Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa honored four business leaders at its 31st annual Cedar Valley Business Hall of Fame ceremony Oct. 30 at the Bien VenU Event Center in Cedar Falls.
First Interstate Bank presented the event, which recognized three area business leaders and one entrepreneur for their contributions to the region’s business community. Proceeds from the ceremony will fund Junior Achievement’s career readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs for more than 1,300 students in the Cedar Valley.
The 2025 laureates were Bill J. Bradford of Bradford Companies, Wayne Magee of Magee Construction Company and Eric P. Petersen of Northland Products Company. Max C. Klein of Freed Construction received the entrepreneur honor.
An independent committee selected the honorees from community nominations based on five criteria: industry impact, ethical integrity, community commitment, leadership qualities and entrepreneurial spirit in starting or advancing local businesses.
The black-tie dinner featured video biographies of each honoree. Students from local schools served as hosts and ushers to demonstrate the event’s purpose of inspiring young people to envision their own success.
Junior Achievement provides programs designed to help young people prepare for economic success by connecting education to real-world applications. The organization’s initiatives aim to help students understand their potential careers and their ability to create community change.
