For innovators, answering the question “How did you get there?” entails much more than a step-by-step timeline. It might mean, “How did you find success and support along the way? How did you navigate challenges or failure? Why do you choose to do this work?”

At our annual innovationIOWA event, we will explore these questions and more in conversations with entrepreneurial Iowans tackling unanswered problems and creating an ecosystem where innovation is possible. 

Speakers will include:

• Billie Asmus, founder and CEO, Repaint Studios
• Katherine Cota, director, Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship at Buena Vista University
• Igor Dobrosavljević, founder, Grand Consulting
• Cody Fuller, founder, Fuller Radiance LLC; business student, Buena Vista University
• Erika Macias, president and publisher, Hola America Media Group and JEFAS Magazine
• Jose Venales, director of credit and lending, Iowa Center for Economic Success

Ahead of the event, we asked our speakers to reflect on this question: What does innovation mean to you and what inspires you to work in this field?

Jose Venales, director of credit and lending, Iowa Center for Economic Success

For me, innovation has two essential parts. The first part is the entrepreneur’s idea. We see it in people like Billie Ausmus of Repaint Studios. She looked at the incredible waste from disposable paint trays and created a simple, eco-friendly, reusable one. That’s the kind of practical, common sense innovation that truly solves a problem.

But a great idea often needs a different kind of support to get off the ground. That is the second part of innovation: how we, as a community development financial institution, fund it. A traditional bank loan is not always built for a startup with a new physical product. Our loan fund at the Iowa Center is designed to be that innovative solution. We can be more flexible, focusing on the strength of the idea and the character of the founder.

What inspires me daily is the courage of the entrepreneurs we meet. They come to the Iowa Center with a powerful vision, but are often at a stage where our technical assistance is just as crucial as their access to capital. They aren’t quite ready for a traditional loan, and that is precisely where our mission begins.

Billie Asmus, founder and CEO, Repaint Studios

To me, innovation isn’t always about groundbreaking tech. It’s about using your imagination to improve what already exists. I’ve always been a dreamer and reverse engineer. Even when I was upcycling furniture, my goal was to take something apart, understand it and rebuild it better. That mindset led me to invent the Repaint Tray, by solving a simple, overlooked problem in a smarter way.

Innovation, to me, means imagining how things could be better, more accessible, more efficient, more thoughtful and refusing to accept “no” as the final answer. It’s about encouraging others to daydream too, to believe they can find a better way.

What inspires me is seeing the real impact of my product. Customers with disabilities or mobility issues who can now paint at their own pace, neurodivergent DIYers who feel empowered by easier cleanup and parents who can pause projects without waste. The Repaint Tray is more than just a paint tray — it’s the start of a movement toward accessible creativity.

And the best part is, I get to build a company where others are free to use their imagination and creativity. I get to provide jobs, inspire others and create solutions that truly paint that brighter future I’ve always imagined.

Katherine Cota, director, Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship at Buena Vista University

Some people think innovation has to be big like technology or manufacturing developments and they hear about entrepreneurs who make magazine covers and the news, but innovation can be smaller and where we might not expect it. Design, process, manufacturing, sales, delivery, communication and more are all areas where people have innovated and made businesses better. I’ve been fortunate to work with community entrepreneurs, faculty and students who were creative and innovative in small and large ways. Each has made the business better and served their customers better. I’ve done this work for 30 years because of the sense of accomplishment when an entrepreneur and I figure out a solution to a problem or challenge.

Igor Dobrosavljević, founder, Grand Consulting

For a long time, I only thought of innovation as technological progress. But recently, I realized you can innovate in so many areas of your life and business. From how you deliver your work to hiring, and even how you interact with your customers. All of these processes allow us to experiment and try something new.

One of our most successful endeavors has been our Help Desk apprenticeship program. We were the first in Iowa to offer an apprenticeship in IT and we hope to see more industries offer this type of training and paths toward a promising career. 

After completing our training program, our first apprentice joined our company full-time and has been working for Grand Consulting for almost nine years. Our apprentices inspire us every day with their growth and progress. I can’t imagine what our company would look like today without them.

Cody Fuller and Erika Macias will also be speakers.

---

Join us for the innovationIOWA event on July 10

Thursday, July 10 | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Des Moines Heritage Center

Register for the event at innovationia.com/events