BUSINESS BRIEFS: The Nelson Company; Tenco; M.U.M.; Iowa State Fair

Nelson Company hosting Business After Hours

The Nelson Company will host Business After Hours from 4:30-7 p.m. Friday.

According to the Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the annual December Business After Hours event at The Nelson Company is one of the highest attended Business After Hours of the year.

Food and drinks will be provided, in addition to tours of the plant.

The Nelson Company's trained machinists make machine parts that are sent worldwide to be used in the assembly of mostly agriculture-related equipment. They buy aluminum; ductile iron and gray iron castings and machine them into usable parts. They assist customers in placing their tooling with the appropriate foundry to best suit their needs.

​The chamber's Business After Hours is a free, monthly networking event open to chamber members, their guests and the general public. To host a Business After Hours, contact the chamber at 472-2111 or Info@FairfieldIowa.com.

Tenco elects new officers, trustees

The Tenco Board of Directors and Trustees recently elected a new slate of officers.

Liz Wilson will continue as president of the Tenco board, Teri Messershmitt will serve as vice president, Nate Bissell will serve as treasurer, while Deb Pumphrey will continue to serve as secretary.

Tenco Foundation's new president is Liz Schiller and new vice president is Dan Dowling.

The Tenco Board of Directors is the governing body of Tenco Industries, while the Tenco Foundation supports the good work of Tenco with financial assistance through gifts from friends and benefactors, special events, an annual campaign, and planned giving.

Additional members of the Tenco Board of Directors include Bianca Myers, Jim Lindenmayer, Leisa Walker, Kathy Henry, Michael Carpenter, Payson Moreland, and Josh Hall. Additional Tenco Foundation Trustee membership includes Nancy Emanuel, Sheryl North, Greg Pixley, John Helgerson, Kent Walker, Grant Oswalt, and Liz Wilson as board president.

Tenco is a nonprofit local corporation currently serving more than 320 people with disabilities. Founded in 1965, Tenco is beginning its 54th year of service to the people of southern Iowa and throughout the state.

Top industry professionals join MUM board

A former government official, a top tech consultant, an expert on career development, and a long-time faculty member have recently joined Maharishi University of Management's Board of Trustees.

Steve Langerud is a workplace culture consultant who works with people developing their career, professional, and organizational strategy. He is regularly cited for his expertise by the media, including MarketWatch, Fast Company, National Public Radio, Christian Science Monitor, The New York Times, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, and U.S. News and World Report.

Langerud has held leadership roles at Grinnell College, the University of Iowa, and DePauw University. More recently, he was with M.U.M. for five years as deputy director of global development, acting dean of admissions, and senior adviser to the university.

'Consciousness-Based education is the right starting point for education,” he says. 'Addressing the brain is key. That's what initially drew me to M.U.M. and now again as a trustee. The Transcendental Meditation technique has never been more relevant than right now. The changes in our brains, lives, and relationships are more needed in the world today than ever before.”

Scott Gould is a former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Administration who has also held top positions in the Department of Commerce and the Department of Treasury. His business experience includes being a vice president at IBM. He is currently CEO of Mountain Lake Associates.

Gould hopes to apply the strategic and financial skills he developed during his career as a management consultant and business owner to the challenge of growing the university. As a 26-year veteran of the Navy Reserves, he also expects to serve as a resource for students contemplating public service in the military, or given his government background, those contemplating public service in federal, state, or local government.

Educated at Stanford, Harvard, and the University of California, Berkeley, Michael Heinrich started his career in technical product management and engineering at Microsoft and at SAP, the world leader in providing software for businesses. He has also worked for Bain & Co, providing consulting for Fortune 500 companies, and for Bridgewater Associates, a leading hedge fund. Most recently he's been involved with several startups, including being founder and CEO of Oh My Green, which offers affordable, nutritious foods for companies such as Google and Lyft.

'Having scaled my own startup company from 0 to over 300 employees in a short amount of time, I would love to help infuse an entrepreneurial growth mindset at M.U.M.,” he said.

In addition, faculty member Ken Daley was voted onto the board by the faculty to serve a one-year appointment. He has headed the Department of Exercise and Sport Science for over 30 years and teaches gymnastics, health-related fitness, and leadership and adventure sport.

Daley directed a two-year, $100,000 wellness grant received by the Jefferson County Wellness Action Coalition, has served as president of the Iowa Association for Health, Physical Education, and Dance, and served as the executive director of that organization for six years. He has been invited to be part of regional and national wellness initiatives, including the first Global Forum for Physical Education that involved over 70 educators, health professionals, and policy makers from 30 countries.

Used with permission from The Review, Maharishi University of Management's electronic newsletter.

Iowa State Fair earns international honors

DES MOINES (readMedia) - The Iowa State Fair was awarded top honors in every category at the International Association of Fairs and Expositions Annual Convention held earlier this month.

Competing against other fairs and festivals with attendance over 1 million, the Iowa State Fair earned top awards in the Agricultural, Competitive Exhibit, Sponsorship and Communication categories.

In the Agricultural Awards competition, the Iowa State Fair won several first-place awards: Technique/procedure/policy developed by Fair Management to correct an issue or challenge related to an agricultural program; Newly established or evolving program/exhibit at your fair which promotes agriculture to the fair-going public; Program/event/exhibit designed to educate consumers/fair-going public of a current agriculture or Fair industry challenge.

Second place awards were given to the Iowa State Fair in Agriculture programs video.

Third place honors were received in: Unique partnership for an exhibit/promotion/special event/competition showcased during the fair; Innovative way(s) technology is used to benefit agriculture program(s) at your fair; Equine photo; Ag Education (4-H/FFA) photo; and Any other agriculture program/exhibit.

Plus, an overall Best of Division award was received for the Farm to Fair program.

In the Competitive Awards division, the Iowa State Fair was awarded first-place in the Create It on the Spot Contest Participatory Contest, Competitive Exhibit Display Photo Series, General Display Photo Series (Non-Animal) and third place in Fair Activity to Increase Awareness of Competitive Exhibits and Single Photo of a Competitive Exhibit Display.

In the Sponsorship Awards category, the Fair earned first-place honors in Sponsorship Innovation for the Farm to Fair Meal for 500 on the Grand Concourse. First place honors in Sponsorship Continuity were given for the Iowa STEM Day at the Fair. Second place honors in Sponsorship Continuity were given for Iowa Corn's Day at the Fair, Little Hands on the Farm and Farm to Fair sponsorships. Second place honors were given to First-Time Sponsorship for the recycling containers program that was sponsored by Wolfe Eye Clinic. A Sponsorship Sweepstakes award was given for the Farm to Fair sponsorship event.

In the Communication Awards category, the Fair earned first-place honors including Printed Promotional Material, Promotional Event, Miscellaneous Use of Technology to Promote Fair/Event and Mobile App. Second place finishes were reported in website, Unique Advertising Specialties/Merchandise/Souvenirs and Promotional/Advertising Poster. Third place awards were given in Promotional Advertising Outdoor, Web Advertisement and Overall Marketing Campaign. The Iowa State Fair also received the Best of Show Communications Sweepstakes Award for the top number of points collected over all categories.

The IAFE awards are divided into five divisions based on attendance and are judged by a team of industry experts. The Iowa State Fair is a member of the IAFE, which represents more than 1,100 fairs and festivals around the world and more than 900 allied members from fair related fields.