Ticker: Sept. 9
Perry Economic Development Corp. will announce today plans for a multimillion-dollar Des Moines Area Community College facility. The proposed multistory educational center, which is expected to provide an economic boost to the city of Perry, will be announced by community and state leaders at 1:15 p.m. at 1101 Willis Ave. Bill Clark, vice president of Perry Economic Development Corp., said the planned college center will create jobs and promote economic development in Dallas County.
Iowa first lady Mari Culver this morning helped launch the “9 Homes in 9 Days” initiative, an affordable housing project at 21st Street and Forest Avenue in Des Moines. Hubbell Homes will begin construction on a housing structure with nine rental units for families with incomes of $13,000 or less. Labor and materials for construction have been donated, and the project will be finished in nine days, with volunteers working around the clock until 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18. Once completed, the housing units will be managed by Anawim Housing, a local nonprofit organization that provides safe, affordable housing to low-income families.
Greater Des Moines restaurants participating in Restaurant Week brought in $130,000 in additional revenue from the event, according to the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau. The amount spent at the 42 restaurants that participated in the second annual event exceeded the $100,000 spent at 33 restaurants during the inaugural Restaurant Week last year. Collected receipts show the average amount spent this year was $210.21. Plans for next year’s Restaurant Week are already under way. Public comments and feedback may be sent to
marketing@desmoinescvb.com.
Casey’s General Stores Inc. reported net earnings of $44.19 million for its first fiscal quarter, which ended July 30, a 53.5 percent increase from the year-ago period. The company reported revenues of $1.19 billion, a 24 percent decrease compared with the same period in fiscal 2009. Retail gasoline sales decreased by 32 percent, as the number of gallons sold decreased by 5.5 percent. During this same period, retail sales of grocery and general merchandise increased by 8.4 percent, primarily due to higher cigarette revenues attributable to the federal excise tax increase.
Des Moines has been named the most affordable U.S. city in which to hold trade shows for the second consecutive year, according to the Sept. 7 issues of Tradeshow Week. Des Moines’ modestly priced hotels and restaurants contributed to the top-in-the-country ranking, and the city’s central location at the intersection of Interstates 80 and 35 also contributes to ease of travel and affordability, the article said. The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau said the ranking should continue to attract more event bookings for the city. . Click here to see the article.
Winefest Des Moines and Mediacom Communications Corp. are offering an exclusive evening with chef Antonia Lofaso, one of the contestants of the popular TV show “Top Chef.” Lofaso worked at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant for six years before becoming the executive chef at Foxtail in Los Angeles. She will prepare a multicourse dinner and wine pairing during the charitable event to be held Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Des Moines Embassy Club. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit Winefest Des Moines’ targeted charity for the year: Connecting Kids and Culture, a joint program of Bravo Greater Des Moines and the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines. Tickets for the dinner are $250 and may be purchased online at
www.winefestdesmoines.com or by calling 244-0520.Enter discount code MEDIACOM for a 10 percent discount.