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Retail and Business

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Simpson and Indianola organizations launch business incubator

Simpson College students will be invited to make their business dreams a reality under a new collaborative venture launched by the college, the Indianola Development Association and Indianola Municipal Utilities. The working title of the project …

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Simpler IRS rules to make home office deduction easier

In the midst of the debt ceiling gloom, the Internal Revenue Service provided a piece of good news on Tuesday for owners of many home-based businesses: simplified rules for figuring their deductions on home offices.…
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Retail sales increased more than predicted in December

Retail sales rose more than forecast in December to end 2012 on a positive note, Bloomberg reported. Purchases climbed 0.5 percent, the biggest gain in three months, after a revised 0.4 percent increase in November that was larger …

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Iowa company supplies NASCAR with trailers

Featherlite Trailers of Iowa Inc. will be the official trailer of NASCAR through 2018.

The Iowa company’s equipment moves race equipment to every event. Additionally, approximately 10 transporters manufactured by Featherlite Trailers serve as office …

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Walnut Street retail consultant to speak on Jan. 15

Retail consultant Robert Gibbs will present his final report for Walnut Street’s revitalization efforts to the community on Jan. 15 at 3 p.m. at the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Arthur Davis conference room.

Gibbs was …

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Housing, software and mobile apps lead employment rebound in western U.S.

Hiring by home builders and software and mobile application developers is helping the western third of the United States lead the nation in employment growth, according to Moody’s Analytics Inc. and IHS Global Insight Inc., …

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2012 in Review: Retail & Business

Iowa unemployment rate drops below 5 percent

Iowa’s unemployment rate inched down to 4.9 percent in November from 5.1 percent in October, according to Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) figures.

The national unemployment rate for November …

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U.S. deals salvage a weak year for mergers and acquisitions

Global mergers and acquisitions rose to the highest level in four years this quarter, as a surge in U.S. deals provided ground for optimism and salvaged what had been the worst year for takeovers since …

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Des Moines CPA firm honored

McGowen, Hurst, Clark & Smith, P.C., certified public accountants and business advisors, was ranked No. 2 among medium-size companies for the 2012 Best Accounting Firms To Work For award.

The annual ranking was created by Accounting …

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German firm will buy Caribou Coffee

A German private equity group will buy Caribou Coffee Co. for about $340 million, the 
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reported. Caribou, which is based in a Minneapolis suburb, will continue to operate as an independent …