Iowa Innovation, Powered by NewBoCo

On Today's Episode: In the finale of Season 4, hosts Anthony Betters Jr. and Rob Merritt sit down with the sponsors of Season 4, Van Meter. Specifically, they chat with Danielle Monthei, Community Impact Manager, and Gavin Palma, Systems Engineer. The group digs into the inner works of Van Meter, why they sponsored the show and how they give back to the community, and how they continue to be one o...

On Today's Episode: To celebrate the 50th episode of the Iowa Innovation podcast, Anthony and Rob reminisce with Jennifer Smith, creator and season host of the podcast. The group is also joined by Jourdan McChesney, Director of Events with NewBoCo, to discuss EntreFEST and all of the amazing projects NewBoCo creates. Welcome to Iowa Innovation, the weekly podcast that will introduce you to new ide...

On Today's Episode: Anthony and Rob are once again joined by Samantha Dahlby, Director of K-12 Education at NewBoCo, and Andy Fielder, K-12 Student Program Coordinator. This time, the group discusses NewBoCo's work in K-12 education and how they're leading the charge in new education initiatives. Welcome to Iowa Innovation, the weekly podcast that will introduce you to new ideas, new tools, and th...

On Today's Episode: Anthony Betters Jr. and Rob Merritt are joined in the studio by Mike Heaton, Director of Development with NewBoCo, and Alex Taylor, Managing Director of the Iowa Startup Accelerator, to discuss the entrepreneurial ecosystem NewBoCo is building in Iowa and how their work and resources may benefit others. Welcome to Iowa Innovation, the weekly podcast that will introduce you to n...

On Today's Episode: Anthony Betters Jr. and Rob Merritt are joined in the studio by Kaitlin Byers, Capital Access Manager of Kiva Iowa, and Tone Da Boss, Founder of the Iowa Music Awards and CEO of T1 Entertainment. Tone shares his experiences applying for a Kiva loan and Kaitlin walks everyone through the unique ways Kiva is helping entrepreneurs and small businesses pursue their dreams. Follow T...

On Today's Episode: Anthony and Rob are joined by Samantha Dahlby, Director of K-12 Education at NewBoCo, and Andy Fielder, K-12 Student Program Coordinator, to discuss the Future City Competition and some of the innovation they're seeing from the leaders of tomorrow. Learn more about the Future City Competition at futurecity.org . Welcome to Iowa Innovation, the weekly podcast that will introduce...

On Today's Episode: Anthony and Rob are joined by Melissa Silver and Craig Barkley of DeltaV Code School, Iowa's premier tech boot camp.  Learn more about DeltaV at deltavcodeschool.com . Welcome to Iowa Innovation, the weekly podcast that will introduce you to new ideas, new tools, and the lessons learned from real Iowa innovators. Join hosts from NewBoCo every Wednesday as they talk with th...

On Today's Episode: Anthony and Rob are joined by John Foster, Community Manager of The Vault Co-Working Space, and Jordan Bergren, Freelance Animator and Founder of Simplate.io (and member of The Vault Co-Working Space!). The group discuss Jordan's work and the many benefits of Co-Working spaces for today's professionals! Learn more about The Vault at NewBo. Co/Vault/ . Learn more about Jordan's...

On Today's Episode: Anthony and Rob are joined by Alex Taylor, Managing Director of the Iowa Startup Accelerator, to chat with special guest Liz Hubing, Senior Director of Workforce and Business Innovation with Greater Iowa City, Inc., the newly merged entity comprised previously of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce and the Iowa City Area Development Group. Learn more about Greater Iowa City...

This episode was recorded live from the Cedar Rapids Public Library on Monday, October 9th, 2023 as part of the first Mayor's Youth Conference. Welcome back for Season 4 of Iowa Innovation, Powered by NewBoCo! On today's episode, hosts Anthony Betters Jr. and Rob Merritt sit down with Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O'Donnell to discuss her first Mayor's Youth Conference and some of the exciting innova...

Iowa Innovation is back for Season 4! Hosts Anthony Betters Jr. and Rob Merritt are pulling back the curtain on NewBoCo and giving you an inside look at how the organization is impacting the community. NEW: Season 4 now features video! Make sure to visit NewBo. Co or NewBoCo's various social media platforms to see more. Welcome to Iowa Innovation, the weekly podcast that will introduce you to new...

On Today's Episode: Hosts Anthony and Rob sit down with Dr. Tawana Grover, the new Superintendent of Schools for the Cedar Rapids Community School District. The group explore how (and why) she came to settle in Iowa, what she sees as the challenges before her in this role, and Dr. Grover shares a call to action for everyone in our community. Learn more about the Cedar Rapids Community School Distr...

On Today's Episode: Hosts Anthony and Jessica are joined by Karim Malek, Director of the Virtual Soldier Research Program at the University of Iowa, as well as Major General Retired Stewart Wallace. The duo share with our hosts their work on the Virtual Soldier project, including how this program has the capacity to change the world, why Wallace would come out of retirement for this specific proje...

On Today's Episode: Hosts Anthony and Rob are joined by Rachel Hahn, Strategic Advisor for CIRAS from Iowa State, and Sydney Reickhoff, CEO and Co-Owner of Almost Famous Popcorn Company. The duo share the story of how Almost Famous Popcorn Company became the company it is today, including being named one of the Corridor's Fastest Growing Companies by the Corridor Business Journal, as well as how t...

On Today's Episode: Hosts Anthony and Jessica are joined by Brian Glick, Co-Founder of Revival Theatre Company, a professional theatre company in Cedar Rapids that is devoted to producing excellence in musical theatre while creating a passionate and creative environment. The group explores what it takes to run a musical theatre company in today's modern world as well as Brian's process behind crea...

On Today's Episode: Hosts Anthony and Jessica are joined by Anthony Arrington, Managing Partner of Top Rank and host of the Diversity Straight Up podcast. Anthony shares how Top Rank is changing the game as a recruitment firm focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity, as well as a look inside his life as a consultant and diversity leader. Learn more about Top Rank at toprankculture.com . Welco...

On Today's Episode: Hosts Anthony Betters and Rob Merritt sit down with Monica Vernon, Executive Director of The District: Czech Village and New Bohemia, a Main Street Iowa Community representing the businesses and activities in two of Cedar Rapids' most vibrant neighborhoods. The group digs into what The District is working on, including their iconic Dinner on the Bridge fundraiser, as well as ho...

On today's episode, NewBoCo Hosts Anthony Betters and Jessica Abdoney sit down with Ally Schmidt, Business Development Coordinator for Bio::Neos, Inc. Ally shares her experience as an alum of NewBoCo's GirlsCode++ program, how she connected through EntreFest, and how she is helping others overcome imposter syndrome through compassion. Welcome to Iowa Innovation, the weekly podcast that will introd...

On today's episode, NewBoCo Hosts Anthony Betters and Rob Merritt sit down with Jess Faber, UI/UX Developer for NewBoCo Studios, to discuss the ins and outs of app development and the exciting new things NewBoCo Studios is bringing to life! Learn more about NewBoCo Studios at newbo.co/studios . Welcome to Iowa Innovation, the weekly podcast that will introduce you to new ideas, new tools, and the...

On today's episode, NewBoCo Hosts Anthony Betters and Jessica Abdoney are live from the stage of The Englert Theatre as part of EntreFEST 2023! They sit down with guest Debbie Durham, Director of the Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Department of Economic Development. The group discusses everything from the appeal of living in Iowa to MySpace. Learn more about the Iowa Finance Authority at iowa...

On today's episode, NewBoCo Hosts Anthony Betters and Jessica Abdoney sit down with Emily Stochl, Host and Creator of the Pre-Loved Podcast, a weekly interview show about rad vintage style with guests you'll want to go thrifting with! The group explores the Fabric Act, the 90-Day Challenge, and dig into the pros and cons of fast fashion. They also chat about Found and Formed in Cedar Rapids, the C...

Hosts Anthony Betters and Jessica Abdoney sit down with Tiffany O'Donnell, Mayor of Cedar Rapids. The group hits on a little bit of everything, including how her family influenced her to run for mayor, how her background in journalism taught her the power of story, and how she's working to make sure Cedar Rapids passes the vibe check. Keep up with what's going on with the City of Cedar Rapids at C...

This week, hosts Anthony Betters and Rob Merritt sit down with Ryan Shenefelt, Account Manager/Education and Innovation Lead for de Novo Marketing. The group opens with a discussion about holiday catalogues and grows into an exploration about how everything is marketing, from the flow of the grocery store to this very podcast. The conversation also digs into EntreFEST (which de Novo is assisting i...

This week, hosts Anthony Betters and Jessica Abdoney sit down with Regenia Bailey, previous mayor of Iowa City and the founder of Bailey Leadership Initiative. The group chats about how Regenia's stint as mayor influenced her leadership style and how she navigated the flood of 2008, ideas behind messaging and communications for nonprofits, and the group discusses ChickenGate - a dark chapter of Re...

This week, hosts Anthony Betters and Rob Merritt sit down with Zack Kucharski, Executive Editor of The Gazette. The group chats about how media needs to continually reinvent itself, how they navigated the Pandemic and Derecho, touch on diversity and inclusivity at The Gazette, and dig deep into how Artificial Intelligence is changing the game. Welcome to Iowa Innovation, the weekly podcast that wi...