Iowa employers face a mounting shortage of workers with needed post-high school credentials shy of a bachelor’s degree, a new state report says. About 50 percent of the jobs in Iowa’s labor markets are “middle skill” jobs but only 33 percent of Iowa’s work force is in the middle skill range, according to the report [...]

Schneider Electric plans to move production of low-voltage circuit breakers out of its Cedar Rapids plant by the end of next year, a move expected to eliminate some 80 jobs. The electrical supplier based in Rueil-Malmaison, France, informed employees Tuesday that the transfer of production will begin in the next few months and be completed [...]

The Better Business Bureau this week released a list of active scams targeting military veterans and their supporters. Scams include those that target service personnel and their families, but also scams that appear to be charities helping military members. “The unique lifestyle of our service members make them prime targets for scammers,” Better Business Bureau Military Line [...]

Quad Cities-based KJWW Engineering Consultants of has acquired an Indianapolis firm. KJWW announced the acquisition of Moore Engineers, a 25-person engineering consulting firm, on Tuesday. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Moore Engineers has been active in the Indiana building design and construction industry for 24 years, with leading roles in projects such as [...]

Keystone IT Inc. of Iowa City has acquired the assets of a Technology Telecommunications Systems, a wireless Internet service provider in downtown Iowa City. Keystone IT acquired the company’s assets and book of business with plans to expand the marketing and eventually the service territory of the wireless network, vice president and General Manager Mike [...]

Iowa farmers are almost done with their 2012 corn planting after a week of nearly trouble-free weather. The USDA’s weekly crop report said 98 percent of the corn planting was complete as of Sunday, even though a few farmers have had to replant cornfields damaged by late April showers. Eighty-one percent of the crop had [...]

Iowa farmers are almost done with their 2012 corn planting after a week of nearly trouble-free weather. The USDA’s weekly crop report said 98 percent of the corn planting was complete as of Sunday, even though a few farmers have had to replant cornfields damaged by late April showers. Eighty-one percent of the crop had [...]

The Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area gained 3,000 nonfarm jobs in April, bringing the unemployment rate down from March’s 5.9 percent to 5.2 percent. Nonfarm employment remained unchanged in the Iowa City MSA, at 92,000. The unemployment rate dipped to 3.7 percent from March’s 4.1 percent level, however, on a non-seasonally adjusted basis. The Cedar [...]

After retooling its business model four years ago, Cedar Rapids-based sales company Infinity Contact is ready to roar. Infinity Contact added 24 seats to its center at 4700 Tama Dr. SE earlier this year, bringing the total number of seats to 184 and employment to over 300 (250 on a full-time equivalency basis). About 100 additional inside sales [...]

  They lined up out the door this week for one final taste of the Vernon Inn. The “greek place” at 2874 Mount Vernon Road SE will close at the end of business on Sunday. News of the impending closure brought a boost to business all week. The Greek restaurant has been a landmark on [...]

The Iowa Iowa Economic Development Authority Board approved financial assistance to back $38 million of worth of capital investment in the state Friday, including five Corridor companies. The board awarded a $150,000 Demonstration Fund royalty agreement to Iowa City-based B’Amazing Foods. B’Amazing Foods produces whole food snack bars made of minimally processed grains, vegetables and [...]

A new Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft store is slated to open in late August at Lindale Mall replacing a smaller Jo-Ann location at Town & Country Shopping Center. Jo Ann will move into the former Planet X location just west of the mall. Planet X relocated earlier this month to the former Theatre Cedar Rapids [...]

They lined up out the door this week for one final taste of the Vernon Inn. “The Greek Place” at 2663 Mount Vernon Road SE will close at the end of business on Sunday. New of the impending closure brought a boost to business all week. The Greek restaurant has been a landmark on the local [...]

Iowa’s unemployment rate edged ever-so-slightly downward for the fourth-consecutive month in April. The state unemployment rate edged down another 0.1 percentage points to 5.1 percent from March’s 5.2 percent, continuing a series of four consecutive declines of 0.1 percentage point. The number of unemployed Iowans declined by 1,600 from March levels, to 85,200 and is [...]

Iowa’s unemployment rate edged ever-so-slightly downward for the fourth-consecutive month in April. The state unemployment rate edged down another 0.1 percentage points to 5.1 percent from March’s 5.2 percent, continuing a series of four consecutive declines of 0.1 percentage point. The number of unemployed Iowans declined by 1,600 from March levels, to 85,200 and is [...]

Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa will move its downtown Cedar Rapids operation later this year into a new downtown office building slated for completion later this year. The health insurance provider has leased 13,000 square feet of space in the new building under construction at Third Avenue and Sixth Street SE by Steve [...]

CEDAR RAPIDS — Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa will move its downtown Cedar Rapids operations into a new office building slated for completion later this year. The health insurance provider has leased 13,000 square feet of space in a building being constructed by Steve Emerson at Third Avenue and Sixth Street SE. Wellmark [...]

Iowa State University economist Ken Stone made headlines in 1988 when he released the first academic study on Walmart’s economic impact on the economies of small communities. Twenty-five years later, the professor emeritus, who retired in 2007, has co-authored a new ISU study that could make another splash, but for different reasons. Walmart opened 45 [...]

Alliant Energy will soon propose a rate increase averaging 4-6 percent for its natural gas customers in Iowa. The company’s Interstate Power & Light utility plans to file the rate increase request on May 25 with the Iowa Utilities Board. The increase would apply only to the service costs on the customer’s natural gas bill, [...]

Iowa City has made REALTOR.com’s list of ‘Top Turnaround Towns’ in the economic recovery. The realty site said placed Iowa City No. 21 on its list of cities ranked on the strength of recovery in their real estate markets. Listing prices are up 6.81% on a year-over-year quarterly basis, a REALTOR.com article said, and inventories [...]