We chose “Hometown” to be part of our name 40 years ago, very intentionally.
It’s how we think about the places we work, and the people we get to know in our community along the way. This summer, being newly 100% employee-owned gave that value a little more weight. The folks you’d find cheering alongside you at a ballgame, standing next to you at a ribbon cutting, riding for a good cause, or wandering a Saturday market are the same people who now own this company.
So before fall gets here, we wanted to look back at where we spent our summer when we weren’t on the job site. It turns out that showing up for your community looks a lot like showing up for anything else. You do it, again and again, because you care and you want to be part of making a difference
Take Me Out to the Ballgame: Our Annual Kernels Night
Every summer, our team heads to Veterans Memorial Stadium for our annual night out at a Cedar Rapids Kernels game. It’s part tradition, part team celebration, and honestly one of the nights we look forward to most all year.
There’s something about a minor league ballpark on a warm evening that brings people together. Families, coworkers, a little friendly ribbing over who’s going to catch a foul ball. For a company that’s now employee-owned, it’s a fitting picture: the whole team, off the clock, in the stands together. The same people who own the company, sharing a hometown tradition.
A Ribbon Cutting Milestone: Our City of Hiawatha Recognition
This one meant a lot. Earlier this summer, the City of Hiawatha presented us with a community recognition plaque marking 40 years of home remodeling right here in our hometown. Our CEO, Dave Wageman, accepted it on behalf of the entire team at a ribbon-cutting held at our showroom on Center Point Road. There were handshakes, photos, and more than a few proud smiles.
We’ve been in Hiawatha, just outside Cedar Rapids, since the very beginning. We started in a rented shop, built our showroom here in 1993, and created a home here over the decades. So when the City showed up to recognize four decades of keeping promises to Eastern Iowa homeowners, it was the kind of moment that makes you stop and appreciate how far we’ve come.
And in the same year we hit that milestone, we completed another one: we became 100% employee-owned through an ESOP. As far as we know, we’re the only employee-owned residential remodeler in Eastern Iowa. Two big milestones, one remarkable 40th year. The recognition from Hiawatha felt like the community celebrating both right alongside us.
Riding for a Reason: Bikes Behind Brains
Summer also took us out on the trails for Bikes Behind Brains, a Cedar Rapids ride that raises money and awareness in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a cause that hits close to home for a lot of Hometown families and others in our area, and it’s exactly the kind of community moment show up for.
Getting out and pedaling alongside neighbors, for something bigger than any of us, is a good reminder of why being local matters. We’re not just working in these communities. We live here too.
The ride has wrapped for this year, but the cause hasn’t. If you’d like to join us in supporting it, you can still donate to Bikes Behind Brains anytime.
Saturday Mornings Downtown: The Cedar Rapids Farmers Market
You’ll also find us where a whole lot of Eastern Iowa spends its Saturday mornings: the Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market. It’s one of the largest open-air markets in the Midwest, and on a good morning it feels like half the Corridor is there, coffee in hand, catching up with neighbors.
That’s the whole point, really. The market is one of those places where the community just is itself, out in the open. Being part of that, even for a morning, is something really special.
Your Trusted Team, On and Off the Job Site
Here’s what ties it all together: it’s the same team. The people at the ballgame, the ribbon cutting, the bike ride, and the market are the same people who show up at your home to install your windows, build your deck, or remodel your kitchen. Being part of this community is incredibly important to us. After 40 years, it’s just who we are.
We’ve got a lot more of 2026 , including another $15,000 Home Makeover Sweepstakes as our way of saying thank you to the homeowners who made four decades possible. If you’re thinking about a project of your own, we’d love to talk. You can request a free quote anytime, and we’ll bring the same hometown pride to your home that we bring everywhere else.
— The Hometown Restyling Team