ABI Board Meeting in September - Monday Memo 8/14/23
August 14, 2023
First ABI Board Meeting of Fiscal Year on September 13; Attend Pre-Meeting Luncheon
Finalize your plans now to join ABI Vice Chair Chad Reece (Winnebago Industries, Forest City) and members of the ABI Board of Directors for the September board meeting. The board will meet in West Des Moines at Des Moines Golf and Country Club Public Home - Des Moines GCC (dmgcc.org)) on September 13. As usual, a detailed meeting packet will be sent to all board members and former chairs a week prior to the meeting.
Highlights of the meeting will include welcoming newly-elected board members to their first meeting, adoption of 2024 ABI public policy positions, and other items. As for new board members, they are: Katie Hall (Cargill, Clive), Sarah James (Principal, Des Moines), Dustin Katje (Pella Corporation, Carroll), Kelly McGriff (HNI Corporation, Muscatine), Casey Mills (Mills-Shellhammer-Puetz & Associates, Sioux City), Brad Nielsen (Iowa America Water Company, Davenport), Kelli O’Brien (Union Pacific, Omaha), Chip Reeves (MidWestOne, Iowa City), and Andrew Schriner (Lumen, Des Moines. The honorary Leadership Iowa board representative this year is Dustin Watters (Keen Project Solutions, Ankeny. Be sure to join your ABI colleagues, meet these new directors, and participate in this important meeting.
I hope you will all attend an event that will precede the meeting. The board meeting will follow an Economic Forecast Luncheon (presented by ABI member Security National Bank) that will provide the latest information and analysis regarding the state of the economy. You can find more information and register for the luncheon here: Summary - What is the Future of the Economy? Presented by Security National Bank of Iowa (cvent.com).
As I noted in last week’s Memo, the September board meeting is typically well-attended and many of you have told me you already have this meeting on your calendar. On behalf of Chad and our other officers, I look forward to seeing you on September 13.
Register Now for ABI Automation Summit in Newton August 31st
If Iowa is truly the manufacturing robotics capital of the nation (as suggested by news source Axios), that might explain the popularity of ABI’s automation summits. The next summit will be held on the Newton Campus of Des Moines Area Community College on August 31st. Register now for this high-value event. You will find information about cobots (and be able to see them in action), other automation solutions to workforce and process issues, and talk to experts about cost/savings and other issues. Click here to find more information and to register: Summary - Automation Summit (cvent.com).
Remember to Call on ABI Advisory Council for Assistance
Members of the ABI Advisory Council can be a great resource for you and your business. ABI is grateful for the leadership and support council members provide the association. Thank you to ABI Advisory Council members Anthologic, AssuredPartners, Bankers Trust, BCC Advisers, BrownWinick, CIRAS, CliftonLarsonAllen, EMC, Fredrikson & Byron, G&A Partners, HDH Advisors, Principal, The Iowa Clinic, Wellmark, and Wells Fargo.
Annual ABI Executive Open in Two Weeks
Some years ago, ABI created an event to provide an opportunity for members (and prospective members) to have fun and network with each other. It was a huge success, with members saying they greatly appreciated the informal, relaxed nature of the event.
The event has become part of ABI’s yearly schedule and the 2023 edition of the annual ABI Executive Open Best Ball Event will be held Monday, August 28. This year's Open will be again played at one of Iowa's most beautiful private clubs, Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines. You can register for the event at Summary - Executive Open (cvent.com). Over a hundred members have already registered. Don't miss this chance to join your ABI colleagues for a great event.
Policy Meetings Continue Later this Month; Strong Participation Marks Meetings
Three of the ABI policy committees have held their annual meetings; two policy committee meetings remain to be held.
On August 29, ABI Board Member Kelly Barrick (CIBC, West Des Moines) will again Chair the ABI Economic Growth Committee in its annual meeting. On August 30, the ABI Tax Committee, chaired by longtime member company executive Ryan Loecher (EFCO, Des Moines), will meet. That meeting will mark the final meeting in the series of five policy meetings held this month.
Literally hundreds of ABI members from all across Iowa and beyond are participating in the 2023 series of meetings. The process next shifts to the ABI Legislative Committee and then will conclude with the meeting of the ABI Board of Directors on September 13. On behalf of ABI Vice Chair Chad Reece (Winnebago Industries, Forest City), who this year leads this process for ABI, thank you for your participation in this important work.
Latest BR Iowa Out Today; Leaders Featured
As you know, in conjunction with member company Corridor Media Group, ABI publishes the Business Monthly. This monthly newsprint magazine is distributed to you and to business leaders all across Iowa as a part of the Corridor Business Journal and the Quad Cities Business Journal.
The August edition of BR Iowa will publish today and should be in your mailbox soon. It features a great cover story focused on a number of folks who are leaders, some young, some more experienced, but leaders all. Thank you to these ten great ABI member leaders: Kelly Barrick (CIBC Mid-Corporate, Johnston), Rob Feeney (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Des Moines), Casey Mills (Mills-Shellhammer-Puetz & Associates, Sioux City), Brad Nielsen (Iowa American Water Company, Davenport), Stacey Pellett (John Deere, Johnston), Scott Peterson (Interstates, Sioux Center), Ofelia Rumbo (Merrill Manufacturing, Storm Lake), Dusky Terry (ITC Midwest, Des Moines), Marguerite Tomlin (Arconic, Riverside), and Mindi Vanden Bosch (Vermeer Corporation, Pella). If you have not received your copy of ABI’s Business Monthly by the end of the week, please contact me and one will be sent to you at once.
Register Now for ABI’s Iowa Manufacturing Conference, Now Including Legends Luncheon
Two popular ABI events return this fall, now wrapped into one event. ABI’s Iowa Manufacturing Conference now includes the Legends in Manufacturing Awards event in a luncheon format. The conference will be held at the FFA Enrichment Center on the campus of Des Moines Area Community College on October 4. Please click here for more information and to register now: Summary - Iowa Manufacturing Conference & Legends In Manufacturing Awards (cvent.com). If you are an Iowa manufacturer, you will want to attend this event!
LIU Session Huge Success
The 2023 session of the ABI Foundation’s Leadership Iowa University program was held last week and it was a smashing success. The class of 28 student’s met throughout the week. The program provides high-quality speakers and terrific networking that will help the students find their careers right here in Iowa.
Go to https://www.iowaabi.org/leadership-iowa-university/ for more information. Thank you to the ABI Foundation staff and great volunteers for making the program such a hit.
Steve Jacobs Celebrates this Week
A great guy and a great ABI board member celebrates his birthday Thursday. Longtime ABI Board member Steve Jacobs (BCC Advisers, Des Moines) celebrates his birthday on the 17th. Happy birthday, Steve!
Francis Zrostlik to be Honored by City of Garner
In a very cool event, the City of Garner is honoring one of its favorite sons, the late Francis Zrostlik. Francis, of course, was the father of former ABI Chair and current company president Dave Zrostlik (Stellar Industries, Garner). Today has been declared Francis Zrostlik Day by Garner Mayor Tim Schmidt. Francis created TWO great ABI member companies, Iowa Mold Tooling and Stellar Industries. Read more here: Garner to honor man who created two businesses there - Radio Iowa. By the way, when you click the link and see the story on the Radio Iowa website, you’ll see a photo with the caption “Francis Zrostlik.” ABI members will recognize that it is not Francis, it is Dave. Anyway, congratulations to the Zrostlik family!
Nate Weaton’s “Five”
To close this week, I share something in response to the many inquires I have received related to remarks shared by ABI Board Member Nate Weaton (Weaton Companies, Fairfield) at the recently held ABI Okoboji Executive Forum. Attendees gathered that evening at former ABI Chair Toby Shine’s (Shine Bros. Corp., Spencer) fabulous Okoboji Classic Cars facility. It was a fun night. Toby’s hospitality, as always, was wonderful and deeply appreciated. The evening ended with incredibly compelling remarks by Nate and he moved everyone in the room. Nate shared remarks that touched us all and people are still talking about them. In response to the many inquiries I have had following Nate’s address, please see below “The Five.”
Before I get to them, however, let me tell you that this paragraph does not come close to doing justice to Nate’s address or to the deeply moving personal stories he shared. All we can say is thank you, Nate.
Here are The Five:
- Show me your 5: surround yourself with great people and build your influence network over time
- Be where your feet are: always be in the moment
- The EGO line in the sand: take two steps back – that is where confidence and humility have the best balance
- Mindset matters: be the victor not the victim
- Love is powerful: don’t be afraid of the word – don’t just tell someone you love them, SHOW them that you love them