No coasting into the New Year for ABI, members

December 8, 2016 | Mike Ralston

We must be doing something wrong at ABI. I say that, because it seems like I keep meeting people who are slowing down and sort of coasting inā€ singto the New Year. I can assure that is not what we are doing at ABI.

That is because that is not what ABI members are doing.

I never hear ABI members talk about coasting, especially in to the New Year. Instead, ABI member companies are focused on maintaining production, adding value for customers and growing. By following your model, that's our approach at ABI as well. We expect big things in 2017.

There is no break for the ABI Foundation. The latest class of the Leadership Iowa program is meeting this week in Pella. In the past week, governing boards for two other ABI Foundation programs, Business Horizons and Leadership Iowa University, met at ABI.

There is no break for ABI's membership staff. Our team earlier today held a sold-out event at Vermeer Corporation featuring that company's chair, Mary Andringa, and the president of Agri-Industrial Plastics, Lori Schaefer-Weaton. More events are in the works in the coming weeks.

There is no break for ABI's communications and finance teams. They are completing work on ABI's online member database (to bring you more value and convenience) and conducting year-end accounting and finance work.

And there is certainly no break for ABI's public policy staff. The public policy team is heavily engaged in developing ABI's political action committee, IIPAC. They are heavily engaged in meetings with legislators, legislative leaders, and state regulators. They are aggressively preparing for the 2017 session of the Iowa General Assembly that convenes in just a few weeks. And they are putting together the finishing touches on what will be one of ABI's biggest events of 2017, the annual legislative briefing and reception.

I tell you all the time that ABI's renewed success is due to your leadership. That is most certainly true - and it includes your leadership by example. You don't "coast in to the new year." Be assured that by following your example, ABI isn't doing that either. THANK YOU for your support, your leadership, and your example.