Joy Cone Company Buys BoDean’s Baking Group
(Le Mars) — An article that appeared in the September 30th Food Business News
website, indicates that the Joy Cone Company, with its headquarters based in
Hermitage, Pennsylvania has acquired Le Mars-based BoDeans Baking Group. Joy Cone
Company is nearly a 100 year old ice cream cone maker. Financial terms of the
transaction were not disclosed. David George, president and chief executive
officer with the Joy Cone Company says “BoDeans Baking Group’s manufacturing
excellence in wafers and cookie inclusions is a particularly exciting area of
growth, as the combined company continues its expansion and offers a wide range of
unique specialty bakery items to a greatly enhanced customer base”. Following the
transaction, George says the Joy Cone Company will be 100 percent employee-owned
through an ESOP plan. He went on to say, “as BoDeans Baking Group’s employees
become part of the Joy Cone Company, they are becoming actual owners in the
company as well”. Founded in 2000, BoDeans operates two facilities in Le Mars, a 134,000 square-foot wafer plant and a 90,000 square-foot cone plant. As part of the acquisition of BoDeans Baking, Joy Cone Company says it is also acquiring Altesa, the largest ice cream cone producer in Mexico. Altesa operates a new facility near Mexico City and is “well positioned for growth throughout Mexico and Central America”. BoDeans acquired Altesa in 2013. Founded in 1918, Joy Cone Company makes more than 1.5 billion ice cream cones a year for the retail and food service markets. The company’s products include cake cones, sugar cones, waffle cones and bowls. The company operates a manufacturing facility in Hermitage, Pennsylvania and another facility in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Le Mars Newspaper Recycling Has A New Location
(Le Mars) — Today is the first Saturday of the month, and traditionally that would mean Le Mars residents could donate their old newspapers and other paper products to the Boy Scouts for recycling. Residents would drop off their discarded newspapers at the O’Toole Park, located on the northside of town. However, that practice, at least dropping off paper products at O’Toole Park, has now ended. Scott Langel, the city administrator for Le Mars says the storage shed used by the boy scouts will now be converted to be made as a restroom for the park.
Langel says the city has partnered with Van’s Sanitation and has established a new
site for disposal of newspapers, cardboard, and other paper products.
Langel says the city is encouraging the boy scouts to utilize the facility, and
continue with their recycling program as a fund raiser.
Langel says the drive-through recyclable site at Van’s Sanitation is ready for use. He says the new recyclable dumpster will be available at any time for Le Mars residents to dispose of their discarded paper products, and not just the first Saturday of the month.
The city administrator reminds Le Mars residents that they can also dispose of their paper products at a roll-off dumpster located in the parking lot between the Hardware Hank store and the downtown fire station. He says people can always utilize their blue-colored dumpsters for disposal of newspapers and other paper products.
Iowa Department Of Transportation Hosts Safety SeminarĀ
(Le Mars) — A school bus filled with school children collides with a semi truck
hauling toxic hazardous materials on Highway 3 and 75. The hypothetical simulated
scenario was being discussed at a safety seminar held at the Le Mars Fire Station
Friday morning. The seminar is being hosted by the Iowa Department of
Transportation. Representatives from the city, county, and state law enforcement,
communications, first responders, emergency crews, transportation, utility
companies, tow companies, and school districts have been invited to attend the
seminar. John Wilson serves as a Program Manager for the Iowa DOT. He says the
purpose of the seminar is to gather all the responding agencies and discuss the
possible actions.
Wilson says when an accident happens, it is the goal of everyone involved to clear
the accident scene as quickly as possible to avoid a second accident at the scene.
The Iowa DOT official says having a table-top discussion can be as effective as
re-creating the accident scene.
More than 45 people had attended that safety seminar.
Student Agriculture Organization Prepares Care Packages For Farmers
(Marcus) — A newly created high school student agriculture organization is
thankful for the work of area farmers, and as a way to show their appreciation,
and as a way to have farmers take a necessary rest break during harvest, the
students have made care packages. Sam Green is the agriculture instructor for the
MMCRU school district. She says nearly 30 students helped make the care packages
which are being distributed to local farmers through the region’s grain elevators.
She explains what the care packages consist of.
Green says she got the idea from another FFA chapter that does something similar.
The new MMCRU agriculture adviser says the response has been nothing but positive.
Green says this week alone, more than 100 care packages have been created. She
anticipates another 100 or more will be made next week. She says the FFA chapter
will continue the program for another week.
University Of Iowa Administrator Announces Resignation
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A powerful University of Iowa administrator who has
helped build its sprawling health care enterprise has announced plans to step
down.
Jean Robillard said Friday he will resign his role in which he serves as
dean of the medical school and top administrator for the school’s hospital and
clinics system.
The 72-year-old plans to stay on until a successor or successors are
named, then move to a faculty position in pediatrics.
Robillard served as interim university president last year following Sally
Mason’s departure. He also played a key role in the controversial search that led
to the hiring of Bruce Harreld as university president.
During his decade leading UI Health Care, it has opened several new
clinics, established a major biomedical research facility and built a new
children’s hospital.
President Obama Approves Disaster Designation For Northeast Iowa Counties
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The governor’s office says the White House has issued a
presidential disaster declaration for eight Iowa counties hit hard by several
storms in late August.
The office of Gov. Terry Branstad said Friday that the counties are
Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Floyd, Howard, Mitchell, and Winneshiek.
The governor requested the declaration on Sept. 19, after the counties sustained
damage from storms Aug. 23-27.
The presidential declaration will provide federal help under the Public
Assistance Program. Public Assistance funds may be used for emergency work and the
repair or replacement of damaged facilities and may include debris removal.
The governor’s office says this declaration is the 23rd such Iowa has
received since March 2007.
Des Moines Police Identify Woman Found In Van At Hospital
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines authorities have released the name of a woman
whose body was found in a parked minivan.
Police identified the woman as 49-year-old Angela Eubanks, who lived in
Waukee.
The body was reported about 8 a.m. Thursday in the vehicle parked at
Broadlawns Hospital in northern Des Moines. The van apparently had been parked
there for several days. Police considered the circumstances suspicious.
Police say an autopsy found no evidence of traumatic injury and that
toxicology tests are being run. Police say the investigation is continuing.