siouxland business journal march 2012

Vol. 22 No. 1

PO Box 118, Sioux City, Iowa 51102

March 2012AGRIBUSINESS ISSUE

UPGRADESBEEF

Tyson project to create new

metro jobs

Sioux City Woos Blue Zone judges

PAGE 5

Area ag economy on a roll

PAGE 4

INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE:

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www.siouxlandbusinessjournal.com Siouxland Business Journal, March 2012 3

Ron Peterson, publisherDave Dreeszen, editor

Siouxland Business Journal is published monthly by Sioux City Newspapers Inc., in cooperation with the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce.

Requests for a free subscriptionor address changes should be sent to:Nan StettnichSiouxland Business JournalBox 118Sioux City, Iowa 51102

Editorial copy should be sent to:Dave DreeszenSiouxland Business Journal editorBox 118Sioux City, Iowa [email protected]

For more information:Editorial: (712) 293-4211 or 800-397-9820, ext. 4211Advertising: (712) 224-6275 or 800-728-8588Circulation: (712) 293-4257 or 800-397-2213, ext. 4257On the web: www.SiouxlandBusinessJournal.com

Index

BusinessJournal

Business Know How ........................................ page 14

Business People ............................................... page 17

Chamber anniversaries .................................. page 20

Chamber investors.......................................... page 20

On the move .....................................................page 16

Ribbon cuttings .................................................page 11

ON THE COVER

Business Journal photo by Jim LeeA multimillion dollar improvement project is currently underway at the Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Dakota City, shown above.

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By Dave DreeszenBusiness Journal editor

During the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce’s annual lobbying trip to Washington next month, the traditional sit-down steak dinner will be replaced with a “steak reception.”

Steak will be a featured hors d’oeuvre served at the reception, where guests can stand and mingle or sit at high-top tables, cham-ber vice president Barbara Sloniker said.

The change in format, made after hearing feedback from chamber members, is two-fold, Sloniker said. With a reception requiring a more flexible time commit-ment than a sit-down din-ner, organizers hope more members of Congress will attend this year’s event.

“What’s been happening the last few years, they will be able to stop during the (social hour), but they had to leave before the dinner started,” Sloniker said.

The chamber also believes a reception better lends it-self to giving local leaders more one-on-one time with a greater number of federal leaders, she said.

This year’s congressional reception is scheduled for 5:30 to 7.30 p.m. April 18 in the foyer of the Rayburn House Office Building. It will come at the end of the first day of the local dele-gation’s two-day lobbying blitz in the nation’s capitol.

The steak dinner was one of the oldest events of its kind on Capitol Hill. It was started in 1954 by U.S. Rep. Charles Hoeven of Sioux

City. Hoeven invited his colleagues on the House Agriculture Committee and some Sioux City leaders to a steak dinner at a Washing-ton hotel. The beef, which came from packinghouses in the Sioux City stock-yards, was flown into the capitol.

The bi-partisan banquet grew in popularity, attract-ing thousands of federal policymakers over the years, from future presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford to House speakers Tip O’Neill and Newt Gingrich.

More than 65 Siouxland leaders attended the 2011 dinner, where they were joined by representatives and senators from Iowa, Nebraska and South Da-kota and members of their staffs.

Chamber changes format of D.C. eventTraditional sit-down dinner replaced with “steak reception”

Journal file photoIowa 5th District Rep. Steve King, left, visits with Barbara Grassley, wife of Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, at the 2010 Washington steak dinner, hosted by the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce. The traditional sit-down dinner will be replaced this year with a steak reception.

If you goWhat: 58th annual Siouxland/Washington ConferenceWhere: Washington, D.C.When: April 18-19ConferenCe fee: $550 per Chamber member; $300 for a companionto regIster: Download a registration form at: www.siouxlandchamber.com

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BY MOLLY MONTAGBusiness Journal staff writer

Sioux City leaders on March 12 hosted a panel of evaluators who will decide

w h e t h e r e n o u g h i s being done t o k e e p Sioux City r e s i d e n t s healthy and active.

“I believe t h e y re c -ognize that t h e r e ’s a great oppor-tunity here and we’ve got interest by leader-ship and in-terest by the community

and we have challenge,” said City Manager Paul Eckert, during an all-day session with judges from the Blue Zones Project.

The program, sponsored by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the com-pany Healthways, looks to recognize Iowa communi-ties taking steps to promote healthy living and well-be-ing.

Sioux City was named one of 11 finalists for the title in February. Spencer, Iowa, also is in the running. Judges visited Spencer on March 13.

The first round of dem-onstration sites will be an-nounced in May.

During the March 12 visit, judges looked at how Sioux City residents are commit-ted to healthy living and gauged the strength of the volunteer network, local resources and municipal structure.

Mayor Bob Scott told the judges he’s dusted off his treadmill, found a place in the basement for the exer-cise bicycle and sworn off potato chips completely – all in the name of healthy living.

He and five other com-munity leaders – dubbed the “Sioux City Six” – chal-lenged each other to lose 10 percent of their body weight during the new year.

“For me, it’s been an eye-opening experience,” Scott said. “It’s been a lifestyle change.”

Blue Zone initiatives aim to help people improve their health by making small

changes at home, school, work, in social settings and in local policy that make healthy choices the easi-est option. The title comes from a phrase National Geographic author Dan Buettner used to identify communities where people live longer, don’t have seri-ous sickness and lead more fulfilling lives.

Lifestyle changes have al-ready made a big difference to Scott, who told judges he feels more energetic and hopes to lose 25 percent of

IS ENOUGH BEING DONE TO KEEP SIOUX CITY RESIDENTS HEALTHY?

Journal photos by Tim HyndsBlue Zone judges and community members watch a presentation at the Sioux City Convention Center on March 12. Officials showcased efforts to keep residents active and healthy.

Derick Clark, of the Blue Zones program, talks about the health care initiative at the Sioux City Convention Center. The city is one of 11 vying for a Blue Zone designation.

Paul Gausman

Bob Scott

Iowa Blue Zone finalists AmesCedar FallsCedar RapidsClintonDavenportMason CityMuscatineOttumwaSioux CitySpencerWaterloo

HEALTHY , PAGE J8

Cover your

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3310_E1a.indd 1 2/16/12 11:02 AM

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BY TIM [email protected]

HULL, Iowa – On Oct. 4, a 160-acre tract north o f H u l l , Iowa, sold for $16,750, setting an Iowa record.

The stan-dard lasted two months, until a 73.4-acre parcel two m i l e s north and one mile east of the same Sioux Coun-ty commu-nity brought $20,000 per acre in a public auction that

lasted less than 30 minutes.“This is historical,” said

Pete Pollema, the auction-eer.

Soaring land values fu-eled by robust commodity prices, historically low in-terest rates and demand for quality ground made for a perfect storm in setting re-cords during 2011.

The two sales were sand-wiched around a private transaction – also in Sioux County – that came to $18,250 per acre.

“I think it’s a newsworthy event in the history of this state when we set that kind of new mark, and it indi-cates the health of the agri-culture economy, which is quite remarkable in terms of what’s happened elsewhere

in the country in terms of the economy,” said Neil Harl, professor emeritus at Iowa State University.

Yes, as the unemployed flee select major cities and rural communities fall into disrepair, there’s a boom at work in pockets across Siouxland. A boom driven by agriculture.

Iowa’s modern land val-ue peak (before now) oc-curred in 1981 when land prices averaged $1,999 per acre. Then, the Farm Cri-sis struck, forcing average prices down to a modern low of $786 in 1987. Prices have risen ever since.

When adjusted for infla-tion, land values were only higher in the early 1970s.

Mike Duffy, professor of

economics at Iowa State, predicted such sales cou-pled with increasing global demand for livestock and grain could price beginning farmers out of the market-place.

“It is more difficult for a young farmer to start,” he said. “But that’s not a new phenomenon. It reinforces what people said 100 years ago: ‘Buying and owning land is a gradual process. You’re not going to auto-matically go out and buy land.’”

As Iowa enters uncharted territory on the high side of land demand, Duffy cau-tions that half of Iowa’s farm ground is rented. As those rates climb, so do costs of production. New

BOOMING AG ECONOMY LEADS TO RECORD LAND PRICES Sioux County led way in 2011 with top sale of $20,000 per acre

Journal photo by Jim LeeA farmer harvests beans in a field south of Lawton, Iowa, on Oct. 11. The cost of farmland has surged in Iowa.

Michael Duffy

Dr. Surinder Vasal

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A combine unloads corn into a wagon in a Northwest Iowa field during the 2011 harvest.

Journal file photo

farmers represented just 3 percent of buyers in a 2010 Farmland Value Survey.

Ag rental rates, he pre-dicted, would climb 15 to 20 percent in 2012.

Would rising interest rates, or sluggish demand burst the bubble the way the housing market burst earlier this decade? Could the Farm Crisis return?

“We need to be cautious,” Duffy said following the first Sioux County record-setting sale. “We don’t want to get caught in the mo-ment of higher prices and real good returns and think these will last forever.

“I’m also not the one who says we’ll collapse tomor-row,” he added.

There are more markets for growers, as evidenced by the number of ethanol plants that dot the country-side. There’s also an ever-increasing demand for corn and meat, fed by emerging

economies in countries like China, as well as a world population that’s expected to grow from 6 billion today to 8 billion by 2025.

“We add 80 million people to the planet each year,” said Dr. Surinder Vasal, an agronomist who spent much of his career in Mexico at the International Maize and Wheat Improve-ment Center. “We are chal-lenged to develop new food sources and varieties in the 21st century.”

A half-century ago, he noted, the world’s meat supply tipped the scales at 71 tons. It’s now around 300 million tons, and must keep growing, said Vasal, a win-ner of the World Food Prize 11 years ago.

Livestock producers ar-gue that surging demand for grain stocks both domesti-cally and worldwide makes it increasingly difficult to supply meat and protein

for the world. The National Corn Growers Association reported that 4.9 billion bushels of corn went into ethanol production in 2010, up from 630 million bushels a decade earlier.

A drought – or another devastating flood – could result in shrinking live-stock numbers if a smaller grain supply results in a cost spike. Smaller livestock herds could have consumers paying more at the grocery store.

W h i l e re m ove d a n d somewhat down the food chain – literally – these is-sues are related directly to auctions held in places like Hull, places where demand for ground has never been this strong.

Duffy said a difference between 2011 and three de-cades ago is the debt level. Producers buying these tracts aren’t leveraged the way they once were. Many,

in fact, may have emerged from the 1980s in a stronger position.

“I don’t think we’ll see a bubble burst as we saw in the 1980s,” said Harl.

I think it’s a newsworthy event in the history of this state when we set that kind of new mark, and it indicates the health of the agriculture economy, which is quite remarkable in terms of what’s happened elsewhere in the country in terms of the economy,

NEIL HARLProfessor Emeritus, Iowa

State University

Cover your

eyes?

(We do that, too.)

3310_E1b.indd 1 2/16/12 11:01 AM

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from page J5his body weight before his daughter’s wedding.

Schools Superintendent Paul Gausman, another Sioux City Six member, said the district has removed fryers and worked with Hy-Vee officials to educate kids about nutrition. The school system is also working to make physical education more accessible and less intimidating to students, he said.

The city’s trail system, sports venues, community involvement and public health initiatives were also highlighted.

The presentations were made at the Sioux City Convention Center.

Eckert said Sioux City’s health indicators show there’s room for improve-ment, which makes it ideal for having the Blue Zone designation. It would high-light what needs to be done, he said.

“You put all those in-gredients together and we believe that we’re a perfect choice for the Blue Zones,” he said.

Healthy: Room for improvement

Journal photo by Tim HyndsDerick Clark, of the Blue Zones program, talks about the health care initiative at the Sioux City Convention Center. The city is one of 11 vying for a Blue Zone designation.

You put all those ingredients together and we believe that we’re a perfect choice for the Blue Zones

paul ekertCity Manager

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BY DAVE DREESZENBusiness Journal editor

THURSTON, Neb. – With demand for its farm equip-ment booming, a Thurston Manufacturing is in the midst of a major expansion that is creating more than two dozen new jobs.

The multi-million-dollar capital project, scheduled for completed later this summer, will nearly double manufacturing capacity, and boost total employment to around 125, matching the population of the northeast Nebraska town of Thurston.

Thurston Manufacturing,

which makes the Blu-Jet brand of fertilizer applica-tors and tillage equipment, and the Circle R brand of side dump trailers, has en-joyed about 50 percent in-crease in sales in the past year.

“We’ve been very fortu-nate to be in the ag industry because that economy has been booming,” chief op-erating officer Ryan Jensen said.

A move toward precision farming practices in the U.S. Corn Belt has heightened

Ag sector drives growth at Thurston manufacturer

Journal photo by Tim GallagherKyle Webster of Pender, Neb., is shown welding at Thurston Manufacturing in Thurston, Neb.

White House visitTwo neighboring Northeast Nebraska manufacturers and the banks that financed their construction were among 71 small businesses recently recognized at the White House.Blue Ox and Thurston Manufacturing Co. were honored for achievements in rural manufacturing, using U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development lending.Thurston Manufacturing, which makes farm equipment and side-dump semitrailers, is in the midst of a a 43,000-square-foot expansion. First National Bank of Omaha provided the USDA-backed loan.Blue Ox, also known as Automatic Equipment Manufacturing Co., makes products primarily for the recreational vehicle industry. The company recently diversified its focus and de-veloped heavy-duty tow bars for the defense industry. First National Bank of Omaha, provided the USDA-guaranteed loan.Dave DreeszenGROWTH, PAGE 21

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RibbonCuttings

G.R. LINDBLADE & CO and SIOUX CITY GIFTS, 1922 PIERCE ST. An open house and ribbon cutting on Feb. 29 celebrated the relocation of G.R. Lindblade & Co. and Sioux City Gifts to 1922 Pierce St. The longtime Chamber member began in 1982, providing quality still photography, video, design and legal services to businesses in Siouxland. Sioux City Gifts was born in 2005 as an online company - siouxcitygifts.com and customers quickly asked for a brick and mortar store. The move allows both businesses to exist in a nice retail location. Most recently, the team of George and Lou Ann Lindblade and Christine McAvoy produced coffee table books on the Woodbury County Courthouse, the Orpheum Theatre and the Missouri River.

MERCY CARDIOLOGY BUSINESS AFTER HOURS With a large crowd on hand, Mercy Cardiology hosted the February Chamber Business After Hours. The Mercy Red Dress Ambassadors were hostesses to the event with a wine bar and chef Tracey had heart healthy hors d’oeuvres for attendees.

Photos courtesy of Siouxland Chamber of Commerce

*RESTRICTIONS: Tickets must be purchased at least 21 days prior to departure or within 24 hours of making reservations, whichever comes first, but no later than midnight 4/10/12. All travel must be completed by midnight 6/4/12. A three-night minimum stay is required. Price shown is not valid 4/6/12-4/8/12 and 5/25/12-5/27/12 and is nonrefundable/nontransferable. Seats are limited. Price may not be available on all flights and is subject to change without notice. A baggage fee of $25 each way for the first checked bag and $35 each way for the second checked bag will apply. Cancellation/change penalties apply. Changes must be made before your ticketed departure time. Changes to your ticket may be made if you meet the restrictions of the new fare and pay a $150 fee, plus any fare difference. When you cancel your ticketed flight prior to departure time, the ticket will be valid for one year from the date of issue on an unused ticket or one year from travel origination on a partially used ticket. If you do not cancel your flight before departure time, the ticket has no value. Tickets may also be obtained (and changes may be made to tickets purchased from sources other than American Airlines, such as travel agents, online third-party Web sites and other airlines) through an American Airlines Telephone Reservations Office for an additional $20 or at an American Airlines Travel Center or Airport Ticket Office for an additional $30. Travel agents may impose an additional service charge for ticketing. To purchase tickets on AA.com, you must use a credit card with a billing address in the U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, the United Kingdom or select Latin American and Caribbean countries. Schedules are subject to change without notice. Other restrictions apply.

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By Dave DreeszenBusiness Journal editor

DAKOTA CITY – The Ty-son Fresh Meats plant in Da-kota City began slaughter-ing cattle in 1966. The aging slaughter floor dating to that era is now being replaced, as part of a major improvement project exected to create up to 200 new production jobs.

T h e i m p rove m e n ts, scheduled for completion in mid-2013, will significantly raise the number of cattle slaughtered at the plant, which is already metro Sioux City’s largest employer with about 4,000 workers cur-rently.

“Dakota City is our flag-ship plant, and this invest-ment means we expect it to continue to be one of our top performers and an im-portant market outlet for the region’s cattle produc-ers,” said Noel White, senior group vice president of Ty-son Fresh Meats, a subsid-iary of Tyson Foods, in the release.

Because it now processes more beef carcasses than it harvests, the Dakota City plant currently receives a supplemental supply of carcasses from a satellite plant in Denison, Iowa. The upgrades will allow Dakota City to match its slaughter and processing numbers, and most likely will lead to the closing of the Denison plant, which employs about

400, according to Tyson.“It’s difficult to consider

the possibility of closing our Denison plant, given the impact on our people, the plant’s long history in the meat industry and the tre-mendous support we’ve re-ceived from t h e c o m -munity over the years,” White said. “ Howeve r, unless area cattle sup-plies increase significantly or we find an alterna-tive use for the facility, it may make e c o n o m i c s e n s e t o discontinue operations there next year.”

The Denison plant, which opened in 1961, was the birthplace of Iowa Beef Packers, later known as IBP Inc., which grew into the world’s largest beef and pork supplier.

Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson Foods acquired Dako-ta Dunes-based IBP in Oc-tober 2001 for $3.2 billion, creating the world’s largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef and pork, and the second-biggest food production company.

IBP also owned the Dakota City plant, where slaughter operations began in 1966. A year later, the company started processing beef there, revolutionizing the industry with its boxed beef

concept, in which meat was cut into smaller portions for shipment in sturdy boxes, replacing the traditional shipments of carcasses to major cities.

As part of an $80 million project completed six years ago, Tyson completely re-built the original process-ing areas of the Dakota City plant.

The ongoing construc-tion project also will replace or update areas of the plant that were built nearly 50 years ago.

“The improvements will help optimize the value of the plant’s product mix for domestic and international customers and make the plant even more cost com-petitive,” White said.

Besides building a giant new slaughter floor, the project also includes up-grades to the plant’s carcass cooler and rendering and box handling operations, as well as employee lockers and cafeteria.

Ergonomic changes, in-volving equipment and process designs, will be incorporated into the new slaughter areas, helping to make certain jobs less physi-cally demanding, the news release said.

Tyson said it expects to spend “tens of millions of dollars” on the improve-ments, but would not iden-tify a specific estimate.

Of the eight beef plants Tyson operates in six states, Denison is the lone slaugh-ter-only facility. Most beef carcasses from there are sent to Dakota City, where they

are converted into boxed beef and related products.

A majority of the cattle slaughtered at Denison are purchased from indepen-dent cattle producers who actually live closer to Dakota City, according to Tyson of-ficials. The cities are about 80 miles apart.

Most of the producers who

supply cattle live within a 100 mile radius of the Da-kota City plant, but some comes from as far away as 400 miles.

In fiscal 2011, the Dakota City plant bought more than $1.7 billion worth of cattle, and contributed an annual payroll of $140 million.

Lance Hedquist, city

administrator for neigh-boring South Sioux City, said Tyson should be com-mended for again reinvest-ing in its plant, increasing its efficiency and profitability.

“This is great news for Dakota County and all of Siouxland,” he said.

More than 200 construc-tion workers are expected

Tyson To upgraDeDakoTa CiTy planT,aDD 200 new joBsImprovements to boost slaughter, increase processes

Journal photo by Jim LeeTyson Fresh Meats is in the midst of upgrading its Dakota City plant, above. The improvements will substantially increase the number of cattle slaughtered at the plant, which will add about 200 production jobs.

An employee monitors equipment at the Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Dakota City in this file photo. The company recently announced the beef slaughter floor at the plant will be rebuilt, creating up to 200 additional jobs.

Lance Hedquist

Noel White

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Cattle are shown in a feedlot near Omaha. The Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Dakota City regularly buys cattle from about a 100-mile radius. The plant’s aging slaughter floor is being replaced as part of a major improvement project currently underway.

AP photo

Journal photo by Jim LeeTyson Fresh Meats is in the midst of upgrading its Dakota City plant, above. The improvements will substantially increase the number of cattle slaughtered at the plant, which will add about 200 production jobs.

By the numbers

4,000Estimated number of

employees at Tyson Foods’ Dakota City beef plant.

200Additional jobs resulting

from major improvements to the plant’s slaughter

operations.

1966Year the Dakota City plant

opened

2013Year that Tyson expects to complete modernization

project.

1.7Amount, in billions of dol-lars, the company spent

buying cattle for the Dakota City plant in fiscal 2011.

to be on site at the height of the project, Tyson spokes-man Gary Mickelson said. Most of the work, he said, will be performed by tri-state contractors, pumping additional dollars into the local economy.

Local leaders also note the hiring of full-time produc-tion workers at the Dakota City plant will help replace some of the meatpacking jobs that disappeared when the 1,400-worker John Morrell plant closed two years ago.

“It’s just a great boost of morale for Siouxland,” Da-kota City City Administrator Brent Clark said.

Dakota City, population 1,119, hopes to gain more residents with the added employment, Clark said. The growth could spark de-mand for more housing in other metro-area commu-nities as well.

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• Keep your feet flat on the floor and keep your sitting posture upright and hips square for most of the workday, instead of crossing your legs, sitting on your feet, pulling your legs back underneath your chair, or for men, slouching with knees and hips spread wide apart.

• Make sure you know how to adjust all parts of your chair. The backrest height should adjust up and down with the back-rest angle leaning forward and back. The seat pan angle should vary between neutral and slightly tipped forward, and you should have it adjusted correctly (hips slightly higher than knees). Vary this slightly

throughout the day for posture variety.

• Use upper extrem-ity weight bearing sup-port when typing or us-ing the mouse. Use the tabletop, keyboard tray or

Practicing ergonomics in workplace offers benefits

An ergonomic adjustable chair and desk are shown above.

Business Know How

ERik NiEuwENhuiS

Look away from your computer at varying distances, two to three times each hour, to protect your eyes and prevent computer vision syndrome which can cause headaches, blurry vision and dry eyes. You should also make sure that you are blinking your eyes frequently as research has proven that most people on computers experience drier eyes, blurry vision and headaches.

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armrests of your chair to accomplish this WorkSmart posture.

• Know how to properly adjust your keyboard tray. It should be positioned in neutral to slightly tip away from you, helping to keep your wrists in a more neutral WorkSmart posture. This reduces awkward postures to your wrists and forearms when using your mouse or typ-ing and reduces MSD risks to your elbows, wrists, thumbs and hands.

• Keep elbows close to your sides when typing or using the mouse. It is highly recommended to use an external mouse when using a laptop and not using your fingertips (pinch postures) for prolonged periods of time or greater than 2-3 hours per day.

• Have your monitor directly in front of you with the top line of your monitor at or just below eye level, approximately one arms-length away from your body. You will need to have your monitor much lower and likely closer if you use bi- or tri-focals to avoid the awkward postures habit of having to frequently extend and flex your head which can increase MSD risks of headaches or pain.

• Have your monitor angle tipped slightly back away from you as this makes it easier to read and less stressful to your eyes.

• Use a document holder to avoid awk-ward trunk, neck and shoulder postures.

• Avoid awkwardly reaching for your mouse, keyboard, phone, calculator or pa-perwork, working to limit fully extending your arms.

• Avoid awkward “pinching” postures (flexed thumb and pinky with extended fingers and wrist) to operate your mouse. WorkSmart and allow your whole hand to rest over the top of your mouse. Make sure the mouse is also the correct size for your hand.

• Use a 2-3 inch three-ring binder with your work propped back towards you to keep your body more upright and in a better posture when working. This is key to working smart! You also need to take more frequent breaks when using a lap-top to stretch, walk around and take deep breaths.

• If you use a laptop for most of your computer work, I highly recommend purchasing a monitor and an external

keyboard and mouse along with a docu-ment holder to keep your paperwork be-tween your keyboard and monitor.

• Avoid propping the phone between your neck and shoulder. This is a key con-tributor to headaches, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand pain. Use the speaker phone, purchase a headset or use a hands free device for cell phone.

• Look away from your computer at varying distances, two to three times each hour, to protect your eyes and pre-vent computer vision syndrome which can cause headaches, blurry vision and dry eyes. You should also make sure that you are blinking your eyes frequently as research has proven that most people on computers experience drier eyes, blurry vision and headaches.

• Stand and perform St. Luke’s WorkSmart stretches and get up and move at least every hour! Your body is worth the effort and attention. This is especially true for those who use laptops or who spend most of their workday sitting at a com-puter workstation.

You may call me at (712) 279-1842 to set up a date and time to perform a

WorkSmart computer and office ergo-nomics evaluation in your workplace or home. Then, schedule a date and time for training and to learn the WorkSmart stretches that will empower you to reduce your stiffness and pain.

Sources:1. www.stlukes.org IMPACC Industrial

Athlete WorkSmart Program2. Computer Workstation Office Ergo-

nomics Training at www.impacctraining.com

3. WorkSafe BC Office Ergonomic Guide-lines for Preventing Musculoskeletal Symp-toms, Jan 2010

4. Cornell University Ergonomics - Com-puter workstation ergonomic guidelines, and 5 Tips for Laptop use

5. HumanTech - Ergonomics in the Office “Pocker Primer” 06’

6. Microsoft Healthy Computing Guide7. OSHA Computer Workstation eTool -

Evaluation and Purchasing Guide ChecklistErik Nieuwenhuis is St. Luke’s Health

System’s WorkSmart Ergonomics injury prevention specialist and health coach. Contacdt him at: 712-279-1842 or [email protected]

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Local bank staffer receives promotion

The Board of Directors of F&M Bank has announced the promotion of Gail Cur-ry to senior vice president/chief opera-tions officer.

C u r r y ’ s primary du-ties will be m a n a g i n g the bank’s operations and technol-ogy departments.

A native of Laurel, Neb., Curry attended Wayne State College, and has been em-ployed with F&M Bank for more than 22 years.

Sioux City Fire Department promotes four

Sioux City Fire Chief Tom

Everett has announced the following promotions.

Tom Leonard has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He jo i n e d Sioux City Fire Rescue in 1996. He m o s t r e -cently served as driver of Engine 1. He received his pa ra m e d i c s p e c i a l -ist license in 2001 and went on to get his de-gree in emer-gency medi-cal medicine from West-e r n I o w a Tech Com-munity Col-lege.

Leonard is a recent grad-uate of the department’s Leadership Academy and was instru-m e n ta l i n bringing ad-vanced life support ser-vices to the department. He has been assigned to Engine 7.

Eric Fox has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Fox joined the department 1997. He most recently served as the driver of Truck 3 and has been a member of the Iowa Urban Search and Rescue Team since its inception in 2003.

He has served many roles on that team, most recently as task force leader. He is an EMT-Intermediate and also a rope rescue technician. Fox has been assigned to Truck

3.Joe Rodriguez has been

promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He joined the de-partment in 1998. He most recently served as the pub-lic information/education officer. He is a paramedic-specialist and a member of Iowa’s Urban Search and Rescue Team.

He was the State of Iowa Fire Prevention Officer in 2005. Rodriguez has been promoted to deputy fire marshal in the Fire Preven-tion Bureau.

Jesse Pedersen, a mas-ter firefighter, has been promoted to public infor-mation/education officer. He joined the department in 2002 and most recently served as a firefighter and a member of the Hazardous Materials Response Team.

He is a certified emergency medical technician, hazard-ous materials technician and

an Iowa fire and emergency service instructor. He is in the Fire Prevention Bureau.

Children’s museum names director

Kari Kellen has been hired as executive director of the Children’s Museum of Siouxland.

K e l l e n p rev i o u s ly s e r ve d a s d e v e l o p -ment associ-ate with the Sioux City Art Center, where she was in charge of ArtSplash. She also is an active volun-teer in Sioux City, includ-ing KWIT Friends of FM90, Girlfriends of Girls Inc., Sioux City Growth Organi-zation, Rockin’ Rods and the Red Cross of Siouxland.

The Children’s Museum is

envisoned for 623 Pearl St. The group’s temporary of-fice is located in Suite 406 of the Commerce Building, 520 Nebraska St.

Heelan announces administrative changes

Bishop Heelan Catholic Schools has announced a promotion and two new staff members in its administra-tive offices in Sioux City.

Tom Betz has been pro-moted to di-rector of ad-vancement t o g u i d e Heelan de-velopment a c t iv i t i e s, i n c l u d i n g the annual fund, Gold Club, Msgr. Lafferty Fund and planned giving.

OnTheMove

Gail Curry

Jesse Pedersen

Joe Rodriguez

Eric Fox

Tom Leonard

Kari Kellen

Becky Meyer

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Tom Betz

Janet Flanagan

Betz had worked as di-r e c t o r o f enrollment and alumni and former-l y ta u g h t business at Heelan. He c o n t i n u e s to serve as Heelan boys’ ba s ke tba l l c o a c h . A graduate of Heelan and Morningside College, he joined the Heelan staff 11 years ago.

Janet Flanagan has been named director of annual giving and is coordinating the Heelan Auction, pro-viding support to the an-nual fund and working with

alumni. She operated Perry Creek Communications for the past seven years, and previously worked in mar-keting for many years at St. Luke’s Health System and Morningside College.

Flanagan is a graduate of Heelan and Loyola Univer-sity, New Orleans.

Becky Meyer is the new office manager, provid-ing support to all develop-ment activities. She served as president of Junior Achievement for the past 24 years and works with her husband, Bruce, in Bruce Meyer Productions.

Credit union appoints new CEO

John Parks has been president and CEO of Sioux Valley Community Credit

Union.Parks is a lifelong resident

of Siouxland and has been a part of the credit union movement for the last eight years, and currently serves as president of the North-west Iowa Chapter of Credit Unions. He has previous credit union managerial experience.

Parks will be responsible for developing a strategic operating plan which in-volves growing the current membership base and loan volume.

Two open houses for Parks will be held Monday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the credit union’s Morningside location at 3450 S. Lakeport St. and from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Sergeant Bluff loca-tion at 105 Sergeant Square Drive.

Health board names two new members

Rod Earley Wine and Erica DeLeon have been a p p o i n t -e d to t h e S i o u x l a n d D i s t r i c t B o a r d o f Health.

E a r l e y -w i n e h a s b e e n t h e s u p e r i n -tendent of S e r g e a n t Bluff-Luton Community School Dis-trict since 2007. Prior to that, he as the SB-L Middle School Principal for 12 years.

DeLeon has served as the executive director of the Mary J. Treglia Community

House since 2008. She pre-viously served as the orga-nization’s director of Immi-gration Services.

Siouxland Foundation elects officers, board

The Siouxland Commu-nity Foundation recently elected officers, committee chairs and new board mem-bers for 2012.

Karen B. Clark, Thorpe & Co. Jewellers, was elect-ed president of the board. Other elected officers and members of the Executive Committee for 2012 in-clude: Vice President and Marketing/Development Committee Chair Lesley M. Bartholomew, Wells Enterprises, Inc.; Secretary Barbara F. Orzechowski, Klass Law Firm; Treasurer Paul A. Bergmann, Long Lines; Grant Review Com-mittee Chair Matthew J.

Basye, FEH Associates; Investment/Finance Com-mittee Chair Leon D. Ro-zeboom, Liberty National Bank; and Past President Patrick J. Corey, Stifel, Nicolaus & Co.

Newly elected to the board are: Garrett K. Smith, American Pop Corn Co. and Charese E. Yanney, Guar-antee Roofing & Siding Co. Remaining on the board are Richard J. Dehner, North-western Mutual; Lance D. Ehmcke, Heidman Law Firm; Marilyn J. Hagberg, Security National Bank Trust Department; Rob-ert W. Houlihan, Houli-han & Associates; Charles A. Knoepfler, Knoepfler Chevrolet; Roma A. Kroll, First American Bank; Mat-thew J. Lawler, F&M Bank; Robert F. Meis, Be-renstein Law Firm; Michael

Erica DeLeon

Rod Earleywine

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FROM PAGE 17H. Prosser, King, Reinsch, Prosser & Co.; Laura A. Schiltz, Clear Channel Radio; and Dr. Richard G. Wagner, (retired) Wagner, Johnson & Rasmus PC.

Retiring board mem-ber Kenneth A. Beekley, Siouxland Economic Devel-opment Corp., was recog-nized at the annual Meeting for his six years of service on the board.

The foundation is a non-profit corporation dedicat-ed to enhancing the quality of life in Siouxland by re-ceiving and administering tax-deductible contribu-tions from charitable do-nors to build endowments for the long-term benefit of the tri-state region. In-come generated by the en-dowments provides grants to nonprofit organizations

within a general 50-mile radius of Sioux City.

Finnegan leads Sioux City Growth

The members of the Sioux City Growth Organiza-tion have e l e c t e d C h r i s t i e Finnegan as the or-g a n i z a -tion’s 2012 president. Finnegan, who works a t S t . Luke’s Health System, will lead SCGO as it celebrates its 10-year anniversary.

Also elected to board po-sitions for the new year: Greg Hoffman, Security National Bank, vice presi-dent; Luis Trejo, Fitch &

Graves, treasurer; Mindy Mullen, Lilly Family Den-tistry, secretary; and di-rectors Tracy Erlandson, Sioux City Symphony; Sara Gotch, Bass Adver-tising; Ed Kellogg, Big Soo Terminal; Matt Ohman, Siouxland Human Invest-ment Partnership and Dustin Pratt, Avalon Capi-tal Group.

SCGO, founded in 2002 to encourage young pro-fessionals to become active members of the commu-nity, encourages progres-sive and innovative ideas to make Sioux City a more appealing place to live and work. SCGO has around 100 members. For more infor-mation, visit the group’s website: at www.siouxci-tygo.com.

Boys and Girls Home honors volunteer

Boys and Girls Home and Family Services, Inc. re-cently recognized Jackie Kaufman with the 2011 Jeff Dible Volunteer of the Year Award.

T h e award, pre-sented at the agen-cy’s annual m e e t i n g and recog-nition pro-gram Jan. 26, is given annually to an outstanding volunteer whose leader-ship and commitment to the agency goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Kaufman has contributed countless hours, serving on two event committees

throughout the years, at-tending regular meetings for Face Off for Charity and the Fall Event, sharing her ideas and vision, purchas-ing and creating items, vol-unteering to sell tickets and simply works hard behind the scenes.

The award is named in memory of past Boys and Girls Home board member, Jeff Dible, whose love and commitment to children was the driving force be-hind his work on behalf of the agency.

Past recipients of the award include: Jean Lewis, Jackie and Darrell Baker, Dan Paquin, Cecil Corbett, Max Spain, Ginny Peterson, Gretchen Hirschbach, Art Silva, Jayne McGuire, Eldon Roth, Karen Shaw, Aaron Beutler, Chris Holman and Tom Elsen.

Area advisors graduate from state financial institute

Five area financial advi-sors have graduated from the Leadership in Life In-stitute held in Sioux City, sponsored by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

They are Chris Coun-tryman, an agent with ING Financial Services in Moville, Char Granstra, with AXA Advisors in Rock Valley, Peter Hawkinson, an agent with Farm Bu-reau Financial Services in Sioux City, Michael Nash, pPresident of M.G. Nash Fi-nancial Solutions in Sioux City, and Brandon Steffe, an agent with American Na-tional Insurance Company in Sioux City.

Christie Finnegan

Jackie Kaufman

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The program accepts a limited number of carefully selected applicants from among its 50,000 members nationwide. The graduates completed the intensive course of study over a six-month period and were honored at commencement exercises in Des Moines on Jan. 16.

Based on the leadership writings of Stephen Covey, Jim Collins, John Maxwell, and Kouzes & Posner, the Leadership in Life Institute encourages personal growth and exploration. Students leverage new insights about themselves and apply cut-ting-edge leadership theory to develop leadership skills.

The graduates join nearly 2,000 other alumni who have graduated from the in-stitute. now in its 30th year.

Countryman, Hawkinson, Nash and Steffe are active in the Siouxland chapter, while Granstra is active in the Northwestern Iowa chapter of NAIFA-Iowa.

Nash and Granstra also hold positions on the NAIFA-Io-wa state board of directors.

Three join Briar Cliff board of trustees

Briar Cliff Un ive rs i ty r e c e n t l y named Sis-ter Jeanette H o m a n , R o s a l y n d Koob and Dr. Joseph Liewer to the college’s b o a r d o f trustees.

Homan is a member of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Dubuque, Iowa.

K o o b i s a partner and attorney at Heidman Law Firm in Sioux City, where she began in 2001 as an associate attor-ney. Previously, Koob was a

law clerk for N e b r a s k a Legal Ser-vices.

Liewer is the medical director and staff emer-gency phy-s i c i a n fo r Northwest Iowa Emergency Physicians at Mercy Medi-cal Center, Sioux City.

Peterbilt dealer honors top mechanics

Peterbilt of Sioux City r e c e n t l y recognized two top me-chanics for more than 50 years of c o m b i n e d se rv i ce to the heavy-truck deal-ership.

Service manager Harland

Gylfe was honored for 20 years and diesel tech-nician Pete Nieuwkoop was honored for 30 years, d u r i n g a gathering of employees on Jan. 31.

Gyfle joined the Sioux City Peterbilt dealership in 1984 as a mechanic. He left to pursue other interests in 1991, but returned as ser-vice manager in 1992.

After working eight years for another brand truck dealer, Nieuwkoop joined Peterbilt in 1982.

Farmers National cites Paullina agent

Scott Louscher, a farm manager and real estate agent from Paullina, Iowa, was recently recognized for his outstanding efforts in developing new business for Farmers National Company

during 2011.Louscher

received the b u s i n e s s d e v e l o p -ment award, a company-wide com-p e t i t i o n among 90 professional farm and ranch managers in a 24-state area. Farmers National is a lead-ing farm and ranch manage-ment company.

Morningside prof gives presentations

Pam Mickelson, profes-sor of busi-ness admin-istration at Morningside College, re-cently gave p r e s e n t a -tions in Mis-s o u r i a n d Texas.

A t t h e Marketing Management

Association’s educator’s conference in St. Louis, Mo., she gave a presentation called “Student Evaluation Feedback: Using the Results Productively.” The Market-ing Management Associa-tion is a worldwide orga-nization of both business people and academics who are involved in marketing.

At Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, Mickelson spoke to consumer behavior and marketing communication classes. She focused on the use of qualitative research in decision-making and the process of creating a brand-ing campaign.

Mickelson joined the fac-ulty at Morningside College in 1988.

Jeanette Homan

Joseph Liewer

Rosalynd Koob

Harland Gylfe

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ChamberNewsNew Chamber Investors AvIAtIoN CoNsultANt ExpErt solutIoNs, llC (ACEs)TraviS STein2500 Keokuk Ave.Sioux City, IA 51111(630) 926-9534http://top-aces.comTravel Services

EvolytEJeff ringgenBerg306 Virginia St., Suite ASioux City, IA 51104(310) 780-2280http://evolyte.comWeb Design

rIvErsIdE tEChNologIEs INC.randy ChriSTen-SonPO Box 1728North Sioux City, SD 57049(866) 804-4388www.riversidetech-nologies.comTechnical Consultants

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st. lukE’s homE CArEJulie adaM2905 Hamilton Blvd.Sioux City, IA 51104712-279-3279www.stlukeshomec-are.orgHealth & Medical Services

Chamber AnniversariesThe following busi-nesses and organiza-tions this month are observing anniverar-ies of five or more years as Siouxland Chamber of Com-merce investors.

5 yEArs6 south dEsIgNSara Sue SMiTh922 4th St.Sioux City, IA 51101North sIoux dENtAl ClINICdonald B Cork Jr. ddS101 Merrill Ave.North Sioux City, SD 57049Body ANd soul sAloN ANd spAkaTie loCkridge1101 4th St Ste 2Sioux City, IA 51101mINErvA’sken BaShore

2945 Hamilton Blvd.Sioux City, IA 51104stAN houstoN EquIpmENtJoe Bozied412 Lewis Blvd.Sioux City, IA 51101

10 yEArsCENtrAl BANk- dowNtowNJeff lapke522 4th St.Sioux City, IA 51102El FrEdo pIzzAkip and John len-non523 W. 19th St.Sioux City, IA 51103rEmodElINg sErvICEsdan vanderlin-den5220 Wellington CourtSioux City, IA 51106JANItor dEpot INC.Brad & nanCy

figge510 W. 13th St.South Sioux City, NE 68776

15 yEArsrIddlEs JEwElryJared zoBel4400 Sergeant Road, Ste. 126Sioux City, IA 51106

20 yEArsmIdAmErICAN musEum oF AvIAtIoN & trANsportAtIoNlarry finley2600 Expedition CourtSioux City, IA 51111sIgNs By tomorrowdoug poTTS4717 Southern Hills DriveSioux City, IA 51106

25 yEArsdAkotA CouNty stAtE BANk

ToM BauriChTer2024 Dakota Ave.South Sioux City, NE 68776krygEr glAss415 S Lewis Blvd.Sioux City, IA 51106oFFICE ElEmENtslinda fiCkBohM713 Nebraska St.Sioux City, IA 51101sIoux CIty gospEl mIssIoNharold youTzy Jr500 Bluff St.Sioux City, IA 51102wEstwood NursINg ANd rEhABIlItAtIoN CENtErJaCk STuder4201 Fieldcrest DriveSioux City, IA 51103

30 yEArsIvAN k sAlmoNs ddsivan SalMonS1855 Indian Hills DriveSioux City, IA 51104

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss was the guest speaker at the March 7 Siouxlandland Industrial Roundtable meeting.

The luncheon at Bev’s on the River was sponsored by The Siouxland Chamber of Commerce/The Siouxland Initiative and CIRAS/Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Goss is the Jack MacAllister Chair in Re-gional Economics at Creighton in Omaha.

He is cited monthly in about 100 newspa-pers, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, and The Christian Science Monitor, Chi-cago Sun Times.

During his presentation in Siouxland, he gave an overview of the Mid-America and Rural Mainstreet economies, as gauged by Creighton’s four monthly regional eco-nomic surveys. He also focused on the mul-titude of measures advanced by the Obama Administration and the Federal Reserve aimed at stimulating the national economy.

Creighton economist speaks at siouxland luncheon

ernie goss

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from page 9demand for the company’s high-quality Blu-Jet prod-ucts, Jensen said.

StripTill implements, for example, inject key nutri-ent into the soil, while pre-paring a narrow seedbed in an otherwise undisturbed field. The cutting-edge equipment cuts field pass-es and fertilizer rates versus traditional crop production practices.

In addition to growing domestic sales, the com-pany also is has stepped up efforts to increase exports to overseas markets such as Africa, Asia and Europe.

CEO Layton Jensen, for example, recently pitched the company’s products at a trade conference in Africa.

The latest expansion proj-ect in Thurston is expected to help fill the expected in-crease in interational orders.

The construction will add 43,000 square feet of space, with a new building and the extension of three existing structures.

The capital investment of $3 to $5 million also in-cludes adding more robotic welding stations and a new painting operation.

“It wil put us in a lead-ership role for production efficiencies within our re-spective market segments, and allow us to increase val-ue by lowering production costs while maintaining top

quality product offerings,” Layton Jensen said.

Thurston Manufactur-ing, which currently em-ploys about 110 people, has added about 15 workers in recent months to help meet increased production, Ryan Jensen said. The company is still looking to fill about 10 jobs, primarily in the second and third shifts.

After the expansion is complete, another five workers likely will be added, he said.

Among the positions: welders, fabricators, ma-terial handlers, painters, shipping clerks sand ad-ministrative assistants.

Because of the town’s small size, the majority of the workforce lives in other

Siouxland communities, with some daily commutes in excess of 45 miles away.

Thurston Manufacturing was founded in by Layton Jensen’s father, Wayne. Starting a large grain stor-age building in Thurston, Wayne Jensen developed a self-coupling hitch for tractors and wagons. The brand name “Blu-Jet” was derived from the color of the local high school’s team colors, and the fast, sleek,

or jet-like performance of the hitch.

The business later start-ed producing injection tool bars for applying anhy-drous, liquid and dry forms of nitrogen fertilizer, a nu-trient essential for growing corn and other crops.

Wayne Jensen and his wife, Carla, are now retired. Layton Jensen, his wife, Carolyn, and their sons, Nick and Ryan, manage the business.

Journal photo by Tim GallagherWelder John Mitchell is shown working on a piece of metal at Thurston Manufacturing in Thurston, Neb.

growth: Thurston increases overseas exports “It wil put us in a leadership role for production efficiencies within our respective market segments, and allow us to increase value by lowering production costs while maintaining top quality product offerings.”

Layton JensenCEO, Thurston Manufacturing

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BY DAVE DREESZENBusiness Journal editor

A manufacturer of animal feed supple-ments has completed a multimillion dollar expansion to its North Sioux City facility.

Nutraferma finished a 19,000-square-foot addition to its plant in the Flynn Busi-ness Park. Five new employees were hired at the complex, raising total employment to 17. Additional capacity will be added this summer.

Company officials said more production

capacity was needed to supply increased global demand for Nutraferma’s flagship product, Pepsoygen, a soy-based protein fed to pigs, poultry, and aquaculture.

The plant also manufactures a unique direct-fed microbial, called Natufermen, and will be introducing other new products this year.

“We’re excited to have this additional capacity online to service our expanding market. We’re pleased that we were able to complete this phase on time and under

budget, “ said Doug Douthitt, vice presi-dent of operations.

The expansion couldn’t have been com-pleted at a better time, said Dan Emery,

vice president of sales and marketing said. “We’re expecting double digit growth for the next several years and I’m proud of our team,” Emergy said. “They worked dili-gently to get this phase of our expansion completed.”

Nutraferma’s plant is the only facility in North America that utilizes such a cutting-edge biotech method that turns fermented soy products into more digestible feeds. The North Sioux City facility opened in 2008.

NUTRAFERMA EXPANDS PLANTPhoto submitted

Nutraferma employee Julius Phillips, left, sets controls on the computer for the fermentation process, while his colleague James Martin adds materials needed for the process. The manufacturer of animal feed supplements recently completed an addition to its North Sioux City plant.

Journal photo by Dave DreeszenNutraferma recently completed an addition to its North Sioux City plant, above.

“We’re excited to have this additional capacity online to service our expanding market.”

DOUG DOUTHITTVice President of Operations

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11

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Congratulations to Famous Dave’s BBQ on the purchase of its building at 201 Pierce Street. This transaction was brokered by Beau Braunger.

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siouxland business journal march 2012

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