Retail and Business

Ira Blumenthal, author and president of Co-Opportunities Inc., will be the keynote speaker at the Smart Economic Development Conference on May 5 at the Polk County Convention Complex.

The conference is co-sponsored by the Iowa …

Gold shot above $1,500 an ounce today for the first time ever as worries about the outlook for the U.S. economy boosted the metal as a safe haven, while rising inflation lifted Asian demand, Reuters …

Deere & Co. CEO Samuel Allen said Washington’s partisan debate over debt could send a “near-term shock” through a U.S. economy still struggling to recover, Bloomberg reported. “I have a lot of concerns for the …

Fast food, fast jobs.

McDonald’s plans to hire 50,000 workers today – roughly four per restaurant – in a hiring blitz that spans all 50 states, CNNMoney.com reported.

The new openings are available across 14,000 …

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. and Bayer CropScience announced yesterday that they have entered into a global licensing agreement for a canola herbicide tolerance trait.

Bayer has licensed its proprietary herbicide tolerance technology, …

Animal Rescue League of Iowa Inc. is one of 50 shelters that earned a spot to compete in American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals $100K Challenge.

The contenders will enter a three-month …

Iowa State University should search for a permanent leader for its Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, the Iowa Farmers Union said today.

The center has had three interim directors since the dismissal of Fred Kirschenmann …

The Connolly O’Malley Lillis Hansen Olson law firm has changed its name to Lillis O’Malley Olson Manning Pose & Van Dike LLP to reflect contributions that senior attorneys have made to the firm, William Lillis, …

The West Des Moines Community School District’s Board of Education, which worked with Cedar Rapids-based consulting firm Ray & Associates to conduct a national search, has selected Peter Ansingh as the next superintendent of the …

John Arends, president and CEO of Arends Inc., was chosen as the 2011 winner of Schwartz Award, Iowa State University’s highest honor for contributions in journalism and mass communication. The Greenlee School of Journalism and …