On Monday, August 10, a derecho hit the city of Cedar Rapids, IA, home of Genova’s main office.  The hour-long storm brought sustained straight-line winds of 80+ MPH, with an estimated maximum of 140 MPH.  The storm was compared to a Category 2 hurricane, damaging homes, toppling trees and power lines, and devastating crops throughout the area.  As a result of the storm, the main office lost power for five days, and most of our local employees experienced similar issues at home.  Many employees experienced damage to their homes and/or vehicles.  Fortunately, nobody was injured.

For the first couple of days, even basic communication was a challenge.  Cellular communication was spotty, internet access was effectively non-existent, and with roads being blocked by power lines, trees and other debris, travel was a no-go as well.  This was a disaster in every business and personal sense of the word, and our resilience was put to the test.

From a business perspective, our remote employees were essentially able to work as normal.  Some of our local employees were able to work remotely by leaving the immediate area.  A few key executives communicated with employees via text, email and phone calls, and made multiple daily visits to the office with a goal of restoring us to full productivity as soon as possible.

In the meantime, we all banded together and took care of one another.  We did buddy checks, helped each other clean up, and offered up places to take a hot shower.  We came together not only as co-workers, but as friends.  Some of our employees from Pensacola, FL, who are used to hurricanes, sent an edible arrangement to the Cedar Rapids office after it opened back up.

We’re closing in on a month since the storm originally hit.  The office is back up and running.  We’ve patched up our homes and our city is in the process of cleaning up.  The immediate crisis has passed, and things are slowly returning to normal.  Our disaster recovery and business continuity plan worked well, and we’ve already worked out a plan to enhance our few shortcomings.  Our employees have safely returned to the office, many with a strengthened sense of fellowship and camaraderie.  This is an experience that we will never forget.  But we will learn from the event, and we will grow stronger as a result.  And that growth is no small thing, because we are already Iowa Strong and Genova Strong.

Genova Holiday Party – 2024

Genova held our Holiday Party at Elmcrest Country Club on Saturday, January 20th. Our employees across Iowa gathered in Cedar Rapids for a night of conversation, food, and fun! Here's to a great 2024!Home Mobile/Web/Data Medical Devices Avionics Agriculture Controls...

Tailgate Grill Out & Potluck 2023

Genova hosted its final grill out of the year on Thursday, September 28th. The weather cooperated and it ended up being a lovely day for grilling! Thank you to everyone that brought a dish. As we move towards the 50s and 60s this weekend, look back fondly on the...

Genova Open 2023

Fore! One of Genova's newer annual events, the Genova Open, was held on Thursday, August 31st at the Elmcrest Country Club. Five teams of four players participated in the action. While only one team took the crown, all players (and spectators!) were treated to...

Genova Picnic at the Park

Genova hosted our annual Picnic at the Park on Friday, August 18th. Luckily, it was a beautiful day at Guthridge Park! New this year - a cornhole tournament! Home Mobile/Web/Data Medical Devices Avionics Agriculture Controls Government About Genova Careers Case...

Genova Night at the Ballpark

Genovians of all ages gathered together at the Cedar Rapids Kernels stadium for a night of food, fun, and baseball! Home Mobile/Web/Data Medical Devices Avionics Agriculture Controls Government About Genova Careers Case Studies & ResourcesCONTACT...

Genova Grill-out and Potluck

With the 4th of July fast approaching, Genova held our annual grill-out and potluck on Thursday, June 22nd. Special thanks to our two grillmasters!Home Mobile/Web/Data Medical Devices Avionics Agriculture Controls Government About Genova Careers Case Studies &...

Genova Holiday Party

Genova had its annual Holiday Party on Saturday, February 4th. Which holiday do we celebrate in February, you ask? All of them, of course! We figure that our employees have enough going on in December and January, so Genova decides to hold our party a month later than...

Day of the Dead

Dead of the Dead CelebrationGenovians celebrated the Day of the Dead with lunch and performance from Mr. Bones! Mr. Bones is a creation from one of our Software Developers, Gerardo. He used an Arduino Board that controlled three servo motors which moved the arms and...

Federal Government Continues to Develop Hybrid Workplace Strategies

In the Defense sector, Genova’s customers are implementing plans to safely increase the amount of on-site support while supporting an increase in flexibility achieved through remote support....

Continually Learning

Programmers spend more time learning than any other profession. Genova employees continually learn new languages, technologies, and processes to prepare and adapt for the future.
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