Iowa Business Hall of Fame Honors Tom Koehn, Tom Mahoney and Wendy Wintersteen as 2020 Inductees

The Greater Des Moines Committee will recognize Tom Koehn, Tom Mahoney and Dr. Wendy Wintersteen as the 2020 inductees to the Iowa Business Hall of Fame. The inductees will be honored during the Greater Des Moines Committee’s Annual Black Tie Dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 7 at The Meadows Events and Conference Center. The Iowa Business Hall of Fame honors the achievements of Iowans who have made outstanding contributions to the development and enhancement of Iowa’s business climate.

TOM KOEHN

Tom Koehn is Chairman of the Board of The Waldinger Corporation. Koehn began his career at Waldinger in 1975, became CFO in 1979 at age 30, and purchased the company from the Waldinger family as part of a group of five employees three years later. In 1994, Tom became the sole owner. The company has experienced the most significant growth in its 115-year history since Koehn took over, and currently has nearly 3,000 employees in 38 offices in 12 states. After coming up within company ranks, Tom and Linda Koehn’s son Jon became CEO in 2019.

Tom and Linda have given their time and resources to many organizations in Greater Des Moines (DSM). Tom has served on the boards of the Des Moines Art Center, Greater Des Moines Community Foundation Catalyst Circle, Des Moines Symphony, Junior Achievement of Central Iowa, Des Moines Metro YMCA, Des Moines Development Corporation, Des Moines Redevelopment Corporation, the Des Moines Embassy Club, Financial Executive Institute, Terrace Hill Foundation, the Greater Des Moines Committee and Iowa State University’s Construction Engineering Advisory Council.

Tom and Linda received the AFP Pillar of Philanthropy Award in 2015. In 2020, Waldinger received the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Economic Impact Award.

TOM MAHONEY

Tom Mahoney is the Chairman of the Board of ITA Group Holdings, Inc., where he has worked since 1987. Following his graduation from the University of Iowa in 1981, Mahoney joined Continental Laboratories, Inc., and served as Director of Marketing. From his initial responsibilities he earned promotions to Vice President-Marketing, Executive Vice President and President. In 1987, he joined ITA Group, Inc. as a National Account Manager. In 1989, he became Director of Marketing and was promoted to Vice President the following year. In 1992, he expanded his role as Vice President-Sales and Marketing. In 1998, he was named Executive Vice President – Sales and Marketing. In 2006, he was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer, in 2009 was made President and CEO and in 2011became Chairman & CEO. Mahoney retired as CEO in August 2019 and remains Chairman of the Board.

Mahoney is involved in a variety of organizations and Des Moines charities, including United Way of Central Iowa, Greater Des Moines Committee, Greater Des Moines Partnership Board (Past Chair & Executive Committee), Catch Des Moines, ChildServe, Delta Dental of Iowa, The Diocese of Des Moines, and was the past President of the Forum for People Performance Management & Measurement at Northwestern University. Mahoney was named the 1987 Des Moines Chamber of Commerce Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Mahoney and his wife, Celia, reside in West Des Moines.

WENDY WINTERSTEEN

Dr. Wendy Wintersteen serves as Iowa State University’s 16th president after serving as Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for 11 years. Iowa State’s new brand campaign, Innovate at Iowa State, shares Dr. Wintersteen’s vision of a university where innovation and entrepreneurship are part of every College’s curriculum, and opportunities abound for students and faculty to move those entrepreneurial ideas forward. Central to this vision is the opening of the new 144,000-square-foot Student Innovation Center, which serves as the meeting hub (and laboratory/engineering space) for students, classes and clubs. Under her leadership, ISU is becoming nationally recognized for innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education. The prestigious Princeton Review ranked Iowa State #11 in the country for entrepreneurial studies out of 300 public and private universities. The U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship awarded Iowa State the 2021 Model Program Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship Education. Wintersteen serves on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s National Council for Expanding American Innovation and America’s Cultivation Corridor board. She is married to Robert Waggoner.

Inductees to the Iowa Business Hall of Fame are selected on merit rather than endorsement. Past Hall of Fame honorees under the leadership of current Co-Chairs Kim Augspurger, President & Owner of Saxton, Inc., and Mike Tousley, Executive Vice President & General Manager of The Weitz Company, serve as the selection committee. The criteria for selection are as follows:

• Business Leadership: The nominated individual should lead or have led a business that has provided valued jobs and economic development to his/her community and the state; creating both wealth and workforce opportunity.
• Community Development Impact: The nominated individual should have made an impact by improving the economies of the community and the state through their leadership in such organizations as chambers of commerce, economic development organizations or centers of education.
• Community Volunteerism/Leadership: The nominated individual should have personally given of their time and financial resources for the betterment of the community through support of charities and organizations.
  Strategic Leadership: The nominated individual should have contributed to community economic growth through visionary leadership, community problem-solving and building strategic alliances.
  Business Recognition: The nominated individual should be recognized by their peers as a business leader.