BEST BUSINESS BOARD TO SIT ON

Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc.’s board of directors is made up of an active group of leaders who strive to operate ethically and with integrity as part of the company’s mission.

Principal’s directors are Betsy J. Bernard, past president of AT&T Corp., Jocelyn Carter-Miller, president of TechEdVentures, Gary E. Costley, managing director of C&G Capital Management LLC, Michael T. Dan, chairman, president and CEO of The Brink’s Co., David J. Drury, retired chairman of Principal, Daniel Gelatt, president of NMT Corp., J. Barry Griswell, chairman and CEO of Principal, Sandra L. Helton, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Telephone & Data Systems Inc., William T. Kerr, retired CEO of Meredith Corp., Richard L. Keyser, chairman and CEO of W.W. Grainger Inc., Arjun K. Mathrani, adjunct professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, St. John’s University, New York, and Cambridge University’s Judge Institute of Management, Elizabeth E. Tallett, principal at Hunter Partners LLC, Therese M. Vaughan professor of insurance and actuarial science at Drake University, and Larry D. Zimpleman, president and chief operating officer of Principal.

Runners-up: Meredith Corp., Wells Fargo & Co.

BEST BUSINESS TO SUPPORT LOCAL CHARITIES

Wells Fargo & Co.

Supporting local charities is ingrained in the corporate culture of Wells Fargo & Co.

Last year, Wells Fargo contributed more than $4 million to non-profit organizations in Iowa, and team members provided more than 36,000 hours of volunteer service to non-profit organizations across the state.

Wells Fargo team members have helped to build 81 Habitat for Humanity homes across the state since 2002. In Greater Des Moines, team members built 10 Habitat houses last year and are working on nine more this summer.

The company sent 160 team members into Iowa schools last year to teach kids about the importance of savings. And as part of its corporate sponsorship of the recent Special Olympics U.S.A. National Games in Ames, approximately 500 team members and their families and friends volunteered at the event.

Wells Fargo also offers a Volunteer Leave Award Program that provides a fully paid leave of up to four months for team members with strong personal commitment to a nonprofit organization or project.

“In terms of what volunteer projects our company and our team members are involved in, Wells Fargo takes a decentralized approach to community relations and corporate citizenship,” said Steven Carlson, a Wells Fargo spokesman. “That means the various business lines have different areas of focus in terms of charitable giving and volunteerism, and those decisions are often up to the discretion of the business line leadership.”

Runners-up: Principal Financial Group Inc., HyVee Inc.

BEST CEO

Doug Reichardt, Holmes Murphy & Associates Inc.

Listening to Doug Reichardt discuss his company’s future is a little like listening to a coach explain a winning strategy to his team. He’ll even draw it out on paper, even if it’s only for his own benefit during a phone interview with a reporter. “I’m very visual,” he explained.

The charismatic chief executive of Holmes Murphy and Associates Inc. has been chosen by Business Record readers as Best CEO.

“I’m humbled and flattered and mystified about how I got named that,” said Reichardt. “The more I think about it, it’s a basic and repetitive theory that you just surround yourself with better, smarter and faster people.”

Just as with a winning sports team, the son of a former Iowa Hawkeye quarterback focuses on recruiting young talent and then leading by example.

“Part of our culture is that we set personal, divisional and corporate goals to let people know that we’re focused on the future,” he said. “If you’re not growing, your competition will surpass you. You’ve got to stay focused. It ties in with the value propositions you bring. If you’re just thinking of one product and trying to push product, that’s not going to work. You’ve got to look at the big picture as our economy changes faster and faster.”

One of Holmes Murphy’s goals is to become “the dominant regional broker across Middle America,” Reichardt said. From satellite offices established in Sioux Falls, Kansas City, Dallas, St. Louis and other locations, “we’ve picked beachheads that are available to reach our customers within a geographic area,” he said.

The avid cyclist encourages all of his employees to exercise and to be active in a sport, because fitness translates into a lot of energy, he said.

“When you have competed both businesswise and athletically, you understand how both of those intertwine – being physically fit and being able to put energy back into the everyday efforts that you do.”

Runners-up: J. Barry Griswell, Principal Financial Group Inc.; Steve Chapman, International Travel Associates

BEST METRO BUSINESS LEADER

J. Barry Griswell, Principal Financial Group Inc.

J. Barry Griswell has served in leadership positions for more than half of his 30 year career in the financial services industry.

Griswell joined the Principal Financial Group Inc. in 1988 as an officer and agency vice president. He became senior vice president in 1991 and executive vice president in 1996. He was named president in 1998, became CEO in 2000 and chairman of the board in 2002. Prior to his association with Principal, he served as president and CEO of MetLife Marketing Corp., a brokerage and supplementary distribution-marketing subsidiary of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.

Griswell took the helm of Principal at a key time in the company’s history, just before it converted from mutual to stockholder ownership and had its initial public offering.

He has been inducted into the Iowa Business Hall of Fame, and is a recipient of the national Alexis de Tocqueville Society Award, a 2004 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and a 2004 recipient of the Central Iowa Philanthropic Award for Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser.

Griswell is active in various industry and community organizations, including his current service as chair-elect of the American Council of Life Insurers, a board member of The Business Roundtable and a member of the board of trustees of the S.S. Huebner Foundation for Insurance Education. He is a current trustee of Central College in Pella, Iowa and Berry College in Rome, Georgia. He is a director of the Business Committee for the Arts, trustee of United Way of America Board, and is a current chair of the United Way of America National Tocqueville Council. Griswell is a past president of the Federation of Iowa Insurers, past Chair of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, past chair of Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA) and past chair of Life Underwriters Trainers Council (LUTC). He received his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation, Chartered Financial Consultant (CHFC) designation and is a Fellow of LIMRA Leadership Institute (LLIF). Griswell is a 2003 Horatio Alger Association Distinguished American Award winner and the 2003 recipient of the Oscar C. Schmidt Iowa Business Leadership Award.

Runners-up: Mark Oman, Wells Fargo & Co.; Steve Zumbach, Belin Law Firm

BEST POLITICIAN ON BUSINESS ISSUES

Sen. Chuck Grassley

In his fifth term in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Chuck Grassley is among Congress’ elder statesmen, and wields considerable influence as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. He’s known as a champion for small businesses, and has a track record of advancing legislation that helps Iowa businesses remain competitive globally.

Grassley’s efforts were instrumental in the Senate’s recent passage of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, a law designed to assist millions of American workers in achieving a more secure retirement. Among the statute’s provisions are the creation of the DB(k), a hybrid of the traditional defined benefit plan and a 401(k) defined contribution plan that allows employers to offer the benefits of both in a single plan, as well as better definition of rules governing benefit plans.

Grassley led the way for passage of the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act, which extends an increase in the amount small businesses may expense until 2009 and lowers tax rates on dividends and capital gains until the end of 2010.

He also spearheaded the Class Action Fairness Act and the Comprehensive Bankruptcy Reform Bill that were signed into law in 2005. The Class Action Fairness Act was designed to bring more fairness to the rules governing class-action lawsuits, and help curb frivolous litigation. The bankruptcy bill will help ensure that people who have the means to pay their debts don’t get off scot-free.   On trade, Grassley led the push last year to get the Dominican Republic-Central America and the Bahrain free trade agreements through Congress. This year, he’s pushed the Oman Free Trade Agreement through Congress and hopes to see a pact with Peru enacted before the end of the year.

Among his efforts for Iowa, Grassley this year assisted two community development organization in securing $105 million in tax credits designed to spur private investment and new business activity in rural communities throughout the state.

Runners-up: Libby Jacobs, Scott Raecker

BEST UP-AND-COMING LEADER UNDER 40

David Stark, Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Iowa Lutheran Hospital

Don’t be surprised to see David Stark flipping pancakes at an employee breakfast or tossing out T-shirts during Iowa Cubs games. Being visible and accessible is all part of the job for Stark, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Iowa Methodist Medical Center and Iowa Lutheran Hospital.

“I have a very open leadership style,” said the 34-year-old executive, who began his career with Iowa Health – Des Moines 10 years ago. “I am out and about regularly with my staff. I feel very strongly if I don’t know what’s going on in the organization, I can’t be as effective in my job. Also, I want to create an environment that people feel supported in and encouraged by.”

A Fort Dodge native, Stark earned a management degree from Iowa State University and a master of healthcare administration degree from the University of Iowa before joining Iowa Health. He was named chief operating officer of Iowa Lutheran in 1999 and in 2002 assumed that duty for Iowa Methodist as well.

Dealing with all of the complexities of regulation within the health-care industry is one of his biggest challenges, he said. “We have so many different regulatory bodies that are looking at us; that can be onerous and tedious, but important as well,” he said.

Outside work, Stark serves on a number of community boards, in addition to teaching at Des Moines University and the University of Iowa.

He and his wife, Becky, recently served as chairs for the American Heart Association’s Heart Ball Gala, which was particularly meaningful to the couple as one of their daughters had open-heart surgery when she was 4 months old.

For Stark, who has four children under the age of 7, family is an integral part of his life.

“I think that’s also been a key driver to me and my success,” he said. “Hopefully that comes across very strongly to my staff. I value that very highly.”

Runners-up: Aaron Kennedy, Flynn/Wright; Ben Renzo, LWBJ

BEST CITY GOVERNMENT CONDUSIVE TO BUSINESS ISSUES

West Des Moines

Approving the plans for Jordan Creek Town Center was just one step in the commercial expansion that continues in West Des Moines. “When Jordan Creek was announced, we knew we’d get a lot of requests for commercial development around it,” said Clyde Evans, the city’s director of community development. “We didn’t want the same old thing; strip malls with outlot buildings and a lot of parking out front.” So West Des Moines established an 800-acre overlay district that’s now being filled in with projects such as the Galleria, Crossings at Jordan Creek and Ponderosa Village..

The tactic has helped to keep commercial development rolling. After logging $86.8 million in commercial construction in 2005, West Des Moines already has about $56 million worth of construction under way this year.

Evans estimated that about 200 acres remain undeveloped within the overlay district. Lowe’s Cos. Inc. is expected to build at the intersection of Jordan Creek Parkway and Mills Civic Parkway soon, and Kohl’s Corp. is considered a likely prospect for the area.

Runners-up: Ankeny; Urbandale.

BEST COMMUNITY BOARD TO SIT ON

United Way of Central Iowa

Many of Central Iowa’s top business leaders have served on the United Way of Central Iowa’s board of directors, which certainly helps with recruitment.

“United Way of Central Iowa is clearly committed to making a difference in the lives of Central Iowans, and this commitment attracts high-quality leaders,” said Tom Godlasky, chairman of the United Way board and the CEO at AmerUs Group Co.

Twenty-three people currently serve as regular board members. Eight others serve on the executive committee: Godlasky; Shannon Cofield, president of United Way of Central Iowa; Dave Schwartz, executive vice president at Truenorth Cos. LC; Cara Heiden, division president at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage; John Aschenbrenner, president of insurance and financial services at Principal Financial Group Inc.; Hallie Still-Caris, an attorney with Nyemaster, Goode, West, Hansell & O’Brien; Stephen Lacy, president and CEO at Meredith Corp.; and Christopher Welp, head of annuity services at ING Groep NV.

Runners-up: Greater Des Moines Community Foundation; Variety – The Children’s Charity.

BEST FEMALE BUSINESS LEADER

Martha Willits, Greater Des Moines Partnership

Martha Willits’ formula for success combines work that complements her interests and a willingness to take personal risks in a community that supports its leaders.

The Eagle Grove native has lived in Iowa her whole life. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Drake University, Willits taught elementary education and music in the Des Moines Independent Community School District before taking on leadership roles with the Polk County Board of Supervisors, United Way of Central Iowa and her current job as chief executive officer of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, where she has worked since 2004.

Willits said her education and music background has translated into her various leadership positions.

“I often joke that all I ever really wanted to do was be a band director,” Willits said. “Conducting is about bringing a group together to pull harmony out of the whole. A leader needs to have an attitude of ‘us,’ not ‘me,’ so those skills from conducting have played out in my work.”

After teaching for about four years early in her career, Willits cut back her work hours to part time so she could spend time with her two daughters and do volunteer work for local organizations and political campaigns. Her experience with politics opened her eyes to the problem with women being underrepresented in local leadership positions, which led her to run for a seat on the Board of Supervisors. In her 12 years on the board, she learned that Des Moines is a community that “allows many to flourish.”

“This is a great community to lead in,” she said. “My experience has been positive, and we’ve had some great research that shows that women can really succeed and move ahead in this community at the management level.”

A piece of advice she gives to up-and-coming leaders looking for balance in their lives is to choose a career that mirrors their personal interests. Her passion for community development has resonated with her different jobs.

“I love coming to work and doing what I do,” she said. “My job is a great extension of the things I would do on a volunteer basis.”

Runners-up: Mary O’Keefe, Principal Financial Group Inc.; Peg Armstrong Gustafson, Central Iowa Health System

BEST MINORITY BUSINESS LEADER

Pat Crawford, Wells Fargo Bank Iowa

Pat Crawford’s outgoing personality has served her well in situations others would have found intimidating, particularly relocations to new cities and career changes.

The youngest of seven children, Crawford grew up on her family’s dairy farm in South Carolina. Her parents were adamant that each of their children attend college.

“In the environment I grew up in, you always reached for things,” Crawford said. “You never really had limitations other than those you imposed on yourself.”

After high school, Crawford moved across the country to California, earning a bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Los Angeles and a master’s in urban and regional planning at the University of Southern California. After graduation, she moved again to Washington, D.C., where she taught at Howard University and worked as director in the environmental/energy department at the National Capital Planning Commission.

Both times, Crawford never had any apprehensions about putting herself in new situations. So when her husband, James, told her that his job would be taking them to Iowa – a state she didn’t know from Idaho – she kept an open mind. It didn’t take her long to see that Des Moines lacked the diversity she had experienced in the South and on the coasts, but that only increased her motivation to do what she had done before when she moved to a community: seek out volunteer opportunities.

Since moving to Des Moines 25 years ago, Crawford has worked as an urban planner for the state of Iowa, a manager for Meredith Corp.’s Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Service and Wells Fargo Bank Iowa, where she has been for the past 12 years. Marketing is the focus of her work now, and she oversees Wells Fargo’s African-American diversity growth segment. In addition to serving on several community boards, she is one year into a four-year term on the Iowa Transportation Commission.

“Everything that I’ve been involved with in Des Moines has really helped make me who I am,” Crawford said. “Being in leadership positions changes you as a person. I’ve brought some things to the table, but I have also learned new things and been influenced in the process.”

Runners-up: Max Cardenas, Diverse Innovative Software; Franklin Greene, Quality Ford

BEST NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

United Way of Central Iowa

United Way of Central Iowa depends on fundraising to help make the community better, and in recent years it has been a leader in that field. “This past year we were notified by United Way of America that we’re the fastest-growing campaign in the country since the year 2000,” said Shannon Cofield, president of the local United Way. “We’ve had a 36 percent increase.”

That surge translated into a $20.3 million campaign in 2005, compared with $18.5 million in 2004.

Part of the increase is due to greater participation at the top end of the donation scale. Membership in the Tocqueville Society, achieved by giving at least $10,000 to the United Way of Central Iowa in a given year, stood at 74 in 2002; now the list contains more than 190 donors.

Also, an effort to connect high-income women with early-childhood initiatives has paid off. “The Women’s Leadership Connection has fueled a lot of change,” Cofield said. “About 1,000 women participate at the $1,000 level and above, and 174 give $2,500 or more.”

Runners-Up: Variety – The Children’s Charity; Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.