The Rotary Club of Des Moines has awarded its annual $50,000 community service grant to Ellipsis, a nonprofit organization that provides youth and family support services. The grant will fund a kitchen and lounge area of a residential care facility for girls that will be the first of its kind in Iowa. “This year’s gift…

Casey’s General Stores saw an increase in inside store sales in the second quarter, which the company’s CEO attributed in part to selling more beer and alternative nicotine products with higher profit margins. “The biggest driver [in the increase in sales] is in mix,” Darren Rebelez, Casey’s chairman, president and CEO, said during the company’s…

Meals from the Heartland, a West Des Moines-based nonprofit organization providing meals for food-insecure populations, has announced its annual Gift of Hope Campaign. This campaign invites volunteers to donate $75, which provides enough to feed a child for a year, according to Meals from the Heartland. The goal of the campaign is to feed 500…

The operator of a web-based auction company has acquired much of Southridge Mall including many of the outlots surrounding the aged retail center, Polk County real estate records show. Native Real Estate LLC, managed by Travis Mansfield, acquired the 14 parcels, which include just over 80 acres, for $4 million from Macerich Southridge Mall LLC, records…

The new 86,000-square-foot Alliant Energy Agriculture Innovation Lab at the Iowa State University Research Park opened last week, creating a hub for “service-driven innovation,” said Matt Darr, the leader of the university’s Digital Agriculture Innovation Team, which calls the new building home. The building is located on University Boulevard on the southern edge of the…

Ames-based Story Construction has announced an agreement to buy the assets of L&L Builders Co., a general contractor based out of Sioux City. According to a news release announcing the acquisition, Story Construction will retain L&L Builders’ workforce and do business in the Sioux City region under the L&L Builders name. “L&L’s longstanding reputation and…