Tagged: Tippie Magazine

It's time to pause and catch our breath. As 2021 draws to a close, we prepare to flip the calendar and begin a fresh start. Yet, so many of the strains of these last two years continue to affect our lives. At Tippie, we’ve hustled and innovated and dug deeper than ever before. You have too. 

Back in spring 2020, consumers had trouble finding toilet paper and hand sanitizer while trampolines and exercise equipment became scarce. With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe, some of the shortages of supplies and delays on certain goods seemed reasonable. But now, nearly two years into the pandemic, there is still lag time on getting everything from new cars to new furniture. 

Once a state of small businesses, many did not survive the farm crisis and the economy was struggling as a result. John Pappajohn (BSC52) wanted to change that. An inveterate entrepreneur and venture capitalist, he knew the importance of small businesses to an economy. So, in 1996, he donated $1.5 million to establish the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center at the University of Iowa to help revive the startup spirit, along with funding to create centers at four other universities and colleges in Iowa. 

She cut her teeth in Tippie’s top spot by navigating through a once-in-a-century crisis. (No biggie.) Next up? Well, we’ll let her tell you herself.

For 17 years, Kum & Go's CEO was Kyle Krause (BBA85), son of Kum & Go co-founder W.A. (Bill) Krause. In January, Kyle Krause handed over leadership of the company to Tanner Krause, one of his five children. Kyle is now focusing on management of the Krause Group, the parent company of Kum & Go, which is comprised of 10 other businesses, including two wineries and a professional soccer team in Italy. To help others with management transitions, they agreed to talk about the experience and share a few tips.

Calls for societal change from people of color around the country have created ripple effects in workplaces big and small. The Black Lives Matter movement in particular has provided new impetus for managers to invigorate positive connections with employees who come from different racial and cultural backgrounds and may be experiencing hurt and loss in ways that require special support.

Mental health therapy is more than an hour on a couch.

The ability to train your mind to see opportunities is a cornerstone of entrepreneurialism. Erica Cole (BA19) landed a spot on the elite Herky Security team in part because she saw an opportunity—Herky needed Halloween costumes—and her experience designing costumes for her theatre arts minor made her uniquely situated to see the project through to completion. Charging onto Kinnick Stadium on game day, hiking in New Mexico, taking ballroom dancing classes—Cole embraced every opportunity the university gave her with gusto.

Whether it is a tornado, a flood, or a global pandemic, Midwestern neighborliness is always a constant. In mid-March when it felt like the whole world was shutting down, certain everyday commodities shot up in demand, including toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Seeing the intense need, Scott Bush (BBA96) and his team at Foundry Distilling Co. just wanted to do something to help. They decided to explore how they could divert its lucrative distilling operation into creating hand sanitizer for the Des Moines-area community.

Sandy Davis (BBA04) needed a major change. She loved her work as a vice president in Equity Capital Markets for Goldman Sachs, but after 10 years in the role, and a full house with three children and a husband who also worked full-time in finance, she was constantly burning the candle at both ends.