The Iowa Business Podcast

The Iowa Business Podcast

From iconic leaders in finance, politicians shaping regulations, manufacturing icons, or unsung SMB heroes, the Iowa Manufacturing Podcast is now The Iowa Business Podcast. Get a weekly deep dive into the stories and strategies that drive Iowa business success. Led by a small-but-mighty team of hosts, this show brings you critical conversations to grow your business and make profit in Iowa. What do new policies from Iowa lawmakers mean? How does the global supply chain impact you? How is local SEO and Ai impact foot traffic to your Iowa storefront? It's all here.

  1. Iowa's biggest entrepreneurial stage isn't just for venture-backed companies

    3d ago

    Iowa's biggest entrepreneurial stage isn't just for venture-backed companies

    When it comes to startup-land and entrepreneurial-focused events, does it seem like the discussion always revolves around big Series A raises, venture capitalists, and adding the word "Silicon" to everything? Jan Finlayson, Event Director of EntreFest explains what Iowa's largest entrepreneur event is all about.  💡 Find this show on your favorite player: https://iowapodcast.com/entrefest  ⚖️ Get guidance from Dentons Davis Brown: https://dentons.com/davisbrown  🐖 Get a free $30 gift card from Jethro's BBQ: https://iowapodcast.com/jethrosbbq  Finlayson explains why most entrepreneurial activity in Iowa doesn't require major raises or billion dollar or even multi-million dollar evaluations. The vast majority of entrepreneurial output in Iowa is from small operations solving big problems.

    34 min
  2. Can you train Ai to recommend your small business? Iowa web CEO breaks down free steps.

    May 28

    Can you train Ai to recommend your small business? Iowa web CEO breaks down free steps.

    Locals are using ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Grok to answer questions about where to find local products or services. As a business owner do you have any control over what they say or recommend? Yes. In fact, you can do a lot for free, says Drew Harden, CEO and founder of Blue Compass. 💡 Find this show on your favorite player: https://iowapodcast.com/drew-harden ⚖️ Get guidance from Dentons Davis Brown: https://www.dentons.com/en/dentons-davis-brown 🐖 Get a free $30 gift card from Jethro's BBQ: https://iowapodcast.com/jethrosbbq As your customers use traditional Google searches less, savvy business owners must look beyond traditional search engine pratices toward generative engine optimization (GEO).

    33 min
  3. New CEO of Bank Iowa: big national banks saturating Iowa is good for business

    May 21

    New CEO of Bank Iowa: big national banks saturating Iowa is good for business

    Bank Iowa has a new CEO. South Dakota farm kid, Jason Herrbolt grew up 10 minutes from Iowa and the state finally captured him. He answers Bank Iowa's crypto plans, and addresses rising competition from big National Banks saturating Iowa, stable coins and FinTech threats.  💡 Find this show on your favorite player: https://iowapodcast.com/bank-iowa-jason-herrbolt ⚖️ Get guidance from Dentons Davis Brown: https://www.dentons.com/en/dentons-davis-brown 🐖 Get a free $30 gift card from Jethro's BBQ: https://iowapodcast.com/jethrosbbq Herrbolt explains their investment mix, how they plan to stay competitive on rates, and how they're being proactive on Ai-driven cybersecurity threats and what businesses need to do right now to ward off threats—like adding dual control to their accounts. He also clearly answers their plans on dealing with crypto currencies.

    30 min

  4. May 14

    Who's hiring who? Ai is now screening resumes but is that good? Adam Viet of Big Creek Growth pulls back the broken HR curtain.

    Who's hiring who? Ai is screening resumes but is that good or bad for candidates and companies? Adam Viet of Big Creek Growth pulls back the curtain on broken HR processes and how Ai could help companies recruit better, but could just as easily hurt recruiting if CHROs aren't careful.  💡 Find this show on your favorite player: https://iowapodcast.com/Ai-scanning-resumes  ⚖️ Get guidance from Dentons Davis Brown: https://www.dentons.com/en/dentons-davis-brown 🐖 Get a free $30 gift card from Jethro's BBQ: https://iowapodcast.com/jethrosbbq For years, recruiters have used machine learning to scan through resumes due to the volume of resumes they receive. But the discussion centers on the reason for the high volume, which is poorly written, vague job descriptions. Will recruiters use Ai to write better job descriptions and communicate better, or will they simply use it to further remove the most precious resource they have: the human?

    28 min
  5. As we celebrate apprenticeship week, why are most parents still pushing 4 year degrees?

    Apr 30

    As we celebrate apprenticeship week, why are most parents still pushing 4 year degrees?

    As we recognize apprenticeship week and the massive opportunity it brings, we learned an alarming number of parents are still pushing students to get 4-year college degrees. Why? Tim Felderman, Chair of the Iowa Apprenticeship council and Superintendent of Hampton-Dumont school district is concerned. 💡 Find this show on your favorite player: https://iowapodcast.com/iowa-apprenticeship ⚖️ Get guidance from Dentons Davis Brown: https://dentons.com/en/dentons-davis-brown 🐖 Get a free $30 gift card from Jethro's BBQ: https://iowapodcast.com/jethrosbbq  Felderman explains why Iowa's process is far more adaptive to business, and how apprenticeships have evolved into tech, food service, and other growing fields. He explains apprenticeship is essentially precision education, and says helping students find fulfilling careers can be a challenge, especially as parents still push 4-year degrees on students, adding to their debt-load.

    30 min
  6. Fractional executive roles surge 5400%. Is this the Iowa executive talent stopgap we need?

    Apr 23

    Fractional executive roles surge 5400%. Is this the Iowa executive talent stopgap we need?

    Iowa's talent gap has long been a headache for local businesses, but Michelle Book, CEO of Altus CXO, reveals a "shot in the arm" solution that is currently seeing a 5,400% surge in LinkedIn roles. Unlike traditional consultants who simply hand over a plan and leave, these fractional leaders embed themselves directly into the C-suite to solve high-stakes problems with "muscle memory" gained from decades of experience. As Book explains, "It gets hot when you want it hot, and it cools down fast when you turn it off". 💡 Find this show on your favorite player: https://iowapodcast.com/fractional-executives ⚖️ Get guidance from Dentons Davis Brown: https://www.dentons.com/en/dentons-davis-brown 🐖 Get a free $30 gift card from Jethro's BBQ: https://iowapodcast.com/jethrosbbq From $1 billion commodity giants to 30-year-old family manufacturers, companies are increasingly using this "gas range" approach to leadership to bypass the months-long hunt for full-time hires. Whether it's navigating a major tech implementation or professionalizing operations for a future sale, these seasoned pros offer high-impact results without the long-term overhead or benefits costs. "I certainly think that this is the way we're going to employ executives and get work done in the future," Book notes. Tune in to discover why she believes "these are people that want a dynamic work environment, status quo they get bored easily, so they're ready to go, hit it hard".

    33 min
  7. Kyle Gamble, the new CEO of Hubbell Realty discusses tech that will lower Iowa housing costs.

    Apr 16

    Kyle Gamble, the new CEO of Hubbell Realty discusses tech that will lower Iowa housing costs.

    He's officially 30 days in. Meet Kyle Gamble, the brand new CEO of Hubbell Realty. Gamble touches on the future of their business, why downtown will come back, and what technology they're looking at to lower housing costs. Gamble believes Central Iowa's competitive edge lies in a high quality of life that outweighs the "young exodus" seen in other markets.  💡 Find this show on your favorite player: https://iowapodcast.com/kyle-gamble-hubbell-realty ⚖️ Get guidance from Dentons Davis Brown: https://www.dentons.com/en/dentons-davis-brown 🐖 Get a free $30 gift card from Jethro's BBQ: https://iowapodcast.com/jethrosbbq With 32 years at the company under his belt, Gamble views current economic headwinds—like rising material and labor costs—as cyclical challenges that can be mitigated through strategic volume building and lifestyle-focused development. Chapters: 01:29 - Keeping Young Talent Local 04:54 - Reviving Downtown Des Moines 07:47 - Homes Built For Flexibility 10:32 - Future Plans And Affordability

    33 min
  8. Real risk of Ai at work: it's slowly making core information inaccurate. Chris Draper of Morrigan Ai explains.

    Apr 9

    Real risk of Ai at work: it's slowly making core information inaccurate. Chris Draper of Morrigan Ai explains.

    The real risk of Ai use isn't private information being shared with tech companies, but a complete breakdown the very information your company relies on to operate. Chris Draper, founder of Morrigan Ai says innocent uses of Ai tools are cementing inaccurate information into company databases, CRMs and tools forever.  💡 Find this show on your favorite player: https://iowapodcast.com/morrigan-ai ⚖️ Get guidance from Dentons Davis Brown: https://www.dentons.com/en/dentons-davis-brown 🐖 Get a free $30 gift card from Jethro's BBQ: https://iowapodcast.com/jethrosbbq Consider every time someone in an organization uses an Ai tool to take notes, then casually uploads those notes to a CRM the entire organization relies on. If they didn't verify accuracy first, which most employees don't do, other tools and employees will later be relying on less-accurate information. Draper explains the risks, and steps that should be taken right away. Chapters: 00:00 - AI Is Here Now 01:33 - Shadow AI Everywhere 06:14 - Beyond Privacy Risks 11:04 - Real World Failure Modes 22:07 - Lead With Managed AI 28:29 - AI Is An HR Issue

    37 min
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About

From iconic leaders in finance, politicians shaping regulations, manufacturing icons, or unsung SMB heroes, the Iowa Manufacturing Podcast is now The Iowa Business Podcast. Get a weekly deep dive into the stories and strategies that drive Iowa business success. Led by a small-but-mighty team of hosts, this show brings you critical conversations to grow your business and make profit in Iowa. What do new policies from Iowa lawmakers mean? How does the global supply chain impact you? How is local SEO and Ai impact foot traffic to your Iowa storefront? It's all here.

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