Editor’s note: Before all of our Power Breakfast events, we bring the panelists to the Business Record for a pre-event meeting on the topic and to banter through potential questions. We always leave that meeting wishing we could have invited our entire audience into the room with us to hear the informal discussion. So, we decided this year to host a series of what we are calling Power Roundtables, and invited members from a variety of industries to have a discussions about the trends, opportunities and challenges they are facing as we head into 2014. We recorded each conversation on video, which can be viewed on our website. Not only did we get a variety of story ideas for 2014 and beyond, but we also had our reporters pull out some key takeaways and observations from the discussion. For our second roundtable, we hope you enjoy this inside look at the efforts in the community to ensure that Des Moines and Iowa are a rich and vibrant place to live and work.

Panelists: (left to right)
– MD Isley: Former executive director of Bravo Greater Des Moines, dean of DMACC business and information technology department, 
Des Moines Area Community College
– Mary Cownie: Executive director, Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
– Tiffany Tauscheck: Vice president of marketing and development, Greater Des Moines Convention & Vistors Bureau
– Jeff Chelesvig: President and CEO, Des Moines Performing Arts

Moderators:
Chris Conetzkey: Editor, Business Record
Megan VerHelst: Staff Writer, Business Record