FuseNews_March 2021_FuseDSM Your Chamber of Commerce Online Publication

news FIND US ONLINE @ FUSEDSM.ORG/FUSENEWS

YOUR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

FUSING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER 130 East 3rd Street, Suite 301 / Des Moines, IA 50309 P / 515.829.4189 / fusedsm.org

JULIE PEELEN: 7 Siegwerk KRISTI : 10

Copywriter + CHUCK’S RESTAURANT: 17 Chuck’s STAYING ACTIVE THROUGH THE COLDER MONTHS: 29

Anchor Fitness

FUSENEWS MARCH 2021

WHY JOIN THE CHAMBER? JOIN US FOR: EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING COMMUNITY EVENTS ONLINE WEBINARS INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE & GUIDANCE NO COST/LOW COST ADVERTISING & BRAND STATE BUSINESS RESOURCES STAY UP TO DATE ON LOCAL COUNTY & STATE MANDATES & NEWS AFFECTING BUSINESSES

INSIDE // MARCH 2021 ON THE COVER //

MEMBER NEWS // 5

JULIE PEELEN: 7

INMOBILIARIA / DREAM IOWA

Siegwerk

DSM PUBLIC LIBRARY 11

KRISTI : 10 Copywriter + CHUCK’S RESTAURANT: 17 Chuck’s STAYING ACTIVE THROUGH THE COLDER

COVID-19 CHALLENGES 22 TAX EXPERT 28 HEALTH 29 TIP FOR 2021 MARKETING 31 OASIS 33

MONTHS: 29 Anchor Fitness

IN THE COMMUNITY // GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY 8 DSM EATS & TREATS PAGE 17,24

IN THE CHAMBER // CHAMBER UPDATES PAGE 4 NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT PAGE 9 SOCIAL MEDIA 12 VIRTUAL EVENTS PAGE 25-27 AFFILIATE BENEFITS PAGE 30 MEET THE BOARD PAGE 31

FUSEDSM // FROM THE CHAMBER Trish Flaherty-Barnes // President/CEO In the spirit of “never waste a good crisis”, as we near the 365th day of the COVID-19 Pandemic, your chamber is reflecting on all that has happened this past year. The ongoing COVID-19 situation has dramatically changed how we live, work and play.

We are all focused on how to best protect and support our families, employees, customers, and communities in the face of this crisis. We are slowly waking from a heavy fog we have been living in, you can feel the change coming again, only this time it is with hope as the immunization is beginning to saturate our communities.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Chamber realized the business community would need support to endure the negative impacts caused by the virus.

Our response to the crisis was with intention so that we could help all businesses, large and small, have the tools and resources they need to survive and keep their operations running as successfully as possible. It was not a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather a customized approach to providing the appropriate resources to those businesses and industries when they needed it – and how they needed it.

We have seen our community bond through this crisis that has left no-one around the World untouched. We have seen businesses close forever, sadly, yet we have seen businesses open and thrive during this past year as well.

We’ve shared tears and triumphs as each month went by and our members were still standing proudly with open doors, though feeling beat up and exhausted. We have all learned to innovate, pivot (how we all cringe when we hear that word now) very quickly, in ways that way may not have imagined or that we only wished too, in the past.

We hear you….we too are all tired of saying “I can’t wait to see you in person” and we too are all especially tired of online meetings. We encourage you to stay positive as we near the finish line, and know that your chamber of commerce is here for you, cheering and pushing you to the end. #FusingTheCommunityTogether

Join us for our next event simply by checking our chamber calendar and registering today- We look forward to continuing to ignite your growth in 2021!

Thank you to our TIE Investors:

Let’s keep #FusingTheCommunityTogether

Trish Flaherty-Barnes, President/CEO

HOW CAN FUSEDSM HELP

FUSEDSM // INMOBILIARIA / DREAM IOWA Women’s History Month is a special time to honor women. When women succeed, society prospers. Business women build communities to become vibrant, welcoming, and energized. My goal as a business woman is to serve my community with the highest level of professionalism and to constantly contribute to the social, cultural and economic growth in society.

I grew up in New Hampton, Iowa where I had the fortune to support my mother in her grocery store and restaurant businesses. I would probably still be supporting her business today if it wasn’t for a disruptive divorce which forced my mother to start all over again. I learned to run a business as a 13 year old and when I turned 20 years old I had earned the trust of the families working at the local Egg Factory. For the first time I learned to use diplomacy and advocacy when I requested the local chief of police to put a halt on the harassment and violations of civil liberties that working families were experiencing due to one problematic officer.

Shortly after in 2012, DACA was announced and I was able to qualify for protection from deportation and was granted a work permit. Through social media we built a network of young immigrants to exchange resources and tools. And DREAM Iowa was formed, with the mission to increase knowledge, attitudes, skills, so that families understand and select services that will produce sustainable financial outcomes. (https://dreamiowa.us/) DREAM Iowa is a 501c3 organization and has:

- Organized the Annual Youth Leadership Summit since 2016 with over 375 student attendees, uniting 33 different schools and 20 organizations across Iowa.

- Awarded over $33,000 in Scholarships to 34 students. Majority of funds have been donated by local immigrant businesses.

- Conducted over 30 Community Workshops across 15 different communities in Iowa.

- Created and presented a six-week Financial Independence curriculum.

- Worked with the press about the state of immigrant families (press releases, radio interviews, interviews by national and international networks).

- Directed DREAM Iowa documentaries.

In 2015 LULAC awarded me with the Iowa Latino Leadership Award due to advocacy of family rights. I have a natural desire to help people and I believe my experience in the financial world has allowed me to progressively impact families towards financial independence. I’ve had marvelous mentors and opportunities in my jobs at Veridian Credit Union, Marine Credit Union, Lincoln Savings Bank, and U.S. Bank. My experience in the financial world has become the foundation for my business. Inmobiliaria, Inc’s mission is to provide cutting-edge advice to individuals and companies in the planning, development and execution of projects. My goal is to assist small businesses in achieving their financial and strategic goals. (http://inmobiliariainc.com/) Gandhi’s teachings remind us we must be the change we want to see in the world. I want to see more women supporting women in business in this world. I take this opportunity to thank FuseDSM for supporting women in business and for creating welcoming spaces for growth. If you are a woman in business, please reach out to me and join FuseDSM Your Chamber of Commerce.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH // SIEGWERK Siegwerk // Julie Peelen Siegwerk is honored to participate in Women’s History Month by featuring our Sales and Operations Planning Manager, Julie Peelen. With over 25 years’ tenure with Siegwerk, Julie is a leading example of career success in an often male-dominated industry.

Siegwerk is a global manufacturer of printing inks for consumer packaged goods, such as food and household packaged products you’d find in stores. Siegwerk came to Des Moines in 2003 when they purchased local ink manufacturer, Color Converting. Julie was part of the team who transitioned into the new company. One of her career highlights was in 1999 when the corporate office and state-of-the-art manufacturing site was built on SW 56th Street.

Over the last 25 years, Julie has risen to take on many challenges, although recent challenges presented by COVID-19 have been unique. Under her leadership, Julie’s team was able to transition to remote work within 24 hours without skipping a beat. She says that utilizing collaborative software, such as “TEAMS” and having regular meetings to keep everyone apprised of any issues is the key to the their success.

When reflecting on her career, Julie states that successes are always to be celebrated, regardless of whether they are hers or someone else’s. She says, “you should always give credit and acknowledge the team. We all have different strengths and add value in different ways.” This mentality is just one of the many reasons she is highly regarded by her team, peers, and management at Siegwerk.

After 25 years, what keeps her going? Julie says “ because I am an Ink Manufacturer… INK, HEART and SOUL. After 25 years, your colleagues become your family…if I don’t bring my best every day, my family suffers.

Read More Here.

GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY // ANAWIM Home is Everything After growing up on the south side and working my entire career in the Des Moines area, I have watched the evolution of our beautiful city’s downtown landscape for over 55 years. As a little girl, I remember the excitement of seeing the Ruan Center construction, watching it grow taller with each trip downtown with my mother. As a young adult, I served as a tour guide for the public open house of 801 Grand. I worked at Principal for many years, making the trip in and out of downtown every day.

With so many treasured memories of the city’s growth over the years, I am struck that while our community has made wonderful advancements in developing our city, we have not kept pace with developing affordable housing or to house our most vulnerable citizens who are without a home.

My Career After a 21-year career at Principal, I transitioned to the non-profit sector and went to work for United Way of Central Iowa. The past 17 years I have worked for various organizations.

In November of 2020, I joined Anawim Housing as the new Director of Advancement.

In my new role, I have learned that poverty, racial inequality and homelessness are deeply connected. When given a safe and stable home people create happy and healthy lives for themselves. Hearing stories of resilience, determination and hope on a daily basis encouraged me to share how the powerful and life changing work I witness daily is impacting our community.

Anawim Housing

Learn More Here.

Anawim Housing has been a resource in our community since 1987. Anawim is roughly translated as serving those in need.

Our staff positively transforms the lives of people who experienced homelessness and live with mental health challenges, substance use disorder, physical disabilities, diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, or fleeing domestic violence. They provide support with self-directed recovery and community inclusion.

As an alternative to a system of emergency shelter and transitional housing progressions, our model is simple: provide housing first, and then combine that housing with supportive resources in the areas of mental and physical health, substance abuse, education, and employment.

Housing provided are apartments scattered throughout the city of Des Moines. This scattered site model fosters a sense of home and selfdetermination, and it helps speed the reintegration of our residents into their community. Our goal is for them to become part of the community, and not just live in the community.

We strive to help participants live in the community and to be valued for their uniqueness and abilities, just like everyone else. Our staff aims to walk alongside participants, wherever they are on the path of life, and to support them in the places they want support. Ultimately, we want to empower participants to make their own decisions. Our hope is to provide all manner of opportunities for participants to reclaim their lives on their own terms.

We take pride in knowing our Permanent Supportive Housing program maintains a 95% housing retention rate even amongst those individuals not considered housing ready by other programs.

Anawim Housing has grown to be a leader in affordable housing. Its staff and board work tirelessly to end homelessness, while ensuring the most vulnerable in the community have a safe place to call home. Anawim is now the largest provider of permanent supportive housing in Iowa, owning more than 536 affordable housing units and serving more than 1,200 individuals in the Greater Des Moines area.

Youth Homeless Opportunity Program (YHOP) YHOP is Anawim Housing’s newest program and we are working hard to solve youth homelessness in Polk County.

Over the past three years, our Executive Director Cynthia Latcham, worked with key stakeholders across Polk County to create a plan for ending youth homelessness. The process was detailed and targeted in defining the problem, outlining the causes, and finding potential solutions. The result was a comprehensive plan aimed at ending youth homelessness in our community.

This plan served as a platform for applying for a highly competitive HUD (The Department of Housing and Urban Development) Youth Homeless Demonstration Grant. These grants infuse financial and technical support into communities ready to take decisive action in ending youth homelessness. We were excited to find out last fall we were granted $375,464.

Making a Difference Anawim Housing is making a difference every day and the impact is monumental. I ask you to take time to get to know more about Anawim Housing and the positive impact made on our community.

You can help us end homelessness with investing in our work. A hundred percent of financial donations we receive funds Anawim Housing programs and services.

WELCOME // NEW MEMBER

My Place

Sara Hopkins Real Estate Team

Lavendar Blue

Casa Azteca Mexican Restaurant

Grazing Table Charcuterie

Modern Woodmen of America

KSH Design

Corea Construction

Metro by T-Mobile

Do Good Des Moines

Rosas Construction

SOCIAL MEDIA // COPYWRITER + KRISTI Kristi // Copywriter+ Social media was made for the purpose of being social. When it comes to using social media for your business, do you use it to communicate with or at your customers? If you find yourself with lots of content but not much for interactions, it might be time to rethink your strategy.

Keep It Social There’s a reason marketing is a separate term from advertising. Marketing is more about interacting with your customers than promoting your organization. Social media can be a great way to stay connected with your current customers while gaining exposure in ways traditional advertising can’t do. Think of social media marketing like dating - no one likes someone who only talks about themselves. Encourage interactions on your posts by asking questions or taking polls, either related to your business or just something relevant like a relevant national holiday. Likes, hearts, and other reactions are ok, but you want people to comment and share your posts so it reaches a bigger audience. Create content that people would want to share with their friends and family.

Know Your Audience One question that’s always brought to the table is “which platform should we be on?” The answer is never all of them and truly not even two. You need to be where your audience is but it’s always best to start in one place. Facebook is great for most demographics, but if you’re looking to reach the under 25 crowd, consider Instagram or Twitter. Get to know and be comfortable with one platform well before adding another to your plate. Also know how your audience likes to engage with you on that platform. Some people use Twitter or Facebook Messenger as an alternative type of customer service. Make sure they know what to expect when it comes to interacting with you on each platform.

The Best Practices I’m not saying you can’t promote your products or services, but you don’t want every post to be about you (remember it’s like dating!). The best way to use social media for marketing is to follow the 4-1-1 Rule. For every promotional or “salesy” post you publish, you’ll want to have four others that educate, entertain, or give your audience a reason to interact. Finally, share or engage with one other person’s or organization’s posts. Did a customer mention you? Make sure you like it and maybe leave a simple thank you. Even if they don’t mention you, an occasional comment on their posts can help humanize your organization. Don’t forget to add hashtags but make sure to know what’s the appropriate amount to have.

Social media is just that - SOCIAL. Either you’re engaging with your customers or you’re left talking to yourself. If you were to look at your social media from your followers’ perspective, would you want to share and comment with your organization or want to unfollow? It’s never to late to change or start over with your social media strategy.

Learn More Here.

COMMUNITY CARING // DSM PUBLIC LIBRARY The Des Moines Public Library is celebrating Women’s History Month by suggesting books for everyone from prereaders to adults. Read about women who have overcome obstacles and opened up doors to change the world and read stories of influential women to your children.

You can find all of these (and so many more!) books to celebrate Women’s History Month at the Des Moines Public Library. (Place them on hold at dmpl.org.)

EARLY READERS Amazing Iowa Women, by Katy M. Swalwell Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World, by Vashti Harrison Muslim Girls Rise, by Saira Mir MIDDLE-GRADE READERS Brave, Black, First: 50+ African American Women Who Changed the World, by Cheryl Willis Hudson The Book of Heroines, by Stephanie Drimmer Girls Can!, by Marissa Sebastian TEEN READERS March Forward, Girl, by Melba Beals Body Positive: A Guide to Loving Your Body, by Emily Lauren Dick Powers of a Girl: 65 Marvel Women Who Punched the Sky and Changed the Universe, by Lorraine Cink ADULT READERS Stagecoach Women, by Cheryl Mullenbach Hood Feminism, by Mikki Kendall Cherokee America, by Margaret Verble

Website.

See more Women’s History Month reading lists, and print your own Women’s History Month Book Picks bookmarks at dmpl.org/community.

BOOK CHAT Still looking for more personalized Women’s History Month or other book suggestions? You can use our Book Chat service, where our expert librarians will offer customized reading suggestions just for you. They will even put the books on hold for you! Go to dmpl.org/book-chat and fill out a simple web form to get started.

SOCIAL MEDIA // 2ND LIFE DSM AGENCY So my start in the business owner world is an interesting one.

In September 2018, I was helping my mom clean out her garden shed (which used to be my playhouse growing up ) and I thought I had cleaned the door frame but I didn’t and I hit it with the top of my head.

From that my life changed. I got a TBI and Post concussions syndrome. I had to go to On With Life in Ankeny, Iowa. I went through their outpatient concussions clinic for almost 7 months.

It was one of the toughest, hardest things I have ever done in my whole life but I am so grateful for that place. I would not be here, where I am today without them.

While going through therapy, I had to figure out what I was going to do with this new life I had. I have experience in marketing and website design. So my therapist’s at On With Life and my mom told me to try and make a website and see if I can still do it. I made it but let’s say it was not my best work. But I did and I enjoyed doing it.

So we started my “therapy program “ tailed to be working on a computer, getting my computer and phone set up so I would not get so many headaches from the screen and the blue light.

That is one thing I loved about On With Life is each person’s program is tailored to their life and getting them back to normalcy as much as they can.

Everyone there is so nice and they care about each person served, and they don’t use the word patient.

After I graduated in May 2019, I start my first business called 2nd life marketing. I did website design and VA work, while still recovering and getting used to this new life of mine. That was the second hardest thing I had to do, was getting used to this new life and not going 100mph all the time and getting used to how to spot my symptoms coming on and when to slow down and relax.

I ran 2nd Life Marketing until October of last year. I had decided that I wanted to start a brand new company, I always thought of 2nd Life Marketing as more of a recovery project and I wanted to get back into helping the community and business.

So I decided to start 2nd Life DSM Agency.

With 2nd Life DSM (for short ) I want to help local businesses grow but I also want them to connect with other local businesses, have resources available to them when they need them, and not have to go to 5 different sites or places to get the resources they need.

I want it to be about community. I want it to be about getting together and working together to get our community strong again.

I want to be able to help them.

With 2nd Life DSM, we offer everything from marketing to business setup.

Here are just a few of the things we offer: Online and offline marketing Website design and SEO and google accounts Branding Virtual assistant work Helping business get started up The reason I called both of my businesses 2nd Life, is because I have figured out that is my 2nd life, 2nd chance at life because things could have turned out a lot differently.

I just want to bring awareness to TBI and PCS and that you can really do anything you put your mind and heart to.

PLANNING // CATCH DES MOINES PLANNING // CATCH DES MOINES Make planning a meeting in Greater Des Moines easy! Work with us and utilize our free, Catch Des Moines Planners' Guide. This guide is completely digital and interactive, allowing you to watch videos, enlarge maps and so much more! Use this guide to find information on Des Moines hotels, meeting and event facilities, local services and suppliers, transportation, and things to do in Greater Des Moines. Whether you are planning an event for 10 or 100,000 people, we can help bring your ideas to life!

Copycat DSM.

Learn More Here.

EATS AND TREATS // CHUCK’S RESTAURANT Chuck’s Restaurant

Chuck’s Restaurant was originally started by Chuck Bisignano in 1956, his daughter inherited it and continued on the traditions after he passed. We bought the restaurant in 2014 after 6 months of bank loan applications, appraisals and numerous walk thrus.

I fell in love with Chuck’s when I got the full tour by Joe Bisignano, Linda’s cousin.

The atmosphere, the kitchen, the history pulled on my heart strings. I was managing Saints in Beaverdale at the time and had always wanted my own business but never took the plunge...then Chuck’s appeared through a whisper from one on my regulars on a Sunday afternoon. I remember texting my parents and my then boyfriend, now husband, confessing my intentions of purchasing a 120 year old building full of secrets and memories. They all thought I was crazy and here we are 7 years later having a complete remodel done on our historic building. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else at this point in my life. Yes, COVID has destroyed some of our plans and pushed our renovation back but when it is all said and done we will be a staple in the neighborhood for generations to come. Chuck’s has been one of the reasons the northside district is what it is for over 65 years. The stories I hear from customers that had their first date, their wedding, their anniversaries and so many other family gatherings is truly amazing. Most people on the northside experienced Chuck’s as their first slice of pizza to which I always reply you were spoiled. I grew up down the street in Beaverdale and went to Chuck’s on occasion but never remember it the way it is now. Many people come into Chuck’s not knowing how large the restaurant is or the history behind it. Most do know our pizza lady, Nancey Coleman who has been making our dough and sauce from scratch for almost 40 years. I always joke with her and say you have spent more time in this pizza room then anywhere else in your life! Chuck’s isnt just a restaurant where people come to eat...it is where memories are made. That is because we sponsor all of our little league players, girls scouts, debate teams, and any other local organization. We love to support our neighborhood because we know they are the reason we are still here and will be for the next 100 years!

Chuck’s Website.

SUPPORT #DSMLOCAL // REALITY BASED ROMANCE Women, Choose to Challenge the Way You Work You can be powerful... and feminine

Learn More Here.

In the 1970s married women began entering the labor force in great numbers. At the same time, women also stepped into a world that had been designed and built to work for men. We were expected to work and succeed in a business world built on masculine paradigms. Our anthem became Helen Reddy’s song, I am Woman. We rose to the challenge, and we proved that we could compete and fight... and win!

Because of that, most women I know assume that working harder and faster is the way to get greater and greater results. We believe we can keep up with this strategy, year after year, decade after decade, hammering everything in sight with the same tool.

That approach may work, and get results for a while, but it’s not sustainable.

Not if you are a woman.

So many women I talk to are successful, but they’ve been working until they drop to achieve their goals. Their life looks amazing on the outside, but inside something is SCREAMING for attention. Exhaustion levels are high, and they are STRUGGLING to keep their energy up.

We all know that we need to do things differently, we’ve been talking about work-life balance for years, but are we really much further? Has much really changed? Can it really be different if we don’t move out of the outdated way of thinking? (The truth is, It doesn’t really work anymore for men, either.)

I am this woman. I entered the workforce in the 80’s when we put on our heels, shoulder pads in our suits and made it our mission to rise to the top and show men we were just as good, if not better than they are. We were brought up on the idea that we could, “bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and never let you forget you’re a man.”

By the time I was in my late 30’s, my adrenals were worn out and I crashed. If you’ve never experienced this, it’s kind of like being a zombie (except for the eating brains thing). You’re flat lined emotionally and your body never quite reacts to stress the same way again. In fact, my body wanted to avoid stress. Because I didn’t have the tools and information that I do today, it took a long time to recover. I began to look for answers.

What I found was, despite our pursuit of work-life balance, there are three frequently unrecognized mistakes that we women do that keep us exhausted and deplete our energy.

1. We’re stuck in Man-Mode Do, do, do …..

We work too hard and juggle too much and compete with men to show them we’re just as good or better. This approach takes a lot of focus, and focus takes a lot of testosterone. The average man has 20-30% percent more testosterone than women do. We’re just not physically made to work the same way.

Why is this important? Because of the impact on our health. (remember my story?) I talked with a woman last week with a similar story except she ended up in the hospital.

Since the 60’s we have seen:

a 60% increase in female cancers 75% of women experiencing adrenal fatigue 1 in 5 feeling depressed the number of heart attacks in women tripling (every 34 seconds a woman dies of heart disease)

2. We don’t prioritize our desires.

This is the engine behind success! When a woman is out of touch with her dreams and desires, she slowly dies inside because of not doing what she desires.

3. Our mentors are in man-mode also.

‘Boss babes’, ‘slay all day’ are common phrases and memes we frequently see to motivate women. Yet, even Gloria Steinem, one of the founders of the feminist movement, has said that they put too much expectation on women. She said, “We set women up to fail telling her she could do it all, all at once.” The truth...is no one can. Not even men.

With all of your responsibilities women take on we have become disconnected from our true power and are finding ourselves doing life and work in a way that drains us much of the time.

Living our lives in ‘Man-Mode’ is not sustainable for women. It’s time for us to re-balance ourselves and learn to use our natural strengths...as a woman.

Does this sound like you? This is no fault of yours, it is just how we were taught to do life!

But there is another way, a way that fills you up, let’s you shine and live your purpose in a way that is supported by community.

This “other way” allows you to understand and re-learn how to be in your true power, as a woman, to then be able to fully shine your gifts!

What makes a woman confident is her ability to call upon her feminine wisdom.

So often in our world we tend to think of strength as a quality that arises from a place of firm determination and a will to succeed no matter the cost. Even though we might want to think of a strong woman as being defined in this way, what really makes a woman confident is her capacity for listening to her true self and being able to call upon her feminine wisdom to any situation that may arise. A woman does not need to step into an assertive role or act like a man in order to be effective at what she does--she simply needs to get in touch with her insight and sense of compassion to truly demonstrate the depth of her strength.

Listening to the feminine side of ourselves may not seem easy at first for this type of energy is something that is often overlooked in many aspects of our everyday lives. If we can connect with this part of who we are, however, we will find that there is an unlimited wellspring of strength available to us.

As we celebrate National Women’s History Month in March, let’s raise a glass and toast to the leaders of our past and present that got us where we are today. Then consider our future, where we are going and how we want to get there.

The theme for this year is #ChoosetoChallenge. Personally, I love this! From challenge comes change, so let’s all choose to challenge the way we’ve been working and living. Our capacity to tap into our intuition and listen to our inner self, to take into account the needs of those around us, and to view a situation with compassion and love are ways that we can show the world the true power that is part of our feminine nature. Not only will we see the world in a different light, but we will truly start to realize the potential for this form of energy to both empower ourselves and those around us.

HEALTH & WELLNESS // INTEGRATIVE COUNSELING So, here we are, going into the one year anniversary of COVID 19 making its way to Iowa, via a cruise ship in Egypt, being told to go home for TWO WEEKS to flatten the curve, businesses closing, people schooling and working from home,

Learn More Here.

wearing masks and cleaning like they are Alice on the Brady Bunch.

Yes folks, it’s BEEN A YEAR. How are we doing?

Are we vaccinated and getting back to normal life, whatever that is. Normal is a setting on a washing machine, by the way. Are we still waiting for our loved ones to get vaccinated or are almost 65 and waiting for our own vaccine?

Perhaps we are working at a school, or a care giver or we are close to getting a vaccine and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Are we getting on with life, or biding our time?

How are we…really? According to a search of electronic Pub Med and PsychInfo databases, as well as publications by major health entities like the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other sources, Women are not doing so well.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on hose of us with two X chromosomes, we are more predisposed to vulnerabilities.

According to the aforementioned articles, “Parenting may be substantially more stressful during a pandemic. Gender disparities may be accentuated, particularly for employed women or single parents, as women are disproportionately responsible for the bulk of domestic tasks, including childcare and eldercare.” And let’s not forget those who are trying to work from home while breaking up a wrestling match between the 3 year old and the family pet, cleaning red jello from the carpet and making sure preteens are off the video games and in their assigned classrooms.

Even in 2021, it seems that women still do it all, the bulk of the caregiving, household responsibilities and yes, even home schooling , seem to still fall on the women. Of course, in some households, there is only one parent to manage all of the responsibilities.

It turns out that it is much more stressful to be a parent during a pandemic. And because women tend to do the heavy lifting at home, the majority of household responsibilities, including caring for children, parents and homeschool, fall to women.

And so it stands to reason that women are more predisposed to vulnerability to mental health issues at this time as there is a greater impact on the female population, according to the articles reviewed.

Integrative Counseling Solutions is a Central Iowa outpatient mental health clinic for people ages 3-65. We see families in distress, we help children who are acting out and feeling the affects of isolation, we hold space for lonely Grandparents and people of all ages grieving the loss of loved ones. And we help women, many, many women, who are needing support to deal with the adverse impacts of COVID 19 right now.

Our team of 14 licensed therapists are skilled at helping clients deal with these adverse impacts of the pandemic. Counseling provides a confidential place and person with whom to discuss strategies for preventing and treating mental health diagnoses, and skills to cope with loss, change, fears and loneliness.

Whether in one of our 5 offices around Central Iowa, or through HIPAA protected Telehealth services, we help people from 3-65 with strategies and ways to reverse negative impact of the pandemic, including the numbing isolation, lack of opportunities to see our fellow humans.

Our team of licensed therapists are trained in Family therapy, Trauma therapy like EMDR and Brainspotting, Play Therapy, Substance Abuse, Trauma Informed Yoga, and Music Therapy. We are able to match clients, with consideration of their insurance, with a therapist best suited to the clients issues and needs. Our services are unique, specialized and tailored to the individual.

If you see yourself struggling with these issues, or others, you are not alone, and we are here to help. Reach out to 515267-1340 and we will arrange for services to start soon.

Register Here.

COVID-19 CHALLENGES // IOWA WOMEN LEAD CHANGE Challenges for professional women in the COVID-19 pandemic There has been a lot of new vocabulary out in the world over the past 14 months. As we focus our efforts on workforce development from a gender lens, one of the most alarming new terms is the Women’s Recession. What this new term means is exactly what it sounds like; due to stresses, personally and professionally, surrounding the cumulative effects of the pandemic, an alarming number of women are leaving the workforce.

Just how alarming are those numbers? We could lose two million women in corporate America. 100,000 of those women are senior leaders. These numbers are projected by analyzing recent data from McKinsey, that reports that one-in-four women are considering downshifting their careers or dropping out of the workforce altogether.

This is not just a women’s issue, it is a business issue.

When women lose, we all lose.

The reasons for this mass exodus range from burnout to increased caregiving duties at home.

Since 2015, men and women have been leaving the workforce at comparable rates, but now a woman is 1.3x more likely than a man to leave the workforce. With second and third shift responsibilities at home, women continue to take on the majority of household and caregiving duties. Reportedly up to 20 additional hours per week. COVID-19 has also hit our black and latina communities even harder. McKinsey research shows that black and latina mothers are more likely to be the sole provider for the family. In fact, the survey shows that black mothers are twice as likely to be handling all the household childcare and latinas are 1.6x more likely to be responsible for the same.

In a study conducted by Women Lead Change and the University of Illinois at Chicago, we asked how our female audience across the Midwest was feeling. It revealed that the largest contributing factor to quitting work, symptoms of depression, and physical symptoms of depression are the sacrifices being made by women during the pandemic.

The business case for women in leadership is strong. The best companies are identifying ways to turn this trend around to counter the undoing of decades of advancements for women.

Organizations that are purposeful in retaining a talented workforce during the pandemic will thrive in a post-pandemic world. Here are a few ideas: Adjust productivity and performance goals to align with work-life integration in mind.

Communicate flexibility and mean it.

Establish no meeting hours in the day.

Adjust policies and programs to support employees including paid time off, mental health support, childcare/homeschool support.

Communicate expectations and plans. Be transparent through multiple checkpoints.

It’s not just the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing to do.

Learn More Here.

401K WEBSITE.

EATS & TREATS // Central City Liqours Central City Liquors

Tom Duax the owner of Central City Liquors has been an entrepreneur since 1984.

His first venture was the Maidrite on the corner of 10th and Locust in downtown Des Moines. The First location for Central City Liquors was next door and was originally a “Whirl Whip” with a walk up window. On March 1, 1987, the State of Iowa went out of the liquor business and allowed it to be sold privately. Tom did his research and realized that opening a liquor store was profitable venture. In 1987 he closed the ice cream shop and opened Central City Liquors. In 1995 there was a fire at the location and moved the store to its current location on 2nd Ave. Tom has two sons and six grandchildren, his son Brian currently manages the wholesale department. His wife has owned a salon with four stations since 1986. It is Creative Cutters in Urbandale. Tom’s biggest accomplishment is that he has kept is business going for so long. It could be due to many things including providing insurance and retirement for his employees. Currently there are 12 employees and seven delivery trucks and recently expanded his wholesale space for the growing market.

Central City Liquors is best known for its ability for special orders. Special orders, allows Central City Liquors to purchase over 170 single malt scotches. There are always tastings at the store. The store has a large selection of Tequila, Whiskey and Bourbon. You can also find specialty products like Premium Pickled Garlic & Spiced Beans & Asparagus Spears.

Stop in or make sure you join our newsletter to know of specials and tastings.

Learn More Here.

MEMBERS // CHAMBER VIRTUAL HIGHLIGHTS

Women’s Event Please join FuseDSM, Des Moines West Side Chamber of Commerce and Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce for this annual event, held during Women’s History Month, providing an opportunity to connect with leaders in the Des Moines Metro that have successfully mentored women.

This event is focused on connecting women, building relationships and learning the advice and tools successful mentors have used in helping women to achieve satisfaction in both their professional and personal lives.

Date: Wednesday Mar 31, 2021 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM CDT

Speed Networking Networking events are excellent opportunities to grow your connections and potentially lead to new business. But have you ever felt it difficult to connect with more than a handful of people at an event?

Meet a significant amount of fellow FuseDSM members (and non-members too!) in a fastpaced and casual environment. Through an organized process, you’ll chat with a single individual for a few minutes at a time, before being prompted to move onto the next person.

Be sure to bring plenty of business cards so you can stay in touch with all the people you meet! This is one of our most popular networking events, space is limited and registration is sure to fill quickly, so don’t wait to reserve your spot.

Date: Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021.

Will be held online.

FuseDSM Award Celebration We are excited to announce that in spite of our annual dinner plans being postponed for this year, we are moving forward with a celebration of our members.

Follow along for more information about FuseDSM’s Award Celebration April 29th.

New exciting awards to be announced, and fun opportunities for exposure and celebration.

We look forward to celebrating you!

Date: Thursday, April 29th

MEMBERS // CHAMBER VIRTUAL HIGHLIGHTS

MORNING FUEL // Presented by Empowered Bridge Mindset coaching Join FuseDSM and Empowered Bridge Mindset Coaching for Morning Fuel! This weekly, virtual event is a chance to stay connected with your fellow chamber members. Your sponsor and host is Wendi Fredregill with Empowered Bridge Mindset Coaching. If you have not had a chance to meet Wendi yet, you’ll want to join in. She will brighten up your Tuesday morning with her positivity and energy.You must register to attend. Grab your favorite morning beverage, hop online, and connect with others. We can’t wait to see you!

Date: Tuesdays @ 9AM

FEED YOUR MIND // Jacob Repp Whether your business is B2B or B2C, in most cases your targeted customer is on LinkedIn. What is your strategy to start to nurture those connections? There is no doubt that LinkedIn is a business focused social media platform, however, the average business owner does not expend the time or energy to foster their presence on LinkedIn. Jacob Repp, has mastered the art of LinkedIn and he will share with you how to master it too.

Date: Wednesday, March 24th 11:30 am-1:00 pm

Heidi Kroll / Wine Guide

MEMBERS // CHAMBER VIRTUAL HIGHLIGHTS

Fusing The Community Together // Online & In Person This month, we are supporting Coa Cantina by purchasing a margarita kit & tools to go! Simply pickup from Coa Catina or join in on the fun in person at the bar! This is a great activity for team building, supporting local businesses, and enjoying the company of your fellow chamber members. Let’s get out there and Fuse The Community Together! *Registration must be complete by March 17 to secure margarita kit* Date: Thursday March 25th, 2021 Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Sign Up: fusedsm.org

Oak Park/Highland Park: An Urban Neighborhood Revitalization Success Story in the Making // City’s Office of Economic Development and InvestDSM Learn about the background story of how planning initiatives and new economic development strategies are helping to dramatically reshape the future of the Oak Park/Highland Park Neighborhood, and see what development projects are underway currently and planned in the near future.

Date: Tuesday March 9, 2021

NON-PROFIT FORUM // Presented by Join Glenn Martin and Lindsey LaMair from Webspec Maximize your Marketing: How non-profits can leverage digital tools in 2021 We know that managing your website and digital marketing often falls to the bottom of the to do list; it’s hard to find the time and even harder to know where to begin. Join Glenn Martin and Lindsey LaMair from Webspec as they discuss strategies for where to spend your time and energy digitally, so you can maximize your online presence. They’ll discuss best practices for managing your content, getting the most out of your SEO, and leveraging free tools to extend your message to a wider audience. This is a virtual training, so feel free to follow along with your own website—they’ll save time for specific questions and screen sharing at the end.

Date: Thursday Mar 11, 2021 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM CST

Sign Up: fusedsm.org

TAX EXPERT // TAX TIPS FOR YOUR KNOWLEDGE TAX TIPS FOR YOUR KNOWLEDGE Tom Welchans, CPA Taxes are needed to help maintain societal order, from safety needs to infrastructural needs to some things that makes us scratch our heads. The good news, most individuals and businesses intend to comply with federal, state, and local taxing authorities. The bad news, many taxing authorities make things unnecessarily complicated when it comes to compliance (especially in a pandemic). This article is intended to bring up some issues to pay attention to as your personal lives and businesses grow and prosper. It is also designed to bring general issues to the attention of our readers. Please consult your tax advisor/professional for advice on your specific situation.

ECONOMIC IMPACT PAYMENTS (STIMULUS) Many people received multiple Economic Impact Payments (stimulus) as a way to help create economic activity during the pandemic. These amounts are not considered taxable income to you for Federal or Iowa purposes. If you did not receive stimulus payments you feel you should have, discuss this with your tax advisor/professional. The stimulus payments were based on the adjusted gross income (AGI) on your 2018 or 2019 income tax returns (depending on when you filed). If your AGI was under $75,000 for single status, $112,500 for head of household, or $150,000 for married filing jointly, you were eligible for the full stimulus payments available to you. With the first stimulus, if you made greater than $99,000 for single status, $136,500 for head of household, and $198,000 for married filing jointly, you were not eligible for the first stimulus. For the second stimulus, the upper limits were $87,000 single, $130,500 head of household, and $174,000 married filing joint respectively. The final determination of the amount of the two stimulus payments (passed so far) you will receive is actually based upon your 2020 tax return. If your AGI changed so you qualify for more stimulus money, you will receive it as part of the 2020 Federal tax return filing process. If your AGI changed so you are eligible for less or no stimulus, you will not be required to pay the additional stimulus back.

PAYROLL PROTECTION PROGRAM There have been many articles written about the Payroll Protection Program (PPP). I will discuss PPP specifically from the tax standpoint in this article. Upon receiving the PPP loan, it is not taxable income to your business (this is true with any loan). Written into the original CARES Act, the forgiveness of the PPP loan (if you met the expense usage requirements) would not be treated as taxable income to the business that received it. However, the Internal Revenue Service originally took the position that the expenses used to get the PPP loan forgiven would not be deductible to the business owner in the year the loan was forgiven (in essence negating the benefit). As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act passed in December, Congress specifically used language which stated that any expenses used to get forgiveness of a PPP loan were deductible on the business’s tax return. Iowa also follows the Federal rules related to PPP loan and expense treatment. This means PPP loan forgiveness becomes a tax-free grant to help your business survive the crazy times we live in.

Tom Welchans, CPA is currently your treasurer with fuseDSM, and is a Tax Manager with Denman & Company, LLP in West Des Moines

Learn More Here.

HEALTH // ANCHOR FITNESS Staying Active Through the Colder Months I know we’ve all felt the cold has been brutally harsh so far this year, but the good news is Spring is almost here and warmer weather is just a few weeks away! With that in mind, there’s still time to get and stay active through the colder days that lie ahead of us and the way I see it, we’ve got four options to choose from.

1. Bodyweight exercises at home.

2. Search for used (cost effective) items on Facebook Marketplace for at home workouts.

3. Bundle up and head to the gym.

4. Get outside and embrace it.

Learn More Here.

At the end of the day, we as Humans are made to MOVE! Not being active throughout the day should never be an option and in fact, when this becomes routine and we don’t cause enough eustress (beneficial stress that our bodies can make positive adaptations from), we begin to feel and see the differences it can have on our day to day. In the long run, inactivity can lead to all the bad stuff we see every day in the world around us like over half of the U.S. population being obese, skyrocketing rates of metabolic disease, movement dysfunction and postural issues, the list could go on and on.

So let’s go over our four options together: Option 1: Bodyweight exercises at home. Combine any of these movements together in as many creative variations as you possibly can with different time domains; short, long, interval, rounds, repetitions, etc.

Burpees, jumping jacks, pushups, situps, crunches, mountain climbers, inch worms + pushups, dive bombers, air squats, jumping squats, lunges, walking lunges, side lunges, kossack squats, bear crawls, crab walks, duck walks, wall sits, wall walks, handstand pushups, hollow body hold, hollow body rocks, pullups on a bare beam, dips on the counter top, superman’s or reverse hyper over the island in your kitchen, plank from elbows, plank from pushup position, moving plank, side plank, moving side plank, broad jumps, running in place, Yoga flows on YouTube.

That will get you off to a great start. No gym membership required. YouTube search any of these movements and 99.9% of them will have a video demonstration for you.

Option 2: Search for used (cost effective) equipment on Facebook Marketplace and build out your own at home gym. I love this option and this is exactly what I have done with a fair amount of equipment I have at home. You have to stay on it though and continue to check back in frequently for the items you want and in most cases, be the first person to message them if it’s still available. Here are a few things I recommend to get started that will give you a ton of variety.

Assortment of dumbbells or kettlebells - these can be singles or pairs; Bands or a band system with handles; Plyo box; Yoga mat; Stability ball; and if you really want to get started with the home gym build out, you can nearly always find an old airdyne bike for sale at any point in time.

Here’s a cool resource to use if you don’t want to build your own workouts or create your own program: https://random.training/ Option 3: Bundle up and head to the gym. Okay, here’s the deal. If you currently have a gym membership and you are not using it because it’s too cold outside…point blank - that’s an excuse and you need to get past it. Whatever that looks like for you, just get past it. Lay your clothes out in the morning, positive self-talk, write down 50x every day why it’s important for you to stay active even when it’s cold, etc. Just get it done. If for some reason you absolutely just can’t get past it, you’ve got a ton of resources above to help you stay active at home.

Option 4: Get outside and embrace it. You’re probably thinking, “Ya right dude, you’re crazy.” To a certain extent, yes, I’m a little crazy and often times go above what most are willing to do for my own health/wellness/achievement in life. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t do that too. Look, I’m not here to tell you what to do, but rather give you ideas and sprinkle in some inspo/moto on how you can stay active throughout the colder months. You must know that the human body is capable of so much more than most give it credit for and that it’s most often what’s between your ears that holds you back. So ya, get outside and embrace the cold (-20 might be a bit too much for some people), do some movement and some exercise, then come back inside and take a warm shower.

Report back to me on how amazing you feel after doing that above for two weeks straight. Mental, physical, and physiological gains all day long.

If you want some more insight into what I think is important to work on daily or you need some help setting up a program, go to https://thedillonburnsmethod.com/what-is-tdbm

WOMEN’S MONTH // TRIXIES SALON In spirit of Women’s History Month, we interviewed Tricia Rivas of Trixies Salon to tell #HerStory: We all know being successful comes with perseverance. How do you move forward against doubt?

Tricia: My parents would tell you I came out of the womb stubborn. lol so when fear or doubt try to sneak it’s ugly little head on I’m really good with hitting it head on.

Trixies Website.

How do you balance career, personal life and passion?

Tricia:mI don’t believe in that whole work & life balance thing. I believe in choices. When I’m at work I make the choice that my energy is focused there. When I’m at home and also needing self-care that is where my energy goes.

How do you find time for self care, what does that look like?

Tricia: Self care to me looks like camping, traveling, taking baths, hiking, listening to music, spending time with family and friends, trying new restaurants in Des Moines and shopping. Lots of shopping.

What advice would you give to women that want to be business owners or advance in their career here in Des Moines?

Tricia: You and your business will not be for everyone. Trust me when I say that is okay.

What are your tips to celebrate others success without doubting your self worth?

Tricia: Oh goodness I love love love to see others succeed. I like to reach out to others to collaborate and see what and what’s not working. With my approach I honestly don’t doubt my self worth.

What is your “Why”?

Tricia: My why is to see others happy, successful and living the life they imagined. To be apart of that makes my soul happy.

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT // JAMES WALFORD The FuseDSM Board of Directors is made up of locally engaged individuals to help guide the mission of our chamber. New to the gang is James Walford of James Walford State Farm.

James grew up Urbandale, and is married to his wife, Krystal. He is an avid sports fan, particularly the Iowa Hawkeyes, Miami Dolphins, and Chicago Cubs. He and Krystal both have very close families and love to spend time with friends in their free time. James’ State Farm location is on SE 14th St, right in our FuseDSM footprint.

James and his team take pride in protecting what you value most. But more than that, he can walk you through OWNING your own coverage. James’ method is to customize a plan for you, your lifestyle, and your goals. The team focuses on financial acumen to work with each client in establishing paycheck protection, not just for you, but for your loved ones in your absence. See James for your auto, home, life, and business needs!

Read More Here.

HERE FOR THE COMMUNITY // FEH DESIGN The board of directors of FEH Design recently promoted Cory W. Sharp, AIA from associate to principal.

Sharp, who joined FEH in 2012, is a licensed architect in the firm’s Des Moines office. As principal, Sharp’s role will expand to include leadership in budiness actions. He will continue to be a principal designer for the firm’s municipal and corporate work.

Sharp graduated from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa where he recieved a Bachelor of Architecture degree and Minor in Entrepreneurial Studies in 2012. After college, he was excited to join FEH Design immediately.

Sharp has been involved in many impactful projects in the Des Moines area including the design and construction of the Grand View University Student Center, Kemin Indusstries Worldwide Headquarters, Urbandale Fire Station No. 43, West Des Moines Public Services Center, and Pleasant Hill Public Safety Facilities.

Sharp has been a great supporter of young professionals in the region and he is a passionate community advocate for multi-modal transportation and outdoor recreational activities. He serves on several boards including the Great Outdoors Foundation and Emerging Leaders Collaborative, in addition to being enrolled in the Class of 2020-21 Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute Community Leadership Program. He was voted to the Des Moines Business Record’s 2020 Class of Forty Under 40.

“There are people at FEH that have known me since I was born, so the office is like familt to me,” said Sharp. “FEH provides an environment for young architects to thrive. They have created a sense of community in the office, one that supports both professional and personal growth and places company culture as one of its highest priorities.”

He is currently working on design projects for the Marshalltoen Fisher Community Senter, City of Pleasant Hill, South Des Moines Veterinary Center, and the City of Creston.

Sharp resides in Urbandale with his wife, Abby, and their dog Emma.

FEH Design provides architectural, structural engineering, planning and interior design services for public and private use projects in the fivestate region, operating at offices in Sioux City, Des Moines, Dubuque (IA) and Oconomowoc (WI). FEH’s design dervices include government and civic buildings, libraries, educational facilities, museums, corporate/commercial and worship.

Learn More Here.

MARKETING EXPERT // CREATIVE DSM WOMEN LED // Andi Fagen In case you didn’t already know, Creative DSM IS a women led organization. I founded Creative DSM after 10 years of working for start up companies in Los Angeles and Miami, once I was ready to try to break that proverbial “glass ceiling”. I was ready to work with the people I found inspiring, and work to spread messages that I believed in. The team has grown, but the mission hasn’t changed. We’re here to believe in our partnerships and invest in them.

There are significant challenges for women to “balance it all”, and hey, if you’d like to get a coffee and chat through some of my personal breakthroughs I would be honored. I love trying to find ways to bridge the gap and work as a team, while celebrating how far women have come. So in celebration of women’s history month, I wanted to share a digital marketing tip for women-led organizations.

March’s Digital Marketing Tip: Claim Attributes on your Google My Business Listing That’s right, you can identify as a women-led business (or black owned and vetran led) right on Google. It’s a great way to celebrate what makes you unique. And one more fun fact- if you are a majority owned (51% or more), operated and managed by a female, individual with minority status, service disabled veteran or individual with a disability, you can apply for the Targeted Small Business program. Learn more at www.iowaeda.com/small-business/targeted-small-business/

Let’s keep #FusingTheCommunityTogether

Andi Fagen

Check Out The Website.

Andi Fagen - Founder - Creative DSM | Digital & Social Marketing

FIRESTARTER // DANIEL MCCRAINE Meet our Firestarter of the month, Daniel McCraine, McCraine Associates!

Daniel believes that small businesses are key to building community. Small businesses sustain our neighborhoods, create jobs, and contribute to our local economy. The loss of even one small business is tragic to our community.

McCraine Associates exists to make sure small businesses get a chance to fulfill their promises to their community for generations to come.

Daniel’s favorite part of being in FuseDSM is getting to meet new people and learn how they are contributing to Des Moines.

His favorite thing to do in Des Moines is go to the DMSO 4th of July Pops concert.

A fun fact about him is he taught band for 9 years, which is why some have referred to him as the Maestro of Business.

Read More Here.

MEMBERS // WEBSPEC Five Ways to Make User Experience a Priority in Your SEO Strategy When it comes to creating a SEO strategy for your website, it can be difficult to know who to prioritize: the website visitor or the site crawler. On one hand, you want content that is helpful, informative, and readable for your audience. But on the other hand, that audience may not land on your site if your content isn’t being crawled by search engines.

It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of writing content that is overrun with keywords in an attempt to get your site to perform better, but in the process, you could be alienating your users. We’ll guide you through five manageable ways you can make user experience a priority in your SEO strategy.

1. Find Out What Your User is Searching For You can’t improve your search engine rankings without knowing what your users are searching for to find you. An easy first step in creating user-centered content is understanding what the user wants to know through keyword research. Once you know what your audience is looking for, you can tailor your content to fit those search queries.

Benefits of keyword research Keyword research can be as simple or as in-depth as you want it to be. Using keyword research as a starting point can help you: Determine how your audience is finding your organization or where they are getting lost Identify questions they may be asking that you can help answer Establish what they expect to see when they search for certain terms 2. Consider Search Intent Now that you understand what keywords your audience is searching for, it’s time to consider what they expect when they enter those terms into a search engine.

Typically, a user has one of three goals when searching: Learn something (informational queries) Go somewhere (navigational queries) Buy something (transactional queries) In each of these cases, the user’s search intent is different and you can adjust your content accordingly.

Learn More Here.

3. Read Competitor Blogs Finding out what your competitors are writing about a topic can help you better understand your place within the conversation. Start by auditing websites that are performing slightly better than yours in search results. What information are they sharing with users? What strategies seem to be working for them? By making objective observations about what the competition is doing, you’ll have a better idea of how you can contribute to the conversation in your industry and adjust those strategies to fit your organization.

4. Write Readable, Keyword-Rich Content One of the most effective ways to improve user experience on your website is to write in a way that makes the information easy to read and understand. Long-form content (ranging from 700-2,000 words) tends to rank higher in search results than pages with thin content.

With more content, it’s important to know how to make large blocks of text more readable and digestible to your audience using headings, subheadings, and lists. Users don’t want to dig for information, but if you make your content clear and engaging, they’re more likely to both find your website in search engines and stick around to learn more.

5. Optimize Your Content While optimizing your content is extremely useful in making your site more crawlable by search engines, it also helps users navigate your site more easily. When your pages are loading quickly, labeled clearly, and are accessible to all users, users are much more likely to stick around. What are some quick ways to optimize your content?

Create unique meta titles and descriptions You can optimize your site’s content by creating unique meta titles and descriptions for each crawlable page on your website. This provides a keyword-rich description for site crawlers while also telling your users a little more about that page’s content.

Add alt text to images Similarly, adding alt text to all onsite images helps bots index and organize your site, and most importantly, it makes your site more accessible to all users.

Boost your site speed Finally, you can increase your site’s speed by uploading images and videos with a smaller file size. Site speed not only impacts your search engine ranking s, it also prevents a user from becoming irritated by a slow-loading webpage.

Interested in learning more?

These five steps are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to optimizing your website for better performance in search engines. Head over to our website to read the full article and get more tools, tips, and tricks to help kickstart your user-focused SEO strategy!

MEMBERS // OASIS RECORDING The way businesses pivoted and adjusted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the trajectory of what 2021 will look like. The year ahead will be one where flexibility and agility are para-mount to remain viable. Business leaders will need to address new priorities to maintain profitability, while being creative and resourceful to keep employees and customers safe. Oasis, a Paychex® Company, studied the top priorities on the horizon for 300 small business leaders across the United States.

Donna Meek is a Senior Manager of PEO Service at Oasis. Donna has 24 years of working in this industry. At Oasis, Donna is a strategic and operational leader who helps businesses grow, thrive and succeed. Her ability to identify opportunities for process improvement has helped companies to increase efficiency, streamline processes and boost productivity. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges for business owners and Donna has a passion for helping employers understand complicated laws and regulations so they can best evaluate options and choices for preparing their business for the future.

Learn More Here.

MEMBERS // FUSEDSM Did you know that you can post a job to be promoted through the chamber?

It’s simple, just log into the “Members” menu, and select “Member Login”. Once logged in, click “Job Postings” in the left side menu tabs, and then choose “Add a Job Posting”.

Add in an engaging title, category, contact information, and an image is a great addition.

From there, FuseDSM will promote on our social channels, it will be listed in member portal, and it is then shared with the Greater Des Moines Partnership. Just another way we are #FusingTheCommunityTogether https://youtu.be/RxUYn-pv3Bo Memberss Menu.

Learn More Here.

Learn More Here.

AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP // DSM PARTNERSHIP Partnership Perk – Small Business Resources Hub // Greater DSM Partnership

The Greater Des Moines Partnership has a Small Business Resources Hub to help small businesses grow. The Hub provides a one-stop-shop for small businesses to find resources relating to legal, accounting, finance, marketing, networking, staffing and hiring, and more. The creation of The Hub was the result of research-based decision-making that helped determine how to most effectively serve small businesses in Greater Des Moines (DSM).

The Hub provides a wealth of resources and helps build on DSM’s status as a great place to grow a small business, including technology companies that would be considered high growth-startup companies.

The Hub is easy to use, with categories organized based on research to help determine what is most useful for small businesses and how they can best find those resources. The Small Business Resources Hub can be accessed at DSMpartnership.com/growing-business-here/business-resources/small-business-resources.

Additionally through these unprecedented times for small businesses, The Partnership offers small business resources on it’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Hub to help them take steps that can help to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic as they continue to do business. Find resources to help your small business at DSMpartnership.com/covid-19/ small-business-resources.

GDMP Website.

WHAT’S NEW // US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday that Suzanne Clark will become the next chief executive officer of the country’s largest business lobbying organization, the first woman to hold the position in the business lobby’s 109-year history.

Clark replaces Thomas J. Donohue, 83, who led the organization for 24 years and built up the Chamber financially and politically during his tenure.

Clark, who currently serves as the president of the U.S. Chamber, will take over effective March 11. Her ascension has long been expected and was confirmed Tuesday by Chamber Board Chair Christopher Lofgren.

“Suzanne Clark’s extensive experience through ever increasing responsibilities during her more than 16 years at the Chamber, combined with her ambitious vision and ongoing work to strengthen the U.S. Chamber of Commerce make her the resounding choice to lead the organization into the future,” Lofgren said in a statement. “On behalf of all the board leaders who have been working on this multiyear succession process, we are profoundly grateful to Tom Donohue for his leadership, passion for this organization, and commitment to free enterprise over the past 24 years....” Read More Here.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS // 2021 FuseDSM’s Board of Directors serve a three-year term with a maximum of two terms. Members of the Board focus on the development of Board policies that govern the implementation of institutional plans and purposes. The role is separate and distinct from the role of the staff, to whom are delegated the implementation of these policies.

RANDY SACKETT //

DR. RYAN ANDERSON //

CAROLYN JENISON //

LAURA GIBSON //

TOM WELCHANS //

DANIEL WILLRICH //

JEREMY MERRILL //

FERNANDO AVEIGA //

BILL RAINE //

MICHAEL BIRD //

MEGAN FLETCHER //

PAM THOMPSON //

DANNY BEYER //

PATRICK RUPE //

DWANA BRADLEY //

Yellow & Capital Cab Co, Chair

No Coast Consulting Immediate Past

Central Iowa Center for Independent Living Secretary

SpeakPR Vice Chair

Denman & Company, CPA Treasurer

Lubinus Law Firm Board Member

Pelds Design Services 2nd Vice Chair

Hacha & Machete, Inc. Board Member

Spindustry Board Member

Raine Recruiting, LLC Board Member

Siegwerk Board Member

Iron Horse Wealth Management, LLC Board Member

Parks Area Foundation Board Member

Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company Board Member

SHALLEE KEENAN //

Kemin Industries Board Member

Iowa Urban Media Board Member

JAMES WALFORD //

James Walford State Farm Board Member