Local resident celebrates 40 years in interior business

Cindy Wells-Stiles, who works at Floors and More, has completed her 40th year in the interiors business.

She started at McGraths in Nevada and worked the next seven years for Linda Glantz Interiors designing custom window treatments, furniture, wallcoverings and flooring.

Her next employment was with Ames Stationers where she sold contract furnishings, flooring and office systems. She also was a contract specialist at the Onthank Co., creating custom carpets, specs and traveling with the salespeople calling on dealers, designers and architects.

After five years in the retail flooring market in Des Moines (where she was a top salesperson among 350 stores), she was hired to manage a large builder account in Des Moines. Eight years later she took early retirement to help her parents and began working part time for Floors and More in Marshalltown. “Every position I had added to my knowledge and ability to help customers fulfill their decorating or performance expectations. It has been 40 years of continuing education. When customers come in to Floors and More they have no idea of my extensive background in both contract and residential design, product and installation knowledge. I used to run 4-5 installation crews a day. I did all the customer service, inventory, checked houses, consulted with buyers and wrote the work orders. I now enjoy working at a slower pace, helping customers and using my expertise,” Wells-Stiles said.

Three schools staff members receive Employee of the Quarter awards

Three employees of the Marshalltown Community School District received Employee of the Quarter awards for the second quarter of the school year recently.

Recipient Bruce Lawrence is the teacher librarian at Lenihan Intermediate School.

“Bruce continually communicates with staff regarding technology updates and best practices,” Lenihan teacher Joan Furjanic, who nominated Lawrence for the award as did fellow teacher Deb Moore, said. “Whether he is assisting a student with a Chromebook issue or helping find an interesting book, Bruce is always available and approachable to students.”

Recipient Gary Mertens works in the Academic Support Center at Marshalltown High School and was nominated for the award by Eric Weeden.

“Gary always has the best interest of the students he works with,” Weeden said. “Gary has exceptional passion for his position and has worked with many challenging students that have had success because of his commitment.”

Recipient Heidi Williams is counselor at Woodbury Elementary School. She is extremely dedicated to her students and was nominated for the award by teacher Katie Hilby.

“Heidi puts students’ needs at the forefront of every single thing that she does,” Hilby said. “She has a great way of turning almost any situation into something positive, which has a huge impact on the culture of our school.”

Clapsaddle-Garber Associates, Inc. celebrates 60th anniversary

Clapsaddle-Garber Associates, Inc. is celebrating its 60th anniversary as a civil engineering and land surveying firm throughout 2019.

The company started in 1959 in Conrad as Clapsaddle Engineering Company and has expanded to include five locations and 60+ employees today. With offices in Ackley, Ames, Cedar Falls, Marshalltown and Webster City, the company focuses on civil engineering and land survey projects that support the growth of Iowa communities and businesses, including land development, aviation, municipalities and construction and boundary survey.

Clapsaddle-Garber Associates was originally established in 1959 as Clapsaddle Engineering Company. In 1967, the current name was adopted when Dwayne Garber returned to the firm. In 1971, the firm moved to Marshalltown at a location on North Third Avenue. In 1984, the firm’s principal owners purchased and begun the renovations of the City Centre at 16 E. Main St., subsequently moving the firm to its current location.

Over the years, CGA has grown both organically and by acquisition. The firm merged with Thompson, Willis & Company (Marshalltown) in 1981, Carpenter & Associates (Ames) in 1985 and another 20 years later Stewart Surveying (Marshalltown) was acquired. In 2006, CGA acquired Engineering Plus, expanding the company geographically to Ames. Shoff Engineering in Cedar Falls was acquired 10 years later in 2016, adding another 12 employees to the company and a third location. A recent 2017 merger with Ryken Engineering in Ackley bumped CGA to where it is today, with five Iowa locations and 60+ employees.

CGA’s areas of expertise include municipal infrastructure engineering; public, commercial and private site designs; airport/aviation facilities; residential, commercial and industrial subdivisions/land development; construction administration/observation/testing for public and private clients; land surveying and construction staking; storm water studies and management plans; planning and design of traffic, transportation and recreation facilities; planning and design of water distribution systems; right of way acquisition; agricultural drainage engineering and planning and design of waste water collection systems.

“CGA has been able to position itself as a unique, mid-sized civil engineering firm that caters to clients by offering unique engineering solutions. We are selective about the engineering jobs we accept so we can focus on the client’s timeline and vision. Our employees and their families live in the communities where we perform work, so we are truly vested in our projects outcomes,” Matt Garber, president and CEO, said.

The company is planning an open house/reception in Marshalltown this spring to formally celebrate the anniversary.

Meskwaki, Inc. announces new CEO

TAMA — Meskwaki, Inc. announced that Robert Bills will become the organization’s new Chief Executive Officer for the tribe’s economic development company.

Bills is a seasoned professional who has successfully led organizations from infancy to adulthood throughout his career. He is an experienced manager in widely diverse markets, having transitioned from mining and energy-related industries to aerospace defense and most recently, to the areas of oilfield services and innovative treatments for improved efficiencies.

Bills has served on and reported directly to multiple Boards, representing diverse, cultural cross-sections of stakeholders. In addition to U.S. operations, Bills has provided executive leadership to organizations engaged in operations and business expansions in Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Spain, China, Iraq and several other International locations.

In his new role, Bills will be providing executive oversight to the Meskwaki Nation’s economic development efforts as they build new business to diversify the tribe’s financial portfolio.

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Potential subjects of these business briefs include announcements of new businesses, branch acquisitions, departures of longtime employees, employee recognitions or new hires. Submissions will be edited and run on a space-available basis. Items must be received by 5 p.m. Thursday for consideration in Sunday’s column.

Submit brief articles and JPEG headshots to: Names & Notes, Newsroom, Times-Republican, 135 W. Main St., Marshalltown 50158, or call Kathy Beane at 641-753-6611 or email news@timesrepublican.com