The Flood of 2008 in Cedar Rapids, the Economy: Sticky patches

On June 13, 2008, the worst flood in our community's history crested at 31.12 feet. This past weekend, the third anniversary of the Flood of 2008 past. LaVerne Tucker celebrated her birthday on June 12Th. She is not as active in Tucker Manufacturing Co., Inc. as she once was, but as my mother and wife of I.L. 'Tommy' Tucker, her contributions have been priceless.

Sticky patch or meltdown?

This week we look at the slowing of the world economy. Is it, we ask, going through a sticky patch, or is it headed for meltdown? We reckon that the reasons for the recent dip in activity—the knock-on effects of the Japanese tsunami, the high oil price, tightening monetary policy in emerging markets—suggest that it should be only transient. But—and this is a big but—there is a real danger that political brinkmanship in both America (over the deficit) and Europe (over the euro crisis) may turn a temporary hiccup into a big problem.

Here are some other pieces from this week's issue you might also be interested in. You can read them at The Economist online using the links below.

We have witnessed a variety of changes, since 2008.

• Flood of 2008


• Economic challenges for small and large businesses brought on by the financial crisis


• Delays in lead times


• Loss of life, whether it be customers or entities that we have know over the years


• Increase in business from customers post economic downturn


• Beginning of new relationships, due to a changing world


• New opportunities for growth, building goodwill and better understanding

We are in the process of reviewing our pricing and we will be announcing new pricing this Summer. We have seen increases in costs, due to petroleum costs rises, which have impacted a variety of costs in our raw materials.

Tucker Pole