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.

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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

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.

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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

As we watch NASA's Artemis II mission, one Iowa company is looking forward to incredible breakthrough potential. The moon has plentiful Helium3, an element not found on earth, and Vermeer's technology can harvest it, unlocking new potential in quantum computing and fusion energy. CEO Jason Andringa explains.

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Andringa has a space background. He has a degree from MIT in Aeronautics and Astronautics and worked for NASA's Jet Propulsion lab—yes, a real life rocket scientist. Andringa discusses their massive one hundred million dollar expansion into Bondurant, and confirms he's been communicating with SpaceX on future technology and missions. Will Vermeer be planting a flag on the moon or Mars soon?

Chapters: 01:14 - Bondurant Expansion Plans 13:48 - Automation and AI Reality 17:03 - Humanoid Robots Timeline 17:49 - Moon Mining Helium Three 27:45 - Why Build in Iowa

Would you invest one million dollars into algae? Probably not, that sounds crazy. But that's exactly what the state of Iowa just did and that one move may be key to cleaning our air, waterways, growing organic crops, and creating sustainable aviation fuel. Martin Gross, founder of Gross-Wen Technologies tells us how their process works. 💡 Find this show on your favorite player: https://iowapodcast.com/gross-wen-technologies ⚖️ 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 Iowa-based Gross-Wen technologies grows algae. Gross explains why too little or too much algae can be a problem, how algae cleans water and eats carbon from the air, and how they're creating fuel for crops and fuel for planes with systems that look like algae treadmills. Chapters: 00:00 - Why Algae Matters 05:11 - Turning Wastewater Into Value 14:30 - Co-Located Treatment Tech 18:26 - Algae Carbon Advantage 24:26 - Scaling Modular Systems 29:16 - Biofuels Vision Fundraising

Energy is now a growing concern alongside healthcare and talent acquisition for Iowa leaders. Nicole Crain, President of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI), breaks down fresh survey data out today.

To be clear, energy is cheap and accessible in Iowa, but Iowa business leaders wonder how long that will last as new data centers pop up, all with future Ai energy demands. The quarterly survey from ABI board members shows cautious optimism, but may show two very different Iowa economies developing. Traditional manufacturing vs advanced manufacturing.

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Chapters: 03:01 - Capital Spending and Confidence 06:04 - Workforce Crunch and Pipeline 17:48 - Strategic Planning In Slowdowns 18:46 - Energy Capacity Worries Rise 22:55 - Healthcare Costs And Retention

Can an Iowa-based drive-through brand focused on energy drinks survive? Can it take on the likes of Starbucks? Apparently the answer is yes. After building numerous stores across Iowa, the founder of Hyper Energy Bar, Chris Whalen, is expanding throughout the midwest.

Service runs in Whalen's blood. As a kid he was surrounded by hotel and restaurant operations all under the Heart of America Group brand which is father Mike Whalen started. Hyper Energy Bar, while not owned by Heart of America, is growing because of what he learned about service. It turns out, creating unique experiences have given Whalen the edge he needed to build a growing brand. 💡 Find this show on your favorite player: https://iowapodcast.com/hyper-energy-bar 🐖 Get a free $30 gift card from Jethro's BBQ: https://iowapodcast.com/jethrosbbq ⚖️ Get guidance from Dentons Davis Brown: https://www.dentons.com/en/dentons-davis-brown

Chapters:00:00 - Meet Hyper Energy Bar 01:52 - Service Culture and Hiring 12:30 - Scaling Beyond Iowa 14:37 - Competition and Differentiation 15:45 - Real Estate and Co Location Strategy 20:28 - Expansion Playbook and Wrap Up

While some small downtowns across the country are dying, towns like Dubuque, Iowa are growing. John Gronen, founder of Gronen Development explains how their role has evolved into a hybrid of a typical state economic development, tourism office, and investment firm.

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Gronen's approach has been profitable, but isn't solely focused on the numbers. He doesn't see himself as just a developer but also an investor and partner with many of his tenants. He will turn down tenants to preserve the local culture local entrepreneurs have worked so hard to build. He explains how his team works alongside retailers, restaurants, service businesses, and corporate offices, and SMB leaders to see and understand the unseen value of community.

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction

00:25 - Meet the Developer

01:14 - Amazon and Remote Work

02:19 - Dubuque's Downtown Draw

04:35 - When Remote Work Fails

08:19 - Collaboration Comes Back

10:12 - The Downtown Revitalization Pitch

10:42 - Depac and the Voices Building

15:34 - Tax Credits and Mixed Use

17:24 - What Is New Markets Credit

18:24 - Downtown Retail Shifts

19:12 - Building Vibrancy Strategy

20:43 - Critical Mass Wins

22:56 - Developer Tenant Partnership

27:15 - Curating the Right Tenants

31:28 - Starting the Revitalization

36:13 - Tax Credits as Catalyst

36:53 - Closing and Wrap Up

Iowa's top 21 CEOs are in between a rock and a hard place. They want to continue their traditional calculated approach, the reason for Iowa's dependable economy, but face new market volatility, a weekly-changing regulatory landscape, Ai disruption, and future energy concerns. Is it time for change? Joe Murphy, President of the Iowa Business Council explains how they're adapting to these new pressures.

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Murphy says Iowa's outlook is solid and stable for now. But that doesn't mean these new pressures aren't raising eyebrows. Market volatility, regulatory changes, and tariffs are changing frequently, which makes long term planning for these large organizations difficult. Supply chains and staffing alone can take 6 months to a year to address. As many SMB leaders depend on the economic foundation they set, how are they adapting?

Chapters:

00:00 - Welcome and Introduction of Joe Murphy 01:53 - Ag as Iowa Linchpin 03:20 - Trade Uncertainty and Tariffs 07:03 - Investment Freeze Effects 07:20 - Big vs Small Business Impact 10:33 - Iowa Risk Culture Meets AI 12:12 - AI Adoption and Reskilling 14:45 - AI and Jobs Debate 15:34 - Workforce Crunch and Automation 17:14 - Offshoring Disruption Scenario 18:05 - AI and Job Outlook 18:33 - Iowa Labor Shortages 20:18 - Growing Iowa Population 21:50 - Tariffs Hit Ag and Manufacturing 25:24 - Supply Chains and Certainty 28:22 - Energy Demand and Data Centers 31:55 - What Keeps Leaders Up 33:17 - Quality of Life Investments 34:36 - Closing and Wrap

Iowa's young talent has been leaving the state for decades, but the "baby boomerang" gave Iowa employers a sense of peace. Iowans know leaving students will return to start a family. But that's no longer happening. Anna Mable, of Association of Business and Industry asks why Iowa employers are ignoring a proven solution.

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As ABI's Workforce Programs & Engagement Coordinator, Mable leads a weeklong business camp here in Iowa called Business Horizons. You've probably heard of it before, but what you do know is the camp's proven track record of keeping young talent in the state. Many employers actually recruit high school seniors directly into their future workforce from the camp itself. So why are some employers and communities overlooking them?

Chapters:

00:00 - Welcome to the Iowa Business Podcast + Introduction to Anna Mable

00:16 - The 'Baby Boomerang' Is Slowing—Why Iowa's Talent Pipeline Is at Risk

01:55 - What Employers Are Seeing: Students Leaving Earlier & Not Coming Back

03:39 - Who's Doing It Well

05:35 - Myths Holding Everyone Back: 'Only 4 Careers' and 'You Need a Degree'

10:32 - Bridging the Gap

12:45 - Generational Stereotypes & Tech Skills

15:45 - Business Horizons Support Is Shifting: Local Programs vs Statewide Impact

22:47 - Inside Business Horizons: Shark Tank Pitches, Tours, Confidence & Growth

25:08 - How Employers Plug In

29:38 - Success Stories + Closing

Follower numbers and web traffic aren't meaningful numbers anymore. Iowa CMO and Comms leads need to switch focus to AI search and control mind share, not worry about vanity metrics. Iowa-based AI and search pro Ryan Doser explains why trust signals need to lead your marcom strategy.

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Doser details why audio-only podcasts are dead and what Iowa brands need to do as web traffic drops off. Is written content valuable in an era where people Gemini, Grok, ChatGPT, and Perplexity questions and never visit our websites? Does web content matter, and how do we own our audience distribution as AI takes over? Doser gets into the weeds.

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction and Podcast Rebranding

00:14 - The Evolution of SEO and AI's Role

00:40 - Guest Introduction: Ryan Dozer

02:02 - Impact of AI on Web Traffic and Content Creation

02:35 - Small vs. Big Business Strategies

04:54 - The Importance of Owned Distribution

05:19 - Social Media Algorithms and Personal Branding

09:28 - Ethics and Transparency in Digital Promotions

11:36 - AI Misinformation and Trust Signals

18:26 - The Importance of PR and Comms in the AI Era

18:58 - AI Partnerships with Media Companies

20:08 - Prioritizing Video Content Over Written Content

21:53 - Effective Video Content Strategies

24:53 - Local vs. National Content Strategies

32:38 - Leveraging AI and Automation for Content Distribution

35:36 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts