For the first time in 35 years, the U.S. Academic Decathlon National Finals will be in Des Moines. The competition will run from May 1-3 at the Iowa Events Center. Catch Des Moines has announced that the event will involve nearly 700 of the country’s top high school scholars and will generate about $894,000 in direct economic…

Alex Coggeshell has been hired as library director by the city of Pleasant Hill. Coggeshell replaces John Lerdal, who retired earlier this year after serving 34 years as the community’s library director. Coggeshell most recently was library director for the Ripon Public Library in Ripon, Wis., where she directed library operations and supervised a staff…

Bankers Trust has hired Brett Hartema as its next chief financial officer, succeeding Kip Albertson, who is retiring from the role on Wednesday. Albertson was honored as the Business Record’s 2025 Deloitte CFO of the Year earlier this year. Hartema has spent the last 24 years at RSM US, LLP, where he most recently served as a partner. He…

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and Genvax Technologies, an animal vaccine startup located in Ames, are investing $278,163 into a Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research grant to develop an avian influenza vaccine for dairy cows. The avian influenza type A, or H5N1, virus has spread to dairy cows for the first time, and…

YWRC and Iowa’s Biggest Book Sale announced a new partnership to revive a 60-year community book sale fundraiser. Planned Parenthood used to run the book sale before it was taken over by Altoona’s Caring Hands Outreach in December 2023. IBBS eventually became its own nonprofit in May 2024. The sale will return this fall at…

Drake University has opened its new Johansen Student Center, the former Morehouse residence hall, that will be a gathering space for more than 150 student-led organizations. The $16.2 million renovation of the building was fully funded by donations to the university’s the Ones campaign, and part of Greg and Cie Johansen’s $28 million gift to Drake, the…