on view
Corda Credit Union – North Liberty, Iowa
“The lobby lighting does more than brighten the space—it shapes the experience. The BuzziJet fixtures reinforce Corda’s identity, highlight openness, and subtly guide how people move and gather, creating an environment that feels distinctly Corda.”
–Elyse Garlock: Solum Lang Architects
Corda Credit Union, formerly Linn Area Credit Union, introduced its new Corda name and brand in May 2024 to reflect its expanded footprint and ongoing commitment to providing caring financial services. The refreshed brand features a warm, heart-led identity expressed through updated colors, messaging, and materials shaped around the member experience across 22 counties in Iowa.
In September 2025, Corda opened its new North Liberty branch, continuing its focus on creating welcoming, member-centered spaces that support strong community connections. As you step inside, you’ll notice the BuzziJet acoustic lighting fixtures from BuzziSpace. These suspended fixtures combine bold design with functionality—their large cylindrical form absorbs sound to reduce noise and echo, while integrated LED lighting provides soft, glare-free illumination for visual comfort. Mercer Zimmerman partnered with manufacturers, including BuzziSpace, Cooper Lighting Solutions, ILC, Isolite, and Kelvix, to deliver a comprehensive lighting and controls package that complements Corda’s modern, heart-forward aesthetic. Together, these elements create an environment that feels warm, inviting, and acoustically balanced, reinforcing Corda’s commitment to both design and member experience.
The Players:
Architect: Solum Lang Architects
Engineer: Modus Engineering
Electrical Contractor: Acme Electric Company
General Contractor: Graham Construction Company
insight to light
Lighting That Transforms Learning
An Interview with Carrie Holecek, Specification Sales in Eastern Iowa, Mercer Zimmerman
How can lighting create better learning environments in schools?
Lighting has an impact on how students feel, behave, and perform in the classroom. Both the quality and type of illumination influence emotions, alertness, and productivity, making lighting a key element of effective learning environments. Classrooms with abundant natural light help students stay awake, engaged, and ready for challenging tasks, with research showing higher test scores and improved focus. Layered lighting also supports different instructional needs: task lighting improves visibility for reading and projects, while dimming controls let teachers adjust brightness for presentations or testing. Reducing glare and flicker further boosts comfort, supporting concentration and smoother classroom management.
Modern classrooms are more open, collaborative, and flexible, but that also means they’re often noisier. Acoustic lighting helps manage this by using sound-absorbing materials built directly into luminaires, reducing echo, reverberation, and background noise.
Acoustic lighting enhances the learning environment by:
–Improving speech clarity: Making it easier for teachers to be heard and for students, especially those at the back of the room or with hearing or processing challenges, to understand instructions.
–Reducing distractions: A quieter space supports better focus and longer attention spans.
–Supporting neurodiverse learners: Students with ADHD benefit from calmer, more controlled environments
–Enhancing overall acoustic comfort: It keeps noise in multipurpose rooms, media centers, and open collaborative areas from becoming overwhelming.
By addressing both illumination and sound control, acoustic lighting becomes a dual-purpose solution that helps create a more inclusive, productive classroom environment.
Why is circadian lighting important for health and wellness in schools?
Circadian lighting aligns indoor illumination with the body’s natural rhythms by mimicking how daylight changes throughout the day. Since students spend most of their time indoors, this type of lighting helps regulate their internal clock, which influences sleep, energy, mood, and overall well-being. Classrooms that support circadian patterns help students feel more awake in the morning, more focused during instruction, and more balanced later in the day. This can lead to improved sleep quality, better mood stability, reduced fatigue, and stronger cognitive performance—key ingredients for academic success.
How do we control glare and reflections on whiteboards and screens in modern classrooms?
Glare control is essential in classrooms filled with screens, whiteboards, and interactive displays. Low-glare fixtures distribute light evenly and prevent bright reflections. Positioning lights parallel to whiteboards and using dimming controls during screen-based lessons helps minimize strain. A combination of ambient and task lighting ensures balanced visibility, supporting comfort for both digital and traditional learning.
fact-ology
The A: 4,700 feet
The Q: What is the total length of cable in feet used for the new LED lights on the KCTV5 tower in Kansas City?
Relighting the KCTV5 tower required 4,700 feet of cabling in total, including DMX and Griven Mono‑Cable. The Mono‑Cable’s streamlined, all‑in‑one design made installation significantly easier—an important advantage when working on a 1,000‑foot structure. Its simplicity helped crews move efficiently as Mercer Zimmerman and project partners selected, programmed, and installed the new LED lighting system. After more than 20 years, the tower now shines brightly again, thanks to the collaboration of KCTV, the City of KCMO, Mayor Quinton Lucas, Illuminate KC, Precision Communications, Burns & McDonnell, PKMR Engineers, Eldecon, Griven, and ETC.
lighten up
Employee Spotlight – Shon Yust, CEO
What’s your favorite thing about Mercer Zimmerman?
That one’s easy—it’s our people. Don’t get me wrong, we are not perfect, but I believe we have an extraordinary group of people who care about their work and care deeply about doing right by our customers and each other. “Building a Strong Family” is our purpose and what I’m most proud of at Mercer Zimmerman. Without our people, we have nothing. When we say “People First,” we mean it.
What would you like to let our customers know?
Just how grateful I am. We know our customers have choices, and we never take their trust for granted. We’re here to help them succeed and make their projects shine—literally and figuratively. And I’ve got to give a big thank-you to our manufacturers, too. They’re our first partners in this whole thing, and the brands we represent.
You often drive a tractor on the weekends… please explain.
I grew up on a family farm near a small town called Sylvia in south-central Kansas. Nearly 20 years ago, when my father started slowing down, my wife and I made the decision to keep the family farm going. We wanted our children to experience the same farm life that shaped us.
So yes, when I’m not in the office, much of my free time is spent working on the farm—driving tractors and combines, repairing old buildings, building fences, and staying up to date with new farming technologies. We grow mostly wheat, soybeans, corn, and sorghum, and we also raise some cattle.
Farming isn’t easy—it’s full of challenges—but there’s something grounding and deeply meaningful about it. Being outdoors, working the land, doing something real and tangible—there’s a special kind of fulfillment in that. It feels good to get your hands dirty and know you’re helping feed people.
We’re fortunate to have a lot of help, and I feel incredibly blessed that my family can continue this tradition. Farming has taught all of us the value of hard work, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
What’s your superpower?
I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that before—it’s a tough question. But if I had to choose, I’d say my superpower is the ability to dream into the future and understand the details that come with it. I’m not always right, of course, but having a sense of where the big challenges and opportunities might lie can be incredibly valuable. It helps me think strategically and plan ahead in meaningful ways.
See what’s on Shon’s farming playlist in this video clip he made for his daughter Macy!