Des Moines Business Record

09/22/2025

Attendees of the 2025 Taking Up Space event were asked to do one thing: Unapologetically take up space with your voice, your skills and your knowledge.

Read our takeaways from the event in this week's Fearless: https://fearlessbr.com/our-voice-our-skills-our-knowledge-7-takeaways-from-the-2025-taking-up-space-event/

09/19/2025

A cover of winners🏅

This year’s Best of Des Moines cover features: At left, CEO and President of Bankers Trust Company Don Coffin, who was voted Best CEO, Best Metro Business Leader and Best Leader with a Sense of Humor. At right, Flynn Wright Senior Vice President and Partner Sarah DeKock, who was voted Best Up-and-Coming Business Leader. The two posed at Wakonda Club voted Best Golf Course.

Photo by Duane Tinkey. Read full coverage and learn from this year's Best of Des Moines winners on our website: https://www.businessrecord.com/best-of-des-moines-2025-learn-about-this-years-winners

09/19/2025

The results are in!🏆 We've tallied up the list of businesses, people, organizations and initiatives voted “Best of Des Moines.”

As we do each year, we asked our readers to cast votes for what Des Moines has to offer in 75 business-related categories. Have a favorite winner? Give them a shoutout in the comments!

See the list of this year's winners: https://www.businessrecord.com/best-of-des-moines-2025-winners

09/18/2025

If it seems like there has been more than the average amount of leadership change in recent years, that is correct.

The Business Record conducted a review of the executive level leadership transitions that we have covered for years and found 552 leadership transitions have happened in the region since 2020. And more than one-third of those happened in 2024 and 2025.

Shifts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have remade the American workforce, including Central Iowa’s, and it will mean new leadership dynamics for employees, companies and the community as a whole.

We compiled a selection of some of the top leadership changes from recent years as a resource. Find it here: https://www.businessrecord.com/a-changing-of-the-guard-in-central-iowa/

09/17/2025

Seeing a classmate struggle with hunger growing up remains a driver for Tami Nielsen, the new president and CEO of the Food Bank of Iowa, to fight food insecurity across the state.

Get to know Nielsen in this week’s Closer Look: https://www.businessrecord.com/meet-tami-nielsen-new-ceo-of-food-bank-of-iowa/

09/17/2025

Drake University law professor Sally Frank was named a 2025 Woman of Influence for her career advocating for equity. As a 19-year-old student, she sued Princeton University and its all-male eating clubs for s*x discrimination and won with an end to the case when she was a 32-year-old professor at Drake. Later this year, Princeton will officially name a cafe in her honor.

One of Frank’s proudest accomplishments came after years of drafting resolutions in support of LGBTQ+ individuals with the Social Action Commission of Reform Judaism. The Reform movement's support for marriage equality was mentioned in a footnote in the Varnum decision (the case that won the right for same-s*x couples to marry in Iowa).

The Jewish obligation to engage in tikkun olam (the repair of the world) motivates her to advocate for others. “If you see something that is wrong, work to fix it,” Franks said. “It’s best if you can work with others, but do it alone if you have to.”

Read more about Frank: https://www.businessrecord.com/sally-frank-2025-women-of-influence-honoree/

09/16/2025

When things change as rapidly as they do today, the balance between adaptability and discipline becomes tougher for leaders.

Suzanna de Baca asked five leaders how they manage this balance in her recent On Leadership column: https://www.businessrecord.com/https-www-businessrecord-com-on-leadership-balancing-adaptability-and-dicipline-when-the-future-is-uncertain/

09/15/2025

As Iowa leads the nation in cancer rates, navigating the financial landscape to access lifesaving breast cancer screening and diagnostic evaluation has become increasingly murky for both patients and physicians alike.

Dr. Rachel Preisser discusses these issues in her guest column in this week's Fearless: https://fearlessbr.com/guest-opinion-the-hidden-costs-of-battling-breast-cancer/

09/12/2025

Read about how Iowa’s waterways are becoming state trails, with the hope of attracting and retaining workers. https://www.businessrecord.com/paddles-pedals-and-profits-the-economic-power-of-iowas-trails/

09/09/2025

Casey's delivered strong a first quarter earnings report with the sale of whole pizzas, bakery items and non-alcoholic beverages as well as fuel providing a boost to income and earnings, the chain reported today. Read more:

The sale of whole pizzas, bakery items and non-alcoholic beverages as well as fuel helped boost income and earnings in the first quarter for Casey’s General Stores Inc., the Ankeny-based company’s earnings report shows. Darren Rebelez, Casey’s chairman, CEO and president, described the first q...

09/09/2025

Meet Alanah Mitchell, the new dean of Drake University's business college: https://www.businessrecord.com/meet-alanah-mitchell-drakes-business-college-dean

09/08/2025

Iowa has its share of inspiring women founders and leaders in the tech industry, yet the representation of women overall remains low.

Suzanna de Baca explores how leaders can help women advance in the tech industry in this week's Fearless: https://fearlessbr.com/leading-fearlessly-women-making-their-mark-in-technology/