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The Insider Notebook

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NOTEBOOK: Outlets update

Every few weeks, it seems like we hear of another store opening at the Outlets of Des Moines in Altoona, the 300,000-square-foot retail center that came online in October. Lucky Brand, the denim apparel outfitter, …

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NOTEBOOK: What’s a fair price for your company?

A quick glance through businesses for sale in Iowa shows scores available, ranging from a plumbing contractor to a motor sports company to several manufacturers (and many restaurants). You may be interested. But they’re asking …

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NOTEBOOK: Sights and sounds of DMDC2018

Houston on airport needs
High on the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s priority list while on a federal lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., was a near-doubling of the limit airports can charge for what is called …

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NOTEBOOK: In case you missed it …

In case you missed it…
A brief look back at news from the past week on BusinessRecord.com

Going mobile
You might be saying goodbye to that file cabinet of insurance policies. Learn more

Creating a …

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Notebook: Some more takeaways from Balance Autism’s launch event


I reported Friday about the Altoona-based nonprofit’s rebranding from the Homestead. The organization has experienced phenomenal growth, an unfortunate reflection of the increased prevalence of autism in children in the United States — but a …

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NOTEBOOK: The hoodies and the suits

The entrepreneurial community is notorious for an unofficial commitment to hoodies, and frankly, speakers at this week’s EntreFEST, a two-day start-up event in Cedar Rapids, wouldn’t be doing their jobs well without a little lighthearted …

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NOTEBOOK: Deeper dive into the Y pool: Kids’ competitive swimming will grow

Here’s an aquatic trivia question: How long does it take to “flip” the lane markers at the Wellmark YMCA’s Olympic-size pool from a 19-lane, 25-yard “short” format to an eight-lane, 50-meter “long” pool? With some…
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NOTEBOOK: Music to Mandelbaum’s ears

Des Moines City Councilman Josh Mandelbaum, who is in his first term, is trying to tackle the full range of city issues, according to his newsletter: adding sidewalks along to-be-renovated Fleur Drive, what to do …

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NOTEBOOK: Partnership trip speaker: Are local governments underusing big data?

The 180 or so participants in the annual Greater Des Moines Partnership lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., returned on May 11. We’ll have more on the trip later, but we wonder how many of the …

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NOTEBOOK: UnitedHealth Group’s doing wonderfully — and Wellmark is having a better year, too

When I saw recently that the nation’s largest health insurer, UnitedHealth Group, reported a 25 percent increase in shareholder earnings to $10.56 billion in 2017 and added about 1.1 million additional policyholders nationally, it made …