have a responsibility to be focused and raising the awareness of these civility issues in our work.
One of the things we see is that people tend to gravitate immediately to the public arena and the political side of the civility context and discussion. Civility is more than just being mannerly and nice, and etiquette. It's about how do we agree to disagree, how do we find common pathways forward, which business does a great job of to be creative, to be innovative, to resolve and solve complex problems. Business could actually be looked to as a leader for some of the challenges we're seeing in the public space right now around civility and incivility.
Barske: And obviously when employees are coming to work, it's not like they're not taking their beliefs with them. Everyone brings their own personal identities and beliefs with them when they come to work. So how can we make sure that the conversations that people have about their beliefs at work, that we can keep them civil and keep them focused on discussion and not necessarily the polarization that we're seeing?
Clearly we are a polarized society – and it's more than just the politics. There's polarization around all types of issues, but I believe in the workplace, it's like general society: We need to focus on some common elements that we know, and are probably already doing in many regards, and then with intentionality continue to do those. We hear a lot of discussion in the most recent years about workplace culture. Workplace culture is driven by core competencies of character and ethical leadership that lead to a heightened level of civility and what work is being done in any individual business to raise and elevate that culture.
Now an aside to this is it has become more difficult this last year with the heightened elements and anxiety of the global pandemic. That needs to be taken into consideration, but I'd encourage business leaders to think about what are they doing with their own workplace. We use the acronym TEAM – teach, encourage, advocate and model. What are we teaching that we want to see in our workplaces around these concepts of people that have differing opinions that we still need to get a report done together or the project together? What are we doing to encourage that? Even encouraging the time and space to build relationships within the organizational structure, which is the foundation of civility and leadership. How do we become advocates in the workplace? … Not just advocates within the organization, they become advocates within the community at large ... that this is the way we want to see business done in our community. …
If you distill it down to some simple actions of being intentional about building relationships and seeking to understand people and where they're coming from, and to be understood and … having the courage and the conviction to do that with people that are new and different to you.
Conetzkey: I want to touch on something that you've talked about a little bit, which is we're all going to go into our workplace, we're going to have business meetings that we're trying to do as a business – how do you react in that moment when you've got that meeting while something is happening that is that is so politically charged? People are coming into that situation with their own beliefs, their own set of systems, and I'm curious what your approach would be in a type of situation like that?
So we have a very tightknit high culture organization [at the Ray Center] with 10 members on our team. We meet weekly, and if [Jan. 6], or even [Jan. 7] had been one of our team meetings, we would have absolutely addressed this. … Having lived through the explosion of a space shuttle, having lived through 9/11, there are certain days within our life span that are those epic days. I was just a very young child when President Kennedy was assassinated. When those types of elements come to play in our lives and those are kind of historic moments. [Jan. 6] was a day like that. … For many people it was that stop and pause and [thinking], “Never in my lifetime did I think I would see this happening.”
And you have to be able to acknowledge that with your team members in your workplace. … I would encourage business leaders to not just gloss over this – and I don't think anybody has right now. But let's be attentive to this. Let's be intentional. Let's say, “This is a historic moment in the life of our country.” Let's recognize and appreciate the blessings of our own community and the stability that we have and the good governance that we have and the positive things happening here. And at the same time be in tune that we're also a community that's wrestling with other issues, whether that be social equity or racial justice issues that we are also trying to become better in, and we as leaders in our workplace need to model this. ...
Barske: We know from some of the social movements that we've seen in the past few years with the MeToo movement and Black Lives Matter and some of the other movements by underrepresented folks that there have been a lot of voices in the past that just haven't been at the tables for a lot of conversations within our community, within our state and around the country. So within this context of civility, how do we make sure that all of the voices that need to be heard are part of conversations?
As I look to our community right now … I think we need to be intentional about this and I'm really proud about where we're going with this. Clearly we need to get better and can continue to get better.
I'll give you a recent example. [The Business Record] just recently had an article about the Central Iowa Water Trails, and the advancement of that really generationally changing movement that's taking place and advancing here in our community. In the formation of their multiple committees has an inclusion committee. As they focused on the standards of how they were going to operate, not only maintenance standards, they focused on a tool kit for inclusion, everything from what the restrooms look like along the road or trails to meet the needs of diverse communities, but how do we get into communities that may not have naturally been attracted or drawn into water activities, to make them comfortable with that? My point is, it's that level of intentionality. It's making sure that people have seats at the table. ... It's the encouragement, it's the advocacy of those voices, and it's really not just having people at the table that might not have been there before. Let's remember some of our core communication skills as well. Let's seek to understand, and then be understood. Let's really understand what the perspective is from marginalized voices in the past and how we can build on that as an asset to our community. ...
Watch the full interview at www.businessrecord.com/video and learn more about the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University by visiting www.drake.edu/raycenter.
More People Are Moving Based on Location, and That's Attracting Jobs
Across the United States, people – especially young professionals and families – are moving based on where they want to live, and not necessarily with a job in mind. With remote working becoming a norm, some people are keeping a job in one location and moving to another more suited for their living preferences. Others are moving to those preferred locations without worrying whether they’ll find a job there because they know so many remote jobs exist.
Businesses are also capitalizing as many shift some operations or even move headquarters to different states.
The Wall Street Journal recently did a story about Austin, Texas – which has arguably soaked up the benefits of this trend more than any other city. “Business relocations to Austin announced this year are expected to create nearly 10,000 jobs. That is the city’s highest figure on record for a single year, according to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, and is helping offset the hit from Covid-19 to the city’s tourist-dependent restaurants, bars and music venues,” Konrad Putzier reports in the story. Individuals interviewed for the story cited warmer weather, culinary options and the entertainment scene as key reasons for making the move.
So how might Iowa and Des Moines fit into this trend?
Warmer weather probably isn’t our ploy, but we have plenty of other assets to brag about. A relatively low cost of living, short commutes, recreation and unique entertainment experiences are among those assets. We need not look further than what’s being captured in the This is Iowa campaign and Catch Des Moines’ The S’s are Silent campaign.
There’s a lot to look forward to in downtown Des Moines this year – including a cleaned-up Dico site and possibly a soccer stadium, work in the Market District, a new vision for Mulberry Street and a focus on equity. (See coverage of the chamber’s Top 10 things coming to downtown in the Des Moines Register and the Business Record.)
Across the United States, people – especially young professionals and families – are moving based on where they want to live, and not necessarily with a job in mind. With remote working becoming a norm, some people are keeping a job in one location and moving to another more suited for their living preferences. Others are moving to those preferred locations without worrying whether they’ll find a job there because they know so many remote jobs exist.
Businesses are also capitalizing as many shift some operations or even move headquarters to different states.
The Wall Street Journal recently did a story about Austin, Texas – which has arguably soaked up the benefits of this trend more than any other city. “Business relocations to Austin announced this year are expected to create nearly 10,000 jobs. That is the city’s highest figure on record for a single year, according to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, and is helping offset the hit from Covid-19 to the city’s tourist-dependent restaurants, bars and music venues,” Konrad Putzier reports in the story. Individuals interviewed for the story cited warmer weather, culinary options and the entertainment scene as key reasons for making the move.
So how might Iowa and Des Moines fit into this trend?
Warmer weather probably isn’t our ploy, but we have plenty of other assets to brag about. A relatively low cost of living, short commutes, recreation and unique entertainment experiences are among those assets. We need not look further than what’s being captured in the This is Iowa campaign and Catch Des Moines’ The S’s are Silent campaign.
There’s a lot to look forward to in downtown Des Moines this year – including a cleaned-up Dico site and possibly a soccer stadium, work in the Market District, a new vision for Mulberry Street and a focus on equity. (See coverage of the chamber’s Top 10 things coming to downtown in the Des Moines Register and the Business Record.)
How some predict remote working will affect downtown businesses
The Business Record’s annual Leaders Survey asks business leaders to share what they feel are some of the top issues affecting business in Central Iowa, and in particular the Greater Des Moines region. It wasn’t surprising that this year’s results showed some different viewpoints from 2019. In particular, remote working has significantly increased because of the pandemic and we wondered how leaders viewed the effects of this shift in the long run.
We asked the leaders whether they agreed, disagreed or weren’t sure about the following statement: Downtown small businesses and commercial real estate will suffer if most businesses continue offering remote working to their employees post-pandemic. Of responses, 79% agreed that downtown business will suffer if most employees work remotely long-term; 15% weren’t sure and 6% disagreed.
The following excerpts show why some of the leaders chose the response that they did.
Agree. “This isn't a theory – these industries in the central business district are in for a very long road to recovery.”
Eric Lohmeier, president, NCP Inc.
Agree. “The downtown office and retail environment had good momentum coming into 2020 with new housing and other amenities following that momentum. If you remove a portion of those employees, the services that rely on their business will struggle. You will also see less desire for people to live downtown if they are not working there.”
Tyler Dingel, senior vice president, CBRE|Hubbell
Agree. “The business community relied on noontime commerce, as well as the work culture that promoted entertainment.”
Carol Olson, state director, United States Senate - U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley
Agree. “I agree that downtown businesses and real estate may suffer from a prolonged or permanent remote work policy. It will be temporary suffering, though. Those downtown businesses will find a way to reinvent the downtown experience to the advantage of the business, the city and the resident.”
Daniel McCraine, president, McCraine Associates Inc.
I’m not sure. “Our entertainment scene isn't just dependent upon the lunch crowd and shows growth for weekend activities such as races, farmers market, fine dining, theaters and breweries.”
Tej Dhawan, “responding as self”
I’m not sure. “We must adapt to change. Maybe housing downtown continues to be strong, and small business finds a toehold for the increased population and business thrives in a new way.”
Bryan Myers, senior vice president, Neumann Brothers
Disagree. “Many times the availability of space will cause a new startup business.”
Keith Welling, president and CEO, Trubank
Just how likely is it that remote working will be here to stay? The majority of workers never want to go back to the old way of working, according to surveying done by Slack. Only 12% want to return to full-time office work, and 72% want a hybrid remote-office model moving forward.
In a piece for BBC, Vaibhav Gujral, partner at McKinsey & Company, writes: “Even small shifts in work patterns could have a profound impact on commercial real estate – most directly on the demand for office space, and inevitably a multiplier effect on urban downtowns that are designed for the 9-to-5 worker. Companies are now reflecting more than ever on their real estate footprint. Does it make sense to keep large HQ spaces in urban centres, or should they adopt a more flexible model? The pressure on demand will create a flight to quality, toward buildings that deliver a better experience for users, and are more technologically advanced.
Organizations that get it right may emerge from the crisis ahead in the war for talent, with policies that employees prefer, and workplaces that are purpose-designed to be vibrant, foster collaboration and productivity for the new way of working.”
Regardless of your viewpoint on the issue, it’s clear remote working will have an effect on downtown small businesses and commercial real estate. What can we do to ensure Des Moines’ downtown businesses can positively adapt to the changes
The Business Record’s annual Leaders Survey asks business leaders to share what they feel are some of the top issues affecting business in Central Iowa, and in particular the Greater Des Moines region. It wasn’t surprising that this year’s results showed some different viewpoints from 2019. In particular, remote working has significantly increased because of the pandemic and we wondered how leaders viewed the effects of this shift in the long run.
We asked the leaders whether they agreed, disagreed or weren’t sure about the following statement: Downtown small businesses and commercial real estate will suffer if most businesses continue offering remote working to their employees post-pandemic. Of responses, 79% agreed that downtown business will suffer if most employees work remotely long-term; 15% weren’t sure and 6% disagreed.
The following excerpts show why some of the leaders chose the response that they did.
Agree. “This isn't a theory – these industries in the central business district are in for a very long road to recovery.”
Eric Lohmeier, president, NCP Inc.
Agree. “The downtown office and retail environment had good momentum coming into 2020 with new housing and other amenities following that momentum. If you remove a portion of those employees, the services that rely on their business will struggle. You will also see less desire for people to live downtown if they are not working there.”
Tyler Dingel, senior vice president, CBRE|Hubbell
Agree. “The business community relied on noontime commerce, as well as the work culture that promoted entertainment.”
Carol Olson, state director, United States Senate - U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley
Agree. “I agree that downtown businesses and real estate may suffer from a prolonged or permanent remote work policy. It will be temporary suffering, though. Those downtown businesses will find a way to reinvent the downtown experience to the advantage of the business, the city and the resident.”
Daniel McCraine, president, McCraine Associates Inc.
I’m not sure. “Our entertainment scene isn't just dependent upon the lunch crowd and shows growth for weekend activities such as races, farmers market, fine dining, theaters and breweries.”
Tej Dhawan, “responding as self”
I’m not sure. “We must adapt to change. Maybe housing downtown continues to be strong, and small business finds a toehold for the increased population and business thrives in a new way.”
Bryan Myers, senior vice president, Neumann Brothers
Disagree. “Many times the availability of space will cause a new startup business.”
Keith Welling, president and CEO, Trubank
Just how likely is it that remote working will be here to stay? The majority of workers never want to go back to the old way of working, according to surveying done by Slack. Only 12% want to return to full-time office work, and 72% want a hybrid remote-office model moving forward.
In a piece for BBC, Vaibhav Gujral, partner at McKinsey & Company, writes: “Even small shifts in work patterns could have a profound impact on commercial real estate – most directly on the demand for office space, and inevitably a multiplier effect on urban downtowns that are designed for the 9-to-5 worker. Companies are now reflecting more than ever on their real estate footprint. Does it make sense to keep large HQ spaces in urban centres, or should they adopt a more flexible model? The pressure on demand will create a flight to quality, toward buildings that deliver a better experience for users, and are more technologically advanced.
Organizations that get it right may emerge from the crisis ahead in the war for talent, with policies that employees prefer, and workplaces that are purpose-designed to be vibrant, foster collaboration and productivity for the new way of working.”
Regardless of your viewpoint on the issue, it’s clear remote working will have an effect on downtown small businesses and commercial real estate. What can we do to ensure Des Moines’ downtown businesses can positively adapt to the changes
2020 can’t take away laughter
Last week I looked back at some of the personal goals I had written for myself to focus on this year. Two were fairly ironic. This year, I wanted to focus on controlling what I could and not worrying about the rest. As someone who is very futuristic, I also wanted to make a point of being grateful for how things are right now, in this moment.
I set these goals long before I knew just how hard it would be to not worry about what I couldn’t control and to feel grateful even in some of the most challenging times. So when I read them back to myself last week, I had to giggle. They had so much more significance than I could have imagined.
As I reflected, I took time to list out some of the things I was grateful for despite all that this year has brought on. There’s one thing on my list that I think should be on everyone’s list: laughter. No matter how trying the circumstances, laughing has always helped me feel better, particularly when I get to do it with others.
Laughter really is a medicine. Individually it helps take the edge off and collectively it helps people bond. It helps you escape the current reality, even if momentarily. I have to tell you, I’ve never been more grateful for a silly pun or knee-slapper of a joke. And ask anyone that knows me – I’ve always loved a good joke.
I have a feeling that we could all use a giggle, especially with the holidays approaching that will look much different than previous years for many of us. In a year where it’s tough to be grateful, and reasonably so, don’t forget to find a little humor whether it’s at work or at home. By the way, some may not view humor as a characteristic of a professional atmosphere. To that I say: If we can’t laugh together, how are we supposed to meet all the challenges we face in our social and business worlds together?
Good Housekeeping has compiled a list of 25 fantastic Thanksgiving jokes. Here are five of the ones I liked the best:
Why was the Thanksgiving soup so expensive? It had 24 carrots.
What role do green beans play in Thanksgiving dinner? The casse-role.
Knock Knock. Who's there? Tamara. Tamara who? Tamara we'll have turkey leftovers!
Why did the turkey cross the road twice? To prove he wasn't chicken.
My family told me to stop telling Thanksgiving jokes … but I told them I couldn't quit "cold turkey.”
Keep in mind that the best jokes are those shared with others.
Last week I looked back at some of the personal goals I had written for myself to focus on this year. Two were fairly ironic. This year, I wanted to focus on controlling what I could and not worrying about the rest. As someone who is very futuristic, I also wanted to make a point of being grateful for how things are right now, in this moment.
I set these goals long before I knew just how hard it would be to not worry about what I couldn’t control and to feel grateful even in some of the most challenging times. So when I read them back to myself last week, I had to giggle. They had so much more significance than I could have imagined.
As I reflected, I took time to list out some of the things I was grateful for despite all that this year has brought on. There’s one thing on my list that I think should be on everyone’s list: laughter. No matter how trying the circumstances, laughing has always helped me feel better, particularly when I get to do it with others.
Laughter really is a medicine. Individually it helps take the edge off and collectively it helps people bond. It helps you escape the current reality, even if momentarily. I have to tell you, I’ve never been more grateful for a silly pun or knee-slapper of a joke. And ask anyone that knows me – I’ve always loved a good joke.
I have a feeling that we could all use a giggle, especially with the holidays approaching that will look much different than previous years for many of us. In a year where it’s tough to be grateful, and reasonably so, don’t forget to find a little humor whether it’s at work or at home. By the way, some may not view humor as a characteristic of a professional atmosphere. To that I say: If we can’t laugh together, how are we supposed to meet all the challenges we face in our social and business worlds together?
Good Housekeeping has compiled a list of 25 fantastic Thanksgiving jokes. Here are five of the ones I liked the best:
Why was the Thanksgiving soup so expensive? It had 24 carrots.
What role do green beans play in Thanksgiving dinner? The casse-role.
Knock Knock. Who's there? Tamara. Tamara who? Tamara we'll have turkey leftovers!
Why did the turkey cross the road twice? To prove he wasn't chicken.
My family told me to stop telling Thanksgiving jokes … but I told them I couldn't quit "cold turkey.”
Keep in mind that the best jokes are those shared with others.
Civility and the workplace: the role businesses play
Civility has always interested me – especially in the United States. It’s interesting when you consider that in voting, as a fundamental part of democracy, we are asked to choose a side. But once elections are over, we are supposed to see the bitterness and polarization of campaigns tossed aside – not just by the candidates, but by the voters. Regardless of where you stand, we know this hasn’t always been the case for a variety of reasons.
So, what can each of us do to create civility? Well, we actually have a weapon in our arsenal that isn’t always considered: the workplace.
In a piece for Forbes, contributor Beau River had a conversation with Steve Pemberton, CHRO of Workhuman, about what kinds of leaders are most desired in our current environment (you know, the exceptional turmoil of 2020). River asked, what are people looking out for of their leaders in the future?
Pemberton: “The landscape has changed. We know people coming to our workplaces are looking for different things than a year ago. In a polarized world, we are looking for more humanity, more connection than we feel when confronted by our polar differences in the political and social landscape. The workplace has a unique opportunity to become a place where we can encounter people from different walks of life, faiths, racial and sexual identities. Where else can we do that right now? The workplace can be a unifying and healing ground that serves the working constituents and the business community as a whole. What do we know about each other than our political perspectives? Leaders have to create different conversations. If we are not able to find some shared ground, we are just a bunch of clans clashing with each other, rather than a nation.”
The response was very powerful to me – especially thinking about the opportunities for workplaces to be “unifying and healing.” And as Pemberton pointed out, for adults, workplaces are one of the few settings where you may be required to interact with people different from you. In our social spheres, we typically get to make our own choices about the views and people we are exposed to.
A caveat though: folks from underrepresented groups – BIPOC, women, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, etc. – have faced many barriers in the employment space. Often it has taken anti-discrimination legislation to correct course – and even then, challenges persist. Whether in seeking employment, treatment of co-workers or having a voice in decision making, equity must be a part of the culture for a workplace to be unifying or healing.
And though being unifying as an employer is a fantastic ideal, it can be just as difficult as in the political sphere to foster civility. While a 2013 Harvard Business Review article is a bit outdated when considering how much has changed, it found that 80% of workers on the receiving end of incivility lost work time worrying about the incident. Several other statistics cited point out why incivility isn’t good for business – and certainly not for our organizations’ cultures.
So what are business leaders to do? Well, there isn’t a one-size fits all answer. But there’s one thing that always seems to be true: People enjoy being heard, especially in one-on-one settings. If organizations can offer employees the chance to individually weigh in on what it means to be civil and what they want from a workplace culture, the leaders will at least have an idea of where to start.
And then, they have to start.
Civility has always interested me – especially in the United States. It’s interesting when you consider that in voting, as a fundamental part of democracy, we are asked to choose a side. But once elections are over, we are supposed to see the bitterness and polarization of campaigns tossed aside – not just by the candidates, but by the voters. Regardless of where you stand, we know this hasn’t always been the case for a variety of reasons.
So, what can each of us do to create civility? Well, we actually have a weapon in our arsenal that isn’t always considered: the workplace.
In a piece for Forbes, contributor Beau River had a conversation with Steve Pemberton, CHRO of Workhuman, about what kinds of leaders are most desired in our current environment (you know, the exceptional turmoil of 2020). River asked, what are people looking out for of their leaders in the future?
Pemberton: “The landscape has changed. We know people coming to our workplaces are looking for different things than a year ago. In a polarized world, we are looking for more humanity, more connection than we feel when confronted by our polar differences in the political and social landscape. The workplace has a unique opportunity to become a place where we can encounter people from different walks of life, faiths, racial and sexual identities. Where else can we do that right now? The workplace can be a unifying and healing ground that serves the working constituents and the business community as a whole. What do we know about each other than our political perspectives? Leaders have to create different conversations. If we are not able to find some shared ground, we are just a bunch of clans clashing with each other, rather than a nation.”
The response was very powerful to me – especially thinking about the opportunities for workplaces to be “unifying and healing.” And as Pemberton pointed out, for adults, workplaces are one of the few settings where you may be required to interact with people different from you. In our social spheres, we typically get to make our own choices about the views and people we are exposed to.
A caveat though: folks from underrepresented groups – BIPOC, women, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, etc. – have faced many barriers in the employment space. Often it has taken anti-discrimination legislation to correct course – and even then, challenges persist. Whether in seeking employment, treatment of co-workers or having a voice in decision making, equity must be a part of the culture for a workplace to be unifying or healing.
And though being unifying as an employer is a fantastic ideal, it can be just as difficult as in the political sphere to foster civility. While a 2013 Harvard Business Review article is a bit outdated when considering how much has changed, it found that 80% of workers on the receiving end of incivility lost work time worrying about the incident. Several other statistics cited point out why incivility isn’t good for business – and certainly not for our organizations’ cultures.
So what are business leaders to do? Well, there isn’t a one-size fits all answer. But there’s one thing that always seems to be true: People enjoy being heard, especially in one-on-one settings. If organizations can offer employees the chance to individually weigh in on what it means to be civil and what they want from a workplace culture, the leaders will at least have an idea of where to start.
And then, they have to start.
Q&A: Reflecting on downtown changes
The Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce’s fearless leader Jennifer Chittenden is stepping down from her role as executive director to take on a new opportunity effective Oct. 23. I recently talked with Chittenden about some of the highlights she’s seen in downtown in her nine years with the chamber. In that time, she estimates she’s been a part of more than 200 ribbon cuttings.
What are some of the successes you look back on?
The biggest success in the chamber’s history, it's now 12 years old, is just redefining what a chamber is or should be. I've been involved with other chambers prior to starting here. And so I was familiar with the networking model. I came down here and I just remember, it was very different from day one. The people were younger, the industry mix was more diverse, it was more creative and it was really rich with nonprofits – that was something a little different. And then there was just sort of this inherent rebellious spirit that you could tell the leadership really wanted this chamber to be different. And so that's what I've tried to preserve all this time is coming into the scene as a newer chamber of commerce – how do you still advocate for businesses but in a more modern way that has an appeal to individuals who may not necessarily be the CEO? But they’re up-and-coming leaders and they maybe haven’t been as involved in the community. The chamber is a benefit to the member companies because these leaders hone their skills through chamber involvement and also contribute to the community at the same time.
One of the ways we have really tried to embrace the concept is through building strong committees and strong committee volunteers. That is something that was there when I started. And so we just want to continue that trend, and keep our committees full of young leaders with fresh ideas and a lot of energy. They bring unique ideas forward and from a perspective separate from if we were sitting around the table with investors. It would be a different conversation.
It just makes it a more beneficial chamber when you have that many more voices at the table, or you have individuals who have futuristic mindsets. They have all these dreams ahead of them and they want to create the environment that is going to support those dreams too. So, sometimes it gives us a little bit of an insight advantage to reach for these individuals who aren't necessarily at the top. And it certainly helps preserve that element of fun as well.
We get a lot of ideas from our members when it comes down to ... creating programming that is a little bit different and a little bit unique. It really comes down to what our members have been telling us and what our volunteers and our committee leaders bring to us. And as a chamber, we look at that input, or how we fill a gap that's in the community.
To give you some examples, early on in my days a part of the membership committee was for member outreach and they simply made calls to our members and visits to our members, and they went through a survey of questions and said what do you need, what are you curious about. And that's how Downtown DIG emerged. There were a lot of downtown developments happening at the time and cranes were located everywhere, and they wanted to know what was happening. So, for us to be able to create a program then in return where not only can they be informed about what's happening from the leaders involved with that, but they can have input in that now too. That puts a lot more power in the hands of our businesses into what's going on in our own backyard.
Another one was LEAP – supporting the advancement of women as both entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs. That is good for downtown, in every format. And most recently, we never stopped with programming, we added the City Connect series and that's just a regular forum for small businesses to connect with city staff and city leaders to talk openly about what their businesses are needing and to build those relationships with those leaders. Because if they can hear each other, then I think we can advance those interests a lot faster through that kind of setting. … If our volunteers, our staff and leadership are constantly listening to our members and committees, we'll know and understand how to deliver on what's next. This chamber is just simply led by its members.
So I'm sure the pandemic has obviously been huge in terms of a milestone of things affecting downtown, but what else has happened that have been major events or things that you've seen about downtown that have changed?
When you think ‘well it’s only been nine years. Oh my gosh, that's not very long.’ And then you start to go back you're like, ‘oh my gosh so much it happened in that amount of time.’ When I began in 2011, one of the biggest points of discussion was actually what to do about office vacancy downtown. That quickly ended up turning into talk about how do you create a place for people to live downtown? How do you grow that residential population? And you started to see these fantastic restaurants emerge. And there became creative opportunities for the arts scene and artists emerging. For example, Mainframe Studios created a place for artists to be in. Then there’s live downtown events and conferences, they just became a regular source of visitors downtown and all of that fits in together to create a vibrancy that just made downtown living appealing. That's something even my husband and I have talked about before is living downtown at some point in our lives, and being able to just go downstairs, head out to the street, go to the Civic Center, go out for a great meal, head down to Walnut for some entertainment. Even with the pandemic, I don't think that's going to change. I think downtown is going to be able to recover and to continue to be a great place for people to want to live.
The cycles that the Street Collective has led, that's been new. That was just starting when I came into the chamber and now there's so many stations downtown and growing. I think the usage of bikes and the bikeability of downtown has also changed and that's great to see that we have alternative forms of transportation.
Have you seen the office vacancy become less of an issue?
It definitely was becoming less of an issue. That's not something that was coming up in conversation regularly in the last few years.
You mentioned the bike system, but is there anything else you've seen where you can definitely look at something and think, man, that used to be an issue and now it's something people just take that for granted?
Every time I go to Hy-Vee [on Court Avenue]. I remember when that was coming to downtown. … Everybody could agree that downtown needed a grocery store, but there was just a disagreement as to where it should be. And now, Hy-Vee for a while there was a little bit of a tourist attraction, even for the locals. It's a great model of an urban grocery store, and it definitely supports our residents living downtown, so I can't imagine the downtown without that now.
The Krause Gateway Center would be another one of those. Where they’re located now, there used to be a strip of buildings, and there was a Subway that was going to go in there. And you have this beautiful multimillion dollar Sculpture Park across the street, and the controversy was the signage of Subway clashed with this Sculpture Park. And Subway eventually went in there for a while, but now you have an art piece sitting across from the Sculpture Park that perfectly complements it.
Parts of downtown pop out to me in different ways as I’m driving in. For example, when I see the Wellmark YMCA and its pool, I recall the numerous meetings and media surrounding its potential combined with the Hilton being constructed nearby. And now, as the skate park is being constructed and nearing completion, I remember being at the City Council meeting that propelled this project forward. It’s been fun to observe the public’s anticipation and excitement for it.
In general, what are some of your best memories with the chamber?
So one of my favorite memories was a ribbon cutting with Central Iowa Shelter and Services. And that facility brought I believe 96 beds to over 200 beds with the new facility that they built. But I remember not only just the expansion, but at that ribbon cutting, they released doves. That is the one and only ribbon cutting I have ever been to where doves were released. I'll never forget it. … I had one where there was some caviar. It's the one, the only time I've ever tasted caviar.
I was just kind of reminiscing on some things we used to do and we still do. One is the World Food Prize breakfast. It'll be virtual this year but we've been doing that eight out of my nine years. And prior to being with the chamber I was familiar with the World Food Prize ceremonies. And when I came downtown, I remember that first year everything was happening in October and I'm so excited to go meet up with a friend at the Marriott and we've got all these dignitaries in that hotel and it's just amazing. And then I walk out, and nobody knows seemingly that this is going on, and our business community especially really wasn't aware that this was happening. And so from that point on we created an annual breakfast where we coordinate with the World Food Prize for one of their Borlaug Lecture Series speakers, and we put on a program for our members to get one of those lectures and to learn about the prize. And they do a really good job of finding scientists and speakers that can relate to the business side of what they do.
What about membership growth? In your time, how have you seen the makeup of members change?
So in 2011, we were approximately 100 members, and we've been steady at about the 400-member-mark in the last year. So definitely a lot of growth. What's interesting is we started off with a strong base of nonprofit organizations. And for the majority of these years, about 20% of our membership has been nonprofit organizations. I think that's not only unique but I think that's really healthy for our chamber for our businesses to have that connection to all these philanthropic organizations in our community.
With our membership architecture, development, construction industries have always been a really strong segment of our membership in addition to the nonprofits. Probably second to the nonprofits I would say is that hospitality industry – your hotels and restaurants and retailers downtown. It wouldn't be the same without them and I'm glad to see that they're also involved.
Is there anything else that sticks out as you reflect?
There were a couple things. So you had asked a little about what was really evident today but wasn't always in the past and … I think there are really nice touches to downtown that we'll want to preserve. One is the safety, the beautification and the cleanliness of downtown, which has been through Operation Downtown. When visitors would come to Des Moines, it was always really interesting to hear them talk about, ‘Oh your streets are so beautiful. The flowers and everything are so clean, all the trash is picked up and I feel really safe being here.” And then you go outside of Des Moines and you realize that isn't the case everywhere. We have an initiative that provides all this and then as a community I think we sometimes take that for granted. We live in it and we don't always see it until a visitor points it out to us. And that makes it really wonderful to be able to do business downtown to have the support of those elements.
Another is the historic preservation that we've been seeing. The World Food Prize Hall of Laureates is a great example. That was there when I started at the chamber. And then look at what's happening with the Hotel Fort Des Moines and bringing that back to life. … There is a unique charm to downtown that existed that over time had been covered up in different ways and now we're bringing a lot of this back. The Kirkwood Hotel is another example of that. When they remodeled that, in the lobby for example, they brought back the original ceiling and even painted it to try to get it back to this kind of original luster. And it's just fun to walk into these places and to see that old time charm back in a new way.
The Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce’s fearless leader Jennifer Chittenden is stepping down from her role as executive director to take on a new opportunity effective Oct. 23. I recently talked with Chittenden about some of the highlights she’s seen in downtown in her nine years with the chamber. In that time, she estimates she’s been a part of more than 200 ribbon cuttings.
What are some of the successes you look back on?
The biggest success in the chamber’s history, it's now 12 years old, is just redefining what a chamber is or should be. I've been involved with other chambers prior to starting here. And so I was familiar with the networking model. I came down here and I just remember, it was very different from day one. The people were younger, the industry mix was more diverse, it was more creative and it was really rich with nonprofits – that was something a little different. And then there was just sort of this inherent rebellious spirit that you could tell the leadership really wanted this chamber to be different. And so that's what I've tried to preserve all this time is coming into the scene as a newer chamber of commerce – how do you still advocate for businesses but in a more modern way that has an appeal to individuals who may not necessarily be the CEO? But they’re up-and-coming leaders and they maybe haven’t been as involved in the community. The chamber is a benefit to the member companies because these leaders hone their skills through chamber involvement and also contribute to the community at the same time.
One of the ways we have really tried to embrace the concept is through building strong committees and strong committee volunteers. That is something that was there when I started. And so we just want to continue that trend, and keep our committees full of young leaders with fresh ideas and a lot of energy. They bring unique ideas forward and from a perspective separate from if we were sitting around the table with investors. It would be a different conversation.
It just makes it a more beneficial chamber when you have that many more voices at the table, or you have individuals who have futuristic mindsets. They have all these dreams ahead of them and they want to create the environment that is going to support those dreams too. So, sometimes it gives us a little bit of an insight advantage to reach for these individuals who aren't necessarily at the top. And it certainly helps preserve that element of fun as well.
We get a lot of ideas from our members when it comes down to ... creating programming that is a little bit different and a little bit unique. It really comes down to what our members have been telling us and what our volunteers and our committee leaders bring to us. And as a chamber, we look at that input, or how we fill a gap that's in the community.
To give you some examples, early on in my days a part of the membership committee was for member outreach and they simply made calls to our members and visits to our members, and they went through a survey of questions and said what do you need, what are you curious about. And that's how Downtown DIG emerged. There were a lot of downtown developments happening at the time and cranes were located everywhere, and they wanted to know what was happening. So, for us to be able to create a program then in return where not only can they be informed about what's happening from the leaders involved with that, but they can have input in that now too. That puts a lot more power in the hands of our businesses into what's going on in our own backyard.
Another one was LEAP – supporting the advancement of women as both entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs. That is good for downtown, in every format. And most recently, we never stopped with programming, we added the City Connect series and that's just a regular forum for small businesses to connect with city staff and city leaders to talk openly about what their businesses are needing and to build those relationships with those leaders. Because if they can hear each other, then I think we can advance those interests a lot faster through that kind of setting. … If our volunteers, our staff and leadership are constantly listening to our members and committees, we'll know and understand how to deliver on what's next. This chamber is just simply led by its members.
So I'm sure the pandemic has obviously been huge in terms of a milestone of things affecting downtown, but what else has happened that have been major events or things that you've seen about downtown that have changed?
When you think ‘well it’s only been nine years. Oh my gosh, that's not very long.’ And then you start to go back you're like, ‘oh my gosh so much it happened in that amount of time.’ When I began in 2011, one of the biggest points of discussion was actually what to do about office vacancy downtown. That quickly ended up turning into talk about how do you create a place for people to live downtown? How do you grow that residential population? And you started to see these fantastic restaurants emerge. And there became creative opportunities for the arts scene and artists emerging. For example, Mainframe Studios created a place for artists to be in. Then there’s live downtown events and conferences, they just became a regular source of visitors downtown and all of that fits in together to create a vibrancy that just made downtown living appealing. That's something even my husband and I have talked about before is living downtown at some point in our lives, and being able to just go downstairs, head out to the street, go to the Civic Center, go out for a great meal, head down to Walnut for some entertainment. Even with the pandemic, I don't think that's going to change. I think downtown is going to be able to recover and to continue to be a great place for people to want to live.
The cycles that the Street Collective has led, that's been new. That was just starting when I came into the chamber and now there's so many stations downtown and growing. I think the usage of bikes and the bikeability of downtown has also changed and that's great to see that we have alternative forms of transportation.
Have you seen the office vacancy become less of an issue?
It definitely was becoming less of an issue. That's not something that was coming up in conversation regularly in the last few years.
You mentioned the bike system, but is there anything else you've seen where you can definitely look at something and think, man, that used to be an issue and now it's something people just take that for granted?
Every time I go to Hy-Vee [on Court Avenue]. I remember when that was coming to downtown. … Everybody could agree that downtown needed a grocery store, but there was just a disagreement as to where it should be. And now, Hy-Vee for a while there was a little bit of a tourist attraction, even for the locals. It's a great model of an urban grocery store, and it definitely supports our residents living downtown, so I can't imagine the downtown without that now.
The Krause Gateway Center would be another one of those. Where they’re located now, there used to be a strip of buildings, and there was a Subway that was going to go in there. And you have this beautiful multimillion dollar Sculpture Park across the street, and the controversy was the signage of Subway clashed with this Sculpture Park. And Subway eventually went in there for a while, but now you have an art piece sitting across from the Sculpture Park that perfectly complements it.
Parts of downtown pop out to me in different ways as I’m driving in. For example, when I see the Wellmark YMCA and its pool, I recall the numerous meetings and media surrounding its potential combined with the Hilton being constructed nearby. And now, as the skate park is being constructed and nearing completion, I remember being at the City Council meeting that propelled this project forward. It’s been fun to observe the public’s anticipation and excitement for it.
In general, what are some of your best memories with the chamber?
So one of my favorite memories was a ribbon cutting with Central Iowa Shelter and Services. And that facility brought I believe 96 beds to over 200 beds with the new facility that they built. But I remember not only just the expansion, but at that ribbon cutting, they released doves. That is the one and only ribbon cutting I have ever been to where doves were released. I'll never forget it. … I had one where there was some caviar. It's the one, the only time I've ever tasted caviar.
I was just kind of reminiscing on some things we used to do and we still do. One is the World Food Prize breakfast. It'll be virtual this year but we've been doing that eight out of my nine years. And prior to being with the chamber I was familiar with the World Food Prize ceremonies. And when I came downtown, I remember that first year everything was happening in October and I'm so excited to go meet up with a friend at the Marriott and we've got all these dignitaries in that hotel and it's just amazing. And then I walk out, and nobody knows seemingly that this is going on, and our business community especially really wasn't aware that this was happening. And so from that point on we created an annual breakfast where we coordinate with the World Food Prize for one of their Borlaug Lecture Series speakers, and we put on a program for our members to get one of those lectures and to learn about the prize. And they do a really good job of finding scientists and speakers that can relate to the business side of what they do.
What about membership growth? In your time, how have you seen the makeup of members change?
So in 2011, we were approximately 100 members, and we've been steady at about the 400-member-mark in the last year. So definitely a lot of growth. What's interesting is we started off with a strong base of nonprofit organizations. And for the majority of these years, about 20% of our membership has been nonprofit organizations. I think that's not only unique but I think that's really healthy for our chamber for our businesses to have that connection to all these philanthropic organizations in our community.
With our membership architecture, development, construction industries have always been a really strong segment of our membership in addition to the nonprofits. Probably second to the nonprofits I would say is that hospitality industry – your hotels and restaurants and retailers downtown. It wouldn't be the same without them and I'm glad to see that they're also involved.
Is there anything else that sticks out as you reflect?
There were a couple things. So you had asked a little about what was really evident today but wasn't always in the past and … I think there are really nice touches to downtown that we'll want to preserve. One is the safety, the beautification and the cleanliness of downtown, which has been through Operation Downtown. When visitors would come to Des Moines, it was always really interesting to hear them talk about, ‘Oh your streets are so beautiful. The flowers and everything are so clean, all the trash is picked up and I feel really safe being here.” And then you go outside of Des Moines and you realize that isn't the case everywhere. We have an initiative that provides all this and then as a community I think we sometimes take that for granted. We live in it and we don't always see it until a visitor points it out to us. And that makes it really wonderful to be able to do business downtown to have the support of those elements.
Another is the historic preservation that we've been seeing. The World Food Prize Hall of Laureates is a great example. That was there when I started at the chamber. And then look at what's happening with the Hotel Fort Des Moines and bringing that back to life. … There is a unique charm to downtown that existed that over time had been covered up in different ways and now we're bringing a lot of this back. The Kirkwood Hotel is another example of that. When they remodeled that, in the lobby for example, they brought back the original ceiling and even painted it to try to get it back to this kind of original luster. And it's just fun to walk into these places and to see that old time charm back in a new way.
The power of a ‘how are you really?'
Published October 2020
At our recent 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes event, Tanner Krause, president of Kum & Go, led off our nine speakers that were part of the program. And lead he did.
For the publication, each of the nine speakers writes about 10 ideas any business leader can use to make their organization better. Krause used his five minutes during our event to talk about just one of his: focusing on mental health. He shared his personal story about seeking help and encouraged leaders to prioritize employee wellbeing.
Here is what he wrote about mental health in the publication:
Mental Health > Physical Health
Does your job rely more on your body or your brain to be successful? How much attention does physical health get? Gym memberships, diets, in-home exercise equipment … the Olympics! How much attention does mental health get? Buck the stigma here. Talk about it. We’re all feeling the stress right now. We’ve all experienced trauma. We manage pressure, sorrow and are under-equipped for the task. Sleep, yoga, vacation, therapy … all of the above. Prioritize your mental health – and the mental health of your people – over everything else.
One of the powerful things Krause also said was asking how people really are. We get so used to “how are you?” as a greeting rather than a question we genuinely want to know the answer to. And let’s be honest, most of the time people will tell us they’re “good,” “doing all right” or “fine.” So as leaders, it’s important we push past that and – whether it’s this phrase or asked in another way – ask “how are you really?”
Taking it a step further, leaders need to be vulnerable and let their teams in. If we can’t share how we’re actually doing, then why would anyone on our teams?
Mental illness is prevalent: 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 6 children have a mental illness, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI Iowa provides great resources to learn more if you are someone who has a mental illness or wants to learn how you can help.
But even beyond diagnosed mental health issues, we all know 2020 has been a stressful year. I was just reading a story in the Boston Globe about 2020 being one of the top five craziest years in American history as evaluated by historians. The historians put it among the ranks of the start of the Civil War, Great Depression and other major historical time periods. It’s no wonder we’re all carrying heavy burdens.
So how are you really and what can you do to help yourself so that you can in turn help others?
Published October 2020
At our recent 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes event, Tanner Krause, president of Kum & Go, led off our nine speakers that were part of the program. And lead he did.
For the publication, each of the nine speakers writes about 10 ideas any business leader can use to make their organization better. Krause used his five minutes during our event to talk about just one of his: focusing on mental health. He shared his personal story about seeking help and encouraged leaders to prioritize employee wellbeing.
Here is what he wrote about mental health in the publication:
Mental Health > Physical Health
Does your job rely more on your body or your brain to be successful? How much attention does physical health get? Gym memberships, diets, in-home exercise equipment … the Olympics! How much attention does mental health get? Buck the stigma here. Talk about it. We’re all feeling the stress right now. We’ve all experienced trauma. We manage pressure, sorrow and are under-equipped for the task. Sleep, yoga, vacation, therapy … all of the above. Prioritize your mental health – and the mental health of your people – over everything else.
One of the powerful things Krause also said was asking how people really are. We get so used to “how are you?” as a greeting rather than a question we genuinely want to know the answer to. And let’s be honest, most of the time people will tell us they’re “good,” “doing all right” or “fine.” So as leaders, it’s important we push past that and – whether it’s this phrase or asked in another way – ask “how are you really?”
Taking it a step further, leaders need to be vulnerable and let their teams in. If we can’t share how we’re actually doing, then why would anyone on our teams?
Mental illness is prevalent: 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 6 children have a mental illness, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI Iowa provides great resources to learn more if you are someone who has a mental illness or wants to learn how you can help.
But even beyond diagnosed mental health issues, we all know 2020 has been a stressful year. I was just reading a story in the Boston Globe about 2020 being one of the top five craziest years in American history as evaluated by historians. The historians put it among the ranks of the start of the Civil War, Great Depression and other major historical time periods. It’s no wonder we’re all carrying heavy burdens.
So how are you really and what can you do to help yourself so that you can in turn help others?
Financial literacy benefits could help workers stressed about money
Published October 2020
It’s not a secret that American workers are worried about their money. Financial stress is the top factor creating anxiety for Americans, with 54% saying that financial or money matters cause them the most stress, ahead of their job, relations and health concerns, according to a survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers in May.
In America's four largest cities, at least half of people say they have experienced the loss of a job or a reduction in wages or work hours in their household since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, according to an NPR poll. And Black and Latino Americans are disproportionately affected.
A May survey from SPPG + Essman Research, a market research firm in West Des Moines, in partnership with the Business Record, shows this stress locally. Eighty-three percent of the Iowans surveyed said they are financially stable, but not without effort. Thirty-eight percent have cut monthly expenses. Additionally, 35% of the respondents have delayed major purchases, and 17% reported increasing contributions toward savings.
In a story for the Business Record, Joe Gardyasz reported on some of the organizations offering financial planning as a company benefit. Principal Financial Group, for example, has seen a steep increase in clients using financial literacy tools. “We are definitely seeing an increase in [usage] of our program, and that would be captured by the number of individuals who are taking advantage of our webinars,” she said. “We’ve seen a 400% increase during COVID in the number who are taking advantage of our virtual one-on-one conversation — so that one is really significant.”
Even in less strange times than 2020, workers who are stressed out about their finances tend to be less productive. That’s why some leaders have advocated for more financial literacy benefits. In a 2018 post for the Society of Human Resource Management, Mary Mohney wrote: “By incorporating financial literacy into the workplace, corporations and employees reap many benefits, including increased productivity and retention. Financially literate employees tend to have greater focus and less stress, making them more effective. Lower stress levels, in turn, have been linked to lower health care costs and absenteeism.
“Financially literate employees also have a much better understanding of their total rewards: They understand the value of their 401(k) plans, health and disability benefits, tuition and profit-sharing plans and the like; they even have an easier time managing within high-deductible health insurance plans. Financial literacy carries through to employees' everyday jobs, as well, in terms of increased business acumen.”
Considerations for financial education should be at the forefront of employer’s planning – afterall, it affects every single team member and leadership requires connecting our people with resources they need to succeed. While financial literacy isn’t necessarily work related, better employee wellbeing helps better our businesses and communities. At one of our recent events, business leader Deidre DeJear said something that sums it up well, “Despite all odds, despite all trends, despite where the waves are going, we need to hold on to the importance of human connection in our planning processes.”
Published October 2020
It’s not a secret that American workers are worried about their money. Financial stress is the top factor creating anxiety for Americans, with 54% saying that financial or money matters cause them the most stress, ahead of their job, relations and health concerns, according to a survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers in May.
In America's four largest cities, at least half of people say they have experienced the loss of a job or a reduction in wages or work hours in their household since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, according to an NPR poll. And Black and Latino Americans are disproportionately affected.
A May survey from SPPG + Essman Research, a market research firm in West Des Moines, in partnership with the Business Record, shows this stress locally. Eighty-three percent of the Iowans surveyed said they are financially stable, but not without effort. Thirty-eight percent have cut monthly expenses. Additionally, 35% of the respondents have delayed major purchases, and 17% reported increasing contributions toward savings.
In a story for the Business Record, Joe Gardyasz reported on some of the organizations offering financial planning as a company benefit. Principal Financial Group, for example, has seen a steep increase in clients using financial literacy tools. “We are definitely seeing an increase in [usage] of our program, and that would be captured by the number of individuals who are taking advantage of our webinars,” she said. “We’ve seen a 400% increase during COVID in the number who are taking advantage of our virtual one-on-one conversation — so that one is really significant.”
Even in less strange times than 2020, workers who are stressed out about their finances tend to be less productive. That’s why some leaders have advocated for more financial literacy benefits. In a 2018 post for the Society of Human Resource Management, Mary Mohney wrote: “By incorporating financial literacy into the workplace, corporations and employees reap many benefits, including increased productivity and retention. Financially literate employees tend to have greater focus and less stress, making them more effective. Lower stress levels, in turn, have been linked to lower health care costs and absenteeism.
“Financially literate employees also have a much better understanding of their total rewards: They understand the value of their 401(k) plans, health and disability benefits, tuition and profit-sharing plans and the like; they even have an easier time managing within high-deductible health insurance plans. Financial literacy carries through to employees' everyday jobs, as well, in terms of increased business acumen.”
Considerations for financial education should be at the forefront of employer’s planning – afterall, it affects every single team member and leadership requires connecting our people with resources they need to succeed. While financial literacy isn’t necessarily work related, better employee wellbeing helps better our businesses and communities. At one of our recent events, business leader Deidre DeJear said something that sums it up well, “Despite all odds, despite all trends, despite where the waves are going, we need to hold on to the importance of human connection in our planning processes.”
Resilience is the real buzzword of the times
Published September 2020
I’ve heard the term “pivot” more in 2020 than probably all the years before combined. So many organizations and leaders have had to shift gears to address the unprecedented (another 2020 buzzword). In business that’s what you do, afterall. You find a way to stay afloat – maybe it’s just the floaties keeping you up as you rapidly kick your feet to stay above water, but afloat nonetheless. And hopefully you get to soak in the sun atop an inflatable throne bobbing on the water someday.
While I’ve heard so many people talking about pivoting amid the unprecedented times, I’ve heard less people talking about resilience. And to me, that’s the real buzzword of 2020.
Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress, according to the American Psychological Association. If that doesn’t sound like what we’ve had to do this year, then I don’t know what does.
In the first month of the pandemic, I heard a speaker say that in trying times you can either be bitter or get better. That’s stuck with me. But it’s also come with a caveat.
This year has unquestionably been devastating. Thousands of Americans have died from coronavirus, many have been left unemployed, businesses new and old have been forced to close, some families are struggling with where they’ll get their next meal, and every individual and institution has been faced with unimaginable challenges. Oh, and that doesn’t even include the losses from racial unrest and the derecho in Iowa. We cannot look at these challenges and say it’s wrong to be bitter because that’s a perfectly human reaction.
While we must acknowledge and take care of ourselves as we cope, there are many out there who are like me: lucky. There are those of us who are in relatively fortunate positions, despite this year being unfortunate. We could be bitter or we could be resilient. We could mope or we could support local business in a new way, give part of our time or resources to organizations helping others with essential needs, or check in with our loved ones to make sure they’re doing OK.
So many are struggling. If you can help – then help. If you need to spend every ounce of strength staying afloat – then focus on that. If you are somewhere in the middle – then take things day by day.
Do what you need to do to be resilient. And if you can, help others be resilient too.
Published September 2020
I’ve heard the term “pivot” more in 2020 than probably all the years before combined. So many organizations and leaders have had to shift gears to address the unprecedented (another 2020 buzzword). In business that’s what you do, afterall. You find a way to stay afloat – maybe it’s just the floaties keeping you up as you rapidly kick your feet to stay above water, but afloat nonetheless. And hopefully you get to soak in the sun atop an inflatable throne bobbing on the water someday.
While I’ve heard so many people talking about pivoting amid the unprecedented times, I’ve heard less people talking about resilience. And to me, that’s the real buzzword of 2020.
Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress, according to the American Psychological Association. If that doesn’t sound like what we’ve had to do this year, then I don’t know what does.
In the first month of the pandemic, I heard a speaker say that in trying times you can either be bitter or get better. That’s stuck with me. But it’s also come with a caveat.
This year has unquestionably been devastating. Thousands of Americans have died from coronavirus, many have been left unemployed, businesses new and old have been forced to close, some families are struggling with where they’ll get their next meal, and every individual and institution has been faced with unimaginable challenges. Oh, and that doesn’t even include the losses from racial unrest and the derecho in Iowa. We cannot look at these challenges and say it’s wrong to be bitter because that’s a perfectly human reaction.
While we must acknowledge and take care of ourselves as we cope, there are many out there who are like me: lucky. There are those of us who are in relatively fortunate positions, despite this year being unfortunate. We could be bitter or we could be resilient. We could mope or we could support local business in a new way, give part of our time or resources to organizations helping others with essential needs, or check in with our loved ones to make sure they’re doing OK.
So many are struggling. If you can help – then help. If you need to spend every ounce of strength staying afloat – then focus on that. If you are somewhere in the middle – then take things day by day.
Do what you need to do to be resilient. And if you can, help others be resilient too.
The pandemic’s residual impact on business
Published August 2020
The other day I was looking at a photo from my trip to Germany in 2019. My first thought was “oh my gosh, I’m touching a random railing,” as I looked at myself standing on a bridge in Frankfurt. I’ve heard from friends who’ve cringed when looking at photos of themselves in crowds or even watching shows that were filmed long before coronavirus. Of course, we’re still in the middle of the pandemic now – but how many of these trepidations and disrupted norms are here to stay, and what does it mean for doing business?
Twenty-seven percent of Iowans say they will never be comfortable shaking hands again, according to a recent survey conducted by the Business Record and Iowa-based research firm SPPG + Essman Research. It’s hard to imagine what had always been a widely accepted greeting may no longer be a norm. I have to say, I’m a big fan of the elbow bump and wouldn’t mind at all if it became the new greeting. Nonetheless, the comfort level is indicative of just how much of an effect the pandemic is having on human nature.
But there are much bigger shifts on the horizon than the way we greet each other. Remote working, large events, meetings and e-commerce are all likely to never be viewed the same as they were pre-pandemic. In the survey, many indicated that they’d prefer flexibility in their weeks – working from home part of the week and in the office part of the week.
Of course, it’s probably more beneficial for business leaders to strategize around adaptability rather than their own predictions for the future. I say this because some of the smartest people thought the internet was a fad and that companies like Amazon would never be accepted by consumers. Instead, if businesses position themselves to roll with the punches instead of focusing all energy on any given prediction, they’ll be better positioned to pivot (the 2020 buzzword) to any of the uncertain changes that will be needed down the road.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has an interesting piece on business practices rapidly implemented during Covid-19 that are likely here to stay. Contactless commerce, e-commerce and sourcing locally are among the items on the list. Many Des Moines businesses have and are making transitions to these trends. The good news is that more resources are becoming available to help businesses make these transitions.
The Iowa Economic Development Authority launched Shop Iowa, a new e-commerce platform that gives retailers a place to showcase their products online. The statewide platform will help businesses, particularly those that didn’t have an online presence, to better compete in today’s online economy.
Pre-pandemic, I never once ordered my groceries online – now I’m not sure I’ll go back to grocery shopping in the stores, at least not on most occasions. These consumer preferences are here to stay and the more businesses can be flexible in how they do business (both with employees and customers), the more likely they’ll be able to adapt to the continued uncertainty.
Published August 2020
The other day I was looking at a photo from my trip to Germany in 2019. My first thought was “oh my gosh, I’m touching a random railing,” as I looked at myself standing on a bridge in Frankfurt. I’ve heard from friends who’ve cringed when looking at photos of themselves in crowds or even watching shows that were filmed long before coronavirus. Of course, we’re still in the middle of the pandemic now – but how many of these trepidations and disrupted norms are here to stay, and what does it mean for doing business?
Twenty-seven percent of Iowans say they will never be comfortable shaking hands again, according to a recent survey conducted by the Business Record and Iowa-based research firm SPPG + Essman Research. It’s hard to imagine what had always been a widely accepted greeting may no longer be a norm. I have to say, I’m a big fan of the elbow bump and wouldn’t mind at all if it became the new greeting. Nonetheless, the comfort level is indicative of just how much of an effect the pandemic is having on human nature.
But there are much bigger shifts on the horizon than the way we greet each other. Remote working, large events, meetings and e-commerce are all likely to never be viewed the same as they were pre-pandemic. In the survey, many indicated that they’d prefer flexibility in their weeks – working from home part of the week and in the office part of the week.
Of course, it’s probably more beneficial for business leaders to strategize around adaptability rather than their own predictions for the future. I say this because some of the smartest people thought the internet was a fad and that companies like Amazon would never be accepted by consumers. Instead, if businesses position themselves to roll with the punches instead of focusing all energy on any given prediction, they’ll be better positioned to pivot (the 2020 buzzword) to any of the uncertain changes that will be needed down the road.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has an interesting piece on business practices rapidly implemented during Covid-19 that are likely here to stay. Contactless commerce, e-commerce and sourcing locally are among the items on the list. Many Des Moines businesses have and are making transitions to these trends. The good news is that more resources are becoming available to help businesses make these transitions.
The Iowa Economic Development Authority launched Shop Iowa, a new e-commerce platform that gives retailers a place to showcase their products online. The statewide platform will help businesses, particularly those that didn’t have an online presence, to better compete in today’s online economy.
Pre-pandemic, I never once ordered my groceries online – now I’m not sure I’ll go back to grocery shopping in the stores, at least not on most occasions. These consumer preferences are here to stay and the more businesses can be flexible in how they do business (both with employees and customers), the more likely they’ll be able to adapt to the continued uncertainty.
5 things business leaders should know about disability inclusion
Published August 2020
July 26 marked 30 years since the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. Former Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin authored the bill with the intent to give people with disabilities equal opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency.
Many segments of society have become more inclusive, but as advocates point out, there is still much more work that’s needed. And businesses play a key role in that. Here are five tips business leaders should know about disability inclusion.
No. 1 - Language and attitude matters
The language we use about people with disabilities shows a lot about our attitudes and understanding of the community. For example, many prefer to be called a person with a disability rather than a disabled person. This is called people-first language and implies that a person has a disability among many other characteristics that make up who they are. They are not defined by their disability. Similarly, it’s more inclusive to say that someone has a disability rather than suffers from a disability, which often has a negative connotation implying that there is something wrong with someone and they can’t lead a fulfilling life (both of which are wrong). There are many language preferences for particular disabilities. The National Center on Disability and Journalism has a guide I often refer to for my own work and while it’s specifically for news writing, the recommended language guidelines are helpful for all. Using and understanding the meaning behind inclusive language leads to more accurate perceptions of people with disabilities as community members who are fully capable of engaging with or being employed by your business.
No. 2 - Just because your building doesn’t have to be fully accessible, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be
While the ADA requires new construction and redevelopments at a certain level to include accessibility measures, many older structures were not required to include things like ramps, Braille, elevators, etc. But just because your building doesn’t have to be accessible, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be. Even if it’s out of financial reach to build a ramp or install an elevator, you can make sure meeting space is available on the first floor or offer curbside pickup outside your business. Alex Watters, career development specialist at Morningside College and a member of the City Council in Sioux City, uses a wheelchair and told me that when he visited London, shop owners in some of the most historic districts would come running out with a temporary ramp he could use when they saw him coming. Imagine if all businesses had this kind of attitude about serving all potential patrons, regardless of ability.
No. 3 - Accommodations aren’t nearly as hard to provide as some think
The best way to ensure your business is inclusive is to have employees from different backgrounds – including folks with disabilities – who can make sure you’re providing products and services they would use themselves. One of the most common reasons businesses cite for not hiring more people with disabilities is that they believe accommodations would be too expensive. Statistics show most accommodations are free and those with a cost are usually less than $500. That cost can often be completely covered through government and nonprofit organizations.
No. 4 - If your marketing and hiring practices aren’t accessible, there are entire groups of people you aren’t reaching
Videos, websites and the way contact information is provided are some of the common ways businesses are inaccessible without even knowing it. If your marketing videos don’t include captions or a transcript, how can someone with a hearing disability know what’s being said? Check out this resource on seven tips for digital accessibility. Advocates recommend being sure to list both a phone number and email for contact information as some folks with visual, hearing and speech disabilities may have a preferred method to accommodate their disability. Additionally, in job descriptions, be sure to look closely at requirements and update statements that are unintentionally limiting. For example, instead of saying applicants need a valid drivers license, you may actually mean applicants need reliable transportation, which could mean public transportation or other means for folks with disabilities.
No. 5 - If you can do it for some, why not do it for all?
Most business leaders will say that they would do anything for their employees or their customers, yet intentionally or not, this doesn’t always include people with disabilities. For example, prior to the pandemic, many businesses said it was not possible to allow employees to work remotely full time, which is often desired by people with disabilities whose homes are already set up with accommodations they need. But when coronavirus posed a threat to all employees, many businesses made arrangements for remote status. If you believe in going great lengths to serve employees and customers, make sure you identify gaps where you may not be doing it for all.
These are just some of the tips I’ve heard from folks with disabilities I’ve talked to, but I don’t personally live with a disability and haven’t experienced these barriers firsthand. If you want to know how your business can be more accessible, be sure to talk to your employees or clients with disabilities or reach out to an advocacy organization.
Published August 2020
July 26 marked 30 years since the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. Former Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin authored the bill with the intent to give people with disabilities equal opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency.
Many segments of society have become more inclusive, but as advocates point out, there is still much more work that’s needed. And businesses play a key role in that. Here are five tips business leaders should know about disability inclusion.
No. 1 - Language and attitude matters
The language we use about people with disabilities shows a lot about our attitudes and understanding of the community. For example, many prefer to be called a person with a disability rather than a disabled person. This is called people-first language and implies that a person has a disability among many other characteristics that make up who they are. They are not defined by their disability. Similarly, it’s more inclusive to say that someone has a disability rather than suffers from a disability, which often has a negative connotation implying that there is something wrong with someone and they can’t lead a fulfilling life (both of which are wrong). There are many language preferences for particular disabilities. The National Center on Disability and Journalism has a guide I often refer to for my own work and while it’s specifically for news writing, the recommended language guidelines are helpful for all. Using and understanding the meaning behind inclusive language leads to more accurate perceptions of people with disabilities as community members who are fully capable of engaging with or being employed by your business.
No. 2 - Just because your building doesn’t have to be fully accessible, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be
While the ADA requires new construction and redevelopments at a certain level to include accessibility measures, many older structures were not required to include things like ramps, Braille, elevators, etc. But just because your building doesn’t have to be accessible, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be. Even if it’s out of financial reach to build a ramp or install an elevator, you can make sure meeting space is available on the first floor or offer curbside pickup outside your business. Alex Watters, career development specialist at Morningside College and a member of the City Council in Sioux City, uses a wheelchair and told me that when he visited London, shop owners in some of the most historic districts would come running out with a temporary ramp he could use when they saw him coming. Imagine if all businesses had this kind of attitude about serving all potential patrons, regardless of ability.
No. 3 - Accommodations aren’t nearly as hard to provide as some think
The best way to ensure your business is inclusive is to have employees from different backgrounds – including folks with disabilities – who can make sure you’re providing products and services they would use themselves. One of the most common reasons businesses cite for not hiring more people with disabilities is that they believe accommodations would be too expensive. Statistics show most accommodations are free and those with a cost are usually less than $500. That cost can often be completely covered through government and nonprofit organizations.
No. 4 - If your marketing and hiring practices aren’t accessible, there are entire groups of people you aren’t reaching
Videos, websites and the way contact information is provided are some of the common ways businesses are inaccessible without even knowing it. If your marketing videos don’t include captions or a transcript, how can someone with a hearing disability know what’s being said? Check out this resource on seven tips for digital accessibility. Advocates recommend being sure to list both a phone number and email for contact information as some folks with visual, hearing and speech disabilities may have a preferred method to accommodate their disability. Additionally, in job descriptions, be sure to look closely at requirements and update statements that are unintentionally limiting. For example, instead of saying applicants need a valid drivers license, you may actually mean applicants need reliable transportation, which could mean public transportation or other means for folks with disabilities.
No. 5 - If you can do it for some, why not do it for all?
Most business leaders will say that they would do anything for their employees or their customers, yet intentionally or not, this doesn’t always include people with disabilities. For example, prior to the pandemic, many businesses said it was not possible to allow employees to work remotely full time, which is often desired by people with disabilities whose homes are already set up with accommodations they need. But when coronavirus posed a threat to all employees, many businesses made arrangements for remote status. If you believe in going great lengths to serve employees and customers, make sure you identify gaps where you may not be doing it for all.
These are just some of the tips I’ve heard from folks with disabilities I’ve talked to, but I don’t personally live with a disability and haven’t experienced these barriers firsthand. If you want to know how your business can be more accessible, be sure to talk to your employees or clients with disabilities or reach out to an advocacy organization.
Trends Between the River Bends
Published July 2020
Many have taken up new hobbies during the pandemic. I’m not much of a bread maker myself and my involvement with sewing could end up leading to bandages or worse. I’ve decided instead to reinvigorate a hobby I’ve always loved and have made a major part of my career: reading.
I just finished Simon Sinek’s “Leaders Eat Last.” Sinek also wrote the popular book “Start With Why,” which is another good read. The title “Leaders Eat Last” comes from a tradition of the United States Marine Corps where junior Marines always get to have food before senior Marines during mealtime. Why? Because leaders take care of others first. The entire book shares examples of how we can step up to do this.
One line stopped me in its tracks with its relevance to today. “The more abstract people become, the more capable we are of doing them harm,” Sinek wrote.
Sinek was describing business leaders making tough decisions based more on number crunching than the actual people affected. Of course, data is important. But data will not tell you how your decision will affect the culture your employees or customers experience – only they can do that.
But what really makes his words so relevant today is the uncertainty all of us are facing due to the coronavirus. For those who have not fallen ill and don’t know someone who has, how easy is it to see the abstractness of the numbers of those infected rather than the humans who are behind the statistics? For those of us still lucky enough to have our jobs, how easy is it for us to see the record-high unemployment levels and not feel the emotional toll?
The same can be said for thinking of others as just that – others. Whether it be a different political party, income-level, race, gender identity or more, it’s much easier to look at issues from an abstract lens than to think about any challenge as a human issue.
When we are in need, we can’t control whether people will help us out. But we can control whether we choose to help others in their time of need. And we can control whether we choose to just see abstract numbers related to any plethora of issues or whether we do what we can to support those affected.
I’d love for you to share with me ways you’ve seen others making “people-first” decisions in downtown Des Moines. Let’s all do our part to lift each other up.
Emily Barske is the associate editor at the Des Moines Business Record and serves on the Downtown Chamber’s marketing committee. To share personal stories about you or your organization as fodder for this column, reach her at [email protected] or 515-661-6085.
Trends Between the River Bends
Published July 2020
Many have taken up new hobbies during the pandemic. I’m not much of a bread maker myself and my involvement with sewing could end up leading to bandages or worse. I’ve decided instead to reinvigorate a hobby I’ve always loved and have made a major part of my career: reading.
I just finished Simon Sinek’s “Leaders Eat Last.” Sinek also wrote the popular book “Start With Why,” which is another good read. The title “Leaders Eat Last” comes from a tradition of the United States Marine Corps where junior Marines always get to have food before senior Marines during mealtime. Why? Because leaders take care of others first. The entire book shares examples of how we can step up to do this.
One line stopped me in its tracks with its relevance to today. “The more abstract people become, the more capable we are of doing them harm,” Sinek wrote.
Sinek was describing business leaders making tough decisions based more on number crunching than the actual people affected. Of course, data is important. But data will not tell you how your decision will affect the culture your employees or customers experience – only they can do that.
But what really makes his words so relevant today is the uncertainty all of us are facing due to the coronavirus. For those who have not fallen ill and don’t know someone who has, how easy is it to see the abstractness of the numbers of those infected rather than the humans who are behind the statistics? For those of us still lucky enough to have our jobs, how easy is it for us to see the record-high unemployment levels and not feel the emotional toll?
The same can be said for thinking of others as just that – others. Whether it be a different political party, income-level, race, gender identity or more, it’s much easier to look at issues from an abstract lens than to think about any challenge as a human issue.
When we are in need, we can’t control whether people will help us out. But we can control whether we choose to help others in their time of need. And we can control whether we choose to just see abstract numbers related to any plethora of issues or whether we do what we can to support those affected.
I’d love for you to share with me ways you’ve seen others making “people-first” decisions in downtown Des Moines. Let’s all do our part to lift each other up.
Emily Barske is the associate editor at the Des Moines Business Record and serves on the Downtown Chamber’s marketing committee. To share personal stories about you or your organization as fodder for this column, reach her at [email protected] or 515-661-6085.
