Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Join our email blast

September 21, 2021 by Beckham Miller in The Culture Buzz

Greetings, Cultural Catalysts:

The pandemic persists. Be safe. Be considerate. Be compassionate. Continue to be creative. Find ways to safely celebrate your thankfulness with family, friends and others. – John Busbee for The Culture Buzz 2014 Iowa Governor’s Award for Partnership & Collaboration in the Art Quote of the Week “I am learning all

Read More →
September 14, 2021 by Beckham Miller in The Culture Buzz

Greetings, Cultural Catalysts:

The pandemic persists. Be safe. Be considerate. Be compassionate. Continue to be creative. Find ways to safely celebrate your thankfulness with family, friends and others. – John Busbee for The Culture Buzz 2014 Iowa Governor’s Award for Partnership & Collaboration in the Art Quote of the Week “The Possible’s slow fuse

Read More →
September 14, 2021 by Beckham Miller in Remembrances

John Ruan (1943 – 2021)

John Ruan III was raised by a feisty, tough, bare-knuckle man who started with a dump truck in Beacon, Iowa, and ended up with an empire that stretched across the country. At the time of the elder Ruan’s death, in 2010, the Ruan family owned Bankers Trust, the largest privately

Read More →
September 13, 2021 by Beckham Miller in Stray Thoughts

American spirit is not what it once was

When the anniversary of some tragedy rolls around, we are reminded of what was lost in those events. We reflect on the lives that were taken and the upheaval those deaths brought to their loved ones, their friends and their communities. What might have been — that’s often a topic

Read More →
September 07, 2021 by Beckham Miller in The Culture Buzz

Greetings, Cultural Catalysts:

The pandemic persists. Be safe. Be considerate. Be compassionate. Continue to be creative. Find ways to safely celebrate your thankfulness with family, friends and others. – John Busbee for The Culture Buzz 2014 Iowa Governor’s Award for Partnership & Collaboration in the Art Quote of the Week After last week’s quote

Read More →
September 07, 2021 by Beckham Miller in Stray Thoughts

Vigilante justice isn’t the American way

Let’s set aside our views on abortion. Instead, let’s consider one aspect of the new Texas abortion law that took effect last week. All of us should be able to agree on this, whether we find abortions abominable or support a woman’s right to end her pregnancy:  The enforcement mechanism

Read More →
September 01, 2021 by Beckham Miller in Feature 1

BUYERS BEWARE!

Purchasing tickets from scalpers or resellers? Read this first. Is it even a concert, game, event, etc. if you don’t encounter at least one scalper trying to offload tickets at a premium price on your walk up to the venue? It’s easy to conjure up images of this scenario in

Read More →
September 01, 2021 by Beckham Miller in Feature 2

What’s in your garage?

Unique finds — and stories — abound. From pristine to cobweb-laden, from tidy to cluttered, from showroom to workshop, area garages run the gamut. But one thing they often have in common is that, somewhere inside — besides a family vehicle — one can find a personal treasure with a

Read More →
September 01, 2021 by Beckham Miller in Business Feature, Business Journal

Performance evaluations for a changing workforce

Shifting from once-a-year formal reviews to more timely feedback can be a game-changer for both companies and their employees.    Ask any working professional about their thoughts on performance reviews, and there’s a good chance that question will be met with a sigh of anxiety. The formal assessment between a

Read More →
September 01, 2021 by Beckham Miller in Civic Skinny

The most interesting man in the NFL. Sensory garden opens. Census stats released. Lunches.

Who is the only player in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass for eight different teams? The same person who will soon, in all likelihood, have done so for nine franchises: Ryan Fitzpatrick. If you haven’t heard of him, “Fitz” is recognizable by his voluminous facial hair, and he

Read More →