.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Who’s No. 1? Before the football season takes over that question, let’s use it to honor the best leaders and companies of Central Iowa. As always, we asked Des Moines Business Record readers to tell us who’s doing the most and the best to keep our economy clicking. This week we bring you the winners in the first half of our 71 categories, and next week we’ll finish up.

Leadership

These strong, confident leaders play key roles in getting things done.

Building Iowa

From the deals to the designs to the details, here are the star players.

Business basics

Whether you need employees or supplies, these people have the answers.

Technology

Experts in computers and telecommunications are essential resources.

Best Metro Business Leader

J. Barry Griswell,
Principal Financial Group Inc.

J. Barry Griswell is the leading force behind The Principal Riverwalk, which is loaded with amenities, including a lighted 1.2-mile trail, an ice skating rink and gardens. But for Griswell, giving back really means something more personal.

“I honestly don’t know how I feel about abortion, but I would never stop giving to United Way for supporting Planned Parenthood,” said Griswell, a chair of the United Way of America National Tocqueville Council. “Personally, I’m glad Planned Parenthood is there to give women all the alternatives.”

When a Muslim employee was having a hard time raising money for a faith-based school, Griswell donated personal funds.

“And if some fundamentalists call me a milquetoast Christian, I’m not going to lose sleep,” he said and smiled impishly – well, about as impishly as a 6-foot-9 man can.

Griswell credits the Boys and Girls Clubs for helping transform him from a teenager who landed in juvenile hall “and real jail once” into a scholarship student who eventually earned an M.B.A. His mother was dismayed when he chose insurance as a career. But he recalled how, after his father committed suicide while Griswell was in graduate school, Griswell assumed all of his father’s debts. His father had no life insurance policy. The experience taught Griswell the importance of a safety net for families.

Children’s issues remain his primary charitable passion. Griswell recently visited the Fort Thompson (South Dakota) Crow Creek Sioux tribe. The descendents of warriors now live on a reservation so impoverished, it reminded Griswell of his own Georgia upbringing.

“This is their playground,” Griswell said, showing a visitor a photograph of three plastic tubes in a yard. “It’s painful to see what our country has done to these people.”

Griswell is raising money for a playground and has launched a clothing drive for the reservation’s children. Naturally, he’s also helping establish a Boys and Girls Club there.

Runners-up: Jim Cownie (JSC Properties Inc.); Steve Chapman (ITA Group)

Best city government for conducting business
West Des Moines

West Des Moines has been perched atop this category for several years now, and its mayor, Steve Gaer, said that isn’t a coincidence.

“No other city has done as much as we have to invite business into our community,” he said. “We’ve worked really hard at that.”

Gaer said West Des Moines works to be a partner with people willing to make investments in the community, with the city spending enormous amounts of money and effort on infrastructure improvements to make the city more appealing.

“We also always try to make sure elected officials and staff are accessible when a potential business partner requests our time,” he said. “We try our best to run this government like a private business.”

Gaer points to projects like Ladco Development Inc.’s Village of Ponderosa and Regency Homes’ Michael’s Landing, as well as the continued retail development near Jordan Creek Town Center, as examples of what can happen when a city is serious about bringing businesses into the community.

“We are very proud of what we’ve accomplished and pleased that we are being recognized again for our willingness to work alongside the business community,” he said.

Clyde Evans, West Des Moines’ director of community and economic development, said the city has tried its best to stay ahead of the curve in infrastructure enhancements, not simply waiting until a developer or business approaches the city.

“For a number of years, we’ve done a lot of planning about where infrastructure will be needed,” he said. “That has certainly helped a lot.”

Evans also said customer service, whether that be for residents, the business community or businesses looking to come to West Des Moines, is a priority.

Runners-up: Des Moines; Clive

Best CEO

J. Barry Griswell,
Principal Financial Group Inc.

When J. Barry Griswell announced that Principal Financial Group Inc. was tripling its work force in India last November, many of his company’s U.S. employees were obsessed with one fear: outsourcing. Griswell was happy to deny that rumor again during a recent interview.

“We will never outsource work that involves customer interfacing while I am CEO,” Griswell said. “If you can get workers in India for half the price of an American worker, some of that work is going overseas. And there is a projected labor shortage here in Iowa for some of the technology work we need done. But we are not going to lay anyone in the United States off, not during my tenure.”

Griswell has bigger fish to fry in India than call centers anyway. As soon as the Indian government changes its regulations slightly, Principal will begin selling retirement plans to workers there. He also sees Brazil, China and Mexico as exciting growth markets.

China and Mexico are also nations plagued with political corruption and abuse of workers. Griswell said the key to navigating such turbulent waters was having a partner bank in each country with a trustworthy and impeccable reputation.

Griswell has visited India several times, and his enthusiasm for globalization does not blind him to the country’s poverty.

“Poverty in India is unbelievable, astonishing,” he said. “The caste system still exists.”

But this is a man who, through education, grit and some guidance from the United Way-supported Boys and Girls Clubs was able to overcome an impoverished, hardscrabble childhood. Griswell prefers action to astonishment. He is helping establish United Way chapters in India.

Runners-up: Andy Flynn (Flynn Wright Inc.); Steve Chapman (ITA Group Inc.)

Best minority business leader

Suku Radia
Meredith Corp. Chief Financial Officer

Suku Radia had every intention of returning to his native Uganda after he graduated from Iowa State University.

That is where his family had lived for four generations. Radia’s great-grandparents moved to the East African British protectorate in the 1890s to construct a railroad. They stayed behind when the railroad was completed and had amassed a fortune in several businesses by the time Radia was born in 1951.

But his plans to return home changed in the fall of 1972 when dictator Idi Amin evicted all Indians from Uganda.

“I became a man without a country,” he said.

His family eventually ended up in the United Kingdom. Radia remained in Iowa, and after a few years married Mary, the woman he has been with for 33 years. Despite the early hardships, he considers himself the “luckiest man alive.”

“My wife has been willing to put up with me for 33 years; we have three wonderful children,” he said. “I just have a great life. What else could you ask for?”

But the price of his success, Radia said, is a desire to give back all he can to the community he now calls home.

“If you live someplace, you have an obligation to pay your civic rent,” he said. “That’s what I’m trying to do.”

For Radia, paying his civic rent means involvement in organizations like United Way of Central Iowa, the Des Moines Art Center, Boy Scouts of America, the Des Moines Symphony and many more.

“The only thing I’m deprived of is sleep,” he said. “And four and a half hours is enough for me.”

Despite his many accomplishments and civic involvements, Radia remains humble.

“You shouldn’t waste ink on me,” he said. “When you come to your senses, give me a call and I’ll give you the names of 500 more deserving people to be recognized by the Business Record.”

Runners-up: Malcolm Goodwin, CEO, Promise It Solutions Inc.; Nan Boland, president, HireQuality Solutions

Best nonprofit organization

United Way of Central Iowa

Shannon Cofield, president of United Way of Central Iowa, said her organization represents so much of what this community is all about – generosity, philanthropy and caring.

“United Way touches so many lives and organizations,” she said.

As the organization continues to grow, raising $22.6 million last year, it has begun to expand its mission.

“For the first time, United Way has begun lobbying the Legislature for appropriations for important causes,” she said. “That is a huge step, to move into advocacy and policy. We will become an even bigger voice in health and human services.”

Cofield said there is growing disparity in the community, especially in income gap. Instead of all of United Way’s efforts focusing on helping those people who come to social service organizations, a portion of its time and money will go to try to improve societal conditions before they reach a critical point.

As an example, she points to efforts to improve childhood literacy.

“Kids reading on grade by the fourth grade are more likely to graduate and succeed,” she said. “If you fall behind, you’re more likely to stay behind. We can’t social service our way out of this problem. We have to root out the causes and create preventive strategies.”

Cofield said this isn’t United Way’s agenda; it’s the community’s.

“We’ve had the fastest-growing campaign of any community our size in the country,” she said. “There has been a 40 percent increase in the last five years. That shows an enormous amount of trust and confidence in our mission from the members of this community.”

Runners-up: YMCA of Greater Des Moines; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa

Best Up-And-Coming Business Leader Under 40

Aaron Kennedy, Flynn Wright Inc.

Aaron Kennedy is one of those rare individuals who knew exactly what they wanted to do at the age of 12. Growing up in Omaha, he and his seven siblings worked in his father’s animation studio and had the opportunity to interact with people from advertising agencies. “I just thought what they did was so interesting,” Kennedy said.

Later, he went to Rockhurst University in Kansas City to study marketing with a minor in philosophy. After graduation, he moved to Des Moines to become an account manager for Flynn Wright Inc., where he intended to be for two years before moving to the advertising mecca, New York City. Instead, he has worked his way up to executive vice president of Flynn Wright over 13 years.

“I think [Des Moines] is the most incredible city,” Kennedy said. “Everything is so accessible in terms of the lifestyle and the people and the opportunities. It’s a tremendously creative city.”

In Kennedy’s current role, he is in charge of Flynn Wright’s biggest accounts, including Mediacom Communications Corp. and Josephs Jewelers. However, his biggest role, he said, is helping develop strategies for new, existing and potential clients with account directors.

Kennedy has seen Flynn Wright grow from 10 to 50 people. In addition to his father, his greatest mentor has been Peter Flynn Sr., who started the company. “He taught me almost everything I know about the agency business,” he said.

Outside work, Kennedy is involved with the Rotary Club of Des Moines, A.M., and serves on the board of the Business Education Alliance. He served on the board of Home Inc., where he helped recreate the organization’s Web site and communication tools, until two years ago. Kennedy also is past president of Advertising Professionals of Des Moines.

His main focus these days is spending time with his wife, Karen, and four children. He is in his fourth year of coaching his oldest two daughters’ soccer team and has agreed to be the coach until they reach high school. If he ever decides to leave Flynn Wright, it will be to open a restaurant, where he can cook full time.

“Every year of my life has gotten better and at some point that streak has to end, but it’s remarkable,” Kennedy said.

Runners-up: David Stark, Iowa Methodist Medical Center and Iowa Lutheran Hospital; Mike Lang, Alliance Technologies Inc.

Best Politician

Sen. Charles Grassley

Serving in his fifth term in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Charles Grassley is among Congress’ elder statesmen and wields considerable influence as the ranking Republican member on the Senate Finance Committee. He has backed a number of measures important to Iowa businesses and their workers.

Grassley’s leadership in furthering alternative energy legislation has enabled Iowa to lead the nation in production of ethanol and biodiesel, with 28 ethanol refineries and 12 biodiesel plants. The industry generates an estimated $8.2 billion annually, or nearly 7 percent of the state’s gross domestic product. Federal policies authored by Grassley have also helped Iowa to become third in the nation in wind energy development.

He fought to defeat the fiscal 2008 budget bill, which would have increased taxes on businesses and individuals by billions of dollars beginning in 2010. Grassley supported passage of the America Competes Act, which will increase federal investment in basic science education and research to improve the United States’ competitiveness in the global economy.

A former union member, Grassley fought legislation that would have taken away the right to cast secret ballots in union representation elections to ensure that workers could not be intimidated by either management or the union in making their choices.

In trade, Grassley led the push last year to get the Oman Free Trade Agreement through Congress, and is working to get bilateral trade agreements with Peru, Colombia, Panama and South Korea enacted. Additionally, he led the effort last year to enact permanent normal trade relations with Vietnam, while at the same time led an effort to increase the transparency for moving tariff bills through the legislative process.

Grassley is also pressing for extension of expiring tax relief provisions, including the research and development credit, 15-year depreciation for leasehold improvements and new depreciation periods for restaurants and owner-made business improvements.

Runners-up: Councilwoman Christine Hensley; Gov. Chet Culver

Best Business to Support local charity

Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. offers multiple paths for employees wanting to give back to the community. For a half century, the company has hosted annual United Way campaigns. Principal matches every dollar employees give to the United Way.

The Principal Financial Group Foundation Inc. is a charitable grants program created in 1987 to support nonprofit organizations that address health and human services, education, arts, recreation and tourism. The grant program focuses on locations where Principal has a large work force, including Des Moines, Cedar Falls, Mason City and Ottumwa.

Employees can contribute through the Dollars for Denim program. On certain dates, employees can pay a dollar to wear jeans to work. The dollars then go to charity. Employees also get eight hours of paid leave to do volunteer work.

Perhaps the company’s most famous contribution to the community is the Principal Riverwalk, a $55 million project being built on the downtown Des Moines riverfront. The Riverwalk includes an outdoor ice skating rink, which has been opened to the public.

The company along with its foundation contributed $2.5 million to renovate Principal Park, home stadium of the Iowa Cubs.

Runners-up: Wells Fargo & Co.; Flynn Wright Inc.

Best residential real estate company

Iowa Realty

It has been a rough year for the U.S. housing market, but “in Des Moines, our market is healthy,” said Iowa Realty President Mike Knapp. “Our (Central Iowa) inventory level right now is about 6,600 units; it peaked in about September of 2006 at about 7,000, came off that level and has stayed pretty stable at 6,400 to 6,600.”

Knapp said his market-dominating company is en route to a good year but probably won’t match its 2006 level in home sales. Houses are selling very close to their asking prices, he said, which is “indicative of sellers who understand the market and are pricing property appropriately.”

In the higher-end market, Iowa Realty’s connection with Christie’s Great Estates now involves 135 agents in a “luxury marketing group,” Knapp said.

The company also represents seven downtown housing projects that are part of a monthly tour co-sponsored by the Downtown Community Alliance. Iowa Realty Marketing Director Brennan Buckley said, “The public’s appetite to see those projects seems to be holding strong.”

RUNNERS-UP: RE/MAX; Coldwell Banker Mid-America Group Realtors

Best commercial lender

Wells Fargo Bank

Wells Fargo Bank’s strength as a commercial lender is evident from the company’s financial performance. In July the company posted its 11th consecutive quarter of double-digit, year-over-year growth for average commercial and commercial real estate loans, up $13.3 billion, or 12 percent, from a year ago.

“At Wells Fargo, commercial banking is relationship banking,” said Tim Billerbeck, regional vice president of commercial banking for Wells Fargo in Iowa. “Our team of five relationship managers brings more than 90 years of in-market financial services experience to companies in Des Moines. We understand our customers, their businesses, their industries and the local market.”

Providing credit, treasury management, investment management, online services and other customized financial solutions, Wells Fargo Commercial Banking has more than 80 offices in 30 states serving clients nationwide, including its Regional Commercial Banking Office at 666 Walnut St. in Des Moines.

Wells Fargo’s Commercial Banking Group is the No. 1 financial services provider to middle-market businesses ($25 million-$500 million in annual revenue) in the United States. More than half of all businesses in the state of Iowa conduct business with Wells Fargo, according to a leading independent research firm.

RUNNERS-UP: Bankers Trust Co.; First American Bank

Best mechanical contractor

Baker Group

With more than 300 employees, multimillion-dollar revenues and marquee projects throughout Iowa, the Baker Group is one of the Midwest’s largest full-service mechanical contractors. Its professionals are experts at designing, installing and servicing mechanical, HVAC, plumbing, piping, sheet metal, building automation, security and fire alarm systems. The company’s slogan, “Expect the Best,” is also its culture and way of doing business.

“Our business is built on the expectation that we will provide the best value for our clients, the best craftsmanship on the work that we do, and the best environment for our employees,” said B.J. Baker III, president of the Baker Group.

Baker’s father, Bernie Baker, started the company as a plumbing contracting business on Des Moines’ East Side in 1963 with “a pickup truck, some tools of the trade, a small savings account and a desire to do good work.” B.J. Baker joined the company in 1980, and took over the operation by the late 1980s. The company has since added temperature controls, sheet metal and a service division.

RUNNERS-UP: The Waldinger Corp., A.J. Allen Mechanical Contractors Inc.

Best Architectural Firm

RDG Planning & Design

RDG Planning & Design has added about 25 people to its Des Moines staff this year and is working on major projects from the University of Iowa to the University of Limerick in Ireland.

“We’ve been very fortunate,” said principal Al Oberlander. “We have some great clients, and great references have led to very positive experiences.”

Current projects include a $69 million recreation and aquatics facility at the University of Iowa, scheduled for bidding in October, and an outdoor sports complex in Ireland.

RDG also is planning a remodeling project for Jack Trice Stadium at Iowa State University and sports-related projects at the University of Florida, Louisiana State University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

In May, RDG received awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects for its work on two important Central Iowa projects: the development of Gray’s Lake as a public area and the aesthetic portion of the Interstate 235 reconstruction.

The company also received an ASLA award last spring for its involvement with the Green Streets for Omaha plan.

RUNNERS-UP: SVPA Architects Inc.; BSB Design

Best Commercial Real Estate Company

Iowa Realty Commercial

Five years after Mike Knapp and Kevin Crowley created the latest incarnation of Iowa Realty Commercial, the company has 20 agents and is preparing to add five more.

The Iowa Realty Commercial name changed hands a couple of times a decade ago, disappeared, then was resurrected when Knapp bought Crowley Commercial Real Estate. Now the company manages more than 1.2 million square feet of retail, office and industrial space in addition to handling various types of real estate sales.

“We’re kind of unique,” said Crowley, the company’s chief operating officer. “We’re truly independent with no ties to any specific developer. We can give objective representation on both the landowner and tenant sides.”

Major recent deals include the sale of several Walgreens drugstores across the United States and the expansion of a Procter and Gamble Co. distribution center in West Branch. Also, Crowley said, “We’ve been active in the multifamily housing market and have sold a number of projects. We have found that to be a real strong market.”

Crowley noted that “underwriting for commercial loans has gotten a little bit tighter,” but added: “A lot of traditional lenders were put to the sidelines while Wall Street money was chasing real estate. Now we’re seeing lot of those traditional lenders getting back in the game.”

RUNNERS-UP: CB Richard Ellis/Hubbell Commercial; R&R Realty Group.

Best Developer

Ladco Development Inc. As a runner, Jon Garnaas compares the growth of his company, Ladco Development Inc., to running a marathon. “When I run a marathon, I’m not running against another competitor. I’m only trying to improve my own performance,” he said. “We’re not comparing ourselves to any of our so-called competitors in town. We run our projects against our own standards and measurements.”

But it’s hard not to notice Ladco’s projects, which include the 13-story Davis Brown Tower in downtown Des Moines, the 97-acre Village of Ponderosa in West Des Moines and the Mercy Ankeny Medical Clinic. Ladco also hopes to break ground on a six-building wellness campus in Clive this fall.

Yet the developer’s core business is still professional and medical offices, with most of its projects taking place in Central Iowa. Now, Garnaas said, the company is working on expanding its development division to Kansas City, accompanying its construction business, Taylor Kelly Construction Co.

Ladco also has the ability to manage an entire project with the addition of three divisions – Ladco Capital Management, Ball Construction Services LLC and Ladco Asset Management – all under the new company name LB Group LLC.

Since Garnaas started Ladco in 1998, the company has grown to 150 employees, been involved in 45 development projects totaling 2.6 million square feet, and expanded into hospitality and technology ventures. Garnaas’ main goal is to continue to build upon this success.

“I think we’ve never really looked for any profile,” Garnaas said. “Our primary interest is with our clients and our tenants.”

RUNNERS-UP: Hubbell Realty Co.; R&R Realty Group

Best General Contractor

The Weitz Co.

Weitz Iowa has constructed many of Greater Des Moines’ signature buildings, including the Wells Fargo Home Mortgage campus, the new downtown library and the Iowa Events Center. In its 11th year as best general contractor in the annual Business Record Best of Des Moines survey, Weitz doesn’t see these types of projects slowing down anytime soon.

It is currently building the new Polk County Jail and a couple of student housing projects for Drake University. It also was awarded the contract for Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s headquarters and is vying for Aviva USA’s headquarters and Iowa Health – Des Moines’ West Des Moines hospital.

“I think this year the market is a little bit softer than it has been in the last couple of years, but … if those [projects] become reality, this is going to be an extremely busy market.” said Mike Tousley, president of the local division, which is one of 14 units that make up The Weitz Co.

Tousley attributes Weitz Iowa’s success to its customer service, which has helped the company develop strong relationships with clients. However, he added, “Our biggest challenge is not becoming complacent. Instead, we focus on being innovative and continually looking for better ways to provide for those customers who put trust in what we do.”

The company is looking at lean construction methods to help reduce the waste it uses and is working on a modeling program that takes two-dimensional blueprints and generates a three-dimensional model for clients. Both are in development stages but could be used on projects in the near future.

Engineering News-Record ranked The Weitz Co. as the 21st largest domestic building contractor in the United States in 2006, with revenues of $1.387 billion, and 40th in terms of new contracts, with $1.578 billion booked for 2006. Weitz Iowa had $214 million in revenues in 2006. The division has 90 salaried employees and 150 hourly tradesmen.

RUNNERS-UP: Ball Construction Services LLC; Neumann Bros. Inc.

Best Real Estate Management Company

Hubbell Realty Co.

With 3 million square feet of commercial space already under its management, Hubbell Realty Co. intends to add another 2 million during the next five years. “We’re going to broaden our horizons to include more multifamily residential properties,” said Krista Capp, vice president of property management. “We currently have two of those.”

Those two are Hubbell Realty rehab projects downtown: The Hubbell Building and the upper floors of the Spaghetti Works building. Both were transformed into apartments and quickly filled to capacity.

Square footage in the West Des Moines-based company’s management portfolio has held steady in recent years, with acquisitions balancing sales, according to Capp. However, she said, “Through the next couple of years there will be a major upturn.”

The company owns most of the space it manages, but Capp said its expansion will include property owned by third parties as well as more Hubbell-owned buildings. Along with the emphasis on multifamily residential, she said Hubbell will look at retail and office facilities.

RUNNERS-UP: R&R Realty/Management Professionals Inc.; Terrus Real Estate Group

Best Electrical Contractor

Baker Electric Inc.

Even though the housing market has been in a slump this year, John Irving, director of business development for Baker Electric Inc., said his company’s diverse skills has allowed it to maintain employment levels at more than 300 and even look at expanding the business.

This perennial Best of Des Moines winner has been involved in many downtown housing projects, including Whiteline Lofts, Brownstones on Grand and East Village Square, as well as major residential projects in the suburbs. But Baker is probably best known for its involvement in most of Greater Des Moines’ major commercial projects, including the new Polk County Jail and Allied Insurance expansion downtown. It recently received the contract for electrical work on Homemakers Furniture Store expansion in Urbandale.

In addition to residential and commercial projects, the more than 60-year-old company has expanded its traffic and underground division, working on traffic control systems, streetscapes, security systems and more. Its largest project has been the Interstate 235 reconstruction.

Irving attributes the company’s success to “long-term relationships in Central Iowa and trying to focus on quality and customer service.” Baker has the largest electrical service department in Central Iowa, with more than 30 service vehicles and staff on call 24/7.

“We just want to keep building on what the company has done for the past 60 years,” Irving said, “to continue to grow through customer satisfaction.”

RUNNERS-UP: Wolin Electric L.C.; T3 Technologies Inc.

Best Home Builder

Regency Homes

From Michael’s Landing, a planned community west of Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines, to the 700-acre Deer Creek development set for a location east of Ankeny, Regency Homes is behind a lot of construction activity in Central Iowa.

“We’re doing preselling now at Michael’s Landing, and we have already closed on a few single-family units,” said Alan Sprinkle, Regency’s senior vice president of operations.

Construction on the “active lifestyle” phase is scheduled to start this month. “This year, we have started two active lifestyle communities geared to empty nesters,” Sprinkle said. “The buyers will be people who “want somebody to take care of the ‘honey do’ items and want to change their lifestyle a little bit,” he said.

With that in mind, part of Michael’s Landing and also Tradition in Ankeny will feature walking trails, bike trails, a gymnasium and a recreation building and will have a lifestyle director on the premises.

Sprinkle said Regency has moved beyond the “Energy Star” level of construction and is building homes with heating and cooling systems that are 50 percent more efficient than is required by the 2003 building code.

RUNNERS-UP: Hubbell Realty Co.; Jerry’s Homes Inc.

Best Engineering Firm

KJWW Engineering Consultants P.C.

KJJW Engineering Consultants P.C.’s Central Iowa branch office has purchased the second half of the building it occupies at 2882 106th St. in Urbandale and plans to add to its 40-employee staff in the next 12 months.

The changes reflect overall growth in the Midwestern company, which is based in Rock Island, Ill., and also has offices in Chicago, Madison, Wis., Naperville, Ill., and St. Louis. The number of employees has doubled to about 400 in the past two years, according to public relations coordinator Norm Bower.

KJWW recently acquired EME LLC, a Chicago-based engineering firm with a 58-person staff.

Founded in 1961, the company specializes in higher education and health-care projects. Its recent projects in Central Iowa include the John Deere Credit Union in Johnston and the State Crime Laboratory at Des Moines Area Community College’s Ankeny campus.

KJWW is working on the Mercy West Lakes hospital now under construction in West Des Moines and a pair of office buildings for the state of Iowa, including the $77 million, 350,000-square-foot building to be constructed north of the Capitol. RUNNERS-UP: Shive-Hattery Inc.; McClure Engineering Co.

Best sales training/executive development company

Dale Carnegie Training

New generations of executives and managers are discovering the granddaddy (founded 1912) of selling and motivations. Dale Carnegie Training has updated its “win friends and influence people” counseling for today’s multi-cultural and highly wired workplace. Michael D. Norman and Associates of Iowa Inc. is the Iowa franchisee and Michael Day is the Des Moines-based general manager for the state.

We’ve worked with Meredith Corp., Principal Financial Group, Hy-Vee Inc. and dozens of Iowa companies.” Day said.

It would be hard to find an office worker in Des Moines who hasn’t had at least a brush with Dale Carnegie, Day maintains. Today’s managers want seminars and advice on topics such as how young tech whizzes can sensitively and effectively manage much older workers. Day said cyberspace gurus, biotech geniuses and scientists involved in complex research often ask Dale Carnegie trainers for help on translating their work into language their bosses and co-workers can understand.

“One of the main problems we hear may sound like the most basic; companies rely so heavily on e-mail and text messaging, they need advice on adding the human element and personal touch to communications,” Day said.

RUNNERS-UP: Tero International Inc.; Evergreen Learning Inc.

Best Executive Search Firm

Palmer Group

“Companies hire us to recruit across the board, for employees earning in the low $30,000s up to $200,000,” Palmer Group President Austin Palmer said.

While persuading candidates nationwide to give Des Moines a try, he’s encountered a hopeful trend. “Years ago, candidates outside of Iowa would wonder if Des Moines was too small a city with not much to do,” Palmer remembered. “Now, it’s easy to reassure them that Des Moines has a lot to offer culturally.”

An accountant by training, Palmer founded his search firm nine years ago. It gradually expanded into other employment services, including outplacement and temporary staffing.

Even though the firm has a staff of 28, corporate clients are guaranteed direct access to the Palmer Group president himself, before and after placement. Clients also get the “180-day guarantee.” If an executive Palmer recommends is terminated by a client within 180 days of his or her start date, the Palmer Group will provide a replacement at the same salary level or lower for no additional charge.

RUNNERS-UP: Executive Resources Ltd.; Midwest Search Group LLC

Best Temporary Employment Service

Palmer Group

The Palmer Group’s 27 staff members do more than find temps for short term gigs. Last year, more than 175 of the temporary employees Palmer placed were hired into full time positions. Palmer Group lists its areas of expertise as accounting, finance, information technology, banking, human resources, sales, marketing, office administration and engineering.

A new category was added this year: insurance.

“There’s a huge demand for insurance in Des Moines,” President Austin Palmer said. “Accounting and information technology – computer programmers, network support people – are other hot job areas.”

Palmer estimates that his firm served approximately 300 client companies last year. He applies the same in-depth approach to placement whether a client needs a temporary worker or a permanent chief financial officer. A Palmer staffer spends between four and five hours at a client company’s workplace assessing the corporate culture and specific job requirements.

To find the perfect fit, Palmer staffers will consult their own database of 7,400 names of job candidates (who have taken Palmer’s computerized skills assessment), visit job fairs, consult professional organizations, place classified ads and conduct Web searches. Once a candidate is selected, the Palmer Group will conduct credit and criminal background checks upon the client’s request.

RUNNERS-UP: Manpower Inc.; Adecco Employment Services

Best bank

Wells Fargo Bank

Wells Fargo Bank is the largest financial institution in Iowa, with locations in 45 communities. Its team members serve customers across the state through 77 retail stores, 10 Wells Fargo Home Mortgage stores, 17 Wells Fargo Financial stores, and 113 automated teller machines.

On a companywide basis, sales of Wells Fargo’s store-based business solutions increased by 17 percent in the second quarter over the previous year, and loans to small businesses increased by 18 percent from the second quarter of 2006.

In March, the bank introduced Wells Fargo Merchant Checking, which allows small business owners to accept credit and debit card payments at a flat, low discount rate and have access to funds as early as the next business day.

For customers using the teller lines, welcoming and wait time survey scores were up 22 percent from the previous year, and customer loyalty scores improved by 11 percent from 2006.

RUNNERS-UP: Bankers Trust Co.; Iowa State Bank

Best life insurance provider

Northwestern Mutual Financial Network

Keith Erhard has a lot of reasons to celebrate. As managing partner of the Erhard Financial Group, the network office for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network in Central Iowa, he leads one of the top offices for an insurer consistently named among the most respected companies in America. To top it off, Northwestern Mutual is celebrating 150 years of business this year, and last year surpassed $1 trillion of in-force life insurance.

“The growth of the firm has been significant in terms of people and client acquisition,” Erhard said. “Out of the 90 network offices, we’re No. 1 in terms of new client acquisition per financial representative for Northwestern Mutual. So we are best of class when it comes to building new relationships with the community.”

In April, Northwestern Mutual awarded one of its four prestigious annual Achievement Awards to Erhard Financial Group, which employs more than 80 people at its Urbandale office and branch offices in Carroll, Fort Dodge and Ames. The award is based on eight separate measures of the offices’ performance.

The network office had been located downtown in the Insurance Exchange Building since the 1920s. In October 2006 it moved to a new, state-of-the-art building at 128th Street and Hickman Road in Urbandale. “The move was driven by growth of business in the western suburbs, and the desire by our clients to be able to pull up to the door with less hassle,” Erhard said.

RUNNERS-UP: Principal Financial Group Inc.; State Farm

Best place to buy office furniture

Triplett Cos.

For big companies with hundreds or even thousands of workstations to furnish, there’s Corporate Interiors. Small outfits that need just a few desks or chairs can deal with Office Furniture USA. But in both cases, the customer is talking to Triplett Cos., a family-owned company that runs the two furniture divisions and sells office supplies.

The arrangement is paying off, with a projected revenue increase of 10 percent this year in furniture sales, according to Tom Triplett. His father, Dick Triplett, started the company in 1973.

“Corporate Interiors is more project oriented, like redoing a whole floor or 50 or 60 workstations,” Tom Triplett said. “We have done a project as large as 5,000 workstations.

“Office Furniture USA is a franchise we own. That’s geared towards the ‘mid-market,’ which is companies with 50 or fewer employees. With that, we have a 6,000-square-foot showroom displaying more than 30 manufacturers’ products.”

Triplett said the store delivers furniture within a 60-mile radius of Des Moines. A Dubuque location gives Triplett Office Essentials access to the Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Quad-Cities markets.

RUNNERS-UP: Storey-Kenworthy Inc.; OSE Office Interiors; Pigott Inc.

Best Place to Buy Office Supplies

Triplett Cos.

This summer’s revamp of the company Web site should make it even easier to order supplies from Triplett Cos., according to Tim Triplett. “We have spent a ton of dough revamping our ordering site for supplies within the last two months,” he said. “The newer technology does faster searches for products; doing a search is almost intuitive.”

Those orders are filled quickly, as four trucks deliver supplies daily in the “golden circle.”

The 34-year-old company has posted double-digit percentage revenue increases in recent years, Triplett said. “Our sweet spot is serving medium-sized companies with 10 to 200 employees,” he said, but added that smaller and larger customers are also part of the mix.

“The heart and soul of our business is local ownership and a personal relationship with our clients,” Triplett said. “A transaction on the Internet might be a nice start, but we’re interested in a full-service relationship.”

RUNNERS-UP: Storey-Kenworthy Inc.; Staples.

Best business consulting firm

BCC Advisers

BCC Advisers is an independently-owned investment banking firm that has counseled privately-held, middle market businesses for almost 20 years. Perhaps the company is best known for its work in the high stakes field of mergers and acquisitions.

BCC president Steve Jacobs and his 11 employees help companies that might be too small to hire a Wall Street firm.

Before joining BCC Advisers. Jacobs was a Bankers Trust Company officer from 1977 to 1990, charged with the overall management of the retail banking division.

Jacobs is particularly proud of helping companies merge without layoffs as in the case of one employee-owned company that acquired another Employee Stock Ownership Plan company. BCC also played matchmaker for a Fairfield-based manufacturer, The Dexter Company, helping it acquire Wisconsin-based Apache Stainless Steel Equipment.

BCC, formerly known as Business Capital Corporation, also helps Iowa clients find buyers and sellers all over the world. “Currently, we are working with a buyer from France, a seller from Brazil and a seller from Sweden,” Jacobs said.

RUNNERS-UP: RSM McGladrey, Inc.; McGowen Hurst Clark & Smith P.C.

Best health-care insurance provider

Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield

For the 11th consecutive year, Des Moines-based Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield was selected by Business Record readers as Greater Des Moines’ best health-care insurance provider.

Wellmark, which employs nearly 1,600 Iowans and provides coverage to more than 1.7 million customers in the state, is actively involved in providing wellness information to its members to help them make better health-care and lifestyle choices.

The company’s BlueConnection online self-service tools enable members to look up personalized health plan information and claims data, as well as locating doctors and hospitals within the BlueCard network for coverage outside Iowa. Through its BluePrints for Health program, Wellmark offers the services of a Blue Health Coach to provide information and support for members facing a severe illness or complex medical problem.

RUNNERS-UP: Principal Financial Group Inc., UnitedHealthcare

Best Commercial Printer

Colorfx

Colorfx was founded in 1979 and offers a digital printing, mailing and list services, information technology and Web site development, particularly business-to-business sites. Colorfx has its headquarters in Urbandale, two Des Moines area plants and a plant in Waverly. The company has more than 200 employees.

CEO John D. DeVries said that the trade journal, Printing Impressions, ranked Colorfx 174th on its list of top 400 printing companies in the United States, making it the highest ranked Iowa-owned company on this list.

“I think one of the things that distinguish our company is the high level of security and confidentiality we provide clients,” DeVries said.The company’s Waverly plant has a history that actually extends back further than Colorfx’s. The plant was spawned in 1878, as an outgrowth of the Waverly Democrat newspaper. It printed several magazines, including the Rhode Island Red Journal, the Plymouth Rock Standard and the Poland China World. The Waverly operation was acquired by Colorfx in 1999.

RUNNERS-UP: Acme Printing Co. Inc.; Garner Printing

Best travel agency

International Travel Associates

All the credit for the success International Travel Associates, an ITAGroup Inc. company, has had goes to its customers.

“We really love our clients,” said Lynn Ewing, the company’s general manager. “Some of them have been with us 20 years or more.”

The company’s primary clients are businesses, utilizing its services for company trips as well as leisure travel.

“We get to know their preferences, which makes for a much more enjoyable trip,” said Mary Phillips, company supervisor.

International Travel Associates currently works with more than 300 companies, Phillips said. The company books travel, including but not limited to booking plane tickets, hotel rooms and rental cars, works to help plan meetings and monitors the travel experience to ensure quality.

International Travel is also always on the lookout for trends in travel that could avoid potential headaches.

The company’s focus is and always will be local, Phillips said, preferring to do business face-to-face.

“We don’t want our customers calling an 800 number and speaking to someone they don’t know,” she said. “We get to know our clients, and that’s why we’re successful.”

RUNNERS-UP: Allied Travel and Cruises; Travel and Transport Vacations

Best telecommunications equipment dealer

Electronic Engineering

If you’ve been to an Iowa Cubs game, Adventureland, the Boone Speedway or just about any local event or festival, such as the recent Hy-Vee Triathlon, you’ve probably seen Electronic Engineering’s work.

Mark Clark, the company’s president, said it provides two-way radios for many of the local events and venues in the area. But that is only one facet of the company’s overall business.

“We do a lot of beepers, especially for the medical and [information technology] industry,” he said. “We do public safety, such as radios in police cars, ambulances and 911 centers. And we also do cell phones.”

Cell phones, which are only around 8 percent of the company’s business, are usually what Electronic Engineering is known for, Clark said.

“We provide amazing customer service,” he said. “We don’t just send you home with a new BlackBerry and tell you to read the instructions. We will sit with you for as long as it takes to make sure you completely understand your new phone.”

The company, which is more than 60 years old, prides itself on the quality of its service, he said, which even if it doesn’t attract customers right away will win them in the long run.

“I’ve had people buy from our competitors come to us to get an explanation of how their phone works,” Clark said. “I don’t mind spending an hour with that customer, even though it brings us no money, because hopefully when they need another phone, they will remember us.”

RUNNERS-UP: Baker Group; Qwest Communications International Inc.

Best Web Site Developer

Flynn Wright Inc.

Visitors’ admiration for Flynn Wright’s Web site or its clients’ sites has led to a booming business in Web site development for the company.

“We’ve just been extremely busy in that area,” said Andy Flynn, the company’s president and CEO. “I think we’ve created a tremendous amount of top-notch sites that are very effective.”

The company has been successful working with clients to customize a site that matches their needs, Flynn said. It will meet with a client to first determine its main reason for driving people to a Web site, and then the developers will draft a layout for the site that matches that strategy.

The company’s interactive media department also handles application development, Web site audit and evaluation and corporate presentations. Flynn Wright provides advertising, marketing, public relations and technology services to about 30 regular clients and handles short-term projects for others.

RUNNERS-UP: Spindustry Systems Inc.; Alliance Technologies Inc.

Best computer consulting company

NetWorks Inc.

Chris Larson and his twin brother Chad founded NetWorks Inc. in 1994. They were both working at a computer supply store and decided they wanted to be their own boss.

Now, more than a decade later, the company they started has 18 full-time employees and more than 200 clients.”Back then, my only hope was that we’d still be doing this for this long,” Chris Larson said. “I’m very happy to still be here.”

NetWorks has always focused on small to medium-sized businesses, but in recent years has begun diversifying the services it provides. Larson said the company started by maintaining servers, but now has added sales and voice over Internet protocol service.

What he is most proud of, Larson said, is that the business is so family oriented.

“That is very important to us,” he said. “That is one of the reasons we’ve never thought about moving the business to any other community. This is where our family is.”

RUNNERS-UP: Alliance Technologies Inc.; Secure Networks Inc.

Best computer training company

Spindustry Technical Training LLC

There is one reason Spindustry Technical Training LLC was voted best computer training company by Business Record readers, according to Therese Wielage, the company’s chief marketing officer.

Cookies,” she said. “Stephanie (Wilson) and Terra (Walter) [training consultants] always bake delicious cookies for every class.”

Besides the cookies, though, Wielage said there could be other reasons for the company’s success. She points to the quality of its instructors and the ability to work with clients on the price of services as areas where Spindustry has an edge on competition.

Spindustry has two locations, one in Des Moines and one in Cedar Rapids. It focuses on higher-end information technology training that are far too specialized to be covered by college or university courses.

RUNNERS-UP: New Horizons Computer Learning Center; GeoLearning Inc.

Best local Internet service provider

Mediacom Communications Corp.

This is the third year in a row Business Record readers have voted Mediacom Communication Corp. the area’s best local Internet service provider. This is also the third year in a row the company has boosted the speed of its Internet connections. Ed Parnini, senior vice president for the company’s North Central Division, said that isn’t a coincidence.

“Our Internet is absolutely superfast,” he said. “And we offer the same high-speed Internet in Des Moines as we do in the rural areas where we provide service. Other providers, such as DSL, can’t do that.”

In the last three years, the company has increased its download speed from 5 megabits per second to 8, and now to 10. Some customers can soon expect speeds of up to 15 megabits per second.

“I just went to a national conference of cable providers, and they discussed a new platform with download speeds of 150 megabits per second,” Parnini said. “That isn’t coming today, but it is down the road.”

Parnini said that while speeds have increased, the company has worked to make sure costs remain the same.

RUNNERS-UP: Qwest Communications International Inc.; LightEdge Solutions Inc.

Best wireless phone service

Verizon Wireless

A devotion to its network is Verizon’s secret, said Brad Erickson, Iowa business sales manager for Verizon Wireless.

“‘America’s most reliable network’ is more than just a slogan,” he said. “We put a lot of time and resources into making that a reality every year.” Another key to the company’s success, Erickson said, is its customer service.

“We don’t want people sitting on hold all day waiting to be helped,” he said. “We have strict guidelines that say, for example, a customer should not be on hold for more than a minute.”

Verizon is in the process of rolling out its wireless Internet service, something that Erickson said should be available in the Des Moines market this fall.

“It will have DSL speeds,” he said. “Eventually, we will cover a significant portion of Iowa.”

Erickson said the company is also always trying to introduce new phones to ensure that each and every customer has what he or she wants.

RUNNERS-UP: U.S. Cellular Corp.; Sprint Nextel Corp.