Jeff Lorenger, chairman and CEO of HNI Corp., and the management team at the Muscatine-based company will be honored next week with the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business’ Oscar C. Schmidt Iowa Business Leadership Award, for HNI’s contributions to Iowa business. HNI, a publicly traded manufacturer of workplace furnishings and residential building products and a member of the Fortune 1000, has a long connection with the Tippie College of Business, dating to when former CEO Stan Howe received the same award in 1986. Lorenger joined HNI in 1998, was named CEO in 2018, and became chairman of the board in 2020. A native of Denison, he earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing, as well as a law degree and MBA, from the University of Iowa. He is currently a member of the Tippie Advisory Board. “As both a strategic thinker and culture builder, Jeff has been an important part of helping to make HNI one of the country’s largest publicly-traded companies,” said Amy Kristof-Brown, dean of the Tippie College of Business. “Jeff is a positive leader who has had a great impact not only in his industry but with all of the organizations that he has worked with as an advisor or board member.” The Oscar C. Schmidt Iowa Business Leadership Award was established in 1980 to recognize outstanding Iowa business leaders. Lorenger and his management team will be honored at a ceremony and reception at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 18, at the Merrill Hotel and Conference Center, 118 West Mississippi Drive., in Muscatine. The event is open to the public, but an RSVP is required.