It only seems fitting to explore a unique local career that has such a tremendous impact within our community. Join Matt & Joy on this episode of A Real Piece of Work as they dive behind the scenes with Birdies for Charity Director, Micaela Booth. Did you know, Junior Achievement of the Heartland has been charity #2 with Birdies for Charity since the start?! Micaela’s inspiring advice of looking beyond the price tag may be a highlight of this episode, but listen in to hear about the skills and career path that got Micaela into this unique Quad Cities job. The Junior Achievement student question comes from Grace from Davenport West High School.

Join Matt & Joy for this episode of A Real Piece of Work as they speak with Mandi Dolson and Nic Hockenberry, both Directors of Workforce Solutions at Greater Dubuque Development. Mandi and Nic discuss how their career paths changed along the way, but led them to the careers they now love. They give advice on things they wish they had done as a high school and college student to help them on their career paths, and discuss how important it is to establish connections along the way. The Junior Achievement student question comes from Lizzie from Wahlert Catholic High School.

It’s more than just donating blood…The Impact is REALOn this episode of A Real Piece of Work, Matt & Joy talk with three ImpactLife employees. Pete Lux, Vice President Donor and Patient Services, Tara Dunahoo, Vice President Technical Services, and Tina Wieland, Manager of Donor Services share where they came from and how they got to be where they are today. They also discuss different roles and duties at ImpactLife. You will also hear one thing they all love about their jobs and one thing they wish they could change. The Junior Achievement student question is provided by Makenzie Iams from United Township High School.

Join Matt and Joy for a very inspiring and thought provoking episode of A Real Piece of Work, as they chat with Megen DiSanto, who works in global brand trust communications at McDonald’s. Megen talks about the path she took to get to where she is in the corporate sustainability world, and how many of the jobs she previously held she felt underqualified for. She talks about the importance of having confidence in trying new career paths and how your attitude toward a position can often be much more impactful than what’s on your resume. The Junior Achievement student question comes from Ella at Bettendorf High School who asks Megen her tips on Marketing.

Join Matt and Joy for this episode of A Real Piece of Work as they speak with Allen Wright, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Hansaloy. Hansaloy may not be a company you’ve heard of, but it’s definitely a company you benefit from every day. They are the leading global manufacturer of bread slicing blades; founded and operated right here in Davenport, IA. Allen, a graduate of Pleasant Valley High School talks about how he started at the company in high school and is still there today, and most importantly, why. The Junior Achievement student question is provided by Abby from Pleasant Valley High School.

Meet Silvia Malaman, site director at Bayer. On this episode of A Real Piece of Work Matt and Joy talk to Silvia about how she moved to Muscatine, Iowa just one year ago to put her chemical engineering degree in action in the agriculture industry. Silvia also shares the importance of a healthy work-life balance and to make sure you love what you do (most days) while also ensuring you never stop learning! She also talks about the different career opportunities and benefits of working for an international ag company such as Bayer. The Junior Achievement student question is provided by Silvia’s daughter, Ana, from Muscatine High School.

Matt and Joy’s next guest, John Lohman, never thought he’d be a journalist and is now the Founder and Publisher of two publications including the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. On this episode of A Real Piece of Work, John shares the path he took that led him to where he is today, and how getting fired early in his career actually gave him the motivation to become an entrepreneur. John also talks about the different journalism careers available, the skills you need for those positions, and the benefits of working in journalism. The Junior Achievement student question is from Isabel at Central DeWitt High School.

On this episode of A Real Piece of Work, Matt and Joy connect with Arthur Harrison, Sr. Operations Manager at Amazon.

Matt and Melissa talk with Alana Carroll about life as an accountant.

Matt and Melissa talk with race car driver McKenna Haase live at Business Horizons.