Retail and Business

The Iowa Lean Consortium has named Karin Peterson, vice president of human resources at Pella Corp., as the 2014 Iowa Lean Champion. The award was created to honor a leader who has made significant contributions …

Marsh & McLennan Cos. reported net income of $294 million in the fourth quarter, a slight decline from the year-ago period. Consolidated revenue was $3.2 billion for the quarter, up 4 percent from the fourth …

Companies added 257,000 new jobs in January, more than many economists predicted, and there was evidence in U.S. Labor Department reports that an influx of hiring over the past year may be pushing up wages …

Small businesses have saved more than $10,000 a month on lower oil prices in some cases, money that allowed for added investments or savings, Des Moines-based marketing firm Quester found in a study with CNBC. Quester interviewed …

Heartland Express Inc. of North Liberty today reported that its fourth-quarter 2014 operating income was up 28.2 percent, to $34.2 million from $26.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2013. Net income increased 36 percent, …

Gannett Co. Inc., parent company of The Des Moines Register, reported today a 54 percent increase in adjusted fourth-quarter net income, buoyed by higher revenues and profits from its broadcasting and digital media units, its …

The Dream Big Grow Here business grant program deadline has been extended until Feb. 13. The initiative, a program of the University of Northern Iowa’s Regional Business Center, provides grants of up to $15,000 to Iowa businesses …

Despite ranking 42nd in the nation in revenue growth, Iowa’s restaurant industry outpaced predictions for job growth in 2014, according to a news release from the Iowa Restaurant Association. Posting only a 2.8 percent increase …