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Middle Bit: GoDaddy moving 134 jobs from Hiawatha to Arizona

June 26, 2020

GoDaddy, an internet domain registrar and web hosting service with a large presence in Hiawatha, announced this week it will be implementing a restructuring that will affect hundreds of its employees.

The company stated that due to struggles with its outbound sales unit in the U.S., 814 employees are either departing, relocating, or transitioning to other roles within the company. Of those, 134 of those jobs are at its Hiawatha-based facility reports The Gazette.

The company said employees would be offered the chance to move to a consolidated sales center in Gilbert, Arizona, with some eligible to shift from the outbound to inbound business unit.

Those who are departing the company are being placed on paid administrative leave immediately through Sept. 1. Severance packages after that date will provide two weeks of pay for each full year of service for those that qualify for four weeks.

The company cited slower demand for “do-it-for-you” services that have a higher cost, and an overall decrease in sales from outbound calling to its customers.

Iowans can now access free courses through Coursera

Iowa Workforce Development has announced it is partnering with Coursera to offer free online learning opportunities to Iowans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coursera is an online learning platform with more than 4,300 courses available from a variety of academic institutions and organizations worldwide. The online classes and certificate programs are available to Iowans at no cost if they register for and enroll in any of the courses by Sept. 20, and complete their courses by Dec. 31.

“Like all states, Iowa has experienced changes in how we work and learn as a result of the pandemic. We are excited to partner with Coursera, a free online learning platform, to help Iowans who are looking to build their skill sets or explore new careers,” IWD Director Beth Townsend said in a release. “By working with Coursera, we can provide increased access to a wide variety of courses and certificates, including in high-demand careers. We also encourage employers to leverage this resource to upskill or retrain employees whose jobs were affected by the pandemic.”

Coursera participants can access courses and certificate programs in areas such as entrepreneurship, information technology and advanced manufacturing training.

Iowans can register for an account and enroll in courses here. Additional information can be found at IowaWorkforceDevelopment.gov.

Bunker Labs to celebrate launch of Des Moines Chapter

Bunker Labs, a national non-profit headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, will celebrate the official opening of the Des Moines chapter with its first ever virtual launch party on Tuesday, July 7.

Bunker Labs seeks to inspire the military-connected community to start their own business, then equips them with the right training and connects them to the right people to grow those businesses.

Bernie Stone will serve as the Des Moines chapter’s volunteer city leader. Stone has already begun to build momentum for the new chapter by establishing strong business connections and speaking with veterans and entrepreneurs throughout the area.

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Middle Bit: GoDaddy moving 134 jobs from Hiawatha to Arizona | Clay & Milk
A central Iowa ag-tech accelerator has secured more backers and finally has a name. The Greater Des Moines Partnership first announced the accelerator last year, naming four initial investors. On Monday, the Partnership said the program will be called the "Iowa AgriTech Accelerator" and named three new investors. The new investors include Grinnell Mutual, Kent Corp. and Sukup Manufacturing, all Iowa companies. They join investors Deere & Co., Peoples Co., Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. and DuPont Pioneer. Each investor has agreed to put up $100,000 for the first year of the accelerator. Startups entering the program will receive $40,000 in seed funding in exchange for 6 percent equity. Tej Dhawan, an angel investor and local startup mentor, is serving as interim director until the AgriTech Accelerator names a permanent leader. Dhawan held a similar role with the GIA before Brian Hemesath was named as managing director. As interim director, Dhawan said his main job includes hiring the accelerator's executive director, establishing a business structure and initial recruiting for the first cohort. The accelerator will place few filters, such as location and product, on the applicant pool, Dhawan said. "When you’re seeking innovation, innovation can come from every corner of the world so why restrict ourselves," he said. One area the the AgriTech Accelerator won't recruit from is biotech. For its first cohort, the AgriTech Accelerator will work out of the GIA's space in Des Moines' East Village, Dhawan said. A future, permanent home is still to be decided. The accelerator's program will host startups from mid-July through mid-October, ending with an event connected to the annual World Food Prize. The GIA, which the AgriTech Accelerator is based on, also ends with presentations at an industry event. The accelerator has also started lining up a mentor pool. The Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Pork Producers Association have agreed to provide mentors, as has Iowa State University. While the AgriTech Accelerator is loosely based off of the GIA, it will differ in its business structure, Dhawan said. The GIA runs through a for-profit model for both operations and its investment fund. The AgriTech Accelerator will have a nonprofit model for its operations and a for-profit setup for its fund. Dhawan said the nonprofit model is being used so the accelerator can better work with other nonprofit partners, such as trade associations. "These are all organizations that are nonprofits and can be amazing stakeholders without ever having to be investors in the accelerator," he said. "It becomes easier to work with trade associations in their nonprofit role when we are also a nonprofit." When it's up and running, the AgriTech Accelerator would be one of a handful of ag-focused startup development programs in Iowa. Others include the Ag Startup Engine out of Iowa State University and the Rural Ventures Alliance from Iowa MicroLoan. Matthew Patane is the managing editor and co-founder of Clay & Milk. Send him an email at mpatane@clayandmilk.com.
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