Since Riverside, Iowa is the future birth place of Captain James Tiberius Kirk, it is time that we used some knowledge from a future Iowan. We are now going to be treading into unknown waters. Our state is opening further and I have already seen some of the uncertainty start to play out. Do you wear a mask or don’t you? Stay home or go out? Social distance or time to hug? I don’t think we are ready to answer all of those questions with science but we do need to reach into our Iowa Nice patterns and realize that some are choices and some may be requirements. Both are right. Look at what we have accomplished as a state by not giving up and not realizing the almost insurmountable odds against our businesses and our communities when this first started. As we did from the beginning, we need to support each other and all decisions whether we agree or not. We were pushed these last few months to see beyond what we thought we could do and to strive to find solutions where questions had never before existed. Now is our time to show our humanity and patience as this is new for everyone and we are just learning our new way to fly and we must stay united on this path so that our Iowa starts moving #Back2Biz. It is time for #Iowansunite.


-Lisa Shimkat, State Director