ABI Board Meets in Iowa City next Week - Monday Memo 4/29/19
April 29, 2019
ABI Meetings Next Week in Iowa City; Bankers Advertising/Tru Art Tours Follow
As you know, ABI Chair David Bywater (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City) will convene the May meeting of the ABI Board of Directors next week, on Wednesday, May 8. The meeting will begin with lunch at 11:45 a.m. at MidwestOne Bank in downtown Iowa City. Lunch will follow the May meeting of the ABI Executive Committee. Following lunch, board members will walk to MERGE, the site of the board meeting. A special guest, David Bywater’s friend and high school classmate, Senator Rob Hogg (D-Cedar Rapids), will share brief remarks with the board.
All board members and past chairs of the board will receive the usual link to a packet of meeting materials in your email in-basket later this week. Should you have questions or comments about anything related to the packet or the meeting, please contact me.
Following the meeting, all board members are invited to tour Bankers Advertising/Tru Art’s plant in Iowa City. You won’t want to miss this tour, which should begin around 2:30. Many thanks to David for making the tour possible.
Next Wednesday's meeting marks the last ABI board meeting prior to June’s annual convention. This has been a very busy spring for the association and on behalf of David and our other officers, I look forward to seeing you in Iowa City.
Legislature Adjourns, ABI Regional Policy Meetings Being Held Around Iowa Throughout May
With adjournment of the 2019 session of the Iowa General Assembly Saturday afternoon, ABI's focus turns to 1) letting you know how the actions of the legislature impacted your business and 2) the 2020 session of the Assembly. ABI will be traveling the state throughout the month of May to meet with members about these topics.
You may register for one or more of the sessions by going to the Events Page on the ABI website. You will find that site here: https://www.iowaabi.org/events/. The ABI public policy staff and I look forward to seeing you and your employees at the upcoming meetings. Confirmed sites (so far) for the policy meetings include Clarinda, Dubuque, and Orange City.
By the way, the ABI public policy team of Nicole Crain, Brad Hartkopf, and Drew Wynes put in some incredible hours during the final week of the session. In one instance, the House of Representatives adjourned at 3:00 in the morning! When you see them, please join me in thanking Nicole, Brad, and Drew for their long hours and excellent work. Thank you, too, to ABI Communications Director David Hildahl, who joined the team in working Saturday so the post-session report could be in your in-basket immediately (let me know if you didn’t receive it and I’ll re-send it to you at once).
Little over a Month to Go Until 2019 Convention, Get Your Sponsorship Now; 2021 Site Visit Thursday
Ladies and gentlemen, the 2019 ABI Taking Care of Business Conference, the 116th Annual ABI Convention, begins in a little over month. The event will be held in Ames June 4, 5, and 6. Make your reservations NOW for the convention by going to www.iowaabi.com. OVER 350 PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY REGISTERED!
Now is the time to finalize your sponsorship for the conference. The Sponsorship Committee, chaired by ABI Board Members Kelly Barrick (CIBC Bank, West Des Moines) and Michele Farrell (Measured Intentions, Urbandale) and with great staff work led by Kathy Anderson, is making final sponsor arrangements. Your sponsorship is what makes the conference possible. Please contact Kathy at (515) 235-0575 for the benefits of sponsorship.
In a final site visit last week led by ABI Chair David Bywater (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City) and Conference Committee Chair Lisa Patterson (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City), plans were finalized at fabulous facilities, programs were checked, and food tested. This conference will be an ABI convention you do NOT want to miss. High-value breakout sessions, dynamic speakers, and the very best business networking in Iowa will again make the conference something special.
Don’t wait; register NOW! If you don't want to click on the link above, reply to this message and let us take care of it for you. Don't miss this conference!
By the way, the first site visit related to the 2021 conference takes place this coming Thursday. ABI Board Treasurer Steven Bradford (HNI Corporation, Muscatine) and a small group of us will be investigating sites and event locations in Iowa City. Watch for more news in the coming months.
Nominating Committee to Meet Two Weeks from Today
As Immediate past Chair of ABI, David Zrostlik (Stellar Industries, Garner) also serves as Chair of the 2019 ABI Nominating Committee. The committee will meet one week from tomorrow.
The committee includes representatives of each of ABI’s five Iowa districts. Thank you to Dave and to these other ABI leaders for serving on the association's 2019 Nominating Committee: John Riches (Arconic, Davenport), Tom Yeoman (Yeoman & Company, Monticello), Chris Sackett, BrownWinick, Des Moines), John Krogman (Elkhart Plastics, Atlantic), and Drew Vogel (Vogel Paint Company, Orange City).
If you wish to nominate someone for board service (and self-nominations are welcomed and encouraged), please contact one of the committee members or me. ABI members will vote on the slate of nominees at the 2019 Annual Convention in Ames in June.
Leadership Iowa Class Heads to Carroll; Nominate Someone for LI, Other Programs
There are two sessions left for the 2018-2019 Leadership Iowa Class. One will be held later this week in Carroll and then the class will graduate at a ceremony held in conjunction with the ABI annual conference.
Beginning with some voluntary activities Wednesday and continuing through Thursday and Friday, the class will meet for a session focused on economic development. As usual, a terrific program has been developed for LI members and you will learn more at the May board meeting.
In other news, please remember that tomorrow is the deadline to make your Leadership Iowa nominations for the 2019-2020 class. You can also nominate participants for other ABI Foundation programs. Go here to make your nominations for LI or the other programs: https://www.iowaabi.org/abi-foundation/foundation-programs/.
Brad Hartkopf Graduates ISAE Leadership Course
Speaking of leadership courses, ABI Director, Public Policy Brad Hartkopf has now completed the leadership development course led by the Iowa Society of Association Executives. Brad’s course was a several months-long journey through all things related to managing an association. He will be honored at a ceremony to be held later today in Des Moines. Congratulations, Brad!
ABI Operational Excellence Roundtable to Meet Wednesday
You have heard that the ABI roundtables have been a success. The association started four years ago with a CFO Roundtable and then added an Operations Excellence Roundtable. The roundtables have been excellent resources for members in the finance and operations fields. In fact, other roundtables, such as a Business Development Roundtable, have been contemplated.
In the meantime, the ABI Operational Excellence Roundtable will convene for its next meeting on Wednesday. Should you have staff that wish to participate, reply to this memo and we’ll get you the information. Watch for more news as it develops.
Leadership Iowa Alumni Civic Leader Event a Week from Friday
Leadership Iowa will host a Civic Leader event for LI Alumni on May 10. Participation is limited, so register now for this event if you are interested. Please click on this link to for information and to register: https://www.iowaabi.org/upl/downloads/library/civic-leader-may-10-2019-leadership-iowa-alumni-events.pdf.
Latest Elevate Newsletter Published
The latest edition of the newsletter published by ABI’s Elevate Advanced Manufacturing initiative was recently distributed. The newsletter includes information and resources to help connect workers to training and to your business. A copy will be included in the packet of materials related to next week’s board meeting.
Mark Your Calendars for ABI Executive Open
One of ABI's most popular events each year is the annual Executive Open. This year's open will again be played at one of Iowa's truly fabulous private courses, Des Moines Golf and Country Club (http://www.dmgcc.org/). If you are not a member, it can be difficult to get the opportunity to play it. Well, here's your chance.
Registration will soon be open for this event, which will be held on August 26. For now, please save the date on your calendar. This event sells out every year, so make your plans now and look for registration information in an upcoming edition of this memorandum.
Yeoman & Company Again Partners with Keep Iowa Beautiful; Iowa Towns Win
Longtime ABI member Yeoman & Company is a third-generation leader in the tools industry. The company is again this year partnering with ABI member Keep Iowa Beautiful to provide grants for tools to Iowa communities and parks agencies. Congratulations to Yeoman and its President, ABI Board Member Tom Yeoman (Yeoman & Company, Monticello)!
NAM: Manufacturing Output Sets another Record
The headline on last week’s National Association of Manufacturers’ Monday Economic Report was compelling. It noted ANOTHER in a string of record quarters for manufacturing output. There was much other interesting news, too. If you would like to read a copy of the report, please reply to this message and I’ll get it to you at once. Thanks to the NAM for their reports and information.