Iowa Manufacturing built roads across America — and left its mark on Iowa

Mike Bisek remembers his boss, Howard Hall, bringing pet German shepherds to work at Iowa Manufacturing and attending his visitation at the Brucemore mansion in Cedar Rapids when Mr. Hall died in 1971.

“Everyone respected him,” said Mr. Bisek, who worked as a draftsman in the engineering department at “Iowa Man,” as it was fondly called, from 1941 to 1981, minus his service in World War…