CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance announces Lura McBride, President & CEO of Van Meter Inc., as the recipient of the 2023 Howard Hall Excellence in Business Award.
McBride received the award and provided acceptance remarks during the Economic Alliance’s Annual Meeting, which took place on Thursday, January 18 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cedar Rapids Convention Complex in downtown Cedar Rapids.
“Lura McBride exemplifies the values we associate with Howard Hall, certainly in the way she leads her company, but also in the way she has elevated community discussions beyond the business world,” said Doug Neumann, executive director of the Economic Alliance. “Among many other accomplishments, she has been a tremendous asset to Iowa’s first magnet high school, City View, and continues to be a champion by integrating the public and private sector to better the Cedar Rapids metro.”
The Howard Hall Excellence in Business Award is named for industrialist and philanthropist, Howard Hall (1894-1971), who used his influence to create a better local economy and community. Hall was dedicated to the development of the region and frequently worked behind the scenes to attract new businesses and jobs. Our community benefits from the many contributions of the Hall Family today. The Howard Hall Excellence in Business Award is the most prestigious honor bestowed by the Economic Alliance. It is given to a premier business leader or couple who exemplifies the outstanding, enduring business values of Howard Hall and his passion for a vibrant Cedar Rapids.
McBride has been with Van Meter Inc. (“Van Meter”) for 15 years, serving as the President & CEO for the last 8 years. As the leader, her focus is on building strong teams through exceptional leadership and a high-performance culture to create lasting value for customers, supplier partners, communities, and employee-owners.
McBride is no stranger to the community, as her philanthropic nature has impacted so many non-profit organizations. She serves on various boards and committees including United Fire Group Insurance, University of Iowa Tippie College of Business, The Hall-Perrine Foundation, and is a founding member of the Grand Impact. Previously she served on the UnityPoint St. Luke’s Board, Tanager Board, was the co-chair of the Waypoint Capital Campaign, co-chair of the first Leadership for Five Seasons Corridor Day and has been involved in the Cedar Rapids Community School District. In the industry, she serves on the Van Meter Board of Directors and the Affiliated Distributors Electrical Board.
In addition to McBride’s business and philanthropic passions, what she treasures most is her family. She’s married to Ryan and has four children. Her oldest is a recent graduate of the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa. The three others are all current students at Tippie. Ryan and Lura are both Iowa graduates and the entire family are Hawkeyes.
The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance will celebrate twelve years as an organization at its Annual Meeting. The Economic Alliance was officially formed twelve years ago when the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce, Priority One and the Cedar Rapids Downtown District combined forces to become one entity in January 2012.
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